How to do Well in Writing Contests

Mibba’s Writing Contests, located in the forums, are a fairly popular and active part of the site. Many people enjoy participating in the contests, both to gain inspiration and to see how their work stands up against others. There are many different styles of contests, but one thing remains true for all of them: they can be difficult to win. Hopefully, these tips will help you with writing pieces for contests.

Follow the Rules

Every contest has a different set of rules, including word count, rating, and genre. If you want your piece to be successful in the contest, you have to follow these rules. Some hosts are stricter than others, but you may not know that until judging time, so it’s best to follow all of the rules to a tee. Contests usually have a word count maximum and minimum, so be sure to follow those. Also, check to see if pre-written stories are allowed, because you may have a piece that already fits the prompt that you can enter. Be aware of what rating your story is allowed to have. If the rules say no incest or rape, don’t include those things in your piece.

Be Creative

Contest hosts generally love creativity. Mibba is a creative writing site, and most hosts appreciate that. They want to see your creative juices flowing and the different things their contest has inspired you to write. Many times, a host creates a contest because they see something interesting, but don’t have a story for it. When you are able to take something that was inspiring to them, and make a story or poem out of it, they will be impressed, and it will gain you major points.

Use the prompt

Whether the contest has a photo, song, quote, or other type of prompt, make sure you use the prompt in your piece. You can be creative, but make sure it is obvious that the contest’s prompt is what inspired your piece. Sometimes prompts can be vague, so feel free to take the piece wherever you think it is destined to go.

Losing Isn’t Terrible

Every host has different taste, and even though your work may be good, it may not be what the host likes to read, which could cause your work to get a lower ranking. Losing a contest doesn’t mean your piece was bad. Check to see if the host gave you any constructive criticism and use it when writing your next contest entry.