Dearest Friend,
I’m registered in a Harry Potter RP site called Hogwarts Extreme, which hosts an annual writing contest – Project Ink. I was only about one month old on the site when the contest applications were opened, and because I enjoy writing, I submitted a freshly-written piece on a whim. I was happy with what I came up with, but I didn’t seriously think it would take me anywhere. Imagine my immense surprise then, when I found that I had been accepted as one of the twenty contestants for the months-long writing competition. There were seventy applications this year. I went mental and promptly panicked.
I don’t do well under competition. My best performances, in any field, were completed with absolutely no concern for keeping up a certain standard that someone else has pegged. I deliver my best reports when I don’t worry about anybody possibly doing better. I write my best papers when I don’t care what the teacher will think as long as I’m satisfied with my output. My best exams are the massive, national-level ones, where I don’t know any of the people I’m being pitted against, and therefore don’t stress about so-and-so seatmate definitely scoring better than me. The fact that Project Ink was a competition was what fazed me most – not the actual act of writing under a time constraint. In the end, I didn’t make it to the finals, but I’m completely happy that I made it as far as I did. I didn’t think I had it in me to compete, in anything. I always believed I would fold.
Aside from the feeling of accomplishment caused by having pushed myself as far as I can go, I learned a lot about my relationship with writing. I’ve learned that when pushed, I write about people – that I write only because I like people, and I like picking them apart. I’ve learned that although I literally, physically feel sick when I don’t write, I won’t be able to function as a writer. I don’t want to be pushed to write – I just want to write at my own pace and standard, which I think, for my level, is stringent enough. Above all, I’ve discovered what I demand not only from my writing, but from myself in terms of facing life as well: sincerity. I don’t want confident words or polished scenes; I want sincerity. As long as I achieve that, I’m happy.
PS I’ll be posting the things I wrote for that contest in this blog. They’re also posted in Hogwarts Extreme, but… just in case.
A.
Photo (c) StockSnap.io
“I don’t want confident words or polished scenes; I want sincerity.” — Yes! And congratulations! 🙂
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Thanks so much! 😀
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So proud of you!!!
Aside from your blog posts, I’ve read some of your papers *wink*wink* and, well, I’ve always believed there is something special in your writing style.
Can’t wait to read your output! (Oh, and while you’re at it, why not take on and dominate NaNoWriMo as well?)
All my love. xoxo
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Afufufu! Reading this half a month later! Hindi ko kayang mag NaNoWriMo napakastressful. HAHAHAHA.
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Hemingway always said, more implied actually, that big emotions don’t come from big words. Good luck on the contest!
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Chanananan! Tenchu, J!
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