Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "book-contests"
You can't win them all...
Sorry I've gotten off to such a late start this week. I've been busy licking my wounds.
You see, my ego has been battered and my pride is a bit bruised. Simply stated, I am a sore loser.
After giving it some serious thought, I entered several book contests this year. And much to my delight, judges selected "Truth" as the winner in the Gay Literature category in the first contest I entered. It was selected as runner-up in the Biography/Autobiography category in the second contest I entered.
So yesterday, I could hardly wait to see if I'd placed in an even bigger contest. Organizers had informed the authors that they planned to announce the results on the "down low" before making the official announcement next week. Undaunted by previous emails detailing the number of entries and fierce competition, I was convinced I would win something. Maybe not a gold medal or even a silver. But I was convinced I had a realistic shot at a bronze medal. No, make that a good shot. A very good shot.
After all, I read the judging criteria and I just knew "Truth" met them all. There was no doubt in my mind that my book is timely and well-written. What else could those judges possibly expect?
Confident, I started checking my email at 9 a.m. There were lots of messages, but not the one I was expecting. So I checked again an hour later. Still no luck. By noon, I was checking my email at least two or three times per hour with the same results. Nothing, nothing, nothing.
By the end of the day I was fed up with the whole process. But just when I was about to give up altogether, the email finally arrived. I felt my pulse thumping in my neck as I opened it and clicked on the link to the result page. Eagerly, I scanned the list, trying to remember just which category I entered. It didn't matter, though. I didn't see my name - and as much as I wished it would magically appear, nothing changed when I re-read the page.
Maybe I entered the wrong category. Maybe the judges just didn't like the book. Maybe the competition was just too good.
I did my best, and this time it just wasn't good enough. But in the end, that's OK. Even I can't win them all.
Until next time, "That's life..."
You see, my ego has been battered and my pride is a bit bruised. Simply stated, I am a sore loser.
After giving it some serious thought, I entered several book contests this year. And much to my delight, judges selected "Truth" as the winner in the Gay Literature category in the first contest I entered. It was selected as runner-up in the Biography/Autobiography category in the second contest I entered.
So yesterday, I could hardly wait to see if I'd placed in an even bigger contest. Organizers had informed the authors that they planned to announce the results on the "down low" before making the official announcement next week. Undaunted by previous emails detailing the number of entries and fierce competition, I was convinced I would win something. Maybe not a gold medal or even a silver. But I was convinced I had a realistic shot at a bronze medal. No, make that a good shot. A very good shot.
After all, I read the judging criteria and I just knew "Truth" met them all. There was no doubt in my mind that my book is timely and well-written. What else could those judges possibly expect?
Confident, I started checking my email at 9 a.m. There were lots of messages, but not the one I was expecting. So I checked again an hour later. Still no luck. By noon, I was checking my email at least two or three times per hour with the same results. Nothing, nothing, nothing.
By the end of the day I was fed up with the whole process. But just when I was about to give up altogether, the email finally arrived. I felt my pulse thumping in my neck as I opened it and clicked on the link to the result page. Eagerly, I scanned the list, trying to remember just which category I entered. It didn't matter, though. I didn't see my name - and as much as I wished it would magically appear, nothing changed when I re-read the page.
Maybe I entered the wrong category. Maybe the judges just didn't like the book. Maybe the competition was just too good.
I did my best, and this time it just wasn't good enough. But in the end, that's OK. Even I can't win them all.
Until next time, "That's life..."
That's life...
All you may -- or may not -- want to know about my adventures as an author and other stuff.
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