By: E&P Staff Two pieces arguing the pros and cons of writing contests were posted today on the National Society of Newspaper Columnists (NSNC) Web site.
Monica McCabe Cardoza, author of the 2000 book "You Can Write a Column," said entering contests "proves that you take column writing seriously enough to want to be recognized for it." She added: "Winning a top prize is not as important as you would think. Even a secondary prize can be an excuse to send out a press release or add an impressive note to your background sheet."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Tony Norman said contests have some benefits, but noted that winning them can tempt a writer to "begin wondering: 'How do I keep the winning streak going?' You start to repeat whatever it was that 'brung you to the dance' in the first place .... You lose touch with the organic genius of the column because you're preoccupied with pursuing what you believe to be a winning formula."
The writing-contest content is the latest installment of the NSNC site's "Columnists' Academy" series. To see the full text of the two articles,
click here.
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