SQN - Sine Qua Non - Issue Two - Journal - Page 24
SINE QUA NON
How To Love Bad Feedback
Melanie York
For a long time, I thought I was a good writer. I was told by my family, friends, and
teachers that I had a knack for it. I didn9t pursue it out of motivation, only obligation: creative
writing assignments, standardized tests, rambling in notebook margins when I desperately
didn9t want to do math homework.
Around May of last year, I was in a rut. I had gotten accepted into an Environmental
Sciences master9s program in Cologne. I was scared shitless. My German wasn9t good enough.
Immigration was a headache. I didn9t know anyone.
Wanting to ground myself, I sought praise. I knew I was a good writer. So, I started
participating in peer-judged writing contests. |is is exactly what it sounds like. Your work
is judged by other hobbyist writers participating in the contest, usually with an anonymous
scoring system. Everyone adheres to their assigned set of prompts (for example, a character
archetype you need to include).
I wasn9t so deluded that I thought I would win but was sure I wouldn9t fail.
|ere9s a common practice in these contests where, before submitting, others review
your work (called
