{"id":25,"date":"2020-08-04T03:40:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T09:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/?p=25"},"modified":"2021-02-12T12:34:03","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T19:34:03","slug":"writing-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/writing-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing Contest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Gail Lowe<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope July treated you well.  For me, it was a month of firsts.  I entered my first short-story contest.  Then I got my first rejection notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The experience was a wild combination of excitement and disappointment that taught me a few things about my writerly self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not all stress is bad<\/strong>: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not competitive by nature and I avoid deadlines.  I left that world behind years ago and have never looked back.  But the contest provided a tight timeline which reminded me that I focus well under stress.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set boundaries<\/strong>: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Having a short period of time to create my ultimate short story, I carved out the time needed and let everyone know that my writing time was non-negotiable.  In short, I put myself first and no one had a problem with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disappointment is a symptom<\/strong>: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The disappointment I felt receiving that rejection notice surprised me.  This was my first contest.  Did I really expect to knock it out of the park?  That would have been awesome, however, no, I didn\u2019t expect a home run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My goal was to be a part of something exciting.  So what was the real reason for feeling let down?  It took me a day to figure it out.  Working on something new felt great.  Not making it to the next round meant I had to return to my novel project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Variety equals creativity<\/strong>: I love my novel but the redrafting process has started to feel like all work and no play.  Participating in the contest resulted in an unexpected boost of energy to write again.  This goes against ideas like \u201cfinish what you start\u201d and \u201cdon\u2019t spread yourself too thin\u201d.  Narrowing my creative energy to the completion of one thing had encouraged cobwebs to grow inside my brain.  Working on something new cleared them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

No fresh stimulus In.<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No new Ideas out.<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
– Duncan Wardle<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Entering that contest gave me a new plan of attack.  Never again will I underestimate the power of trying something new.  Cobweb-free, I\u2019m heading into August with plans of world domination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Gail Lowe I hope July treated you well.  For me, it was a month of firsts.  I entered my first short-story contest.  Then I got my first rejection notice. The experience was a wild combination of excitement and disappointment that taught me a few things about my writerly self. Not all stress is bad: I\u2019m […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[10,6,7,4,11],"class_list":["post-25","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing","tag-creativity","tag-gail-lowe","tag-the-corner-lot-authors","tag-writing","tag-writing-help","post-preview"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":21,"url":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/writing-can-be-murder\/","url_meta":{"origin":25,"position":0},"title":"Writing Can Be Murder","author":"Gail Lowe","date":"April 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Gail Lowe \u201cHow to Commit the Perfect Murder was an old game in heaven. I always chose the icicle: the weapon melts away.\u201d\u2013 \u00a0Alice Sebold,\u00a0The Lovely Bones I\u2019m figuring out how to commit murder.\u00a0 The method and weapon still elude me although I have decided on the location and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"photo of a black bird","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pexels-photo-3927600.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pexels-photo-3927600.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pexels-photo-3927600.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pexels-photo-3927600.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pexels-photo-3927600.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pexels-photo-3927600.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31,"url":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/portals-in-your-home-and-how-to-use-them-properly\/","url_meta":{"origin":25,"position":1},"title":"Portals in Your Home, and How to Use Them Properly","author":"Gail Lowe","date":"January 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Dimensional travel has fascinated me ever since I watched the movie What the Bleep Do We Know. I was hooked by all the possible science scenarios I could use in my writing, especially the idea of travelling by portal. - Gail Lowe","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Gail_Jan2020A.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Gail_Jan2020A.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Gail_Jan2020A.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27,"url":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/the-magic-of-setting\/","url_meta":{"origin":25,"position":2},"title":"The Magic of Setting","author":"Gail Lowe","date":"October 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I have entered that time of year in which I become a set designer. - Gail Lowe","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Gail_Oct2020-137x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":119,"url":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/tame-the-dragon\/","url_meta":{"origin":25,"position":3},"title":"Tame The Dragon","author":"Gail Lowe","date":"May 24, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I am in the process of taming my dragon. I write while it\u2019s sleeping or preoccupied with some other dragon-worthy pursuit. But eventually, it pins its fiery gaze on my work and burns words to ash. Rubbish, it snorts, slinking back into its cave, leaving me to wonder why I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspiration"","block_context":{"text":"Inspiration","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/category\/inspiration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog_Gail_Dragon2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23,"url":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/it-starts-with-an-idea\/","url_meta":{"origin":25,"position":4},"title":"It Starts with an Idea","author":"Gail Lowe","date":"June 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Gail Lowe Sometimes it drops into your mind complete with ribbon and bow. Sometimes you get a picture, a few words, and your mind has to chase the story down one sentence at a time. It doesn\u2019t matter how it arrives. It\u2019s what you do with it. I\u2019m an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GailJune2020C.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GailJune2020C.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GailJune2020C.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29,"url":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/the-thing-about-stars\/","url_meta":{"origin":25,"position":5},"title":"The Thing About Stars","author":"Gail Lowe","date":"December 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Winter Solstice, or Yule, will soon be upon us. December 21st will be a night of fire pushing back the cold. Flames dancing up from the fire pit to cast shadows over sleeping trees and snow-covered grass. Gravity-defying sparks breaking free from flame in a doomed attempt to join\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Gail_Dec2020.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Gail_Dec2020.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Gail_Dec2020.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Gail_Dec2020.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80,"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25\/revisions\/80"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/GailLowe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}