If you want to win story contests systematically, you have to regard your fiction hobby as a profession. That suggests approaching competitions as an office you go to each day, five days a week. Just one contest win will not seem much yet many wins each week add up to a big amount.
For us to change the behavior of a lifetime can seem impractical but each and every successful achiever in writing events has had to adopt a new mental approach.
The first thing is to arrange a log book. Notebooks fast get outdated so use a program like Excel. But spreadsheets are tough to learn. It’s easier to adapt Table in Word.doc for such a simple application.
Precise records are vital so you know where you’ve been and where you’re going. Professionals set up a scheme and work the scheme, rigorously.
Research every competition that looks promising. Do a web search. Copy the competition instructions and closing date into your table and list the closing dates chronologically so you don’t forget a key event.
Discover the diverse and many options available to you. You may find a treasury of exciting new avenues as you search the web that should lead on to still more fruitful enquiry.
Be careful of interruptions The contest business is no longer a hobby. It’s a profession. Allow yourself a set period to finalize and submit each entry.
Investigating the market fully can soon become a compulsion. Therefore, after a period, close down your market research. Otherwise you will never start the real work!
Set parameters for the competitions you will research. Use precise key words in the search box. For instance, “story contests UK 2011“. These long tail keywords will bring you the best contests.
Set yourself a personal goal. For example, ten stories made each month.
Keep a record of the fees you spend on all the contests and the time you put in over a period. Are you receiving a worthwhile return in cash? If your payback is not wonderful, maybe you need to refine the stories or select the contests with greater care.
It’s a truism that, provided your stories are merely adequate, sheer persistence will win yet entries that are brilliant may flop if not submitted regularly.
To stay energized, plan what you might do with your winnings. After you’ve gained experience in the system, you will be able to afford many little luxuries. When your experience improves, you’ll receive major wins almost each week. That’s story winning magic.
Work the scheme and that system should ultimately bring you substantial wins. These tips are straightforward to make happen and all are very profitable to do!
