Me too! I joined some "writing workshops" in my country and they're nothing compared to what Reedsy & Shaelin put out there for free. I'm forever grateful for the internet for this matter. The amount of knowledge and skills that I learn from RUclips won't be affordable to me if we put it into price.
Really helpful thank you. I have tried a couple of contests and made one shortlist so far - and as a really new writer it did give me a bit of a motivation boost. I'm not quite ready to try for regular submissions yet, I'm just working on my writing so far, so I do like a contest as a way of just dipping my toe in the water at this stage.
I'm the 500th Like! Entering a short story contest, and what's interesting about me is, I had no issues with writing short stories, but I had problems with writing full length novels or even a novela. Then, after several workshops and writing classes, I overcame and preferred writing long stories, I still do and enjoy the mechanics of forming the story. Well years later I am finding it difficult to draft a short story...odd I know. I feared the 1st blank page, but now I love it. I have come to thinking that a full length novel is like the open ocean and that first blank page is like stretching your feet out with from to spare. Short stories are like small ponds, a small lake maybe, a fish bowl really depending on the rule on limit on word count. So, I'm trying find my old closet and dig out and dust off my old short story hat. I like the rules and would be walls to the contest as it is like a challenge or writing practice. And yet I find myself going over the limit. I haven't entered a writing competition in 20 years. What happened? First let me say that I was published back in 2005, with an Australian publisher that only did E-Books, lol I remember that word mashup sounded so alien, E-Book. People didn't understand them and gave me funny looks when I told them I was published by an E-Publisher, like I had snakes growing out of my head, that was the look I got. Truthfully I was a trailblazer and helped pioneered that Age of Technology. Back then it was published on a 3.5 hard floppy disk with the book's cover art. I still have my original books. No one liked reading on the computer, but then in 2010 a kind of tablet came out that allowed the transfer of 3.5 disk stories, wow, we thought we were high tech and Star Trek then. That was about the time the publisher I was with decided to close it's doors, and I had a ton of bad things hit me, and Abuse from a family member who was on Meth. And then I hit something worse than writer's Block, which I don't believe in and have never had, because if you map out your story, and know your Beginning and know your End, the middle is just connecting the two. No I hit something I call a Dry Spell, and the Muses stopped coming, not that I didn't know what to write or where to go, that's writer's Block to me, no, what I had was I didn't have the will to write. And that hit after I was published by a small press and I passed my book out to family and friends, and waited, and waited I looked forward to hearing the feedback but instead I got back nothing, months would pass and I asked had they read it yet, and they said no...why, later the answer became clear, these people weren't really my friends, my family read the book, I got both positive and constructive criticism back which is fine, but nothing from friends. Then when the second book was published they wanted another signed copy so I told them where to buy it and I'd be happy to sign it, and they didn't like that, oh wait what?? You mean I have to pay for your work? Yes, because you got the first book for free you didn't spend any money and therefore it had no meaning to you, but to me it meant everything to get some feed back. Then my Ex and her friends when online to the publisher and on my book page left nasty reviews, thankfully there was some defense by other readers who read the books, and security beefed up as the publisher changed it's Review requirements, you had to sign up for an account, verify the email address and have proof and registered purchase to make a review. But with all that and more the damage was done and I hit a dry speed and had no desire or drive no inspiration or joy to write, why bother, so from about 2012 to 2022 I stopped writing and my last two writing competition were back in 1998 and 2000 wherein I did take home both awards...a Hemingway and a Bradbury. It was my Dad who got me back into writing again by encouraging me, Mom too for that matter. My Dad passed away in 2020 and missed my wedding by 1 month. After I got over the mourning process, which is lightly still going on, I started to write again in 2021, and more so in 2022. Oh and my mentor died, he was a published author too, not famous to the rest of the world like me, just known in certain circles. They like I will live on in my pages. Well there is my life story in a nutshell, and why I am here and why you got my life as your 500th! Thanks for reading, ❤ all keep writing even if it's for yourself, especially for you, enjoy the world you make. We are creators. A lot of my story comes or stems from things I suffered from and so I have a saying, "I was meant to suffer so that others may be entertained." It goes along with the Nirvana song Smells like Teen Spirit, the verse, "...here we are now, Entertain us!" Sorry this is long, Be Well, and Be Safe❤
@@shiningzhao2892 Well thank for reading it. I did that on my phone, not much window room to edit it so, sorry for the typos. Trying to make this short. The way I do endings I'll pass it to you, and I have no issues with Endings in terms of a Block. Depending on what you're writing, for example a Murder Mystery, it's best to start at the ending figure out how the Murderer did it and why, this will then spiral outwards and should help to guide the story home. Everything else, draft out your story, not the Idea, two different things here. Story is the soul and essence of the topic or idea. If you draft out what you point is that is the essence of the story how you want it to start and draft the end second as to how you want it to end what is the message or point to your story. Finding Nemo for example, most people get it wrong when asked what it's about. It's not about Marlon finding his Son, it's about overcoming your fears. Marlon Feared the ocean. The fish in the fish tank feared Darla and staying in that tank. Nemo is the light of courage as he tries to encourage everyone even in his darkest hour alone he finds Dory and makes friends with her as he cheers her up and they both look for Marlon. My advice is simple, find the story and point you want to tell within your story by starting to draft the beginning in say one page, should be enough room, and work towards getting that down to 5 sentences, and do the same with Act 3, write out how you want it to end, the Act 2 sort of will conform to fit the beginning and end and will write it's self. Use 3 pages one for each Act, Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. Draft Act 1 and the Act 3. Use a page but always be working to get that draft mapping is what you are doing, get it down to 5 sentences. This form of mapping will also help you find the pitch, how you can tell people what the story you are writing is about in 5 sentences, the entire story. This is also what an Agent will want and is looking for. This will also help in finding that tag line. Keep at it, writing is a craft the more you do it the better you get. Sorry for the typos, on phone again. Thanks for the reply. 👍 ❤️
Unfortunately as a 6th grader I don‘t understand much, and my friends aren‘t writing their parts for the book we‘re competing in a contest…well the thing is I plot out endings pretty quick but I never follow it lol.
@@shiningzhao2892 That's really cool, and that's a bit different, kind of like TV writers for a comedy show. But don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing good, do the best you can, and believe no one had it all figured out, we learn as we grow, and you will too. You may not understand stuff now but you are trying and still growing in life. Don't give up, the best parts are coming up!
That's fascinating ... here in Germany, submission fees for any kind of writing contest is pretty much frowned upon. It's mostly not a thing. But then again, any price money also tends to be very low.
Honestly Shaelin, you came as if God sent cause this is literally the world I have been emerging myself into now. I'm nineteen and I've asked myself why I ddnt do this sooner😐, but hey, never late than never😅😅❤️
Thousands of people spend $25 in hopes of being the single one who wins a big amount of money. Hmm... I feel like I've seen something like this before...? Thanks for the video, turns out I made a lot of wrong assumptions.
SHAELIN - is it accurate to say that the Reedsy Weekly Writing Contest is more about Networking than Writing? For instance, if a writer has no followers in the Reedsy Writing Contest Group, have they no chance of winning? Is this contest in the hands of the Judges, or the Network of Writers? Thanks.
Hi, I have a question. Yesterday, I tried to edit this story I submitted for a contest, but it said it was approved, but I haven't gotten a notification yet. Do you know what's going on? This happened one other time
Once there was girl. She flew and sang in the motionless summer sun. The glint of a reflection drew her down toward the dirty ground. When she landed, stooped, and examined, she saw the source of the flash of rainbow that had caught her keen eye. Tiny pendant, glassy green, was lifted over her head and breast-rested. She became the queen much later.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
I am honestly so grateful for this channel. So much valuable information ❤️
Me too! I joined some "writing workshops" in my country and they're nothing compared to what Reedsy & Shaelin put out there for free. I'm forever grateful for the internet for this matter. The amount of knowledge and skills that I learn from RUclips won't be affordable to me if we put it into price.
Important to check out the mag first. If you don't write the kind of things they publish, don't bother submitting.
This is amazingly well timed ☺️ thank you for your work.
What a timely video! I'm preparing a story for a contest this month. Thank you!
Really helpful thank you. I have tried a couple of contests and made one shortlist so far - and as a really new writer it did give me a bit of a motivation boost. I'm not quite ready to try for regular submissions yet, I'm just working on my writing so far, so I do like a contest as a way of just dipping my toe in the water at this stage.
Excellent - Not sure if you helped me get published, but that just happened... so, thanks!
I submitted a short story to the BACOPA Literary Review contest and didn't do particularly well (no surprise), but they still published it.
I'm the 500th Like!
Entering a short story contest, and what's interesting about me is, I had no issues with writing short stories, but I had problems with writing full length novels or even a novela.
Then, after several workshops and writing classes, I overcame and preferred writing long stories, I still do and enjoy the mechanics of forming the story. Well years later I am finding it difficult to draft a short story...odd I know. I feared the 1st blank page, but now I love it.
I have come to thinking that a full length novel is like the open ocean and that first blank page is like stretching your feet out with from to spare.
Short stories are like small ponds, a small lake maybe, a fish bowl really depending on the rule on limit on word count.
So, I'm trying find my old closet and dig out and dust off my old short story hat. I like the rules and would be walls to the contest as it is like a challenge or writing practice. And yet I find myself going over the limit.
I haven't entered a writing competition in 20 years. What happened? First let me say that I was published back in 2005, with an Australian publisher that only did E-Books, lol I remember that word mashup sounded so alien, E-Book. People didn't understand them and gave me funny looks when I told them I was published by an E-Publisher, like I had snakes growing out of my head, that was the look I got. Truthfully I was a trailblazer and helped pioneered that Age of Technology.
Back then it was published on a 3.5 hard floppy disk with the book's cover art. I still have my original books. No one liked reading on the computer, but then in 2010 a kind of tablet came out that allowed the transfer of 3.5 disk stories, wow, we thought we were high tech and Star Trek then.
That was about the time the publisher I was with decided to close it's doors, and I had a ton of bad things hit me, and Abuse from a family member who was on Meth. And then I hit something worse than writer's Block, which I don't believe in and have never had, because if you map out your story, and know your Beginning and know your End, the middle is just connecting the two.
No I hit something I call a Dry Spell, and the Muses stopped coming, not that I didn't know what to write or where to go, that's writer's Block to me, no, what I had was I didn't have the will to write. And that hit after I was published by a small press and I passed my book out to family and friends, and waited, and waited I looked forward to hearing the feedback but instead I got back nothing, months would pass and I asked had they read it yet, and they said no...why, later the answer became clear, these people weren't really my friends, my family read the book, I got both positive and constructive criticism back which is fine, but nothing from friends. Then when the second book was published they wanted another signed copy so I told them where to buy it and I'd be happy to sign it, and they didn't like that, oh wait what?? You mean I have to pay for your work? Yes, because you got the first book for free you didn't spend any money and therefore it had no meaning to you, but to me it meant everything to get some feed back. Then my Ex and her friends when online to the publisher and on my book page left nasty reviews, thankfully there was some defense by other readers who read the books, and security beefed up as the publisher changed it's Review requirements, you had to sign up for an account, verify the email address and have proof and registered purchase to make a review. But with all that and more the damage was done and I hit a dry speed and had no desire or drive no inspiration or joy to write, why bother, so from about 2012 to 2022 I stopped writing and my last two writing competition were back in 1998 and 2000 wherein I did take home both awards...a Hemingway and a Bradbury.
It was my Dad who got me back into writing again by encouraging me, Mom too for that matter. My Dad passed away in 2020 and missed my wedding by 1 month. After I got over the mourning process, which is lightly still going on, I started to write again in 2021, and more so in 2022.
Oh and my mentor died, he was a published author too, not famous to the rest of the world like me, just known in certain circles. They like I will live on in my pages.
Well there is my life story in a nutshell, and why I am here and why you got my life as your 500th!
Thanks for reading, ❤ all keep writing even if it's for yourself, especially for you, enjoy the world you make. We are creators. A lot of my story comes or stems from things I suffered from and so I have a saying, "I was meant to suffer so that others may be entertained." It goes along with the Nirvana song Smells like Teen Spirit, the verse, "...here we are now, Entertain us!"
Sorry this is long, Be Well, and Be Safe❤
Wow that‘s loong, I can start and write stories perfectly fine, but to end one it‘s super hard for me.
@@shiningzhao2892
Well thank for reading it. I did that on my phone, not much window room to edit it so, sorry for the typos.
Trying to make this short.
The way I do endings I'll pass it to you, and I have no issues with Endings in terms of a Block.
Depending on what you're writing, for example a Murder Mystery, it's best to start at the ending figure out how the Murderer did it and why, this will then spiral outwards and should help to guide the story home.
Everything else, draft out your story, not the Idea, two different things here. Story is the soul and essence of the topic or idea.
If you draft out what you point is that is the essence of the story how you want it to start and draft the end second as to how you want it to end what is the message or point to your story.
Finding Nemo for example, most people get it wrong when asked what it's about.
It's not about Marlon finding his Son, it's about overcoming your fears. Marlon Feared the ocean.
The fish in the fish tank feared Darla and staying in that tank. Nemo is the light of courage as he tries to encourage everyone even in his darkest hour alone he finds Dory and makes friends with her as he cheers her up and they both look for Marlon.
My advice is simple, find the story and point you want to tell within your story by starting to draft the beginning in say one page, should be enough room, and work towards getting that down to 5 sentences, and do the same with Act 3, write out how you want it to end, the Act 2 sort of will conform to fit the beginning and end and will write it's self.
Use 3 pages one for each Act, Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3.
Draft Act 1 and the Act 3.
Use a page but always be working to get that draft mapping is what you are doing, get it down to 5 sentences.
This form of mapping will also help you find the pitch, how you can tell people what the story you are writing is about in 5 sentences, the entire story. This is also what an Agent will want and is looking for. This will also help in finding that tag line.
Keep at it, writing is a craft the more you do it the better you get.
Sorry for the typos, on phone again.
Thanks for the reply. 👍 ❤️
Unfortunately as a 6th grader I don‘t understand much, and my friends aren‘t writing their parts for the book we‘re competing in a contest…well the thing is I plot out endings pretty quick but I never follow it lol.
Though thanks for all that, very useful.
@@shiningzhao2892
That's really cool, and that's a bit different, kind of like TV writers for a comedy show.
But don't be so hard on yourself. You're doing good, do the best you can, and believe no one had it all figured out, we learn as we grow, and you will too.
You may not understand stuff now but you are trying and still growing in life. Don't give up, the best parts are coming up!
That's fascinating ... here in Germany, submission fees for any kind of writing contest is pretty much frowned upon. It's mostly not a thing. But then again, any price money also tends to be very low.
Honestly Shaelin, you came as if God sent cause this is literally the world I have been emerging myself into now. I'm nineteen and I've asked myself why I ddnt do this sooner😐, but hey, never late than never😅😅❤️
19 is definitely not to late to start, that's when I started submitting my writing as well!
Lol
I loved this video ❤️ Thank you for the great information.
Thousands of people spend $25 in hopes of being the single one who wins a big amount of money. Hmm... I feel like I've seen something like this before...?
Thanks for the video, turns out I made a lot of wrong assumptions.
Well it is more to get experience in writing etc
SHAELIN - is it accurate to say that the Reedsy Weekly Writing Contest is more about Networking than Writing? For instance, if a writer has no followers in the Reedsy Writing Contest Group, have they no chance of winning? Is this contest in the hands of the Judges, or the Network of Writers? Thanks.
Can I include scenes from my submitted short story in a later novel to be published?
Hi,
I have a question.
Yesterday, I tried to edit this story I submitted for a contest, but it said it was approved, but I haven't gotten a notification yet. Do you know what's going on? This happened one other time
Isn’t a license required under the UK law to run a skill based contest or gambling license for random chosen winners?
would you be interested in doing a video about literary magazines you recommend?
Are u the owner of the reedsy website..
Always informational❤️❤️
Once there was girl. She flew and sang in the motionless summer sun. The glint of a reflection drew her down toward the dirty ground.
When she landed, stooped, and examined, she saw the source of the flash of rainbow that had caught her keen eye.
Tiny pendant, glassy green, was lifted over her head and breast-rested. She became the queen much later.
Seen a 50 dollar submission fee today lol.
hi I am Jeremiah I am trying to write a poem about covid19 it's very hard can you help
I can help u
Just tell me how many lines u require
Every year her hair gets shorter😄