“For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life.” (Prov 6:23)

Earlier this year, I submitted several entries to the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. (OWFI) writing contest. I entered more categories than I ever had before – eight – including several categories in which I stretched myself. As the feedback started trickling in, I was surprised to see my highest score was in poetry – something I don’t write and an entry on which I spent about five minutes late one night when I couldn’t sleep. My mystery book received a good, but not great, score. I received my worst scores in the two categories that have historically been my best – juvenile fiction and flash fiction. I admit that I didn’t expect much from my flash fiction entry. It was a last minute entry, and I didn’t take nearly enough time to fully develop the story. But I had entered the juvenile fiction story in a different contest a few years ago and placed, so such a low score was kind of a shock. Continue reading “Receiving Correction” →