How Close I Got to Winning $5000 this Year!

It all began last year, I applied for the Commonwealth short story prize where the winner takes $5000 and other benefits like having the mentorship of great people. The whole thing is still just in my head like a dream.

I had ghostwritten this amazing story and my client rejected it. It was through that rejection I decided to apply for most of these online contests. Normally as a writer, I see my craft as serious business, something that brought me my first of many millions. I didn’t wish to be that writer with so many awards from several literary magazines and still begging for urgent 2kay from friends and family.

I didn’t want to be that kind of writer because I have those kinds of writers around me. I saw my gift as gold because indeed it is gold, with my writing I want to go to places, build that big house I’ve always desired and fund the lowkey millionaire lifestyle I desire, and be able to afford sweet vacations for my mom and I and my siblings.

I didn’t want public gratification, the name that comes with being the winner of this and this and that and that. I wanted to be invincible and not known, hence why ghostwriting fits me well and that’s another story even.

But when I got that rejection from that client, I wanted that recognition, I wanted to prove that I was worth something beyond being in the background of things. It’s been a year now and the client’s comment doesn’t sting anymore. But it brings a kind of gloom to my month of April.

I applied for a lot of things, I didn’t keep track of others to see if I won them or not but you see this Commonwealth short story prize, I wanted it. I read a lot about it and tweaked my story and then applied it the last year. I wanted it to be a surprise for my family, like yoooo I applied for this and I won. Haha, it wasn’t I didn’t win, and this is the first time I am telling anyone that I applied for something like that and I didn’t win.

I was satisfied that I tried, it meant putting myself and my work out there. My goal is to have over 100 positive books on Amazon as a self-published author before a certain 20s age of mine. I want so many people to read my work, see my mistakes, laugh with me, and feel my journey. I think that’s living to me, living and getting involved with my gift and sharing it beyond the money it brings me.

I want to bless and be blessed! I want to be seen and I want to be heard. I only know all that because I applied for a lot of things and lost but I felt a personal gratification that someone great read something I wrote you get? even if they read it and said naa this one isn’t it, I am glad they set their eyes on a story by Winifred Liam.

My dream to be this lowkey babe still remains in my personal life, but you see my works, I want them to reach places gladly, I want all those literary awards too, as much as I can get and I have begun applying and it is exciting. It makes me giddy as a child waiting for candy when I see, “Dear Winifred, we received your application to this, this, and this,” It doesn’t matter if I receive a no at the end of the day, my joy is that I pushed myself and that’s all that matters.

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed my read as much as I enjoyed writing it to you, I was smiling all through as I wrote.

I remain your writer girl of many stories.

Love,

Win.