This has been an eventful week for me creatively. Artists always have moments of self doubt and I've had mine for years and years. While I've had some successes I hadn't really put myself or my writing out there until recently. And I touched upon this in an essay I submitted to Poets & Writers magazine for their "Why We Write" series. So this past week I met with some friends of mine who I admire as people and fellow artists. I asked for some feedback about some flash fiction I'd been working on. One for years and another just a few months. The one I was working on for years was only 1,000 words--at times less or more--and had drained me to the point I didn't know how to fix it until I got a suggestion or rather someone was confused on a plot point and it hit me that this could be a way to take it further. I got decent feedback in my old writing group and revised for my friends. When I met with them they said I was close and I hit upon the core of the story. It flowed and worked better than the original versions. Hot damn I'm close! Very happy making news.
When I got home from meeting with them that day I got an e-mail from one of the residencies I was wait-listed for. There was a spot open and I was being considered. Was I interested? Hell yes! I followed up immediately and within 12 hours was informed I had a residency in less than 4 weeks to prepare for! Very exciting. My boss gave me the thumbs up to take a month off of work and I was home free!
Since I had just submitted applications to conferences as back up I had to rush and request that they not cash the checks they received. In hearing back from Napa Valley Writers Conference and being informed my checks would be returned I was also told that my submission was well received and that had I kept my application in the running I would've been invited to the conference. Awesome!
And tonight, just a few minutes ago I was looking through the results for the NYC Midnight Short Story competition I was involved in in February. While I'd gotten helpful and positive feedback I wasn't as confident in my piece as I'd mentioned in my post. Well, turns out my story was voted as one of the top 5 in the heat! I was number 3, not a finalist, but still in the top. Again, awesome!
So, for someone who's always doubting their work, who's always wondering if it's good enough, this week has given me a few boosts to believe more in my art, myself, and in going forward whether it takes weeks, months, years and what-have-you. I owe it to myself and others to keep going.
In summary, thanks to everyone this week and from my past and in my future for your support! It means a lot.