Last fall I entered the Heart of the West contest.
I did not enter with hopes of winning. Odd? I told you I was warped, lol. No. I entered the contest to get objective feedback. This mission was for purely selfish reasons.
I had a new story idea and I began to doubt myself. Was I really weak in such-n-such area? Did I really know how to do such-n-such as well as I wanted to believe? So, after working on it for a bit, I decided one sure way to discover the truth was to send it out--with no outside crits. This was another learning lesson.
How much could I trust myself and my writing?
Each person I dealt with was gracious and helpful. If you ever wish to enter a contest, this is one to consider. I had the good fortune to draw judges who were both gracious and honest. Some of the more positive comments included, "You have talent." Or, (ad libbing here) "You have a way with droll dialogue." A big surprise came in the fact that my issues with pacing seemed to have improved greatly. And it was nice to discover that my hard work on eliminating prosey writing has paid off. :) The non-surprise was the fact that I still have issues with my heroines. GRRR. Can I help it if I connect more with my heros? I love my men, lol.
All in all, I learned that I can rely on my instincts. I know what I need to really concentrate on for the moment, and what I can move to "keep watch for, but improved" category. That alone feels liberating. It's freed my mind from the hand-holding I believed I needed from my crit partners. I'm not a child who has to run to them with every little detail.
No, I didn't final, but I definitely won a minor battle and grew in the process.
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2 comments:
Nichole, THIS is great! When you can garner useful/helpful info from a contest, with gracious judges who are considerate, you've done well! Yes, we always look forward to finaling/winning ~ but when you can gain insight on your writing, or on issues you were't sure were there, and accepted it with your chin up, then you've pulled up your big-girl drawers and handled the judge's critique like a champ! I'm proud of you! You keep up the good work! Perserverance DOES pay off! :)
Nicole:
I know I have done awful in contests before! Ugh, the pain!
But you've got the right attitude! When you can set aside the writer ego (that we ALL have!) and use the comments/suggestions to improve your writing, that's when you'll find success!
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