I love posting over at the award-winning blog, Writers in the Storm. They have a plethora of wonderful resources for writers on writing craft and more, and they allowed me to talk about one of my favorite things, the creative journey, and one of my not-so-favorite things: the highs of a writing contest!
Here’s a snippet of the post, and a link to read more!
I recently finaled in the Kiss of Death’s Daphne du Maurier writing contest in the Mainstream category. I’ve gotta be honest, it’s been a while since I had a win. It felt good. It FEELS good. Real good. I’ve wanted to final in this contest for years, so yes, when I got the news, I may have done the laughing-crying thing.
Photo credit: ©asife
My husband took me out to celebrate but, ever the realist, said, “Be careful of this high on the roller coaster.” After I shot him the stink-eye, I had to take a deep breath. He was right. (I hate when he’s right.)
It’s a conversation we’ve had many times over the years that I’ve been writing with the goal of publication.
The Writer Roller Coaster. Worst. Ride. Ever. That is, if you’re living for the wins.
Living for the Writing Contest Win
When you’re living for the next win, you keep your sights set on the high points, on those relative two seconds of when you’re at the highest tip of the roller coaster. And when you’re living for the win, the low points aren’t the thrill dropping, stomach plunge of real roller coasters. Nope. They suck. The low points are the times when nothing’s happening, or you’ve received 22 rejections over the course of four months, or you’ve watched every single one of your writer buddies soar on to publication, contest wins, book sales, and more.
When you’re living for the win, or the next high, it can make the lows seem so much lower, and the drop to the lows so much more dramatic. It makes the time you spend in the lows stretch out, never seeming to end.