Need help ASAP

I am entering a contest in a little while, and i really need help.

i don't know what happened, but one day when i was singing (after warming up) i was able to hit REALLY loud perfectly clear notes, and i sang like that for about 4 hours, and the next day i couldn't sing at all, and was hardly able to talk. i understand that i overdid it a little bit, but i NEED to be able to sing like that again. now that i have my voice back, i have been trying to figure out how to sing like that again, but i can't seem to get it right...i have to force it out, and my voice cracks, and i can't hit the same high notes...

does anybody have any suggestions?

It was really amazing... it felt effortless... i didn't have to push it out like i am now...

I think it sounds as if you've pushed your voice too hard/too fast/all at once, and yay, it worked out that one time, but now you should rest (which means still sing, but softly and gently, no stretching in terms of range at ALL) for a few days, and then sloooowly stretch your range, a few notes at a time.

yeah, this all happened about a week ago, and i have been singing softly, but it sounds terrible...

i have really just started singing, and don't know how to breath properly and stuff, i'm just basically trying to feel it out as i go...

does anybody know HOW i got to sing like that? does it just mean that my voice was strong?

Only you know how to make those sounds. You might face a mirror and experiment, try to sing, try to reproduce those sounds. Observe how your mouth and throat move as you sing.

You might search you tube for singing lesson videos. Some of the videos illustrate breathing, posture, and warm up exercises. Your local library may have books and CDs on singing. I think www.annepeckham.com - the book and CD - helps me sing better.

Relax, and drink warm tea. Sometimes your voice needs to rest.

Quit panicking. It's normal. There are many determining factors like how much rest you had prior to sounding amazing, what you had eaten and drank as well as how much you had spoken or sung prior. After 4 hours of singing or speaking, anyone's voice is going to need to rest.

IMPORTANT - DO NOT whisper. It actually is more stressful to the vocal chords. Just speak quietly or, better yet, not at all. Drink lots of water, stay away from medications, get PLENTY of sleep and rest. Stifle coughs and try not to clear your throat (this grinds the vocal chords). Stuff like that. You'll be surprised how your voice responds.

Also - if you're really serious, run vaporizers and humidifiers as often as you can.

AHHHHHHH! this sucks! i know i can sing, but it seriously songs AWFUL! i'm so frustrated, i don't want to sing in front of anybody... i can't quit, because i know that someday i am able to get back to what i used to be able to do...i am able to sing as loud as i could before on only the really high looong notes, but not the rest of the song, and after singing them, my voice is really weak, and sounds sorta like i am singing into a fan (it sounds like i'm shaking or something)... also, after maybe 3 or 4 songs, i get really dizzy, so i don't think i'm breathing right...

is there anything else i can do?

Bump...