I used to cringe when I would see my scores return. I even reached a point where I didn’t want to open the email. Sometimes it would have been less painful to shove bamboo shoots under my fingernails.
But I learned something. Those bad scores came with great feedback. Concrete ways that I could grow and change my writing. They also thickened my sensitive skin—something that must happen if you want to be a writer. This is a world of rejection; it doesn’t matter if you’re published or not. There will always be people who don’t like what you write…and that’s okay! You begin to develop an ear for what criticisms to listen to, and what ones you release.
So I encourage you to keep entering contests. Keep growing. Keep thickening your skin. It’s all part of becoming the writer you’re meant to be! And there is (almost) always good to be found tucked into the bad.
Susan L. Tuttle lives in
Michigan where she’s happily married to her best friend and is a homeschooling
mom of three. She’s firmly convinced that letters were meant for words, not
math, and loves stringing them together into stories that inspire, encourage,
and grow women into who God created them to be. Romance, laughter, and cookies
are three of her favorite things, though not always in that order. You can
connect with Susan at her blog, Steps, Facebook, or Twitter.
