Winning awards for your writing

There isn't much anyone can do to ensure winning awards, but there is one thing one MUST do to be able to give oneself the chance, and that is to produce work eligible for the awards.

I suggest you start by finding out what is eligible work to win the prize you wish to win

Find out previous winners and study their work.

Read the production and write something, every day, in their style. I suggest you choose to focus on one writer every month, and read every day a portion of their work, and write something in their style. In the beginning it can be straight copying what they have written, but be sure to mark it clearly that you - or someone else in the future - will mistake that for your own creation. Copying is a great way of learning. It's not a good way of producing original work, but it's a great way of learning to produce original work.

If it is a screen script, try to find the original script and read it.
Watch movies based on these scripts. Study the art of script writing by comparing a script to the filmatization.
Read books about how to write a script, to learn the craft.
Practice by writing a script by a movie and comparing that to the original script.

I would say winning a fan fiction award is the easiest, as there are dozens of those, and the pool is smallest and also the requirements easiest.
Nevertheless, you need to find the award you wish to win, and start producing fan fiction. Loads of it. Preferably on several fan fiction sites. Get yourself name writing fan fiction.

Also, remember one thing. Both E.L.James and Cassandra Clare both got their "fan fiction" published. Erica Mitchell (E.L.James) also broke a world record with her book and became a millionaire, which would be very nice for you, if you could repeat the deed... ;-)

Go everywhere that Hank Snow went too "I've been Everywhere Man"

I was totin' my pack
Along the dusty Winnemucca road
When along came a semi
With a high and canvas covered load
"If you're going to Winnemucca, Mack
With me you can ride."
So I climbed into the cab
And then I settled down inside
He asked me if I'd seen a road
With so much dust and sand
And I said,
"Listen, Bud I've traveled
Every road in this here land."

I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
'Cross the deserts bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel, I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere.

Been to Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota,
Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota,
Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma,
Tampa, Panama, Mattawa, La Paloma,
Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo,
Tocopilla, Barranquilla, and Padilla, I'm a killer.

I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
'Cross the deserts bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel, I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere.

Boston, Charleston, Dayton, Louisiana,
Washington, Houston, Kingston, Texarkana,
Monterey, Ferriday, Santa Fe, Tallapoosa
Glen Rock, Black Rock, Little Rock, Oskaloosa,
Tennessee, Hennessey, Chicopee, Spirit Lake,
Grand Lake, Devil's Lake, Crater Lake, for Pete's sake;

I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
'Round the deserts bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel, I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere.

Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Ombabika,
Shefferville, Jacksonville, Waterville, Costa Rica,
Pittsfield, Springfield, Bakersfield, Shreveport,
Hackensack, Cadillac, Fond do Lac, Davenport,
Idaho, Jellicoe, Argentina, Diamontina,
Pasadena, Catalina, see what I mean, sir;

I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
'Round the deserts bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel, I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere.

Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Gravellburg, Colorado,
Ellensburg, Rexburg, Vicksburg, Eldorado,
Larrimore, Atmore, Haverstraw, Chattanika,
Chaska, Nebraska, Alaska, Opelika,
Baraboo, Waterloo, Kalamazoo, Kansas City,
Sioux City, Cedar City, Dodge City, what a pity;

I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
'Round the deserts bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Of travel, I've had my share, man

"I know some place you haven't been."

I've been everywhere.

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Now, some of these places are not in the USA.

Also, this is not a list of  92 places.

There are 25 places called Buffalo, two of them not in the USA. Which one of them does Hank mean?
All of them.

There are 16 different Bangors in the world.

Nevertheless, I think Waterloo might be the biggest "problem" here.
The original Waterloo is in Belgium.
There are places called Waterloo in Antarctica, Australia (4), Canada (3), New Zealand, Sierra Leone, the UK (7), and the US (about 29 or so).

Or perhaps Springfield. There are 6 in Australia, one in Belize, 6 in Canada, 2 in Ireland, 1 in New Zealand, 1 in South Africa, a dozen in the UK, 45 in the USA, and one in the Virgin Islands.

------------------------

So, how to do this?

1. Write a list of all the places mentioned in the song.

Alaska
Amarillo
Argentina
Atmore
Bakersfield
Baltimore
Bangor
Baraboo
Barranquilla
Black Rock
Boston
Buffalo
Cadillac
Catalina
Cedar City
Charleston
Chaska
Chattanika
Chicago
Chicopee
Colorado
Costa Rica
Crater Lake
Davenport
Dayton
Devil's Lake
Diamontina
Dodge City
Eldorado
Ellensburg
Fargo
Ferriday
Fond do Lac
Glen Rock
Grand Lake
Gravellburg
Hackensack
Haverstraw
Hennessey
Houston
Idaho
Jacksonville
Jellicoe
Kalamazoo
Kansas City
Kingston
Knoxville
La Paloma
Larrimore
Little Rock
Louisiana
Louisville
Mattawa
Minnesota
Monterey
Nashville
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Ombabika
Opelika
Oskaloosa
Ottawa
Padilla
Panama
Parkersburg
Pasadena
Pittsburgh
Pittsfield
Reno
Rexburg
Salvador
Santa Fe
Sarasota
Shefferville
Shreveport
Sioux City
Spirit Lake
Springfield
Tallapoosa
Tampa
Tennessee
Texarkana
Tocopilla
Toronto
Tulsa
Vicksburg
Washington
Waterloo
Waterville
Wichita
Winnemucca
Winslow

2. Get a largish world map, and start pinning these places on the map. Maybe you decide after the 20th Jacksonville, that that wasn't a good idea after all... :-D
You could decide to only go to the places that are in America. (That's the continent of America, not the USA. Though you can decide to only do the USA as well.)

Writing

There's already tons of information on writing on-line. Just google the type of writing you wish to do, and you'll get hundreds of results.

There really is only two pieces of advice on writing, worth anything.
1. Read, read, read
2. Write, write, write

Everything else is commentary. Now, go and write.

* When it comes to writing a book, a comic book, a book series, anything you want to write - I want you to break this goal down into measurable things that can be achieved in a day. For example, you decide to write a book/play/script in a month.
Do it like NaNoWriMo. Count how many words/chapters/pages every piece of work consists of, and divide the number with 4 for weeks or 30 for days. Then set the goal to finish one part of the 30.

* Writing for a magazine or newspaper.
- Decide which magazine/newspaper you wish to write for
- Find out how people can submit their writing for that specific magazine/newspaper. Some choose their writers, and you cannot submit your work. Remove those from your list. You can write for those when you have got more fame as an author.
- Find out the requirements, subjects, etc.
Read that excellent article about how to write for a magazine and do it! No money or friends necessary!