I've got a story to tell...

Another year of writing has passed and another season of short story contests is over. For me, the submissions ended with the December first deadline for The Fiddlehead's short story contest. My spring, summer and autumn brought me to other contests, including the CBC and the Writers' Union of Canada (an ominous title for any group). I even posted my updates on Facebook to let my friends know that I am still so stubborn that I think I can win one of these things. That is what I do when I get a pen or a mouse in my hands and my imagination has not been drained by work, routine and life.

So, how have I done? Too soon to tell. I won't hear anything on three of my stories until the new year. Only found out one was not worthy last month. You really can learn from rejection. I have learned that I cannot give this up and that editors really do want you to stay with one format and tone of voice.

Let's be honest: how many of you out there pay attention to these contests or their entrants? Most of the magazines I submit to are found in the section of the magazine rack that you never look at (and apart from the CBC's wish to broadcast the work, very few of the stories that win are read or heard by a wide audience). I once came in second place in a bookstore contest, meaning that it was not printed up in the one weekly journal in the city that paid attention to such things (the first place winner was published) and I received a $500 gift certificate. I think about this often when I write and how I cannot let this habit go if I have had even one glimmer of hope.

So, let me end this entry by encouraging you to read some of those more obscure magazines that need your attention. Some of our greatest writers began this way and I think that you may find a few surprises.