Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Finalist (for the fourth time)

It makes me happy to share that my latest work-in-progress novel, To Feel the Earth as Rough, has been selected as a finalist in the Colorado Gold Rush Literary Awards.


I'm circled, and marked three friends/critique partners in the list, too!


Does this seem like familiar news? Yes, it is the second time in so many years for this novel and my first novel also finaled twice.

It is strange: it makes me happy but there is nothing like the first year when it felt like such validation that I was a good writer and on the right track. Now I feel a bit jaded: having finaled but not won three years in a row starts to feel like a judgement. To become a finalist, all I have to do is get high enough scores on several craft components. To win, I need the judging agent to think its publishable (or the most publishable of the finalists). I know I need perseverence but I'm starting to feel like that is a lot harder than just writing well. Which I guess we all know to be true about publishing success!

But all writers out there should come to the conference to clap for me (okay, really just to hang out with me)!  I'm giving a one-hour (sanctioned) summary of Gail Carriger's Heroine's Journey, which added a whole new dimension to plotting for me. And of course there are lots of great classes *and* some key notes speakers you might have heard of: Chuck Wendig,  Katherine Center, Erika T. Wurth.  Register by Aug 7 to save $50, or there are scholorships to the conference still available if it doesn't fit your budget.