On Being an Award-Winning Writer

I actually did win an award – I was a finalist (top 5) in a Texas-wide Manuscript Contest held by the Writers League of Texas a couple of years ago.  I finished that story and it eventually became Fort Davis Rocks.  I think it is the best story I’ve written so far, although not everyone I know agrees with that; I think it may sit better with men than women.  Soon after I completed it I began writing the next story.  I took a course we called Shameless Self Promotion sponsored by the Fredericksburg Writers Conference, in which Eva Pohler showed us how she increased sales of her young adult Greek mythology based stories.  I spent all day again today with Eva in an update of the process; refined, exhaustive, almost mind-numbing in its complexity.

So, I am refining and expanding my marketing efforts in the hope that I will reach many more readers, who will be charmed by the rugged beauty of west Texas and inspired by its rough hewn diverse people.

Writing a great story is just the beginning.  Finding people to read it is the greater challenge.

Oh, I did get the award pictured on this post, but it was presented to my by the US Air Force, not WLT.  I would have put a picture of that award on this post, but the award consists of little more than mention in the annual Conference program and 5 minutes of fame at the podium.