It's twenty five past ten Saturday night 15th Feb 2014 and for the very first time in my life I have sent something I have written to a competition. I know the chances of winning are so remote it's not worth looking at the outcome but I have at last done something with my "work" Paul.
Hi Jo and Sanjana. thanks for your thoughts. I feel the same about how you view success, I have actually said much the same as the things you have listed in my profile. I'm glad it's not just me that feels that way because if writing was no more than a way to make money then I don't think we would have so many stories written. But wouldn't it be soooo nice if someone said yep that is good enough for us to pay you and good enough that people will want to read. And the bit about not thinking about your entry has to be a good thing or you wouldn't move onto a new piece. let's see if the judges know a good story when they see it lol. Regards Paul.
I remember the first time I submitted a short story for an international competition. I couldn't think of anything else except what life would be like after the win and the opportunities that would open up! Anyhow it turned out that my story was short listed, but it didn't make it beyond that. A big blow considering how much time I spent pondering over the entry. Ever since, I have grown, and today...its surprising how little I think of the entry...
Hello Paul.
Well done on entering the competition. Sending your work out into the world for the first time is a big step. The first time I entered a competition I was a runner up and was quite overwhelmed.
I see the whole thing as a series of successes:
You write something
You write something you feel is good enough to send off
Someone somewhere thinks your writing is good enough too
Someone somewhere awards you a prize or publishes your work
To me each of those steps is worth celebrating in itself.
I wish you luck
Jo