How I Wrote My Way to $12,000 Buck-A-Roos (And Another Great Opportunity)

Have I…? Last week, I failed a writing contest to be featured in a Women’s Devotional Bible for Zondervan.

Drats.

Last year, I lost a writing competition for a womens blogging trip to Kenya for women bloggers invested in social justice issues.

Bummer.

A year before that, I lost a writing competition for a trip with Nick Kristoff for an African blogging trip highlighting relief work.

Sucky Suckerson.

I got straight-up rejected when I tried to win a spot next to Ryan Seacrest at the 2008 Golden Globes.

Grrrrrrr.

I failed to submit a winning proposal  to NPR when I hoped to be featured on their popular This American Life weekly radio show.  I submitted a piece I wrote about my relationship with God that I haven’t shown to anyone else.  Ever.

Ugh.

When it comes to writing (and all manner of life, really) I have failed, lost and been rejected.

Over and over.

But I haven’t given up.

When I’m dead, there will be plenty of time to give up on writing.  While I’m alive, I want to do things I love to do.

In 2008, I applied to The American Association of University Women for a $12,000 scholarship to begin my journey towards a Masters program.  Out of several thousand applicants…

…I won!

::::Hurrah::::

How did I do it?  I spent a month and a half working hard, writing my little tush off trying to craft the best application I possibly could.

I didn’t give up.  I thought maybe I wasn’t the ideal candidate, but decided to push ahead anyways.

As a result, I have $12,000 worth of a Master’s degree completed WITH ABSOLUTELY NO SCHOOL LOANS.

Out of the clear blue sky, I got invited to be a part of a McDonald’s Mommy Blogger Trip.

Strange things happen when you harness effort.  Maybe I was chosen for the Mickey D’s trip based on the sheer number of blog posts.  I’m pushing 900.  That’s got to count for something, yo!

I’m SO EXCITED to apply for yet another writing/blogging competition to win 1 of 10 trips to Queensland, Australia with blogging phenom, Darren Rowse.

The trip includes 5 days in the Great Barrier Reef with a few one-on-one blog coaching sessions with Darren.

Heavenly!

Since, Darren is opening up the competition to THE ENTIRE WORLD and has 321,000 readers my chances are slim.

Very slim.

(Better-Chance-Of-Being-Struck-By-Lightning SLIM).

But has that stopped me before, people?

I’m the girl who will likely face 98 Agent rejections and another 187 Publisher rejections but I’ll get the doggone book published  by sheer will and determination.

And whatever success I may have, I have a feeling I won’t be the BEST writer —I’m certainly not the best Grad student— but I’ll be the one who got there by not giving up.

If your a writer, I hope you’ll enter Darren’s competition too.

I’m not entirely interested in your being scared.  Often, I’m scared too.

“Never give up, never give up, never give up.” -Winston Churchill

So.  Tell me:  what are you afraid of when it comes to putting yourself out there?  What risks have you taken?  Lost?  Been rewarded for?

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