Well I just got back from the Post Office. I had to mail a book for Leah (http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php) and one of my short stories for a contest. I spent about two hours correcting and editing "Death for Breakfast" and trying to figure out the complex submission process for the M. McKinney Fiction Contest. Three envalopes, put your student ID here...write your sex here...ugh...
I have two stories out there, floating around. "The Dodo Egg" for the Wednesday Club and now "Death for Breakfast." I found out about the McKinney contest a week ago today. I went to the cafeteria and sat down and wrote a story. Bang! Just like that. I usually don't do that (and wasn't intending on using it becauase it was so new). I have a terrible time getting my stuff typo free. I think I did a pretty good job, but I have to give credit where credit is due...and my friend Paul and Leah were both a big help. Leah, though herself not a writer, is able to come up with all these great content related suggestions. My writer buddy Paul is the opposite. He never gives me any content suggestions, but finds a majority of my goofs and underlines ALL of my adverbs (I still can't believe how many of those suckers I use).
I don't really have very high hopes. I struck out last year on the Wendesday Club, but I decided to try again. The McKinney contest is a very, very long shot. For one thing, my competetion is greater (all four UM schools) PLUS they website said that "while all students can enter, preference will be given to undergraduates and women." Well I meet one of those criteria. I guess it never hurts to try, and really I feel good about myself just for competing. And then there is the added benefit that someone, somewhere will actually READ something I wrote, which is always nice. The meeting of minds across distance and time. I guess that alone is worth the $15 it cost to overnight my manuscript to Columbia.
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5 comments:
Look into the New Letters competition also. There will be a reading fee, but this contest has a national rep. Last time I read for them--there were 750 submissions, but even an honorable mention there gets one's name out and about. It's the trying and getting toughened up to rejection that's important.
Thank you so much. I totally agree with you about the whole "getting a thick skin." I recently got my first rejection slip...I was so happy/excited!!!
I will be sure to check out the New Letters competetion (googling it now).
Just checked on Google...struck out...any more info?
Hmm... preference given to women... Sounds like blatant sexual discrimination.
Yeah I'm not sure what the point is offering it up to everyone if they really only want female writers. I have no prob with them having seperate contests...to encourage different minority writers or whatever...but they should be upfront about it, instead of letting me find out the DAY I SPEND $15 MAILING THEM MY MANUSCRIPT. Ugh.
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