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WritersNotes.Net: Helping Writers Follow Their Dreams Through Information, Inspiration, and Encouragement!
September 25th 2008 18:57
Have You Tested Your Literary Thrill-Generating Skills Lately?
Suspense Magazine is currently holding its first annual writing contest/sweepstakes for authors of short stories in the suspense/thriller/mystery genre. If you are a fiction writer and this is one of the areas where you shine, you have until December 31st to submit one or more stories, ranging in length from 1500 to 5,000 words. There's no entry fee, and up for grabs are the following prizes:
Grand Prize: 12 books (one from each of Suspense Magazine's 12 authors of the month for 2008). Some of the books are autographed.
Second Prize: $50 gift card from Amazon.com
Third Prize: $25 gift card from Amazon.com
Please be sure to follow all contest rules, so your story(ies) won't be disqualified.
Best of luck to you!
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? Have any thoughts to share about this writing contest or writing contests in general? Have you written a story that you might like to submit? Considering writing a new one--or several? Ever win a short story contest before? We'd love to hear your thoughts and/or experiences!
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September 21st 2008 01:26
The Lowdown Right from the Lizard's* Mouth!
Joel Ratner, Director of Zirdland.com, has graciously responded to several somewhat skeptical comments left on my recent post: "That First Line" Contest Offers $500 Prize for One Line! In his comment, Joel addresses a few issues raised by some Writer's Notes readers. I've decided to reproduce his fairly lengthy comment in this post to be certain that everyone who's read the earlier post and either entertained or expressed doubts about the Zirdland website and its writing contests will see his remarks and benefit from hearing the other side of the story.
The Inside Scoop from the Top Man at Zirdland
The following is what Joel had to say about his site:
Hi Jeanne -
Thanks for writing so many wonderful things about our web site. It's been a long development process. But we want to make sure we get this right. For too long, writers have been left in the dark wondering how to get published. Publishers are similarly in the dark about where the "truly" great works can be found. They rely on third-parties to evaluate and recommend. Seems to us (as writers) a tragic failed business model.
So, maybe we're crazy for trying to change things, but somebody needs to do something - the same old stuff keeps getting published - and I can tell you from what we've seen in both the first-line contest and the new novel competition, that there are some incredibly talented people with very meaningful works out there. Even more tragic are some of the tales of their querying experiences.
The Arc Angel is something we've worked on for 4 years now, and when deployed, we hope it can bridge the gap - helping writers structure their plots and characters for maximum reader satisfaction, and helping the publishers wade through their slush-piles in a more organized way. While it can't "read" like a human - or interpret the social significance of a work, it can accurately detect emotional development, dramatic ebb and flow and chart-out the arc structure for each character and for combinations of characters.
The actual user-interface you will eventually see on the site will be very intuitive, graphical, and integrated with a text editor so a writer can work in the desktop environment and have the Arc Angel analyze the edits on the fly.
Our writers focus groups have given us valuable feedback and even some of the die-hard skeptics remained well afterwards to get more hands-on with the Arc Angel - addicted, as we are.
The novel competition is our beta test - giving the Arc Angel and the processing engines a work-out with real submissions. While we've taken reasonable precautions to protect the entries, writers should always copyright their works. No rights are lost by entering - we only expect to test the system. Eventually, each entrant will receive the analysis output of their entry. And of course, one exceptional writer will also get $1,000.
No entry fee this time around. The first-line contest was an effort to raise money for our literacy partners (Firstbook and National Center for Family Literacy) while providing a fun opportunity for writers. We love competitions and feel it sparks creativity. I think Zirdland will always have some sort of contest running...at least we'll try.
Hope that helps. I'm excited to see so much discussion about our project and we'd welcome any suggestions or insights your readers may have.
Thanks again for great coverage of the adventure!
Joel Ratner, Director
Zirdland.com, LLC
Permission to Quote Graciously Granted
In response to my request for permission to turn his comment into a blog post, Joel later posted this friendly follow-up comment:
Hi Jeanne -
No problem at all in distributing my comments. Yes, I did see your later post. Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts and comments about Zirdland. I'm glad to get some opposing viewpoints from all the responses to your post - it helps us understand what areas we need to focus on as we develop this site.
It's been a lot of fun and we've received so many well-wishes.
Let me know if you or your readers have any additional questions, comments or concerns. I'll do my best to answer them.
Any Questions or Comments for Joel About His Site?
There you have it--right from the source. If you still have questions, concerns, thoughts, or opinions about Zirdland, its contests, or its Arc Angel Story Analysis Tool that you'd like to share, Joel would be more than happy to listen and respond to any issues you may have.
Thanks to All!
Thanks so much, Joel, for your willingness to entertain our comments, answer our questions, and assuage our concerns!
And thank-you, Writer's Notes readers for your thoughtful comments left in response to my earlier post! Thanks, too, for any feedback you may decide to give Joel in response to his gracious offer to clarify his site's plans, goals, philosophy, policies, and practices!
To your writing future!
Jeanne
* The Zirdland trademark/mascot is a bright green lizard, appropriately called a zird.
Did you enjoy this post? Have any questions for Joel about his site, his software, or his contests? Any suggestions for ways his site could better serve you as a writer? Any concerns that haven't been addressed either on the site or in his comments? Both he and I would love to hear your thoughts!
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The End of an Era
After three years of reviewing the most imaginative fictional first lines its contestants could dream up--and paying a hefty $500 prize for the one they liked best--the folks at Zirdland have decided to call it quits on their semi-annual ThatFirstLine competition. The latest contest deadline was September 1st, and the winning entry is slated to be announced on September 30th; so stay tuned for the results of the final edition of Zirdland's popular creative competition.
Zirdland's Novel Competition Still Active
There's still time to enter Zirdland's novel competition, though, which offers an even more-substantial $1,000 prize to the top contender. So, if you've got an unpublished or self-published novel lying around gathering dust, consider entering this contest. As Zirdland puts it, "On 10/10/08, you could be $1,000 richer!" There's no entry fee, and you can simply upload your novel to the website. (Your novel will not be visible to the public.) For further information, visit the Zirdland website, or see my first post about the site and its contests: "That First Line" Contest Offers $500 Prize for One Line.
Screenplay Competition and eQuery Service Also in the Works
Zirdland is also gearing up to host a screenplay competition, which will also offer a $1,000 prize. (See the Zirdland Event Schedule page for projected dates of this contest and other planned events.)
In addition, the website plans to begin offering an eQuery service in the near future, which it will provide free of charge and which will make it easier for writers to submit their work to various publishers, producers, agents, etc., by automating the submission process. Stay tuned for further information on these future Zirdland offerings.
Arc Angel Analysis Tool Soon to Be Offered Online
Check out the Zirdland website to find out more about all the fascinating offerings it has planned for writers in the very near future. You'll want to look into its Arc Angel Analysis Tool. Not only will Arc Angel be used to judge the novel competition, but the site also plans to make the tool available online as of November 1st for writers to use in evaluating and improving their own work. All Zirdland members will have access to the tool, and membership is free. (All entrants to the novel competition will automatically become members, and membership will also be offered to other writers soon.)
Some of the questions you may have about the site and its offerings are addressed on the Zirdland FAQ page.
To your success!
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? Are you planning to enter the Zirdland novel competition? Or perhaps you're more inclined to submit a screenplay to their next contest. Maybe both? Did you enter your creative masterpiece into their ThatFirstLine competition, which is being judged "as we speak"? What do you think of the unique and varied offerings this unusual website provides?
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Win $500 for Writing One Line!
Zirdland.com is offering a $500 prize to the entrant who writes the best opening line for its twice-yearly That First Line writing contest. Deadline for the Spring/Summer contest is September 1st, so get creative and submit your best opening line before that date. The winning line from the last contest has been posted on the contest's submission page to give you an idea of the kind of writing Zirdland judges appreciate most. In fact, a number of winning lines from past contests can be found on the ZirdNEWS page.
Novel Competition Also Features a Generous Prize
Zirdland is also hosting a Novel Competition, which features a $1,000 prize. There's no entry fee for uploading/submitting your unpublished or self-published novel (plain text only), and the deadline for submissions is October 10th. So, if you've got a completed (or nearly completed) novel languishing on your hard drive, now's the time to pull it up, do a bit of editing, and place yourself in the running for this generous prize. (Your novel will not be posted to the website; its contents will remain private.)
New Arc Angel Story Analysis Tool Will Judge Entries
Zirdland has recently unveiled its Arc Angel Story Analysis Tool, currently in Beta testing, which will be used to judge entries in the Novel Competition. This marvel of modern software technology, according to Zirdland, "analyzes the sub-text of a literary work," detecting both rhetorical and plot strengths and weaknesses. The program "combines average rhetorical intensity...with (a) drama rating, and other metrics, to provide an overall story satisfaction rating," which is used to rank stories for both the site's contests and its eQuery service. (While many question whether a software program can truly assess a story's literary quality as well as a human judge, it's a fascinating concept and one that will certainly be interesting to watch.)
Free eQuery Service and Job Listings Also Offered by Zirdland
Zirdland also offers a free eQuery service for submitting your work via its automated system to publishers, agents, producers, etc. Its software will apparently generate your proposals, as well. (Is there anything this software can't do?) You'll find further information on the website. The site also offers a list of writing gigs, though at this point at least, the number of opportunities appears to be extremely limited.
You'll definitely want to check out Zirdland.com--particularly if fiction is your forte. This is one fascinating website with many uniquely interesting offerings!
Enjoy your visit!
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? Have anything to add? What do you think of Zirdland's offerings? Do you believe a software program can really assess the literary merit of a written work? Why or why not?
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Two Fantastic Sites That Are Hosting My Work
Just wanted to share with my Writer's Notes readers that I have two guest posts appearing so far during the month of June: one at Writing the Cyber Highway and one at Writer's Resource Center.
Writing the Cyber Highway: A Favor Returned
One guest post is already up at Michele Tune's blog, Writing the Cyber Highway.
Here's the link:
Motivation to Write: Is There a Magic Formula?
I've really enjoyed writing this post on motivation for Michele, who so kindly came to my rescue a while back when I was ill, penning a wonderful guest post here at Writer's Notes without even being asked to do it. That's just the kind of blogger--and person--Michele is! That's why I'm so happy to reciprocate. (See Michele's guest post here: That's What Bloggers Are For.)
If you ever have trouble motivating yourself to write, you might just want to follow the above link and check out the lessons I've learned about this topic that's so critical to the success of every writer. Hope you'll enjoy reading this piece as much as I've enjoyed writing it. And hope you'll get lots of new ideas about how to discover--or generate--new motivation for all your writing projects!
Writer's Resource Center (aka PoeWar): An Opportunity to Help Out
My second guest post is scheduled to run tomorrow, June 4th, at John Hewitt's Writer's Resource Center.
Update: It's now June 4th and the post is up, so here's the link:
7 Secrets to a Striking Essay
This post presents seven helpful essay-writing techniques that are applicable to many other types of writing, as well. I hope you'll enjoy it--and even more so that you'll get something of value from reading it.
I wrote this post in response to a request by John for enough guest posts to run through the month of June to help him take a much needed month-long vacation. I was honored that, in addition to his general call for guest posts, John also sent me an e-mail inviting me personally to submit a post. (How could I refuse?) Seriously, though, I'd already planned to submit a post but really appreciated John's reminder. It's definitely an honor to have my work appearing at John Hewitt's Writer's Resource Center!
WRC Post Involves a Contest With an Impressive Grand Prize!
What makes this WRC "gig" even more special, though, is that John is offering a $250 prize to the writer whose guest post receives the most traffic during the first week it graces his site! That's definitely a prize worth pursuing--even if I would have submitted a guest post anyway! So, I'd like to ask my readers to stop by WRC to check out my post--even if you aren't that interested in essay writing--though I promise that you will take home some helpful tips for other types of writing, as well. (And don't forget to tell your friends! I need all the help I can get! In fact, a Stumble wouldn't hurt, either (wink, wink), if you really like my article--or if you just want to be nice. I would be forever grateful. Certainly hope you will like my post, though.)
WRC Consolation Prize Is Generous, As Well
John is also offering a $50 prize in a random drawing he'll hold to determine which lucky guest blogger among all those who have responded to his call for vacation relief will receive the "consolation" prize. The two monetary prizes John is offering are more than generous and have certainly provided a wonderful incentive for bloggers to participate. It will definitely be fascinating to see who wins them! Of course, it would be even more fascinating to be who wins (one of) them! Time alone will tell who the two lucky winners will be!
Stay Tuned for John Hewitt's Guest Post Here at Writer's Notes
John has also graciously offered to write a reciprocal guest post here at Writer's Notes as soon as he's able--so we've all got a treat in store after John's vacation ends. I know he's a busy man, however, and certainly don't want to put any undue pressure on him. Though it's difficult to wait, I'm sure we can all be patient until John gets back into the swing of things in July and manages to find a bit of extra time to write a guest post especially for us! I know it will be well worth the wait!
Hope you'll visit my guest posts!
Jeanne
P.S. I haven't forgotten my comment recognition post this month, but have simply been so busy that I haven't gotten to it yet. (Would have posted it today, but wanted to announce my guest post at Writer's Resource Center, since it's set to go live tomorrow, as well as my guest post that went live yesterday at Writing the Cyber Highway. Hope everyone will forgive me for being so late with my thanks! I'll do my best to get that post up tomorrow. I'll also resume my Guide to Polished Writing series soon after. Thanks for your understanding!)
Did you enjoy this post? Have anything to add? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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Writer's Notes' Design Issues Lead to One-Point Loss
Writers Notes was edged out of John Hewitt's March Writing Blog Madness blog tournament yesterday (U.S. time) by Content Maven by a slim 14-13 margin. (For an explanation of how the contest works, visit John's post, March Writing Blog Madness Explained. You'll also find the seedings, which determined the matchup of the blog pairs that would compete, in the March Writing Blog Madness Seedings post.)
Of a possible total of 18 points, Content Maven Meryl Evans--a veteran writer, editor, and blogger--managed to rack up one more point than Writer's Notes could eke out due to blog design problems (which many of you already know about).
Blogs were judged in six different categories, each with a three-point maximum score: Archives, Design, Usability and Navigation, Purpose, Personality, and Five Most Recent Posts. Here's John's post presenting his comparative assessment of both blogs, along with his rationale for the points he assigned to each blog in each area: Game 12: #2 Seed Content Maven Versus #7 Seed Writer’s Notes. (There's still a great deal more to come in this tournament--more rounds to be "fought" and more blogs to be judged--so be sure to check it out.)
Did a Poorly Timed Orble Formatting Experiment Contribute to Writer's Notes' Loss?
While it's difficult to say for certain, it could very well be that, had the timing of the Orble formatting experiment (in which Google ads were placed in unusual and esthetically unpleasing places on our blogs' webpages), not coincided with my blog's judging, the outcome of this match might have been different. But, of course, that's pure speculation. It's just as possible that John would have found other design problems anyway.
I'm also well aware of my own culpability in the matter, since one of my last five posts (the content of which was judged as part of the tournament) was basically a lamentation about this issue and didn't do a thing to help me pick up the extra point I needed to tie the score. However, in my own defense, I will say that I believe in keeping my readers informed about what's going on, because community is what a blog is all about. I could have ignored the issue and continued to write totally unrelated "pillar" content (which might have helped me win), but I'm not sure that would have been entirely fair to my readers. (I will admit, though, that I probably could have complained a bit less in that post; and for that I apologize.)
The Blog is Still the Same, the Blogger a Little Wiser!
Despite this setback, Writer's Notes is fine and will continue to provide the same "information, inspiration, encouragement, and resources" for which it's become known. John Hewitt was honest in his assessment and, along with his constructive criticism, also had some very nice things to say about Writer's Notes--and about me--in his review, which I appreciate.
I didn't choose to enter this tournament. (I never would have with a PR 0.) The decision was made for me by John himself. (In fact, I'm still amazed that I did get in with my lack of PR, since John chose the entrants based on a combination of Google PR and Alexa ranking. I've just learned, though, that he assigned a value of PR 1 to all the PR 0 blogs for calculation purposes.) Though the loss was tough, I'm glad I had the opportunity to be matched with a much more experienced blogger and find that I gave her a run for her money!
Despite my loss (or perhaps because of it), this has been an excellent learning experience. For one thing, it's made me realize that complacency isn't a good thing. I should have continuously sought ways to make my blog's design better. And while the untimely Orble formatting experiment likely played a significant role and there are limits to what I'm able to control from my end, there were undoubtedly a few things I could have done to mitigate the problem. Live and learn, as they say! I now know that I shouldn't allow myself to become too comfortable, but should always be experimenting and looking for little (and big!) ways to improve my blog.*
Thanks, John, for giving me that incentive!
And thanks to my loyal readers who stick by me despite my blog's design issues!
You're the best!
Jeanne
* In fact, I'm currently experimenting with making the banner ads that have now become part of my preferred template a little less obtrusive. I still don't like them, but I'm attempting to make the best of a bad situation, because I really don't like the other template I'd be forced to use instead (to get rid of the banner ads)--the one with both sidebars on the left. I prefer the more symmetrical look of one sidebar on each side. (I may just be forced to go back to other template, though, if I don't succeed in making the banner ads look acceptable.)
Eternal optimist that I am, I'm still hoping Orble will decide to give us the option of having only link ads across the top of our blogs in the default template. That would be ideal, as far as I'm concerned. (I'm so glad they decided to get rid of the unsightly floating ad tower that created a fourth column in most blog templates, unbalancing our entire blogs! Thanks, Orble, for that!)
Did you enjoy this post? Have any thoughts to share? I'd love to hear from you, because you are what this blog is all about!
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Writing Contest Deadline Extended to March 13th
In a post written earlier today--nano Contest Stays Open until March 13th--Brad Shorr has extended the deadline for his Word Sell Writing Contest until 5pm Central time on March 13th. Because he didn't receive the minimum 10 entries needed to give away the 8 GB iPod Nano ($200 value), Brad has graciously decided to give us all another crack at the prize.
About the Contest
Specific contest rules are posted at the second link above, but the gist of the contest is this: Entrants must write a blog post based on a cartoon that Brad has posted at his blog. It's a great opportunity to get creative, using one of Brad's fantastic cartoons for inspiration, while at the same time placing yourself in the running for the drawing for the iPod Nano. Sounds like a winning combination to me!
I've already posted my entry, and it's been very interesting to see the differing approaches of various bloggers who have entered so far. There's really a great deal of latitude here for each blogger's own interpretation of this cartoon, which is one of the most fascinating aspects of this contest--other than the possibility of winning the iPod, that is!
Hurry and Get Your Entry In
Why not drop by Word Sell and check it out! You never know whether inspiration might not strike like a bolt of lightning once you've looked at the cartoon! (Case in point: This isn't the first time one of Brad's cartoons has inspired me to write a blog post. The first time I did it, I didn't even have the possibility of winning an iPod to motivate me. Brad's cartoons are motivation enough in their own right.)
So, hurry over to Word Sell, read the contest rules, look over the cartoon, and get your creative juices flowing! Enter this fun contest, and who knows, you may soon be the proud owner of a brand new iPod Nano!
Good luck!
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? Plan to enter the contest? Have any thoughts on cartoons as a source of writing inspiration? We'd love to hear from you!
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Cartoon used with permission by Brad Shorr, Word Sell, Inc.
Words: A Writer’s Perspective
Words: the writer’s stock-in-trade…the intellectual currency with which we transact our business of touching the hearts and minds of those for whom we write
Words: the attire with which we dress our thoughts before sending them forth to greet our reader, make his or her acquaintance, and hopefully create a wonderful first—and lasting—impression
Words: the vehicles which transport ideas across streets or across continents, spreading them far and wide for all to encounter on near or foreign mental soil
Words: the soul-fed fires which ignite emotions…passions…hopes…and dreams…inspiring action while themselves sitting dormant on the page…or, no sooner spoken, dissipating, like a cooling summer’s breeze
Words: the silken threads of color woven artfully into tapestries of beauty, strength, and grace by artisans who patiently hone their skills and ply their craft with care
Words.
Using Words Effectively
As writers, we are intimately involved with words. We use them every day to convey meaning. Yet, the degree of meaning we succeed in conveying to our readers through our words is directly proportional to the degree of skill with which we use them.
The Book of Proverbs contains a wonderful saying about using words effectively:
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” –Proverbs 25:11 (NKJV*)
What a lovely picture of the carefully chosen word!
The Writer’s Job
Our job as writers is to continually seek the best possible words to convey the precise thoughts we intend our reader to take away from our work. At times these words won’t come immediately, or easily, and we’ll have little choice but to think a while longer—maybe even to go back to that section later, or even tomorrow, looking at it with fresh eyes, a fresh perspective, and a fresh infusion of thought and inspiration.
Don't Let Deadlines Create Carelessness
Yet, when we face a deadline and have no time to wait for inspiration to strike—no time to let our writing “age” and return to it tomorrow—we simply have to tough it out. We must refuse to give in to the temptation to use a careless word or phrase—one that we know deep inside just isn’t “right.” (And the temptation to do so can be strong.) We need, instead, to mentally wrestle with the thought, to visualize the image we hope to convey, and pull from somewhere within ourselves—or if need be our thesauruses—the word that paints the most vivid picture of the thought we’re envisioning so the world can see it, too.
Poorly Chosen Words Create Misunderstanding
When we refuse to take the time to choose our words with care—and no doubt about it, that’s hard work—we’re often misunderstood. Our job as writers, then, is to anticipate the information the reader will require for accurately processing our ideas and then distill that information into a form (word, phrase, sentence, line) that the reader can grab hold of mentally and make sense of. This gives our readers satisfaction as they read our work—a sense of connection with our own thought process which helps them relate to our words and appropriate their meaning for themselves.
The Final Read-Through and Revision
When we’ve come to the end of a piece of writing (a blog post, article, chapter, or poem), we still aren’t finished yet. No matter how wonderful we feel about the job we’ve done, how clever we think our work is, or how pleased we are with ourselves, there’s one more step that we ignore to our peril: We absolutely must reread our work for structure, rhythm, sense, and flow. The very best way to do this is aloud, because sound is an important indicator of trouble in one or more of these areas.
Finishing Touches
As you read, look—or better yet, listen—for awkward phrasing, confusing sentence structure, unclear meaning, or unpleasing, abrupt, or non-melodious language. Be sure you’ve used transitions that draw your reader smoothly and effortlessly through your text, creating literary bridges from one paragraph or sentence to the next. Take special note of the word order you’ve chosen and the rhythmic effect it creates, and when needed, reorder your words to give your writing a smoother, more fluid quality.
Ruthless Revision
You’ll nearly always find sections you thought were absolutely brilliant while writing them that on final read-through sound confusing and unclear. Please do your readers a favor and revise them—regardless of how clever or inspired they may have seemed at the time. We often become enamored with our phrasing, and convincing ourselves to let it go can be a struggle. But always remember that there’s lots more inspiration where that came from, so you can afford to cut a clever phrase for the sake of clarity.
The Finished Product
When we’ve finished revising our work, our goal is to have a piece of writing that’s clear, engaging, and easy for our audience to read, understand, and enjoy. And at all costs, we want to avoid repeating the mistake made by our friend in the above cartoon. He either didn’t give enough advance thought to the wording of his sign, or he didn’t reread it before posting it. (If he did reread it, he did so without considering the possible ways the public might construe it.) And that’s a mistake we never want to make with our writing.
Happy revising!
Jeanne
* New King James Version
This post is my entry to Brad Shorr's Word Sell Writing Contest.
Did you enjoy this post? Have anything to add? Has Brad's cartoon inspired any thoughts? If so, we'd love to hear them!
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It Couldn't Have Happened to a Better Blogger!
Michele Tune is a wonderful blogger--in more ways than one. First of all, she's an excellent writer, which makes her blog a delight to read. And secondly, she's a beautiful person--friendly, caring, giving--which makes her a delight to know. She's the blogger who came forward recently and generously offered to write a guest post here at Writer's Notes to help me out due to my personal and family illness. Here's her guest post: That's What Bloggers Are For!
And the Winner is...Michele Tune!
Michele also recently entered a contest put on by Rebecca Laffar-Smith at Writer's Round-About, in which she was required to write a review of Rebecca's blog, post it to her own blog, and then submit a link to it for voting by Rebecca's readers. It was a close and anxious race, as Michele and another contestant, LaskiGal, took turns repeatedly gaining and losing the first place position. When the final results were in, Michele had won by three votes (29 to LaskiGal's 26). Congratulations to both ladies: to Michele, who won a $100 Amazon gift certificate and LaskiGal, who won a $50 one! Congratulations also go out to Melissa Donovan, who won the third place prize, a $25 Amazon gift certificate, with 25 votes! Here's Rebecca's post presenting the contest results: New Design Launch - Contest Results!
Thanks for Supporting a Great Writer and a Wonderful Person!
I'd like to thank all my readers who visited and voted for Michele's post--or Stumbled it--after I announced the contest in a note at the end of her guest post. Thanks so much for helping an excellent writer/blogger--and fantastic person--win a much-deserved prize! Michele plans to use her gift certificate to buy books to help her grow and improve as a writer. I'm sure it will be an adventure! Happy shopping, Michele! We're glad you have this opportunity to develop your already-considerable skills--even if we do love you just the way you are! Hope LaskiGal and Melissa will also enjoy their Amazon shopping sprees, getting whatever makes them happiest! (There were five fine entries to the contest. It's too bad everybody couldn't win!)
Thanks again, everyone!
Jeanne
P.S. Don't forget to visit Michele's blog: Writing the Cyber Highway. I'm sure you'll love reading what she has to say!
P.S.S. I know you'll enjoy Rebecca's blog, as well! So, why not drop by Writer's Round-About for a visit?
Did you enjoy this post? Have anything to add? We'd love to hear your thoughts! Why not congratulate Michele on her awesome feat. She had some pretty stiff competition!
A Fantastic Valentine's Day Surprise!
Yesterday I learned that, thanks to visits by my loyal readers, blog buddies, non-blog buddies, definitely non-blogging family members, and even one of my pastors--along with the readers of Matt's blog and a number of the aforementioned people who saw fit to Stumble my post--my Five Ways to Make Other Bloggers Absolutely Adore You! guest post came in first for the number of unique visits received by the Valentine's Day deadline! My post received 635 unique visits between January 22nd when I submitted it and February 14th when the Blogging Fingers Guest Posting Contest ended. Not a huge number over a three-week period, but "huge" enough to win.
Thanks to All Who Helped Me Win!
Many thanks to everyone who visited my contest post! (Some of you even visited more than once, which I appreciate, though only your first visit was counted.) To all who visited: You are the ones who made it happen! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! And special thanks to everyone who left comments on my post! Thanks so much for cheering me on! I also received encouraging e-mails from many of my blogging friends and from others, as well, which helped keep me optimistic to the end. Extra special thanks to all who Stumbled my post! Thanks to each and every one of you for helping me win!
Thanks to Matt for a Prompt Payout of the Prize Money!
My prize was $50 for receiving the most unique visits to my post and $10 for submitting one of the first entries to the contest. (Actually, all contestants won the $10 prize, since the number of entries was low.) Matt deposited the prize money ($60) into my PayPal account promptly yesterday, exactly as promised. Thanks, Matt!
A Great Experience!
I really enjoyed having the opportunity to enter this contest, which I'd decided to do almost on a whim, not really expecting to win. I simply made up my mind one day to just go for it and then sat down and wrote and submitted the post. It's been a great experience having a voice on another blog with a whole new readership, and it was a privilege to compete with the other fine contestants. Guys, your submissions were great! Let's hope Matt decides to do this again soon.
A Growing Interest In Guest Blogging
One thing this contest has done for me--aside from providing a few needed dollars--is give me a taste for guest blogging. I definitely plan to do more of it when I can manage to find the time. It's a great way for a blogger to spread her wings and explore--new audiences, new expectations, a new angle or new focus, maybe even a new topic. Who knows where it could lead? I guess only time will provide the answer to that question.
Thanks again, everyone, for your support!
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? What do you think of guest posting? Have you done it? Do you enjoy it? Why not share your experiences--and links to your guest posts--in comments?
My Entry Was In First Place This Morning!
I've just learned that my entry to the Blogging Fingers guest posting contest is, so far, in first place based on unique visitors, which makes me the top contender for the $50 prize to be awarded to the entrant with the most unique visitors by February 14th.
Please Visit My Guest Post and Help Me Win!
Since February 14th is only three days away, I'd like to let my readers know that, if you haven't visited my Five Ways to Make Other Bloggers Absolutely Adore You! post yet, I could sure use the visit.
Please Consider Stumbling My Post to Help Solidify My Lead!
Also, if you like my post enough and haven't done so yet, I could certainly use a Stumble to help me stay in the lead. (Matt is encouraging his guest posters to promote our entries via StumbleUpon or any other way we see fit, as long as it's legit.)
Second-Place Entry Not Far Behind!
As of early this morning, I was only ahead of the second-place contestant by about 40 unique visitors, though I had a fairly strong to very strong lead against the others. All it would take would be one Stumble of another entrant’s post (particularly the second-place entrant) to upset my lead; so I’m asking my readers who haven’t already visited or Stumbled my post to consider helping me out. I must say that the extra money would certainly come in handy right now with family illness and missed workdays!
My Earlier Post About the Contest
I wrote about my entry in an earlier post, Please Support My Entry to the Blogging Fingers Guest Author Contest with a Stumble. For more info about the contest, as well as a link to Matt's original announcement, follow that link.
Thanks so much for your support!
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? Have any thoughts or experiences to share? Have you ever won a contest? We'd love to hear about it!
My Entry
I wrote a guest post over at Blogging Fingers a short while back, called Five Ways to Make Other Bloggers Absolutely Adore You! The post was an entry to a contest Matt Jones is running (which just closed). Here's the original announcement: Guest Author on Blogging Fingers and Win $100! ($10 Guaranteed!)
The Contest
In this contest, the guest post that receives the most traffic (aka unique visitors) before February 14th wins $50--which would make a great Valentine's Day gift! Each of the first five guest posters also win $10, and I am among them. (In fact, the contest drew surprisingly few guest posts, which was disappointing.)
Why Am I Asking for a Stumble?
I actually wasn't planning to mention the contest on my blog, because I felt it only fair not to attempt to manipulate organic traffic to the post; however, other contest entrants are promoting their posts on StumbleUpon and Matt is encouraging this. And, while I definitely don't believe in Stumbling my own posts, I suppose that letting my readers know about my entry to the contest and asking you to consider Stumbling it if you like it and/or want to support me (though I hope you will like it) would be only fair, under the circumstances.
(And by the way, Stumbling this post would also help spread the word about my contest entry to StumbleUpon users, who might just decide to click the link and visit my contest post. To Stumble this post, click either the post title, above, or one of the Comments buttons at the end of the post. Each will take you to the post's permalink page and a row of social bookmarking site buttons, including a StumbleUpon button.)
Help Keep My Post in the Running
My post is a satire, which presents five "wonderful" ways you can make your fellow bloggers "adore" (translation: despise) you. Hope you'll enjoy reading it, and if you're so inclined, Stumbling and reviewing it on StumbleUpon. You'd be helping to keep me in the running for the $50 "grand" prize.
And, while you're at it, why not leave me a comment over at Blogging Fingers? I'd sure enjoy hearing from you!
Thanks!
Jeanne
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