Success does not always mean winning: A report

Success comes in many colours: the red-orange brightness of exactly what we wanted; the bold purple of meaningful response from readers; the pale blue of “good effort” or “honourable mention”. And even the flip side of success — the empty bleak greyness of utter silence — can be felt as a win if we place the experience above the result.

Over the past six or so months of writing, I have experienced all these colour variations, and I will use this multi-hued record as motivation for my next six months of writing.

Red/orange bright: I will have an essay published on Brevity blog on Wednesday, April 26, which describes my self-styled writing training program of the past few years. This is my third publication on that blog and I am delighted to be in the company of the fine writers from many corners of the globe who appear there.

In the ‘it’s gets even better’ category, back in December, I pitched an essay topic to Brevity magazine — and the editor accepted it on the basis of my idea to write about the writer/editor relationship, which, in my view, can be fraught, but does not need to be. My essay is slated for the May issue. I am really chuffed about this one, because, in a webinar the other day, the facilitator described Brevity as being “like Carnegie Hall — the publication every writer of flash (length essays) wants to get into.”

Bold purple: My post about 100-word memoirs on this blog a short while ago got a terrific response from readers, with several saying that it had inspired them to get started on their own micro memoirs. What a wonderful impact to have with my writing — to inspire others to do their own. I love that! 

Pale blue: Back in November I entered the NYC Midnight Madness micro-fiction challenge and in January I reported to you that I had made it to round two on the strength of my ghost story from round one. Well, I loved my experience in round two, where, it turned out, my task was to write a romantic comedy micro fiction story using the prompts “drinking coconut water” and incorporating the word “tool”. Never ever have I written a rom-com, but in mid-January I had to buckle down and give it a try. I rather like what I came up with (see below). While I didn’t make it through to the final round, the feedback I received from the judges on my rom-com was constructive and encouraging. I am pleased that I started out as one of about 5,400 writers in round one and made it through to round two as one of only 1,450. That I didn’t make the cut with the 125 finalists doesn’t thrill me, but it also doesn’t fell me. It was a great experience writing to prompts and delivering within just 24 hours — and it was loads of fun, too.

Bleak greyness: In the depths of the Manitoba winter, my writing friend Leslie suggested that we should both enter the Manitoba Writer’s Guild short story contest. I was game for a two-fold new-to-me writing experience — I’m not a fiction writer and I’ve never written a short story, but why not brighten the winter days with this challenge. Oy, was it a challenge: When you’re writing fiction, you have to make so much of it up! And short stories are a notoriously difficult form to wrestle into a satisfying shape. Nonetheless, I persevered and produced a semblance of one in just over 4,300 words (that's a lot of words for someone who likes to write shorter pieces). I hit ‘submit’ before the March 1 deadline and….crickets —  nothing. I expected no less, but I carry with me the satisfaction of having powered through the process of inventing characters and moving them through actions entirely of my imagination. It was hard work, let me tell you. “Gloria in Four Parts” may see life in a different form or a different version, who knows. For now, she rests in my archives recovering from my maneuverings of her and her life on the page. I’m happy to stick to creative NONfiction. Much easier, in my view.

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My NYC Midnight Madness Round Two story
January 2023

Warning: Slightly saucy

The dripping tap
249 words

That she had landed in this particular place was unplanned, but not unpleasant. While the apartment was tiny, the view was interesting, and her new neighbour was cute. Laney had needed to get away from John’s crazy karma and his new-age insistence about drinking coconut water to cleanse. This place would have the right vibes once she painted it and the dripping tap was fixed.

The knock on the door pulled her out of her musings. Standing on the landing was that cute neighbour: “Hi there. Do you need a hand with anything? I’m Richard — never Dick, shortening my name is inappropriate…if you get my drift.” And he, literally, wiggled his eyebrows. Laney couldn’t help but laugh. Talk about forward, politically incorrect and, she had to admit, kind of appealing. Her new address was looking up.

She invited him in and, matching his tone, asked, “Can you fix my drip? I mean, the kitchen tap is dripping and driving me mad. I don’t have the right tool, but maybe you have?” Just suggestive enough, she thought, batting her eyelashes. She was ready, definitely ready, for some action that would deliver the results she had been missing these last two years.

Their eyes locked.

Next thing, Laney was on the edge of the sink, her back gouged by the tap, and that dripping was no longer important. More important was Richard’s lips on hers and the sense of home that came from wrapping her arms around his neck.

WHAT THE JUDGES LIKED ABOUT THE STORY

• Judge A: I love how forward-funny Richard is--and how much that appeals to Laney. Hilarious moment when she tells him that he hopes he has the right tool for the job (of fixing the drip).
• Judge B: You show a terrific flair for setting scenes and creating a sense of character in your opening paragraphs - some of the strongest on offer in this round!
• Definitely keep that up. It builds a sense of motive and purpose and grounds the reader clearly in the story! Love it!
• Judge C: The opening sets the stage for a good mental visual of the typical fixer upper apartment. Maybe it needs some paint, is a little more run down than desired, and the ubiquitous leaky faucet, that is the biggest annoyance of all. It's also clear that even though there are some projects in her future, Laney is just happy to be away from her ex, John. The reader knows where she is "at" emotionally, mentally, and physically for the rest of the story.

WHAT THE JUDGES FEEL NEEDS WORK

• Judge A: Fun premise and characters. Now trust and invest in both of those a little more deeply. I love Laney's thoughts, but get as many of them as you can out of her head and into action between Richard and her. Having said that, I think you can cut back on her criticism of John and the life she has left. I think that will happen naturally when those thoughts turn into dialogue. I love how this moment changes both her and Richard. Just give yourself and them a little more time to earn that transformation.
• Judge B: I suggest looking for opportunities to go a little deeper into the plot and leaning into the humour using double entendres. (This is the language device that you've chosen for the conversation and the ambiguity in the dialogue on offer)
• Giving the reader EVERYTHING: (i.e.) Fixing the dripping tap AND meeting a new lover... this guy has ALL the tools of the trade... shows that you round off and conclude all of the points in the storyline. After all, this is what stories are all about, isn't it? Solving EVERY DILEMMA. Well done! Keep up the great form and strength in your openings, and look for ways to solve ALL the problems your MC finds themselves dealing with.
• Judge C: There's a lot of witty banter and innuendo dialogue in the middle. Although it's well written and is showing the level of flirting they are engaged in, perhaps it could be shortened by just a sentence or so. Because with the tight word count this would allow for a little more transition to the ending romantic encounter. It comes out of nowhere with very little build-up. The story makes it clear that Laney is already open to and looking for new romance, but that's all the more reason to lead into their hookup with just a tad more buildup or glimpse into Laney's inner dialogue beyond the sense of "home." Is she really into Richard? Does she hope this leads to more? Or is she just happy with the unexpected passionate encounter and only living in the moment?

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Closing thought on success: Dialogue is vital to fiction; I wrote hardly any dialogue in my "Gloria" short story because it's hard to write, but the judges' comments on my NYC Midnight Madness micro piece give me hope that I just need to practice (a lot) more. 

Note to self: Don't give up on fiction just yet. Success doesn't come easy or fast in any genre, and it may not even come with time and great effort. Regardless, persistence is key. So, I'll keep writing across all genres, because a regular writing practice is success of its own kind. 

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Land acknowledgement: I respectfully recognize that I live on the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Tulips with string and scissors Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash 

Red solo tulip Photo by Yoksel 🌿 Zok on Unsplash 

Crocus purple Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash 

Pale blue bloom Photo by DIEGO LUENGO F. on Unsplash

Grey silence Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash