Outdistancing Fear
Right behind public speaking is entering contest when it comes to "things I hate to do." Ouch! Back at the beginning of 2004, the kids were out of the house, we'd moved to a new state, and it was time to get down and serious about writing. If I was ever going to do it, now was the time. I set a goal in December of 2003 to joint a crit group and to submit something...anything...at least once per month. How could I ever have known that setting that goal--and keeping to it--would change everything?
I really wanted to polish "She Moves Through the Faire" and submit that. I'd had my eye on Amber Quill for quite some time, but being unpublished didn't bode well for getting them to look at something I'd written since they were closed to submissions. So I started making a new list of possibilities. I found an excellent crit group at Critique Corner with some very supportive writers and at least one member who wrote erotic romance.
And then I saw the announcement for the Amber Heat Wave Contest. It seemed like fate was going to intervene. I waffled back and forth..should I or shouldn't I? from January until just before the contest closed. I'd never written explicit scenes, but I'd read enough romance over the years, and erotic romance in the last couple of years, to have an idea of how to put something together. What did I have to lose by entering and not winning a spot? Was I serious about where I was headed with my writing career or not? So I wrote Esmerelda's Secret over the course of ten days before the deadline. There wasn't enough time for my crit partners to really look it over, but I wanted to take the chance--needed to. And so I did.
The day the results were posted I got up and went to my computer with butterflies in my stomach, afraid to open my mail. I never won contests so what was I expecting? The first email I saw was from my friend and the subject was "CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WON!" I couldn't believe it. I've since decided I only win the really important contests in my life--which amounts to one or two in my lifetime. And that's just fine with me.
And, of course, the rest is history. What would have happened if I hadn't taken that chance? If I'd let the fear of rejection immobilize me? If you're thinking about entering...then do it. One of my favorites quotes -- "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." --Eleanor Roosevelt.
So...believe...
Adrianna
I really wanted to polish "She Moves Through the Faire" and submit that. I'd had my eye on Amber Quill for quite some time, but being unpublished didn't bode well for getting them to look at something I'd written since they were closed to submissions. So I started making a new list of possibilities. I found an excellent crit group at Critique Corner with some very supportive writers and at least one member who wrote erotic romance.
And then I saw the announcement for the Amber Heat Wave Contest. It seemed like fate was going to intervene. I waffled back and forth..should I or shouldn't I? from January until just before the contest closed. I'd never written explicit scenes, but I'd read enough romance over the years, and erotic romance in the last couple of years, to have an idea of how to put something together. What did I have to lose by entering and not winning a spot? Was I serious about where I was headed with my writing career or not? So I wrote Esmerelda's Secret over the course of ten days before the deadline. There wasn't enough time for my crit partners to really look it over, but I wanted to take the chance--needed to. And so I did.
The day the results were posted I got up and went to my computer with butterflies in my stomach, afraid to open my mail. I never won contests so what was I expecting? The first email I saw was from my friend and the subject was "CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WON!" I couldn't believe it. I've since decided I only win the really important contests in my life--which amounts to one or two in my lifetime. And that's just fine with me.
And, of course, the rest is history. What would have happened if I hadn't taken that chance? If I'd let the fear of rejection immobilize me? If you're thinking about entering...then do it. One of my favorites quotes -- "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." --Eleanor Roosevelt.
So...believe...
Adrianna
posted by Adrianna Dane at 11:07 AM
1 Comments:
Fear of rejection stalled me for many years. It took a good hard look at the rest of my life and the sudden knowledge that life is too short to be afraid of a rejection letter from an editor. I've been extremely fortunate that I found myself some wonderful publishers and took a chance on submitting some of my writing.
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