The awesome co-hosts for the October 1 posting of the IWSG are Beth Camp, Crystal Collier, and Cathrina Constantine!

October 1 question - What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why?

A few years ago, I entered a Wattpad writing contest for Tim Horton’s “Coldbrew Challenge.” The grand prize was $500, a writing tablet, a $100 gift card, and various Tim’s swag. I wrote a meet-cute flash fiction piece, submitted it, and almost forgot about the contest. A short while later, I found out I’d won! It blew my mind. Someone thought I was a legit writer? Maybe I should take the leap and publish that book I’d been working on…

The second contest I entered was Wattpad and Hilroy’s “Start Writing” contest. The prize for this one was $1000. This time, I felt the pressure of my previous win. The prize money could pay for a lot of gorgeous book covers for my future work. I carefully crafted my flash fiction piece, the topic of which was how I’d been inspired to start writing my first novel, which I’d recently self published. I edited and tweaked and proofread a hundred times until I finally submitted it. Then came the waiting. I checked daily for the results. And I won again! The success gave me the push of confidence I needed to finish my trilogy.

I keep the memory of those two flash fictions in a little treasure chest at the back of my mind. When I feel insecure and afflicted by imposter syndrome, I cherish those contest wins. I may never experience success as a writer again, but I’m glad I have those memories!
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