New Choc Lit Short Story Competition
Anyone going to enter? They're looking for short stories up to a maximum of 1500 words. Deadline is 31st August 2012. I'm game -I think. (groans under the strain) Yet another distraction for me but that's the way it goes.
Why do we feel the need to enter competitions? For me, I think it's more than simply getting my writing out there and being noticed. I think it's for the recognition - winning is rather like a pat on the back - it makes it official and thus the world knows you are a writer. And then because you win, your work is published and that makes a difference. Suddenly the writing world opens up to you. Now you are able to join the various organisations that exist such as The Society of Authors or the Romantic Novelists Association. Well, only if you want to of course. It is a fact that until you manage to get your work published, you are not fully regarded or perhaps even accepted as a writer.
Getting back to the short story competition, I may have mentioned this before but I'm not a brilliant short story writer. I don't enjoy writing them either and I think that many successful writers will agree that not everyone is suited to the short story genre. I'm not snappy enough -I'm a waffler! I've waffled my way through life long enough to realise that. However, I do have a story that would fit the bill with a bit of a tweak here and there. It's worth a try.
Why do we feel the need to enter competitions? For me, I think it's more than simply getting my writing out there and being noticed. I think it's for the recognition - winning is rather like a pat on the back - it makes it official and thus the world knows you are a writer. And then because you win, your work is published and that makes a difference. Suddenly the writing world opens up to you. Now you are able to join the various organisations that exist such as The Society of Authors or the Romantic Novelists Association. Well, only if you want to of course. It is a fact that until you manage to get your work published, you are not fully regarded or perhaps even accepted as a writer.
Getting back to the short story competition, I may have mentioned this before but I'm not a brilliant short story writer. I don't enjoy writing them either and I think that many successful writers will agree that not everyone is suited to the short story genre. I'm not snappy enough -I'm a waffler! I've waffled my way through life long enough to realise that. However, I do have a story that would fit the bill with a bit of a tweak here and there. It's worth a try.
Hi Sue,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment - I agree, the money is very useful and the chocolates also.
I can think of another good reason for entering the competition - motivation. I've found from past experience that competitions are a great way of focusing your attentions on your writing - particularly useful if you've 'hit the wall,' and you're looking for inspiration. Thanks for checking in and look forward to hearing from you again. by the way, I enjoyed your website immensely.
The above comment was my reply to Sue Moorcroft who very kindly responded to my blog post above. She stated:
ReplyDelete'Another good reason for entering this particular comp - or rather two: money and chocolate. :-).'
Thank you again, Sue - sorry but I accidentally deleted your comment, clearly demonstrating my hopeless IT skills! The comment was duplicated and I didn't realise that if you deleted one, they both vanished.