One of the coolest thing about the LDStorymakers conference is how they glorify those who try and fail. The point is that they TRY! Today, they gave awards to those who got the most query rejections this year. Yesterday, they showed an awesome video about famous historical (and local) figures who failed, failed, failed, never gave up, and then, finally, succeeded! The ending line was the best EVER:
Failure: The Secret to Success
Anyway, I won't have time to do a proper blog post, because I'm driving all the way home tonight to surprise my husband (who doesn't read my blog) by arriving a day before he expects me. I'm considering breaking down my First Chapter Contest scores here for you and comparing them with last year's (who'd like to see that?), but I don't have last year's scores with me, and you're really not supposed to react to critiques quite so soon (I got my scores 30 minutes ago).
So I'll just say this: I didn't win. Anything. Except for great critiques from industry professionals. If, by some strange alignment of the stars, one of my judges were to read this blog post, I want to say THANKS! I love your comments, I'm already working on ideas to fix the things that could stand improvement, and I really appreciate your time in judging the contest. (Oh, and I couldn't put my name in the header, because it was against the rules, but I'll absolutely do that when I query.) :)
Anyway, I'll break down the conference later, and you'll definitely want to stop by on Tuesday, when I'll have a HUGE announcement related to Elana Johnson that anyone thinking of querying will want to see.
Now I'm going back to learning. :)
One of my favorite quotes is "good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgment." Learning is painful, always has been and always will be.
ReplyDeleteThe stories I loves to read all follow the same pattern I'm living in my quest to write a full length novel. Hero is living his ordinary life and something happens that forces him into action, he goes through painful learning experiences (picking up new friends and enemies along the way), the process nearly kills him or her, and against all odds the hero rises victorious.
Good luck on your journey Robin.
That's so awesome! It sounds like a very rewarding trip!
ReplyDeleteIt was so good to see you Robin! I wish we could have talked more. And I totally forgot to take a picture of us! It was so overwhelming for my first time and I felt bad not talking to everyone I recognized longer! :) I'll be sending my interview questions over ASAP!:) It was so nice to meet you and Susan! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks, guys! I think the worst part of not winning is that you're waiting until the end, trying to stomp on your rising hope that maybe I didn't win in my category because I won the GRAND PRIZE! :)
ReplyDeleteChantele--I await your questions with baited breath. It was awesome meeting you!
Good for you for going Robin! I love writers conferences, connecting with other writers is an important part of the journey. As is rejection, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteOne of my faves: "Failure is the opportunity to try again more intelligently."
:)
Great attitude, Robin! It's true. There's a saying, "You always pass failure on the way to success." And honestly, it's better that way. Because it makes the successes so much sweeter.
ReplyDeleteI hope your hubby enjoyed his surprise!
Have a lovely day, dear friend. :)
Thanks for all the quotes on failure! They're so cool!
ReplyDeleteMarewolf--writer's conferences are essential to sanity.
Anita--My hubby was mad because he was in the middle of a secret bathroom remodel when I walked through the door! :) He has forgiven me, though. :D
It was so fun to see you again. You'll have to tell us ALL about what comments were made.
ReplyDeleteIt was awesome to see you, too, Donna--even if it was only for a few minutes at a time! I'm posting about my First Chapter results on Tuesday. :)
ReplyDeleteDon't be so hard on yourself! You've made TONS of progress and improvements to the story and it's coming along really well. Judging/reviewing is always subjective, but it's also helpful. I think you got some great comments that are going to help make your future bestseller even better!
ReplyDeleteBTW: I discovered that I sent my First Chapter submission to the wrong email address. Duh.
Susan--Dang it! No fair! Are they going to refund your money? They should. Not like they had to do anything except take your money.
ReplyDeleteRobin - bummer I didn't run into your blog BEFORE storymakers! It was SUCH a great time. Elana is so super cool. And what awesome vindication for her to have the most rejections last year and is now making this HUGE splash into the lit world. Pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteJolene--I know! Elana is the bomb--mostly because she tried and tried and tried, and wasn't ashamed to admit how much effort her success took!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
I love your attitude about this. Failure is really the key to success, even if it doesn't feel that way sometimes. Keep moving forward!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenn! I probably shouldn't confess that, as I watched the Failure is the Secret to Success video I was fully planning to be the exception.... (Still am, truth be told.) :)
ReplyDelete