Loser

I entered a nationwide writing competition last year. The winner would be featured in a national publication. Runners up would have their work published on-line and in eBook format. The word limit was 3,000—a story much shorter than I normally write.

After previewing my epic in my writing group, I sent it along to a few trusted readers. Happy with my editing results, I followed all the rules and sent it off.

In the months since submission, I’ve come to realize something. I doubt anything I write will be winning any prizes. Let me explain.

We are living in a contentious time. Culture exalts violence and sex. I probably sound like my grandmother when I proclaim the world is going to hell in a handbasket. As a nation, we’ve become addicted to anger. Media is filled with hatred-spewing, name-calling, mean-spirited bullies. Life does not have the value it did when I was young. Honor, nobility and self-sacrifice are mocked. We don’t look for the best in ourselves or others. We have a world where children shoot each other in school; where suicide has become commonplace. Many lead a bleak and lonely existence caring more for their electronic devices than they do others.

So, when I pulled up the winning entry to my contest, I was not surprised at what I found. Well-written if a bit quirky, the author paints a desolate picture of lives filled with failed relationships, arguments and loneliness. I actually felt the darkness as I read. I would not want to be any of the characters. They were not role models. A story guaranteed to elicit depression is not something I enjoy. I can say, the story reflects our time.

My writing could not be more different. My characters are flawed, “real” people who still manage to do their best. Their circumstances may be difficult, but they are self-sacrificing and family-oriented. They demonstrate commitment. There is humor. My stories are meant to entertain and delight. The plots are not devised according to some cookie-cutter formula. I think this makes my brand of literary entertainment outside the box! Who knows? I may be a trendsetter.

There’s a powerful line in the inspirational new Josh Groban song “Granted”—Maybe it’s time you bet on yourself. That’s what I’m doing.

I’ve been encouraged lately by readers who’ve reread one of my books and enjoyed it the second time around as much as the first. So, I’ll keep at my brand of entertainment. I’ll even enter more contests and hope that someday, some judge will look beyond the tired and depressing and find the light in my stories refreshing. I do believe it’s time for a change. Until then, I’ll gladly bear the title, Loser.