This week: The Contest Entry Wardrobe aka Font Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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Contest & Activities Newsletter by Dawn
When it comes to making decisions with static items (and other things) on the site, we have many options and decisions to make. The font is much like the wardrobe for our words. |
Disclaimer: This is my opinion on the topic. Remember that everyone will make their own decisions and choices just like the judges will decide things for their contests based on personal experiences/opinions. Different readers will have different preferences. This is a general discussion and me explaining my viewpoint with the hopes that it will simply give you something to consider.
When it comes to writing entries for competitions, there are always many choices to consider. There is the prompt that might dictate the idea plus all of those rules. One thing you might also consider is the appearance of the words used to create the item. Here on WDC, you have some options when it comes to how things look. The word closet includes font style, size and color as well as things like location on page (I don't recommend making a long story centered or from the right side of the page) or even the whether there is a slant to it, aka italics. Changing font styles to something different could pack a punch or make it hard to read, depending on some factors. And the size, well that is something that might help readers and for once, this is one where it might help to pick something other than the factory setting. Then there is color, which has varying opinions, options and please, don't use certain colors cause they can be near painful to read.
Color
This is a topic that comes up the most often because it can be fun to use different colors. This is also where other people might disagree with me because when it comes to contest entries, I prefer just the standard black font. My reason behind this is that if you wanted to submit the item to an agency, editor or publish, most likely they will not accept entries that are done in blue, purple or pink. For my own entries, I take the approach that a contest is similar to a publication, even though that means I should do more editing and not submit last minute but that is a different topic/issue. Font color, when done without a reason or connection to aspects of the poem, feel like a gimmick or distraction. For my writing, since I do most types but am more of a story person, I rarely use font colors except in forums and other items we can create on the site. The rare poem might get some color but there has to be a reason for the usage beyond liking the color, for me when I'm the writer.
There is a little difference for this topic when it comes to poetry in comparison to stories. My advice when doing reviews is anti colorful font for almost any story. Poems, however, have a little more wiggle room in this topic. There are some that have reasons that link to the words used or the contest entered that make it possible to use a different color for the font. At least, I would say that the pretty fonts might be okay online for some poems. I would still err on the safe side if submitting or publishing (though it might work out with some poems in a self published one) poetry by keeping the font at the basic, regular color. And please, don't use yellow.
When it comes to reviews, I give the same advice as I will give here. My personal preference is to avoid changing the font color unless there is a direct connection to some of the words used or an element when entering a contes. I'm not a fan of colorful font for contest entries but other people will have different opinions. This is something that is up to you, as the creator, to decide. Some people will like it and others won't but that's the case of most things with writing and reviews. Do what you think is best for the item and what you want but also be aware some might not appreciate it as much as you. Still, it's your item, so it's your choice.
Style
Then there is the style and I'm going to bet this is one place that is less often changed. I remember when I was younger, that I would sometimes change the font for my essays to one of the other options besides times Roman numeral or whatever that font is since I'm too tired to look it up. I would find something that had a slightly more attractive appearance but that wasn't so far off it would be difficult to read. When it comes to fun things like big fonts and posters, that was a different story because the readability of some fonts does change with the size. Wish I could remember the font that I really liked but alas, getting old and forgetting things, lol. On the site, we only have a few options for the font. In fact, there are seven. Yet, I will admit that I never change the font style for items on here, but maybe I should try it out. When wanting to do something different, why not give them all a trial period. Just make sure that you view the item first to see how it looks before the contest round ends since you don't want to edit an item after the deadline and have it disqualified.
Size
Now this is a topic where I'm working on trying to remember making a change and it goes for these newsletters too. In the past, I would have just said for the most part keep things with the standard set for stories and poems but that forums can use varying font sizes. However, that has changed. It helps to take these factors into consideration: computers, web browsers, cell phones and the reader's eyesight. Some readers are going to be using computers but other readers might be checking things out on their cellphone when out and about since they now have internet on nearly all phones. The item will look different when viewed on a phone compared to the bigger size of the computer. Then again, there are also different computer sizes for screens. That doesn't even consider the addition of tablets. The standard size is also a little on the small side, which can make it hard for some to read. This might be due to different factors like age or even medication causing swelling that affects reading ability. We don't know details about most readers, so the new suggestion is to increase the size from the standard on nearly everything to at least a 3 or more to help with readability. I often use 3.5 now for these newsletters and all of my contest entries, when I remember. I still forget sometimes and some reviewers will remind me when they send their comments. The use of emoticons will be a topic for a future newsletter, probably...
The appearance of the item is something that you might or might not have considered in the past but hopefully, it is something you will think about now when creating things to enter contests. Whether you use colors, change font styles or remember to up the size, the common factor for everyone is going to be you, the writer. It's your decision and go with what you want with the item. And yes, I'm remembering this time to make the font a bigger size. {e:wink)
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https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Do you change the font for contest entries? What influences your decisions when it comes to the appearance of the text?
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Contests & Activities: April 23, 2025 Issue [#13094]
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