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Saw my 72nd flash fiction contest entry go live and finally placed top 10
I have been entering these online writing contests for almost two years. Always figured they were just a way for sites to collect email addresses or sell something. This time I spent 45 minutes on a 300 word story about a guy who repairs chainsaws for a living. It got 7th place out of 400 entries. That little validation actually made me want to keep writing more than any writing advice blog ever did. Has anyone else had a contest or prompt challenge suddenly click for them after a bunch of fails?
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ramirez.caleb14d ago
Wait, you actually wrote about a chainsaw repair guy and it worked? That's honestly wild to me. I've been in like 15 of those flash fiction things and always tried to write something deep or emotional about relationships or loss. Never cracked the top 50. Maybe that's the secret - just pick something super random and ordinary and make it interesting. 45 minutes for a top 10 finish after 72 entries though, that's some serious dedication. I probably would have quit after 20. Kinda makes me want to try one more time with something stupid like a guy who fixes vending machines or something.
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