Competitions
Last year I entered the CWA Debut Dagger competition with Fishing for Stones. Was it the right thing to do? Despite thinking I wouldn't stand a chance (I always think the worst) I was nevertheless disappointed to not even be shortlisted.
Having gone back over what I submitted I can now see why. This past year of writing, and reading other novels has taught me some of the fundamentals of writing. Like everything else writing is a skill to be acquired, something to polished, honed. None of us are born with the gift of writing. Maybe some have better imaginations than others, but that does not mean you have the gift of writing.
This is where competitions can be useful. Look at the entries that are shortlisted or win, and compare that to your own work. Can you see a significant difference? If so you need to go back and re-write. If not, then maybe your work is not quite what the judges are looking for. The main thing is not to be disheartened. You can't please all of the people all of the time. Keep writing and the writing will improve.
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