Submissions for the Show Off Writing Contest: Spring Edition are now closed.

What I've learned from these contests is that we have to practice submitting our writing just as we practice creating it. Submitting is not easy. It's painful, scary. You feel vulnerable when you do it.

I think the biggest winners of this contest are those of you who have never entered anything before. I like what Christy said, “I have been reading The Write Practice for months but have not had the courage to submit anything until now.” Now, you can say you have. You took a shot at something. You took a risk, and that's a valuable skill to learn.

Photo by Neal Fowler

Choose Your Favorite Story

Now if you've been reading The Write Practice for longer than a month, you probably know what's coming.

Each month, we give you the opportunity to see the view from the other side of the submission table. You get to act like an editor and decide which story you would choose as the winner of this month's contest. Our hope is that this will help you be a better writer by giving you a perspective on the mindsets of the people who will read your work.

How does it work?

Go through the sto­ries sub­mit­ted to this month’s con­test. You don’t have to read all of them, just three or five. Then, pick your favorite by click­ing the “Like” but­ton in the bottom-right corner.

Your vote will play a small part in our decision over the winner, but mostly, this is an exercise in empathy.

The Winner

The win­ner will be announced later this week or early next. The win­ner will then work with me to edit their piece to per­fec­tion (but since I don’t believe in per­fec­tion, we’ll just do our best to make it glow like fresh flowers on a newly budding dogwood).

Then, the fin­ished piece will be posted here at the end of the month day, and be included in our forth­com­ing Write Practice anthology.

Very excit­ing.