Word Weaver Winner’s Profiles: 3rd Place Winner Annette Robinson

The winners of April’s Word Weaver Writing Contest share their thoughts on the contest, writing in general, and other stuff.

Today our 3rd place winner, Annette Robinson, answers a few questions about our contest and other writerly things.

(Click HERE to read her contest entry)

For the most part, I’m asking the same profile questions to each winner and sharing their unique answers with you. I think this allows us to see each writer’s insights and possibly you to find a writer you are more simpatico with. At least, that’s my thinking.

1. Dan: Did you write your story for the contest or was it part of a larger piece or something you had written before?

Annette: I wrote the story exclusively for the contest. I get these horrible dry spells where I can’t write anything followed by periods of frenetic activity. Hopefully that doesn’t mean I’m bipolar. Writing this story got me out of one of those times, so I’m grateful I was able to submit anything at all.

2. Tell us about your writing process. What is the journey from idea to published piece /completed story?
As the deadline drew nearer, I had a few thoughts fulminating around in my mind. The travel theme really ignited the main idea so iI formulated the characters around that. I really did meet a friend in Newark and we traveled to Orlando together for a business trip of hers. She actually hid her swiss army knife in the dusty nut display and after we flew back it was still there. The rest of it I conjured up in my imagination.

3. Where do you do your writing?
I do my writing mainly at home. I live in a very quiet condo with my dog so I have few distractions other than fatigue from working shifts as a nurse at a hospital.

4. Do you have a writing goal you want to achieve?
I have many writing goals, some practical, some grandiose. We all would like to be bestselling authors, so I suppose that’s the most grand, but everyone needs a dream.

5. What helps you the most when it comes to writing?

My mindset helps me the best when writing, Encouragement and people telling me I’m a good writer helps as well, but I struggle with believing it.

6. What does writing success look like?

Writing success? Not sure about that one. I think if I ever got a novel published and someone said it touched them or they could relate to the story or characters, it would mean I was successful. Moderate success would be enough for me.

7. There are a lot of writing contests out there. What drew you to this one?

Lots of things drew me to this contest, none of which were the prizes. I actually scrolled down and skimmed the descriptions. I think the subject intrigued me and the excitement of having it featured on a website with so many readers.

8. What are you working on now?

I’m trying to edit a book I finished in January and have started a new one. My new book is about how a teenage girl helps her neighbor get over a crippling trauma and how they are both stronger people afterwards. The setting is the late 1980’s before cell phones and social media changed young people, and all the rest of us as well.

9. Have you ever entered a writing contest before?

I haven’t entered a writing contest before.

10. Will we see you again in the July Word Weaver Writing Contest?

I think I’ll let other people submit their stories in July, but I’ll be reading the winning entries of course.

11. Did you know the piece you submitted was special?

I had no idea my story would even make it past the first round of eliminations. I thought it had a good theme and was easy to read but I didn’t anticipate it placing in the top 5 at all. I have to say it’s very humbling to be in the company of the other excellent winners.

12. What’s next for you?

What’s next? I’ve been to a few writers conferences but I’m not a big success at them. I’m too shy to really speak up and intimidated by just about everyone else in the room, even though I put on a nice outfit and plenty of makeup. So, besides working on my next book I’m not sure what’s next.