Item Icon
\"Reading Printer Friendly Page Tell A Friend
★★★★★ (15)
Rated: E · Book · Contest · #483915

Questions Answered

◀ Previous · Entry List · Next ▶
#250417 added January 31, 2026 at 4:57pm
Restrictions: None
Creating a Static Item for a Contest
Writing for a contest can be lots of fun! This site provides a wide variety of contests hosted by members. The site provides static items for you to create your entry. But how often do you actually look at the information required to create your static item? The StoryMaster Author Icon has made every attempt to simplify the process, so all you have to do is fill in the blanks. So exactly, how are you filling in those blanks?

This month, as I travelled the many pages of Writing.Com looking for contests to feature in this newsletter, I saw more entries than actual contests in the genre of contests. Now, when I asked myself why this was, my first thought was that the new members of the site haven’t quite learned how to select the appropriate genre when creating their static item. Boy, was I wrong!

It used to be that when you chose to look through the genre OTHER, you would see everything but the kitchen sink. It would appear that CONTEST has become the brother of OTHER. When you create an item for a contest, your entry resembles something, whether it is drama, mystery, or horror. Yes, in fact, it may be an entry for a contest, but it is not a contest. You see contest is the actual item created by the host to describe, and receive entries for the actual contest.

Now, for those of you who are not sure exactly what I am referring to, below is a duplicate of what you see in the static item (or any other item for that matter) when creating it to be stored in your portfolio.

Section 3: Genres, Keywords & Brief Description
Select Genres:
Please choose from one (1) to three (3) genres for this item. Be sure that this item properly fits into each genre you select. You can update genres using the "Edit Item" tool once the item is within your portfolio. (Definition of genre: a category of literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content.)

You are given the option of picking three different genres for the item you have created; you do not need to pick all three. Contests should not be one of them for an entry. Use the tools provided to you effectively. Provide other members with the opportunity to find your item when they do a genre search or a power search.

If your entry is about a mistress whose lover dies of a mysterious heart attack, and the wife accuses the mistress of the crime. The genres that could be chosen for this item include: mystery, drama, detective, crime/gangster, romance/love, thriller/suspense, women’s … but not contest.

Entering a contest can increase the items in your portfolio. It can also increase the traffic to your portfolio. However, once the contest is complete, a member or guest might enjoy reading your item. If you do not select the appropriate genre, they may never find it.

Check your items today. If you have a contest as a genre on any item that is not an actual contest, edit it and place the appropriate genre in its place.

Another area that members fill out incorrectly when completing a new item as a contest entry is the description area. Chances are, your reader doesn’t care if it is a contest entry or not, but they would like to get a fifteen-word tease as to what the item might be about. The contest host does not need the reminder that you wrote it especially for their contest, since you have already posted your entry in the contest forum.

If you’re not certain which section I am referring to, see the duplicate below of what appears on a new item as it is created:

Brief Description:
Enter a brief description of this Item. This will be used when listing the Item in public listings, your portfolio, and many other places on Writing.Com. It may not be longer than 90 characters; this short length is because of the small areas it is displayed in. The brief description should be G-rated and suitable for all audiences.

Your title may not rock their socks, but your description could make the difference between a member or guest opening your item and reading it. And we all know that if your item is read, there is a good chance that it will be rated, possibly commented on, possibly edited, and, bonus, attract a gift point surprise from an appreciative reader.

Check your items today and review your description line. Make sure it is appropriate to the item you have created.

You are the best public relations manager your item will ever have. The tools are provided for your entry to not only get the attention of the contest hosts, but also the many members and guests on this site. Ensure that the time and energy that you have given to creating that entry does not go unnoticed.
*Thought*  Comment

© Copyright 2026 Wannabe (UN: gresyl at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Wannabe has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
◀ Previous · Entry List · Next ▶