And the Winner is…
Not me, I’m sorry to say.
Am I heartbroken? No. The story is now mine again to do with what I wish. I can enter it into another contest or I can publish it myself. Although I had hoped for a quick and easy way to become published, there’s no real easy way to accomplish this. I don’t believe there’s a dictionary in existence which will define publishing as “easy.”
For example…
There’s acceptance. Once I came to terms with the fact that the short story did not win, I have been able to process it and move on. That one short story is not what it’s all about or what my writing life revolves around. As I continue to write my books, I will most likely enter more short story contests but I will graciously accept whatever the judges decide.
There’s determination. I have a fixed purpose. Whether it is this short story or another, the book I am editing or the second one I recently started, I am full of ambition and determination to write and to succeed in becoming published.
I knew this journey was going to be a rough and winding road but it’s exactly these types of roads that make you sit up and pay attention. A long straight stretch of road may require less attention and feel safer, but it is also devoid of interesting, stimulating and exciting challenges.