Yet Another Contest!

It seems that every time I turn around, there is another writing contest to enter. Some appeal, while others don't. So, what's the criteria for selecting the ones I enter? The fee charged by some is so exorbitant that I pass right by. I'm not about to send my submission along with $25 in a contest where the odds are pretty slim. $2 or $5 I might consider, but there are plenty of contests that charge no entry fee. Even the $5 fee adds up if you enter a lot of contests. You have to determine if you're willing to risk it. Some of us are gamblers and others are not.

Another draw to a contest is the type of story they are looking for. One notice I received last week asked for family stories in which there had to be at least two generations included. It also could be no more than 750 words. There is no entry fee and the three prizes are quite nice-$500, $350 and $150. Family stories are my specialty, so I took a closer look at the guidelines and I began to work on a story about my mother and dad's wedding. They eloped and were married secretly for several weeks. I'd heard the story many times at our kitchen table, so many that I felt I could do it justice in the retelling.

Surely, you all have family stories that might qualify for this contest. Take a look at the Intergeneration website contest guidelines. Submission deadline is August 15, 2011. Nothing to lose and everything to gain.