writing battle
I entered a 2,500-word writing contest for funsies. My first attempt at fiction leaves me with a feeling of mixed results. Here’s a rundown on the process.
The Assignment
The cards Sprite was dealt for the battle.
Players are given a week to write a 2,500 word story within the parameters set for them—genre, character, and setting—with the option for one redraw within the first four days of the competition. The cards above are those originally given to me and I opted to work with them rather than risk a redraw. Shockingly, I wrote quickly and submitted a day or two early. It helps that I know a certain paramedic I could create material off of though. ;-)
The Wait + The Results
The month long wait for results was agonizing! The stories were split into “houses” of approximately 40 entries per house matched by genre card. I artfully skimmed a few stories from the house I was placed in but I became overwhelmed. Also, part of me didn’t want to consider how I thought I ranked by becoming familiar with the other material in the group.
Finally, after a month I received an email proclaiming the results were in. It warned that once I saw them, I would not be able to unsee them. Was I ready? it asked. Before this moment all I concerned myself with was learning, improving my writing, and having fun. After this moment…well, I surprised myself with the disappointment I felt. Before this moment I assured myself I would be able to laugh off whatever placement I encountered.
Then, in front of me I couldn’t unsee how poorly I ranked. I cried. Yup, sure did. My piece took darn near last place while my mind held expectations of at least ranking in the middle of the pack. Ouch. True to Sprite form, I sulked the whole following month therefore hardly writing at all. A mere short 500 word count weekly blog post is all I mustered to eke out. No longer looking at or applying to content writer/designer or proofreader job listings. So, you have this competition to thank for all the past and upcoming short and sweet moments covered in my blog posts.
Anyway, the judges rated my piece high on creativity and low on clarity. I’ve recently received feedback that the confusion lies in the commas aka poor grammar, which tracks. Oh, what a month of hindsight can do for healing!
Processing the Experience
The night before writing this processing my grief on the discovery of my lack of writing skills post, I attended my monthly writing group session and they helped me actually process the experience instead of ignore it. Our group is very supportive and understanding of this heart-on-your-sleeve endeavor. Therefore, when I subtly mentioned giving up they nudged me to look at the contest in an alternate light. A softer, gentle sunrise alpenglow as opposed to the fluorescence I was using.
What’s Next
Although I never considered myself someone to give up so easily, here I was sulking and ready to delete my blog + website. Truthfully, I’ve been slapped with endless rejections lately so it may not have been this specific one but the accumulation finally striking a nerve. Since the weather afforded me the ability to get out in nature and on lowland trails, I have more material to share with you and some slight recovering in the works. My popular phrase after a tumble comes to mind, “I’m still aliiiiiiive.
So, what next? Well, I still don’t know that either. I do know that I remain brave. I do know that I am still an unpredictable character sometimes and can surprise myself. And I do know that despite my resilience being rocked in waves of multitudes this year, it somehow still exists.
Will I attempt another writing competition or would I recommend them to you? Sure. I did have fun writing something new and experiencing random prompts. I did receive helpful feedback and support. And I did finally get over myself and got back to my writing practice. Even if you trend toward the sensitive side, writing competitions are a healthy risk to navigate.
Are writing competitions something you’ve ever considered taking a chance on? Maybe you could use this stretch for yourself and find out what you’re made of too. If not, what skills are you hoping to nurture and grow? What ways can you find to gently put yourself out there to test your mettle? I truly think you’ll find it worth it. Even if you need a post-mortem month to sulk just like me.
If you are interested in reading my story, select the following link: Just Another Day at the Firehouse.