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excellent advice

I would add: "if you use a Magic Ring, make it as tricky as Tolkien did"))
Great article, very accurate advice.

Great advice!  I no longer write fiction but I used to.

Hello @fiction-trail, 
 
I hope you can help me.  Not only me, because the idea I’d like to present to you can help many writers. You seem to be the right type of person – someone who can organize the venture.

A few years ago I participated in monthly writing contests at one of the Yahoo groups. The premise of the contest was that once a month a group owner was proposing the story title. Then, everybody who wanted to participate submitted their own short story that used this title. The time to submit was one month usually from the fifteenth of one month and until the fifteenth of another one. Then the appointed jury decided, which three entries won. The process of decision making usually took 2 weeks. During these two weeks, the entries were posted for a critique by the members of this group. This was a good learning experience and a lot of fun.  I wonder if something like this can be done on Steemit? 

As far as the jury part here is here's how I suggest this be done.  You are an obviously a literary person and probably know a couple more.  Each of the contest entries could be graded based on the 1 to 100 scale, then the highest average will determine the winner and two runners-up. Of course, this is only a suggestion.  You can think of whatever grading system that is more comfortable for you. Winning entries could be given some kind of Steemit badge of fame, which one of the philanthropic artists here could create.

I gather that there are people here who could whip out a story in one day. However, we also have many people here who have a day job. Therefore, I think a month duration seems appropriate.

All the best

Nice! Thanks for the tips! I just posted Chapter 1 of a fantasy story here on Steemit.