The first best post competition as a 200WAD community event was a great start. The topic of introducing yourself gave writers freedom to be creative and personal. It was clear that a lot of work and effort went into the submissions. I participated in the contest and was happy to see Keni place first.
Fast forward to the second best post competition that just closed. The topic was writing about a teacher who influenced you. This seems like a broad topic that would allow a broad range of creativity.
Due to other commitments, I did not submit a post nor am I an official judge for this event. Nevertheless, I am going to provide my unsolicited thoughts about this latest event because I care about the 200WAD community.
There were nine entries for this second event. The writers have a combined experience on 200WAD of over 1,400 posts and just under 2,000 pages of writing. I had high hopes for this round of entries.
Time to get real. Overall, I’m disappointed. I read every submission. I looked at the judging criteria and wonder how many people reviewed them before posting.
“How dare you! You are supposed to be encouraging people to write and not attacking them for making an effort!”
I’m not attacking anyone. I’m not saying every post was bad. I’m not singling out any individuals, although I would be happy to provide very specific feedback if asked.
I encourage everyone on 200WAD working toward being better writers. Competitions are different. A competition is where you bring your best effort, or at least a level of effort above your standard daily post.
It takes effort from community members to coordinate the competitions. No one is forced to participate. These competitions should be fun and a great way to interact with the community.
Here’s the point: If you want to get on stage and in the spotlight, then be prepared and show us you earned the spotlight. Or feel free to stay backstage and hone your craft until you are ready.
It’s time to step it up with these competitions or perhaps we need to discontinue them.