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Plan wisely!
You’ve got a set time to do things, make sure you have at least the required amount of episodes planned out, and preferably your ending as well. All too often there are contest entries written purely for the contest with no endings in mind, which will end poorly for the story. If you have a rough outline of the entire story, your story has a better chance of shelving and doing well overall. -
Stay on task!
Try to keep your contest entry in your mind at all times while working. Working on other stories is distracting and isn’t great for your story in the long run. If you get a writer’s block, doing so may help—but otherwise try not to, as working on other stories eats away at your time in the long run and leaves you in a rush to finish as the deadline approaches (it may seem like a long time, but time really passes quickly these days). -
Get a proofreader and/or beta readers!
Get others’ opinions other than your own! Reading your same work over and over can get BORING, don’t feel ashamed! Many people here on the forums and in the Instagram community as well are very willing to help authors out when it comes to beta reading and proofreading! Stories with great grammar, directing, and plotlines are the ones that are shelved. -
Don’t be afraid to promote!
Entering a contest and reaching the deadline is an accomplishment on its own. Many smaller authors in particular have the greatest struggle of getting the required amount of reads (~100) to even be considered by Episode (aka, reviewed + graded). Readers don’t magically appear, you need to promote! Promote on the forums, promote on Instagram, hell, promote to your family! Those retention reads determine your story’s outcome in the long run. One thing I’ve found to be the most beneficial is creating a contest reading list + participating in read for reads with other authors entering, which ensures you some reads and supports the both of you! -
Have fun!
The most important thing when it comes to entering contests is the fun with it! If you often find yourself stressed while writing your entry, you may want to reconsider your choice to enter this particular contest. If you’re not having fun, chances are you’ll struggle with later episodes—which could lead to abandoning of the story. -
Do your research!
Stories with diversity, great grammar, and directing are all things readers look for. Search for ways to incorporate diversity into your story, ensuring you’re also doing so accurately and in a non-stereotypical way (because nobody likes to see those). Along with this, there are many guides out there that offer directing help. Check those out! Try your hand at new skills! You may jut discover the next big thing in Episode simply by testing things out. Go past your comfort zone, you’ll find yourself surprised by the things possible on the portal!
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