One Step Closer

I love books. You know this about me. I love them so much that I dream of seeing a book I wrote on my library shelf. I am not one who sits by and dreams without taking steps to make it happen. One of my strengths is Achiever. (Gallup test) This means I set goals, break it down into steps and relentlessly work towards that goal.

So for my goal to become an author I wrote a novel manuscript and two short stories so far. The manuscript is a mess. Possibly a hopeless mess. A learning experience. The first short story wasn’t bad but I haven’t gotten it to sparkle yet. The second story clicked. I got good feedback from my two critique groups. I shined it up as best I could. I sent it off to Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine. It was rejected. No surprise. However, it made it through the slush pile! I celebrated that small victory. Then I moved on, entering it in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. I just received word that it won Honorable Mention!!

They will send me a certificate and I have something to put on my writing resume! They encouraged me to keep writing and submit more stories.

What this means is that there is something that wasn’t quite perfect but I’m really close to getting it right and publishable.

I’m still not published but I am one step closer. I intend to keep writing in my free time and will keep learning.