Winning a writing contest can be an affirmation that a writer is talented, but to those that write, enter, and lose, losing can be disheartening and make a writer question their ability and talent. Surprisingly, however, a losing entry can be a boost to your writing income, especially if you challenge yourself to enter contests that force you to write outside the box and look for publishing homes that are just as eclectic.
Many writers seek out the same type of competitions, suitable for the genres in which they’re most comfortable writing. But with no win, you’re left with yet another piece without a home. That’s why it’s a good idea to search for contests that ask for unique entries. You might struggle to write on an unfamiliar topic, but, in the end, you’ll have something new to submit to publishers/sites you never knew existed.
I entered several contests last year and achieved one honorable mention, and that was on a piece that was way out of my comfort zone, but it opened the door to another type of writing I might never have tried. Since I started stretching my writing muscles, I’ve written about ancient Egypt, deceased literary characters, rejections for successful novels, imaginary friends, nightmares, and mechanical eyes, to name a few. And I was surprised to learn that there were plenty of markets for these topics outside of the contests.
What helped me the most was searching for “themed calls for submissions,” but you can try adding more definitive words to your search like “science themed calls for submissions.” The guidelines for Parabola.com was one of the results for that. Literatium also popped up which provides a list of anthologies that seek unusual stories.
But what if you’re not sure about the theme or where your story could fit? You have two options: The first of which is search for “weird, themed submissions.” These are boundless on the Internet. When I did the search I came up with these thirteen places from Tell Tell Poetry and these five from International Writers Collective. This one includes Twin Pies Literary Magazine which specifically looks for “anything weird, absurd, sad, hysterical, manic, or whatever as long as it’s good.” That opens the door to a lot of possibilities as the definition of weird is abstract anyway.
Your second option is to change your piece to fit a theme. That sounds harder than it is. The piece I wrote about nightmares I changed slightly so that it would include the stars in a unique way, and that gave me the ability to submit the story to several literary magazines that focus on the cosmos.
A bizarre story I wrote for another competition included Ares (the God of War) and a middle-aged woman trying to get a job as an exotic dancer. I had no idea how to classify it so I didn’t bother. Instead, I submitted it to several magazines that had obscure guidelines like “send us your weird.” There is no limit to what you can find when you look outside the norm.
There’s a place for practically everything you write, and while the pay might not be astronomical, it could be enough so that you earn back your entry fee for the writing contest. You’ll also add another published credit to your list and open the door for future submissions to that publisher. And the big plus is: Getting your piece published will soothe the burn from the competition loss. After all, a win is a win.
BIO: As well as being a published author of fiction, Rachel Carrington is also a nonfiction writer and has written for the New York Times, Startrek.com, The Writer, and many others. She is also the site expert for Red Shirts Always Die, a site devoted to Star Trek. You can visit her on the web at www.rachelcarrington.com and on Instagram @rcarrington2004.
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