Have you ever felt no matter how hard you work at it your writing it never seems to come out on top? Agents reject your prose, your Twitter pitches stagnate unheard, and editors point out a lack of sparkle.
Take heart, writing is a contest not a competition.
According to Dictionary.com here is the definition for each:
Competition: A rivalry between two or more persons or groups for an object desired in common, usually resulting in a victor and a loser but not necessarily involving the destruction of the latter.
Contest: A struggle for victory or superiority.
See the difference?
A competition implies a winner and a looser whereas a contest is a scale of superiority. In publishing there are MANY winners, not just one, and it’s often subjective. Again, from Dictionary.com:
Subjective: existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought.
Are your following me? This means that not only do many people get published each year, but also not everyone agrees on it. Some will love your story others will find it just okay. And it’s OKAY! Your writing is not going to appeal to everyone and it shouldn’t.
Take some joy in this subjective creativity contest and keep looking for your tribe of readers who agree you are the superior victor.
It could take some time, and will take lots of practice but you will find a group of people your words resonate with. Don’t give up, not now, not ever.
Happy Questing!
Quest Type 