If you are new, it can sometimes be challenging to remember all the rules so I chose to put together this post to help out members of The Weekend Community with some insight on how I prepare contest entries (and even my general posts). Image Source
Contests are fantastic. They spark our creativity and should get us excited to write about a topic that we find interesting. Contest writing should bring out your writing passion as it is an excellent way to showcase your skills, imagination and to promote your account. If you write from the heart, put in some thought and effort - people will find you. The possibility of your entry being chosen as a winning entry should be thought of as an added bonus, not necessarily the main reason for entering.
Steps I take when I choose to enter a contest:
Read the contest announcement post from start to finish
Think - Does this catch my interest? Is my imagination running wild with ideas? Have I got a personal story to relate to this topic?
Make mental notes of requirements
Jot down ideas for my post or start writing immediately in draft form
Choose images (my own if possible) that fit the topic, if I don't have any of my own that will work, I source them from: Pexels ; Pixabay or Unsplash
Copy the source link of each image and include it in my post
Check my formatting - center images, justify text etc.,
Proof read my post - correct the spelling and grammatical errors. Is it easy to read? Does it flow nicely? Is it clear and understandable?
Open the post announcement and double check the requirements. Ensure the tags are correct. Does it meet the word count? Are all images source linked?
Post the entry and complete any other required steps (like posting the link in the comments if it's required by that contest - it almost never is in The Weekend contests).
Some additional tips:
Remember that contests are opportunities to develop relationships with like-minded people on Hive by engaging. Replying to comments in a non generic way, putting thought and effort into your responses will give people a better idea of your personality.
If you have a sense of humour don't be afraid to show it (when it's appropriate)
Be courteous and polite in your interactions
Be appreciative when you win a contest or when your post gets promoted through curation by leaving a "Thank You" in the comments.
Don't forget to ENJOY THE WRITING PROCESS.
Oh you definitely have a sense of humour which oozes out of your posts! Love it. Great tips. Although I really feel that with writing, here or elsewhere there are different areas that we excel in or that really grabs us. I seldom enter these contests because it feels like it limits me and they don't flow. It's almost like the idea of it being a CONTEST means you either win or the entire post is scrapped. However I see that a a lot of writers on Hive focus or specialize in contests and really do well there
PS. I'm not ignoring your other comments. And I did write the email but like my posts they take days to edit and seem satisfactory enough to submit, which is another reason I don't like contests. Too much pressure. Days to consider and then write and by the time the editing is done you're about half a dozen contests behind!!
Hi @buckaroobaby
No pressure - I know what you mean though and when I first started on Hive I felt like that about writing for contests but somewhere along the way I changed my perception of it - now I write only if I feel that the contest actually grabbed my attention and I WANT to write - then it's not about the contest, it's about the writing.
When you get to finishing the email, then that will be the right time to send it, so don't worry about that. I know that there are a million and fifteen things to do in a day.
Once my friend Skye out of the blue sent me an email that was started about 5 years before - thanking me for the wedding gift I had given to her and her hubby...it had been sitting in her drafts for all that time and I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I received it. Sometimes things in life are like spaghetti bolognaise - always appreciated and often even better the next day 😁
Have a lovely Saturday evening
Hello, I am very pleased that you have been encouraged to share with us this step-by-step guide.
The truth is that it is very similar to what I usually do although I had not noticed that I did it as a method until I read your publication.
I recently joined the community and I can describe it as a cool breeze, it really does resemble what a weekend is like, relaxed, fun and interesting.
I really like this :
Hi @kattycrochet
Thank you for your message.
You write great quality posts and I can see the effort and thought that goes into them! Once you have a process, it becomes second nature after a while and then your creativity tends to flow even better because you aren't focusing on the basics, so that's really why I wanted to put that guide together.
Have a lovely day and upcoming weekend.
Kind regards
Andy
Oh my God this is so correct! I do the exact same thing.
Truth is if it doesn't interest you, then it's not worth writing about. There's really no need to force yourself.
Thank you for these well detailed guidelines.
Good evening @zeraton
Thank you for your message and kind words. I do feel like that - you gotta have some passion for what you are writing or like you say, it's not going to be worth it.
It took me a while to find my feet on Hive and I got a LOT of guidance from some really wonderful people (they know who they are because I regularly tell them they are fantastic and I appreciate them) and sharing my process with others is the least that I can do if it will help someone out there. We all started somewhere.
Hope you are having a great weekend so far!
Indeed. Indeed. Very correct.
My weekend has been very painful so to speak. I've been quite sick and it's just bugging me right now but uhm... I still appreciate the concern. Thanks for asking!
Oh I'm so sorry to read that.
I hope that you start feeling better soon and recover, being sick over the weekend sucks!
An easy guide to posting on the blockchain. It feels good to know that I do all of these before making a blog post. Thanks for sharing this useful information.
Hi @ozohu
You're welcome. That's excellent that you are already doing these and will ensure that your account grows through effort and consistancy. Have a beautiful day!
Hola. Oportuna para mí tu publicación. Recién escribí la primera participación y sí noté que por lo menos no pidieron dejar el enlace de la entrada en los comentarios del post del concurso. En la mayoría de los concursos en otras comunidades lo piden, a muchos se les olvida ese paso.
Muchas gracias por dejarnos esta valiosa información. Saludos.
Hello Lelys
Thank you very much for your lovely comment.
Yes, many of the other communities have more requirements than The Weekend does, Galen likes to keep things as simple as possible.
While I haven't been here nearly as long as many of the seasoned writers, the process that I outlined tends to make sure that the bases are covered which in most cases is what a lot of the newcomers to the platform need.
Have a lovely day 🙂
This was a very good write up and you covered everything a newbie needs to know to be off to a well start in contest writing.
If you are passionate about what you write and have fun while doing it it’s truly a win win…whether you win a contest or not. I think that point is very important about not entering with a win as your main reason.
I’m not sure if you’ve heard of the Stock Images Community but we have contributors there that submit images and graphics for Hivers to use. It’s a way to reward our own (giving them
credits by tagging them and also the option of adding them on as a beneficiary) instead of outsourcing images. We have a newly developed search feature to help find images you may need. Just thought I’d put this here as another free image option ;)
i really love content writing
thanks for the post
Hi @raytonix
Thanks for the comment. That's the most important part - enjoying the writing process! Winning a contest is an (awesome) added bonus.
It's a pleasure and I hope it will be helpful.
Have a good day
you are welcome...
we could follow each other to see our posts
stay good
A great post, thanks for taking the time to writing it and, as we discussed, I hope it makes a difference to those entering posting initiatives, gives them some momentum to give it that little bit more attention.
Thanks Galen, I do hope that it helps whoever may need it. I remember scouring Hive for posts like this on how to improve my writing and they definitely helped me improve so I'm happy to share the process I use now.
Have a lovely day
You have said it all, taking into account what you have said would make a better mind individual, thank you for sharing this post with us❤️
You have explained everything a newbie needs to know about getting to opt in for contests and the advantages found in participating. It's interesting when one decides to join in for a contest as it helps us into thinking and bringing out our best. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you very much for these tips. I just came across The Weekend community and am looking forward to joining my first contest here.
Hello Positivesteem
Thank you for the message
I'm glad you found the tips helpful. Welcome to The Weekend Community, I look forward to reading your posts.
Have a great day
I just wrote the first post in the community, not in time to join The Date contest.
It's a good thing you made us to pick u some interesting points while writing a post to be posted in contest. Most users truly do not follow this guidelines,
Hi @cool08
Thanks, I hope it's helpful. These are just some small things we can do to improve our writing.
Have a lovely day
Hi there @andrastia 😁
What an awesome post, I think I do try to do all that you do, presentation, legality and correct English are a given.
For me it is about the following:
Hi @tengolotodo
I absolutely agree with you there, I think that the fun part is often overlooked by many people. I have also recently started enjoying setting goals and challenges for myself, so that's also a source of fun for me now.
Hope you are keeping well
IF something is not fun, then I am gone...
I am flipping fantastic, my team Rangers had another amazing football result in Europe last night, being an underdog and winning is a great feeling.
I hope that you are having an awesome Friday 😁
I think we all get to a stage where we feel that life is too short for stuff to be shitty. "Life is too short to stuff a mushroom" is a saying that comes to mind.
That's great, I'm glad your team is showing them who's boss, I can only imagine the cheers going up at the local pub.
Our Friday has been pretty good thanks, we got to spend money on plants and soil which is always awesome. Have a good evening.
Really an exciting feat to understand the dynamics for Contest writing.I must say your post is richly educative and practical.
I have always loved writing for self-motivation and also for encouraging persons facing difficult times but I have never written for a contest.
This should sound interesting because it could serve as a passive income if the contests are regular.
Once again you have also made the steps easy to follow. Thanks