However the one thing that I would like to highlight from point 4: "A good start is VITAL to a winning entry. Starting with something like, “When I think about the word ….” is not good. Starting with any reference to the Challenge or topic at all, is not good."
If you do that, odds are that will be scored lower by the judges. SHOW, don't tell, us what the topic is
That being said, you can always mention the word in an entry, or not, but try to avoid writing something like shown above.One of the easiest categories to score well in is 1 - Is this on topic? Most entries are on topic, some dance around it a bit too loosely, however. Have a friend read it, without telling them the topic and ask if they can tell you what the topic is
One of the hardest is 2 - How Creative is the entry? (just a side note - judges can often tell exactly who wrote certain entries because they do the same style every topic (and it's supposed to be anonymous) - shake it up a bit! Surprise us! Avoid having your entry be half scripture references - we want to see more of YOUR writing. YES, you can quote scriptures, but do so creatively, and fitting with the topic.
One of the trickiest for the judges to figure out is sometimes 8 - How publishable is this entry for its target audience? Sometimes it's pretty obvious if it's meant for kids vs adults, or saved vs unsaved. Try to keep a target audience in mind as you're writing and do your best to bring that clearly to the readers' minds
You don't have to be a member of the forum to read the post, only to comment/post new threads. See the other hints/tips from Deb here:
https://faithwriters.com/Boards/phpBB2/ ... 54&t=31273
--Shari Armstrong
FW Challenge Coordinator