The Writer’s Desk ~ An Update & Lowdown January 10, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Bulletin Board, Humor, Word Play, Writing & Writers.Tags: Cowardly Lion, Procrastination, Robert Burns, Stephen King, Writer's Desk
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Based on entries received to date, the odds of winning The Writer’s Desk Contest are . . . good.
Very good, in fact ~ with only 4 entries in the cyber pool, the odds of winning are an enticing 1 in 4!
Translation for the math impaired:
Current entrants have a 25% chance of winning.
Wow! A 25% chance of winning is not as good as a 50/50 chance (flipping a coin), but it’s far better odds than rolling the dice (a virtual crap shoot).
So, why aren’t the entries rolling in faster?
After a wee bit of brainstorming (like barnstorming, without the barn, or the plane), here’s what I’ve come up with:
* Procrastination ~ I set the submission date too far into the future. Some people work better to deadlines. Other people, writers especially, like to procrastinate, dilly dally, drag their heels, put things off, etc.
Once the haggis starts steaming in the pot for the annual toast to the Scottish Bard, fingers will fly across keyboards and entries will squeak across the finish line in the nick of time.
* Tactical Delay ~ some writers may want to read a few/all/most other submissions before posting to make sure they don’t reveal too much or too little in their own submissions.
* The prize isn’t enticing enough ~ I refuse to believe that! Who wouldn’t want to win my copy of The Writer’s Desk and see Stephen King’s office?
* The entry fee ($0.00) is too high.
* The entry fee ($0.00) isn’t high enough.
* The minimum word count (33) is too high ~ people don’t have the time to write a sentence or two. Well, it’s best they don’t enter since they wouldn’t have time to savor The Writer’s Desk if they won it.
* The maximum word count (100) is too low ~ people are finding it difficult to cull their thoughts down to such a reticent level.
* People aren’t willing or able to illustrate their entry with the required photo because . . . they’re out of film, they’ve misplaced their camera, they are ashamed of the State of their Desk, etc.
* They are waiting for their muse ~ often our muses are MIA or AWOL when we need them most. We must wait for them to return before slogging ahead.
* Fear ~ yes, plain old garden variety every day fear. The fear of success. The fear of failure. The fear of exposure. The fear of the unknown. The fear that winning a copy of The Writer’s Desk will transform their lives in ways that are not welcome. Maybe, like the Cowardly Lion, they are scrounging around for the requisite courage.
If that’s the case, YOU can help them out by submitting YOUR entry today.
If we receive more than 25 entries, I am kicking a 2nd prize into the pot: The Courage to Write.
1st place ~ The Writer’s Desk
2nd place ~ The Courage to Write
3rd place ~ TBA (if we receive enough entries)
Whatever YOUR reason for delaying until now, YOU have plenty of time to toss your entry into the pot ~ Robbie Burns’ birthday is weeks awa’.
For complete rules . . . CLICK HERE!
Invite your friends to play along. Give all of us a voyeuristic thrill!
Aah . . . that’s better!
