Friday Speak Out!: Dear Diary

by Sharon Gerger

I write humour, or for you Americans, the quicker to the punch line version, humor. I also create funny, nay, hilarious greeting cards.

These last few months have not been particularly splendid for me. I'm not going to get into the whys, suffice to say, it’s just life tossing crap at me the way it tosses crap at everyone at some point.
I used to always have at least twelve stories or essays out looking for a home with either writing contests, or magazines, or online publications, at all times. I did that for more than a year and got a few yeses and a lot of nos. The yeses were so spirit and morale-boosting.

Then the aforementioned crap started flying and I stopped writing, the thing I love to do most in the world. Sorry adult sons, I don't actually enjoy cooking Sunday dinner for you.

Last month was particularly challenging, I was exhausted all the time. One evening, before I fell asleep in front of the TV, I got out my journal which I had not touched in months and just wrote. It started as a whining session, then devolved into a pity party then evolved into a list of things I missed. Things i used to do that made me happy. At the top of that list is writing. I also missed getting some recognition, confirmation that I was on the right track. I kept on writing in my journal and then remembered that the WOW website (if you are reading this, you are here now) always has a writing contest on the go. I polished a previously written story and entered the contest; it made me feel hopeful and kind of awesome.

I also sent some of my greeting cards to friends who were having a tougher time than I was and they all told me they were funny. It was the kind ego stroking I needed. Yes, I know friends nice-lie but I'm okay with that.

WOW had advised us that the first round of judging would likely be complete by the end of the first week in July. At that point, they would email the finalists to let them know they were moving on to the next round. I didn't get an email. I was disappointed but continued to work on an essay I want to enter in their essay contest.

And then a couple of days later, I got an email from the WOW contest folks announcing I was a finalist. I am thrilled. So thrilled, you'd think I'd been told I'd won first place. Essays have always been easier for me to place, but short stories, much as I love writing them, have not been an area of success for me.

I sit here now, waiting for the next level of judges to recognize my comedic genius and offer me gobs of cash for my book, so I don’t have to beg for coins fund my broccoli habit while I write full-time.

* * *

Sharon Gerger is a writer! Her creative non-fiction writing has appeared in Woman's World magazine, The Globe and Mail, the award-winning anthology, Laugh Out Loud and numerous on-line publications. She has made a few long lists for short story competitions only to have her hopes dashed when compared to brilliant writers, but she will not be attending any self-pity parties, she'll just try again. 
TWITTER: @sharongerger1
treefartscardsngifts.etsy.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 comments Friday Speak Out, Sharon Gerger, WOW! Women on Writing, writing contests, writing humor