subject: Writing Prize Magic - Gain Cash With Story Competitions [print this page] Writing Prize Magic - Gain Cash With Story Competitions
To win story contests systematically, you have to regard your fiction pasttime as a profession. It means approaching contests like an office you go to every day, every day of the week. Just one award will not amount to a lot yet many prizes each week mount to a big sum.To switch the behavior of a lifetime can seem impractical yet every prominent achiever in this field has been forced to take on a change in psychology.The first thing is to set up a log book. Paper files quickly get outdated so use a program such as Excel. Unfortunately, such programs are a steep learning curve. Better to adapt the Table utility in Word for this basic job.Precise documentation is vital so you know where you've been and where you're going. Top contest performers set up a scheme and fulfil the scheme, meticulously.Look into every competition that looks attractive. Do a web search. Note the contest details and closing date in your records and arrange the cut off dates chronologically so you won't forget one.Explore the many opportunities available to you. You will chance upon a treasury of fabulous new avenues as you search the web that will lead to further profitable discoveries.Be careful of distractions This is no longer your pasttime. It's a profession. Allocate yourself a set period to finalize and submit each entry.Investigating the market fully can soon become a compulsion. Therefore, after a period, close your explorations. Otherwise you won't start the real work!Set parameters for those competitions you plan to discover. Employ precise key phrases in your search. For example, "story contests UK 2011". These long tail search phrases should bring you the best contests.Assign yourself a personal goal. For instance, ten stories submitted each month.Keep a record of the cash you spend on all the contests and the time you put in across the year. Are you receiving a worthwhile return in prizes? If it's not impressive, perhaps you should refine your entries or select the contests more rigorously.It's a truism that, provided your stories are merely good enough, persistence will win whereas entries of genius will fail if not submitted systematically.To keep inspired, dream what you might do when you win. After you've mastered the plan, you'll be able to fund many little nice things. When your skill improves, you will enjoy big prizes nearly every fortnight. It's story winning magic.Follow the schedule and that schedule should ultimately earn you substantial cash sums. These tips are a no-brainer to make happen and each idea is very profitable to do!
