by Jeanne Takenaka, @JeanneTakenaka

The first time I entered a contest, I was certain I was a shoo-in to win. I’d been writing for oh, nine months, but I knew I had this one nailed.

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I didn’t place in said contest. Oh, the disappointment! I ate some chocolate. And then, after being soundly put in my place, I tucked contesting aspirations away.

A couple of years later, one of my favorite blogs issued a challenge to enter a contest. My heart pounded. Could I endure humiliation again? But, I pulled up some brave and entered.

Not one contest, but four.

When I got the calls informing that I’d finaled, not in one but two of them, I was in a low place in my writing life. I’d been working hard on my stories, but . . . we’ve probably all been there.

I didn’t win either one. But, God used those finals to buoy my sagging spirits.

Lessons I’ve learned about submitting to contests:

1. Don’t enter with the sole purpose of winning. This sounds counter-intuitive. But, if we set our hearts on winning, and then we don’t? We feel like failures. This leaves a writer discouraged.
2. Hold the perspective that we’re entering to learn. I love that contests get our words in front of writers and authors who can offer valuable suggestions to hone our stories and our craft.
3. When the feedback hurts, set the entry aside. Anyone who’s entered contests knows there always seems to be one judge who’s more harsh. There may even be rare times when the feedback is truly hurtful. Most of the time, though, judges genuinely want to help writers. This perspective helps when the comments step on our hearts. Often, after a day or two, we can go back and re-read the feedback through a different lens.
4. Don’t put too much stock in scores received. Yes, scores can determine whether or not we final. But, a score is one person’s opinion. Not the gospel truth. The great thing about contests is that we can receive helpful feedback. The tough thing can be that we may disagree with how the judge scored our entry.
5. Look for the gold in the judges’ feedback. Almost all judges who leave comments want to help. Even when they word suggestions in a way that seems hard, they’re sharing insights we can learn from . . . if we humble ourselves and try to see our story through their eyes.
6. When we final this can go on a resumé, or in our bios. We get to claim the win as recognition.
7. Contests can lead to publishing professionals reading our work . . . and maybe being interested in our stories.

When we swallow our fear and enter contests, we’re putting our words—our hearts—out there for others to judge. Entering can be both scary and exciting. When we put on our brave, we have a unique opportunity to grow in ways we never expected.

Award-winning aspiring novelist, Jeanne Takenaka, writes contemporary inspirational fiction that tackles real-life issues with a heart to draw women closer to God and those around them. She lives near the mountains in Colorado with her amazing husband and two exuberant boy-men. She loves being God’s girl—always learning about His grace, hanging out with friends and enjoying a great cup of coffee. When she’s not writing you can find her with a camera in her hand, looking for #alittlebitofpretty in her days. You can connect with her on her blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.