Press submit

7th October 2021

Have you ever been in a rush to submit your entry before midnight? Have you spent hours working on a piece only to find out that you’ve missed a key condition of entry and you only have 30 minutes left to submit your masterpiece? This post is about managing the writing competition entry process to make it as smooth as possible.

If you are a new writer, make sure that you read all the terms and conditions carefully. Always include the competition theme if there is one. For Minds Shine Bright the theme is confidence. Make sure that you keep within word limits for your chosen category. You can submit pieces that are shorter than the maximum word limits but don’t exceed them.

There are many writing resources, organizations and groups to discover. Finding a writers group with similar interests to you is a terrific way of making new connections, getting feedback and building self-confidence.

If you have a piece ready that is original, unpublished and addresses the theme you could consider submitting early. Have a look over your piece to make sure that you are happy with it and make any changes to strengthen it further. Early entries are appreciated as they provide organizers with extra time to sort and store entries for judging.

If you struggle to meet deadlines try setting yourself up for success by picking your own deadline. Pick a date, sometime before the 28th of February, which works well for you and work back from there. Start by adding in 2-3 days at the end for final refinement and submission. Allow enough time to share with others to collect their feedback. Don’t be put off by criticism. If it is constructive, it will help and it’s up to you whether to accept or reject each comment. It’s your creative vision and others won’t always see what you do or like what you write. Finally, estimate the time needed to write your story, script or poem. Now you have the basis of a plan which suits you and your writing style.

If you prefer to submit on or close to the deadline leave enough time to fill in the form. Filling in the details and completing security checks can be trying so allowing extra time can help.

Try to have fun with your writing. Read it aloud. View it as a reader. If you love what you are doing chances are that your readers will love it too.

Hitting the submit button is an achievement. There is that feeling of relief, mixed with anticipation. Have a break, you deserve it, and celebrate! A little planning can free you up to focus on what matters most – your writing.