For those of you who were waiting to hear from me on whatever happened with that Three Day Novel Contest, see my post here for details, well your wait is over.  I received an e-mail to day with a link that announced the winners and honorable mentions.  A brief surge of nervousness hit me when I saw that e-mail in my in box.  Never one to wait on anything, ever, I quickly followed the link.  Once I saw that I had not won any of the three places, I quickly scanned the honorable mentions. I was not among those either.

The story that I wrote is about a teenage girl, Washue, who has such a love of life that she can make an adventure out of anything. Going to the market is an adventure for her.  Walking in her back yard and finding a new animal friend is like discovering a nest of Dodo eggs.  This young woman is modeled after my daughter, who squeals with delight when she sees a bird land three feet away. Of course that squeal then scares the bird away, but while it is there, she is ecstatic.

Washue, and by virtue of being modeled after her, my daughter as well, have taught me many things over these past seven years.  The most important being that a good writer is only as good as the stories they tell and the characters they bring to life.

A few things that I’ve learned from writing Washue for this contest, are:

#1 – Never again will I attempt to write when in pain and on painkillers.  That was a big mistake.  But, despite that, I’m glad that I wrote those words that weekend.  It was something I’d never done before and I’m glad I did it.  I will very likely do it again this year, if I can.  Hopefully without the pain and agony.

#2 – The joy of writing what I love outweighs the heartbreak that I feel when someone doesn’t love what I’ve written.

#3 – I will not give up just because I failed.  I may not write for this contest again, though I truly believe I will, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give up writing all together.

#4 – There is always a bright side to everything. And now that the contest is over, the rights to my novel are back in my hands and I can do with it what I wish.  And I believe I wish to edit, revise and share this story with my friends.

Writing Washue is a great deal of fun. She allows me to keep my daughter close, even when she is far away from me.  And she makes me smile and laugh like none other.  The most amazing thing about her, however, is that I’ve yet to meet a person who doesn’t like her.  Obviously that won’t last, but the fact that she has the ability to charm even the most grumpy of people is a pretty amazing feat in and of itself.  Perhaps I should be writing more of her if that is the case.  We shall see.

Regardless of what I do with Washue, I’m rather amazed by how much this experience has helped me grow as a writer.  I truly do believe that your own characters can help you grow, if only  you’re willing to listen.

Finally, I would like to thank all of you who gave me encouragement and good luck wishes.  You will never know how much that means to me.  You humble me with your faith and warmth.

And now, as my character would say, “Let’s go find an adventure.”

Tags: contests, submissions, Writing