Ask the expert

The first Next Great Sportswriter winner, Ty Hildenbrandt, has already contributed a number of articles for FOXSports.com, and he is sharing some of his expertise over on his blog about the path he took to win the first time around.

Ty has been kind enough to answer questions as well and he will continue to be a visible presence as we continue in NGS II.

So check out Ty's Quick Slants blog too to get a better feel for the competition. And if you want to see the actual path Ty took to his victory last time around, we've left up all of the postings on this judges blog from the first competition so you can get a feel for the format of the competition and how the final rounds went. 

To answer specifics about the judging, I will reprint some of my comments from the beginning of NGS I, which still apply (with a few minor tweaks).

What will we be looking for?

Each of the judges will bring a different perspective to their evaluations (in that "Simon, Paula, Randy" kind of way ... but please don't try to figure out which one of us is which), but in general terms we will be looking for contributors that have unique voices, interesting insights and a passion for what they're writing about.

As managing editor, one of the ways I'll be evaluating the entrants is by asking, "Is this someone that I could see writing for FOXSports.com?" And I'll be the one assigning stories to the finalists and also eventually working with the winner on the stories that he or she will be writing for the site when this is over. 

What should I write about on my blog?

You can write about whatever you want that is somehow related to the world of sports. You can write about something very specific, such as a particular team. Or you can jump from topic to topic. You can even do some more of the lifestyle-type stuff that you might recognize from the writing of one of our judges, Peter Schrager, or someone like ESPN.com's Bill Simmons.

This second competition was designed so that the final rounds take place during the NBA playoffs. So elements of the final rounds will have a basketball aspect to them, but not exclusively, and not writing about basketball or the NBA will not affect your chances of becoming a finalist.

How important are grammar and spelling?

Simply put, they're important. We have copy editors whose job is to correct this in writers' work, but the editors won't be part of this until after a winner is selected and that person becomes a contributor to FOXSports.com. So in the meantime, all spelling and grammar are the responsibility of the writers.

Does this mean that a typo or a misspelled word on one of your posts will hurt your chances? No. But a writer whose posts are riddled with them will certainly not find favor with the judges.

When will my blog be judged?

After the popularity of NGS I, we're expecting thousands more entrants this time around and a thrilling battle right down to the end.

We will be judging blog postings starting today, April 24. We look at the blog postings everyday, so the more postings you have on your blog the more likely it is to be viewed multiple times. But we will not be re-evaluating your blog with every new posting. One thing we'll be looking at before we announce the finalists is the overall "body of work" on your blog, but that doesn't mean a blog with 25 so-so postings will curry more favor than one with five good ones. 

And not appearing on the "Most Popular Blogs" section of the main blogs page does not mean your blog isn't being viewed by the judges or that you have less of a chance of becoming a finalist. I can't stress enough that this is not a popularity contest, and being a very popular blog does not guarantee a spot in the finals.

Now, that said, often the popular blogs are among the best ones, and some popular blogs did advance to the finals last time around.

Here are some tips that will improve your writing and possibly help you look better in the eyes of the judges.

30 tools for writers
A great starting point with 30 simple tips on how to improve your writing culled from reporters, editors, authors of books on writing, and writing teachers and coaches.

50 writing tools
A larger version of the 30 tools above, with extensive examples, guides and workshops on how to get better.

Sportswriting's 30 things not to do
There are a lot of bad habits that writers starting out can make. This addresses some of them.

I hope all of that helps and answers some questions you have.

If you have additional questions that haven't been answered above or that Ty hasn't helped address over on his blog, please comment here and we'll try to answer them as best we can. We won't be able to answer everyone's specific questions, but we'll do our best.

And thanks to everyone for participating. We're excited about bringing back the Next Great Sportswriter and look forward to another great competition.

-Tom