Hello all. Earlier today, I posted the following question on writingforums.org and my post was deleted with neither trace nor explanation. This question that I need an answer to is genuine. A few months ago, I read of a literary contest hosted by a recent afro-american female Pulitzer Prize winner (in journalism, perhaps?) which received a fair amount of criticism because the entry fee was in excess of $100. Additionally, she stipulated that all entries would become the sole property of her new agency. As you might imagine, the announcement generated quite a few highly-entertaining responses on various creative writing forums (not unlike this one). I lost track of the story as well as the forum but I wanted to follow up on the story and see what had become of the contest. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Or will this post be deleted too? If it's the latter, I shall try another, more friendly forum. Thanks in advance, -Oliver
Hello Oliver, Welcome to the Writing Forums. You posted your question to a forum that is not for members to start threads in; it is a container forum for our weekly short story contests only. It's a good idea to take a look around before you start posting. We do not advertise or track contests on other sites here. But I personally would have nothing to do with such a contest. It's reasonable for a contest to stipulate they would have first publishing rights to winning entries for a reasonable period, but not that all entrants surrender all rights to their entries. And to charge a high entry fee as well? Sounds like a scam. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Writing Workshop, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Writing Workshop, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. We also impose a two-week waiting period before you may post writing for critique, to give you time to become familiar with what is expected and how the site operates. The Writing Workshop forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Writing Workshop forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Hey Cogito. You moderators do love your powers, don't you? LOL. I was looking less for advice about the merit of the contest itself and more about the woman's name, the name of her agency, the name of the contest, etc. I'm just smart enough to spot a scam contest and yet not smart enough to remember anything about it or know enough to bookmark a website for later reference. Mine's a curious cross I bear, it's true. Thanks for your reply, sincerely. -Oliver
