Today’s Ozarks Maven is going to be short and sweet. I’m at my last Ozarks Writers League conference as president. This evening was our awards banquet. I’m always happy to see people rewarded for hard work, but this evening was special.
April, a member of my critique group, won First Place in a contest. It wasn’t any old contest, either. She took home First Place in Romance. She says she doesn’t write romance, but the judges felt differently.
What made this win so special is that it’s very first complete victory. I’m so proud of her! Seeing her face as her name was called was the most rewarding experience I’ve had in a long time. She was stunned. When it hit her a moment later, she was elated. Best of all, I had the honor of handing her the award and congratulating her in front of the group.
She went on to place in two other contests, but that First Place is the stuff from whence confidence springs. I predict she will be inspired to write more and enter her work more frequently. Such sweet successes build pride and credibility.
I’ll never forget my First Place win. It was in Joplin Writers’ Guild contest, and the prize was a journal. I was so proud of that journal that I didn’t write in it for several months because I didn’t want to mess it up.
Dreams are precious things. When you achieve a victory on your quest to make your dream a reality, it validates your work. Pursue your passion. Turn your dreams into accomplishments. Above all else, believe in yourself.
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