30 Days to Vogel

One of the best pieces of advice that I have ever been given about writing is don't become a writer- be one.

That means:  Have a day job to support your writing.  Prioritize time to write.  Keep a journal.  Have a project on the go.  Eavesdrop on conversations for research.  Stick to deadlines or break them if you have to.  And most importantly, never give up.

On a spur of the moment whim yesterday, after reading this article on why there was no Vogel Award for the 2013 round, I decided that I was going to send in something for the 2014 award.  Yes, I am aware that the award closes on the 31st of May, and yes I am aware that my shot of winning is something like one in a bazillion.  I'm also aware that the manuscript I put aside two years ago and thought was awesome is pretty rough and naive.  So I'm going to try and finally live by that advice that I was given, rather than just taking it up when I feel like it.  And I'm really really scared, mostly of that voice inside my head that keeps telling me that I'm not good enough, but a little bit of doing it largely on my own, because oh yeah, I moved out of home for a month.

I'm going to keep you all updated, and I hope that you will wish me luck.

Emily