Re: contests
I seldom enter them, especially if they have an entry fee - I'd rather submit it for money - but I have entered a few, just for fun. I won a journaling book once, and I won 2nd place in a poetry contest ran by an on-line group I belong to (I then sent the poem to a writer's magazine, where it sold for cash). IF I wrote fiction and wanted to start up the ladder to publication, I'd go for a Glimmer Train or Rosebud or Writer's Digest contest, because those are big deals to put in your resume. But I don't, and my poetry tends to be too down-to-earth to appeal to most literary-type poetry contests.
I did just send off a poetry contest entry with a $5 check this week, though, just to prove I'm not always logical. It's being run by a newspaper in a nearby big city and would bring me some local attention if I won, which I need in order to get a few projects going. And since people entering it are more apt to write down-to-earth stuff than literary-style verse, I think I have a good chance. And it seems worth the $5 gamble, even though the only prize is an intangible one.
Actually, I've worked with this paper before for other articles, too, and if my poetry catches the editor's attention, maybe he'd use some of it from time to time. That would be cool!
Bottom line: If a contest is free and the prize appeals to me (especially if I already have something written that is perfect for it), I'll enter (i.e. a Chicken Soup book, where the prize is $$$$ and publication in a CS book.)
If the contest has a small (less than $10) fee and a big or impressive prize or outcome ($$, a trip, publication in a prestigeous magazine or book, or so on), I'll enter.
Otherwise, I'll spend my time submitting queries and writing stories for which I am guaranteed money. (Or posts in here... <sigh> Too bad that doesn't pay... I'd be in Aruba right now!)