Last year, a student journal at my university called Leading Edge held a contest for flash fiction—they wanted stories under 500 words and provided a simple illustration as a prompt. On the day before the deadline, I wrote a 208-word story and submitted it.
(Leading Edge logo, © 2015)
A week or two later I found out I had won, and I was ECSTATIC, but then I felt guilty because I had only spent one day on the story. And then I felt proud, because I had only spent one day on the story! (Of course, it still went through a few drafts, because I had to cut out all the unnecessary details. But it was a quick process, and quick success.)
I'm posting this later than I planned because I found myself quite busy last semester, partly because I started volunteering for this same student journal as an acquisitions editor. They've now published another issue (#74) since the one my flash fiction is in (#73), and I got to help with bits of the editing and formatting process.
As a result, I've learned a lot about publishing. Leading Edge receives a LOT of submissions from all over the world, and the majority get rejected because they aren't quite publishing quality yet. Some submissions have been waiting for over a year to be read, because the rather small staff of editors is made up entirely of volunteers who only meet twice a week. The only reason my flash fiction was reviewed and selected so quickly is that it was specifically for a contest.
It has made me wonder: if there hadn't been a contest, a deadline, or the sense of competition, would I have ever submitted anything? Would I have written a short story (between 1,000 and 15,000 words) and submitted it, and then patiently waited for over a year to hear if it had been accepted or rejected? If it had been rejected, would I have edited it and tried to submit it again, or would I have declared it a lost cause and moved on?
I continue to tell people that I want to be an author someday. I know that winning this flash fiction contest does not mean my future works will have the same success. Writing a novel, or even a short story, is a big commitment—certainly it takes more than a day. After the writing is done, the road to publication involves time, effort, and, often, rejection.
However, I know that success is not just winning contests or getting published—it is working hard at something you love, seeing your growth over time, and constantly expanding your talents. And, if you are able, it is also sharing what you've learned with others and finding joy in their successes.
This applies to any form of art or skill set, so go pursue your various creative interests! If you don't win the contest, keep trying! If you do win the contest, still keep trying! Create because you enjoy it. Success is not only recognition; it is knowing you have done your best and that you are always improving.
My writing has come a long way over the years, but I know there is still plenty of time and room to grow. Join me on the journey?
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If you are interested in supporting Leading Edge, here are links to Amazon listings! Buying a copy allows the journal to pay the sci-fi authors and artists who contribute their work. Both physical copies and e-books are available. Thank you!
Amazon Leading Edge Issue 73 — (contains my flash fiction)
Amazon Leading Edge Issue 74 — (I helped edit this one—e-book format coming soon!)
