Website Writing Contests: Positive Way of Exposing Your Talent?

When I was younger, I used to think that contests were impossible to win. Furthermore I was somewhat upset discovering that some websites such as Poerty.com are nothing but scams, because I used to contribute poems periodically and would always receive a notice saying my poems were to be published. Even still, it's impossible and a waste of time to hold a grudge against that website, after all they made me think that I was a winner. Just that one simple thought led me to finding websites like Helium, and Associated Content.

Helium offers writing contests with new themes every week, personally I've won many times so the money is very much real I assure you. They always seem to make me feel great about myself, and it's pretty fun to learn about new and exciting subjects every week. What is the downside you ask? Mostly drama from every direction, but the simple remedy for that is to brush it off. Even so, I do not believe that writing contests are the best place for an author to expose his or her talent.

Sure, people will read your article if it's in first place and you will be able to build a network of friends but after a while the articles fade into the archives and collect dust. Great thing is, by winning writing contests on some sites, you will be gaining Google exposer, let me explain. If someone were to win a writing contest where the information was publicly displayed, that writer or anyone else will be able to search on that writers name, and it should show up on Google results.

Perhaps the best thing about writing contests outside learning and gaining experience, is the extra cash. For example if you win the contest over at Bookhabit.com for unpublished novels, you get $5000 and still get to keep your rights to the novel. If your crafty with that money you will realize you could use it to advertise yourself, or bid on projects at Elance.com, earning you even more money. Watch out for hidden contest rules though, that is my advice to you, no matter what site you go to.

What I mean by that is, read the fine print to make sure your not giving up the rights to an article that is dear to you. For anyone from authors to common people wanting to have run researching and writing on a contest, I think these contests work for the person, if they make them do so. Folks, the conclusion is that these writing contests are great no matter how you look a them, the tiny bit of exposer and pocket money will make your day, believe me. On top of that, they will inspire and lift you up, you will feel like you can do anything after winning.

So why not take a chance, and give one of these contests a try? Be careful though, they are quite more addictive then they seem at first, once you win you will find yourself returning to that website many times, just try to make the best of your winnings.