Affirmation Station

I got a phone call Friday. I was away from my desk at the elementary school office where I work when I heard my cell phone ring. I ran to my desk and looked at the number. Long distance with no name. Since I only had one bar of “signal”, I ran out of the office and out the front doors, praying I’d get to answer before it quit ringing. Success! It was the Genesis Historical Romance Contest Coordinator calling to let me know I was a semi-finalist.

I squealed before she got finished. Kinda embarrassing. I even jumped into the air, which would have been really embarrassing if a parent had showed up and seen my display. But that would have been okay. Celebrating is a good thing. But the best thing about a contest win is the affirmation.

Affirmation: The assertion that something exists or is true.

So often we question our calling to write. Are we real writers? Do we have what it takes? Is what we put on paper drivel? Are we like those American Idol contestants who think they can sing, but really can’t? 


But really, we don’t need a contest win to tell us we are on the right track. God is our Affirmation Station. He is the one we get our worth from. He is the one whose opinion really matters. If He has called you, He will send you little affirmations along the way…

You get a note in the mail from an online friend, encouraging you in your writing. Someone leaves a comment on your blog, thanking you for what you had to say that day. You finish a chapter and feel God’s pleasure in it–you know it is good. 

While a contest win is great affirmation, it’s not the ultimate affirmation. Judging is subjective and the next round of judges may hate my writing. You just never know.  Many go on to make the SALE without finaling in a contest. Katie Ganshert’s post today speaks of this very thing.  


For those of you who didn’t final, check out The Writer’s Alley for some  Post-Contest Blues C.H.O.C.O.L.A.T.E.


And for those of you who did final, check out tomorrow’s post at The Writer’s Alley for a tongue-in-cheek checklist for celebrating your semi-final.


How have you been affirmed lately? It doesn’t have to be writing related!