Some Healthy Competition

On top of taking classes, teaching classes, editing or writing a story, at any given moment, I am actively writing, waiting for results, waiting for an assignment, or planning my writing weekend around an NYC Midnight Competition.

I sign up for every competition they offer (except for Screen Writing): 100-Word Microfiction, 250-Word Microfiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story. Why would I do that on top of my regular writing life, teaching, and work? Because it's really good training.

The competitions always have very clear requirements and timeframes. You're always assigned a genre, and an action or theme, and a word or character that must be built into the story. The micro fictions are written in 24 hours, the flash in two days, and the short story is one week. Whereas most of my writing is a marathon--pacing if vital because the finish line is far away--competitions are sprints; they require quick decisions, understanding genres, learning to prioritize story elements, scheduling the time to do the work, clear objectives, and quick results.

Being in competitions year-round has helped me out of bad writing habits, like futzing with something until it's "perfect," letting characters languish in rooms without anything happening, and finding reasons to not write.

I'm fortunate to have a group of fellow writers who do the competitions with me. We use Slack to brainstorm, complain, and read each other's submissions. NYC Midnight also hosts a forum where you can upload your stories and give/receive feedback.

Some of the stories I've created in the competition I'm now (slowly) working into bigger stories. Some ... like my political satire story ... deserved to be benched forever. The idea less "come up with good stories" and more "stay limber, stretch your boundaries, and enjoy yourself."

And, maybe someday... be on the winner's podium.

NYC Midnight (https://www.nycmidnight.com), which is open to writers all over the world, isn't the only game in town. If you would like to try a competition, check out this Medium article that details free options: https://medium.com/technical-excellence/7-free-and-regular-writing-competitions-to-test-your-creative-writing-ffebf8400dd9