Go, Me!

In yesterday’s mail, I got my certificate for placing in the Launching a Star contest.  I can’t wait to frame it and stick it on a wall!

It’s funny.  I’ve known since November that I was a finalist; I found out in December that I took third place, and in January I learned that an agent is interested in reading my full manuscript.  So there’s no new information here.

But seeing it in writing, holding that certificate is different.  It makes it real, in all of its 8 X 10 validation.

It’s been a big, emotional week for me in my personal life, but I feel like it’s also been a week of writing triumphs, not just because of my pretty certificate.  This week marked a turning point for me with my blog because of three accomplishments that seem pretty big to me.

1.  I took a risk.  I wrote on a topic that could be pretty offensive to some people, but I felt proud enough of what I wrote to take the chance.  Up until now, I’ve tried so hard to be safe and non-confrontational, but this week I stepped out of my comfort zone.
2. I think I think I’m a step closer to finding my “voice”.    I know that my writing can be stilted and overly formal sometimes, and my posts are occasionally maudlin and whiny.  I often struggle and edit and re-write for hours – but this week, two of my posts really just flowed naturally and didn’t require any struggling.  And they both got more views and “likes” than anything I’ve ever written so far, so they can’t be all bad.
3. I’ve started to relax a bit and realize that every word I write doesn’t have to be a Pearl of Wisdom.  Writing is becoming fun again.