The Camp Site

Back in January, I entered my first writing contest. I entered with extremely low expectations. The site I entered at is called Writing Battle and they host various writing contests throughout the year. The theme of each contest is different, ranging from 1000 word horror pieces to 250 word micro flash fiction pieces. Each contest is judged and monetary prizes are awarded.

The format of the contests is the same however. Each writer is given three “cards”: a genre card, a character card and an object card. Writers must then craft a piece using these prompts within the word limit.

When I signed up to participate, I was nervous! I had no expectations of making it past the first round of judging. I feel like I am terrible at crafting ideas, especially when I have to use specific ideas or genres. So yeah, I had no expectations of getting anywhere with this contest. I simply thought it would be a good exercise for me as a writer.

Well, I am so glad I entered one of these contests.

My piece, Parched ended up making it into the final showdown. Meaning I ended up in the top 64 (out of 304) of the pieces entered.

I feel pretty good about how well my piece did. Additionally, my story was reviewed by professional writing judges and I was able to receive great feedback.

This gave me a much needed boost to my writing goals. I admit that I suffer from severe imposter syndrome (that could be an entire blog in itself). But having a lot of positive feedback felt great. It gave me the kick to work on additional pieces that I have been feeling stuck on.

I know I might not always end up with the best story. Not all stories are great! But I think this has helped me grow as a writer and I am proud of how I performed this time.