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Last year, when I entered the B&theB contest, I kept it very quiet.  



I didn't talk about the contest for fear of attracting competition.  



I didn't talk about my story for fear somebody would steal it.



I hid.



But I watched and listened, too.  And I saw other writers taking advantage of the community.  Nobody spoiled their stories, of course, but they talked to each other.  They shared loglines and premises.  They shared joys and pains of writing.  They shared excitement over the contest itself.  And they had fun together.



And this year, I'm going to do that, too.  I'm going to join this community of writers as we pursue this year's contest together.  Because I want to share my joy with you.  And because I want to know a name on the winners' list next year...be it mine or yours.



Comments

  1. Skye HoffertJune 4, 2015 at 8:04 AM

    Good for you it's hard to put yourself out there. I did for the last contest, and I ended up with eight beta readers. Everyone had their own ideas, and I found no one was inclined to steal anything. It was super encouraging actually. If your looking for someone to share or give feedback, I would love too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Esther Brooksmith (wisdomcreates)June 4, 2015 at 9:19 AM

    That is encouraging!
    And I would be thrilled to have your feedback - words cannot even express how helpful that is!!! I am immensely grateful.
    I sent you a private email so you would have my email address in your contacts for future conversations.
    Also, let me know if I can return the favor for you and give you feedback on your stories and ideas, too. :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Emily Ann PutzkeJune 4, 2015 at 11:55 AM

    I love this! Writing can be lonely at times, so having a writing community to encourage you and talk with is so wonderful! =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esther Brooksmith (wisdomcreates)June 4, 2015 at 6:41 PM

      So true, Emily. And I feel so blessed with the writing friends that I have made over the last year and a half through blogging. I'm honored to have you among them. :)

      Delete
  4. AnonymousJune 5, 2015 at 8:45 PM

    It's great that you plan to be really open about your story and take full advantage of this wonderful writing community. As much as it pains me to admit it, I've felt like this a little bit, too. And I sincerely hope that I'm not the only one who has felt that by posting about my story on my blog, if I don't win, people will judge me. But that is honestly not the case because in reality, the writing community has some of the nicest people out there. We've all been through rejection and self doubt, so we don't judge other writers and instead, we help each other. It takes a while to realize that, but it's so freeing when you do. Honestly, this post has inspired me to be more open with my writing on my blog.

    I SO hope we're co-winners. I mean, I want to be co-winners with all of the bloggers, but that sadly isn't going to happen. Either way, I think the experience will be amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esther Brooksmith (wisdomcreates)June 6, 2015 at 4:25 AM

      So here's what will happen: We'll tackle our projects and share our excitement with each other. We'll post on our blogs little pieces of information that will make people want to buy our stories. ;) If we want, we'll critique each others stories. And then we'll win the contest. Or, if we don't, we'll assume ours were amazing finalists that just didn't fit with the other ones for this particular anthology. :D

      Co-winners!!!!!!
      I'm so glad there are five winners instead of just one. You know what I mean? How different would this be if we were all competing for one winning spot? Another reason why this is a great contest!

      Delete

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