Winning!

The need for snorkel and webbed feet is nigh. Another rainy, gray day. My garden has been neglected and time pressures seem to close in. The only thing working is my writing and even that schedule has been pushed back.

A result from a writing competition was less than I hoped and yet, I can’t really feel too badly. Some wonderful critic comments brought to light some things with my manuscript I sensed was wrong, yet I still hadn’t completely narrowed it down.

Though I must go back and fine tune, I actually feel more optimistic than I have for a while. This isn’t the first delay on Tie-down. I’ve talked about all the ups and downs, the stops and starts, the derails and mud bogs. This little minor hiccup is nothing.

I rarely enter contests for my novels anymore and never enter writing contest with the goal to win. Winning (Is it me or has Charlie Sheen made that word, not so good?) is relative anyway.

Truth is there are so many entries in these contests that I think you must keep perspective when you do enter. Perspective is a tricky thing. You can have it all day long until you get the bad news. A funk usually follows, no matter how philosophical you are.

I’ve decided that funk is ok, for about a day, then, you just have to look at the comments, if you were lucky enough to get them. I was. Read them through once to take the hit, the second time to soak it up. The third time and after another day has past…that’s when you get the real prize.

That judge who didn’t put you in the winning circle for the contest, did one better. He or she put you on the tract of improvement. That next step to the success. That’s what you’re really after.

I figure, though I’m set back about ten days, I can go back and look at the judges suggestions, take them under advisement and change what ‘I’ think needs changing, improve my novel and then slog forward.

Winning!