Wow

I won ...

As I type the above words I am still somewhat stunned. I have won writing contests before. I made the top 500 in the Amazon contest while competing with something close to 10,000 other writers.

Sp why does wining Literary Agents Nathan Bransford's first paragraph contest feel like my greatest achievement as a writer?

Maybe it is because that paragraph comes from my very own memoir, not a fictional world I created?

Maybe because this has been one hell of a tough year and I've spent much of it debating if I really was good enough to make that top 1% of writers that get their novels published?

Maybe because I really have not been writing the way I sued to or should be?

Maybe because I read at least half of those 2600 entries and realize the talent level I was competing against?

Maybe it's all the maybes together?

Whatever I know I am truly elated and that I have new energy and desire to sit down and finish that memoir, because as cool and overwhelming as winning the contest is. there is no maybe to it. I'll need a heck of a lot more than a strong opener to finally land that agent and book deal I have been working for these past 8 years.

I'm taking this win as a sign that yes, I am good enough to be in that top 1% and yes, as long as I keep plugging away I can achieve my goals.

Thanks to all of you who took the time to vote for me or my fellow finalists. And if any of those 9 happen to find this blog I want to congratulate them and say thanks for making the contest one I am proud to have competed in. Without so many great entries this wouldn't mean quite so much.