Ever written a poem? How about a short story or other piece of prose? It may be surprising, but most people have done at least one piece having nothing to do with an assignment simply for the joy of translating thoughts to words.
It's okay to admit to yourself. Jack London would fit most people's definition of a macho guy and he wrote extensively.
If you've written more than one, you've heard an inner voice that demands outward expression. 5 to 15 pieces makes you somewhat more adept at capturing and transforming what it tells you it must say, and still greater output marks you as a 'semi pro' who has had enough positive feedback to develop a certain amount of confidence in and love for the genre.
Odds are you've also entered a few contests in which your experiences gave an inkling of a large literary jungle with many fly by night operators whose primary concern is to prey on your wallet. Creating a practical map around the pitfalls is where WinningWriters.com enters the picture. According to co-originator Adam Cohen, " My wife and I launched Winning Writers in late fall 2001. As a published poet, Jendi (Reiter) has built up a great deal of knowledge about poetry contests, and won a few as well. We thought other poets might benefit from this knowledge as well, so we developed Poetry Contest Insider. There are other poetry contest guides besides ours, certainly, but they don't help poets tell good contests from bad. We've found over 300 contests to date. You can't enter them all, so it helps to choose wisely. Winning quality contests is a great way for poets to gain attention for their work."
The Winning Writers webpage is not laid out as a con artist would. It's easily navigable. Very much to the point. No specious promises. Most importantly, there's a tremendous amount of useful information which one can access freely, regardless whether or not they subscribe to Poetry Contest Insider. Reputable contests, sites for students wishing to improve their craft, recommended books and magazines, how to spot and avoid scams, poetry manuscript tips for submission, best sources for supplies and software, and a toll free customer service line with a goal of answering all questions within 24 hours.
To encourage the emergence of poetic talent, Winning Writers sponsors two yearly competitions solely based on merit - the Wergle Flomp Free Contest (covered here two months ago) and the War Poetry Contest. Under Adam's definition, the latter is "our serious contest. We felt this important subject could benefit from a new forum. We try to keep an open mind. For example, we don't assume that war is always bad. There is a 10 dollar entry fee and 2000.00 in cash prizes. We're judging the 2002 entries now. Winners will be announced in the fall. We've recieved a great deal of hard hitting poetry this year, over 1000 entries to the two contests put together. We look forward to putting the best work on our site as we judge each contest."
No matter what level currently occupied, Cohen feels Winning Writers can address your specific needs. " We want to guide poets as they develop, pointing them to appropriate contests at each stage, inspiring them with examples of the best poetry being written today." As a serious writer who feels a weighty obligation to guide others down the correct path, I am confident the site heightens profficiency, which increases enjoyment, confidence, and a greater sense of personal growth and fulfillment. Besides guys, well written love pieces continually applied can help attract and corral that special lady.
Wordsmithing, Jack Palance notwithstanding, can be very sexy.
http://www.winningwriters.com
Copyright ©2002 Daniel Grey Taylor
