Earlier in the week I found out that I won my very first writing contest. I am not going to lie–winning feels pretty spectacular. At this point, I’ve written one novel (which you see listed above), and I’m in progress on my second . . . and this is the first very small sign that I may not be wasting my time.

Note, of course I say MAY NOT, because who am I to say what will happen? All I know is that a little validation goes a long way towards believing in the possibility that you will one day produce works worth reading, or words readers will linger over. That day is a ways off, certainly. But I believe it exists.

With less than a thousand pages under my belt, I do not profess much expertise on writing. I can only recommend that you write, and when you see a contest that gives you pause, enter it. There is no winning if you do not enter. And there are many, many contests out there. You can find them on popular writing community websites, and by following publishing people on Twitter. Some of them, like the one I entered on Figment, are quick flash fiction contests that take little time, but are great exercise for the brain.

Again, there is no winning if you do not enter! So DO IT!

http://www.scribophile.com – many short contests currently, all free
http://dailyfig.figment.com/category/contests/ – oriented to young writers, but offer great quick prompts
http://www.familycircle.com/family-fun/fiction/fiction-contest-rules-2012/
http://askwendy.wordpress.com/ – wendy lists tons of contests each month