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So I didn’t win the library book spine poem contest.
Sigh.
I was very pleased with myself for this poem, frankly, and am rather put out by this loss. Plus, I like to think I’m something of a snappy writer and smarter than those around me, so I expected to do sparklingly well in this contest. (teehee – yes, I AM that snobbish about living in a small town, even though I know I shouldn’t be. I can’t seem to help it… Don’t judge me.)
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, click here for the background.
The winning poem was quite literal. The titles made virtually complete sentences. The subject was falling in love and having babies. My poem was quite figurative and more than a little abstract. The titles were bursts of phrasing and imagery. The subject was also love, and the mysterious and abstract way it happens – which is why the poem is written in a style that is figurative and abstract.
When I whined to The Husband about not winning, he did something I hate: threw my own advice back at me. (teehee) The reason this is something I hate: I give very good advice TO OTHER PEOPLE. Trouble is, I don’t give it to myself. Said advice was to KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. I tell The Step-Daughter this all the time, with regard to her singing. When you enter a contest, know who is judging you and the venue in which you will be judged. You can be amazing and incredible, but if you are singing opera at the county fair you will lose to a pig-tailed girl doing a gymnastics routine to “God Bless America” while wearing a cowboy hat and fringed sparkly red/white/blue leotard EVERY SINGLE TIME. This holds true for every other type of contest/judging event out there.
If I’d been paying attention and thinking about my audience instead of trying to show off and look impressive and erudite and clever, I would have submitted something different. I don’t know that I would have won, mind you, but I would have stood a better chance. It’s my own fault for being snobby, and there’s nothing I hate more than losing because it’s my own fault. It’s infinitely better to lose when it’s someone else’s fault, because then you have someone to blame. (teehee again)
I can’t do anything about this contest. It’s done and over. But I can try to keep my own advice in mind as I start submitting the next round of stories to literary magazines and writing contests. It won’t guarantee anything, but at least it’ll mean I have the best possible chance, which is all I can ask for in the end.
Incidentally, when I complained to The Husband about not following my own advice, wanna know what he said? “If you’d follow your own advice, you could rule the world.”
Hmmm… 🙂
Aw, sorry that you didn’t win! (I demand a recount!) Okay, fine. You didn’t win THIS one… but the next contest might be a better match for you!
Anyhow, you’re right. Know your audience.
Hey, I’m smart, but I’m not brilliant. Having said that, let me tell you a story…
In college I used to determine who the “best student” was in each of my classes. Then I’d work my butt off to “beat them.” Sometimes I would, sometimes I wouldn’t. But the effort always served me (better grades).
During my final year, I was in a small class with a handful of students in my major. Very Brilliant Student was also taking this course. VBS was my competition for the semester (although, he didn’t know it… LOL).
Here’s the deal: VBS was (and probably still is) a whole lot smarter than I was. No question. Still, in this particular class, I usually beat him out on essay-question exams. Why? Because I knew how to write for the teacher (plus I take excellent notes). The teacher pretty much told us the answers he expected – and that’s what I gave him. I didn’t find the need to become philosophical – which is what VBS did, often challenging the professor’s viewpoint. Don’t get me wrong, the professor was very open to discussing all viewpoints on a topic in class. And he listened (he was an excellent professor). But on the exams, he wanted to see that you understood what he had taught.
And that’s what I did. I gave my audience what he wanted. I saved my (perhaps opposite) perspective/interpretation for the class discussion.
Whew! Sorry for that long-winded comment! 🙂
On to the next contest!
Teehee – I will take a recount!
Great story (teehee again), altho not so great for VBS… 😉 It really is all about knowing who, what, where, why, and when you are writing (or doing anything) for, isn’t it?? That’s the key to success I think. Hey – maybe I should start doing motivational speaking and travel the land telling people things they already know and charge them a bazillion bucks to listen… whaddya think?? You know, just in case this writing thing doesn’t work it, it’s probably good to have a back-up plan, right?? (teehee thrice)