The Winners of the Respect Your Dream Essay Contest

Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms. She writes weird books for teens in lots of weird genres like, fantasy (Blood of Kings trilogy), science fiction (Replication), and dystopian (The Safe Lands trilogy). Find Jill on Facebook, Twitter,Pinterest, or on her author website.

It was amazing to read how all of you are respecting your dream of being writers! I got giddy just thinking about all the amazing books being written right now. 

It was super hard to judge this contest. There were 49 entries, and Stephanie and I thought they were all amazing. There was no right or wrong answer for this essay. We wish we could give you all books and trophies and hugs. We are so proud of all of you for how hard you're working toward your dream of being published authors. Keep it up! You'll be to the top of that pyramid in no time! (If you're like, huh? See James Scott Bell's guest post.)

But we said we'd choose, and choose we did. 

Congratulations to our top 15!

Rachel Leila

Anna Schaeffer

Leah Good

Tonya LaCourse

Tierney Reardon

Deborah Rocheleau

Jazmin Frank

Daniel Rader

Maure

Samuel Deck

Emily Dakin

Sarah Olson

Griffen Bier

Tiffanie

Emii

Steph and I decided that this entry deserved an honorable mention for creativity, so we added a prize.

My Writing Dream by Tierney Reardon

I respect my writing dream,

Scribbling down stories on every theme,

On chickens and roses, on toothpicks and cream;

I respect my writing dream.

I respect my writing dream,

Collecting ideas so they build up like steam,

Then letting them out in an inky stream;

I respect my writing dream.

I respect my writing dream,

Polishing pieces until they gleam,

Make them twinkle, sparkle, glitter, gleam;

I respect my writing dream.

I respect my writing dream,

Filling up notebooks; now they burst at the seams,

To tidy my desk I must hire a team;

I respect my writing dream.

I respect my writing dream,

Nowadays my family deems

My writing commitments a little extreme;

I respect my writing dream.

I respect my writing dream,

Writing page after leaf after ream,

Plotting sagas with elaborate schemes;

I respect my writing dream.

I respect my writing dream,

My tired overworked mind still teems

With dozens of wondrous ideas (so it seems);

I respect my writing dream.

Here are our three runners up:

Anna Schaeffer—Anna's example of treating her dream like a friendship was lovely. And Steph loved how Anna is going to school rather than trying to publish anything just yet.

Here's Anna's entry:

If you love someone, you demonstrate your feelings by investing in them, spending time with them, and being patient with them.  You don’t automatically become best friends when you meet someone. It’s the same way with my dream of being an author. I've learned that, just like a friendship, I need to allow my dream some time to grow. Because I love writing so much, I’m willing to invest in my dream of being an author: get to know it and practice with it, rather than rush into publishing. I would be cheating myself if I jumped right into the writing world without first learning how to navigate it.  One practical way I’m doing that is by studying creative writing in college. Although it’s tempting to try to publish a novel now, rather than devote four years to studying the craft in a university setting, I know I need to give my skills a chance to develop. The more I learn about how I can live out my dream, the bigger my dream grows. Of course, I’m not putting my dream on hold while I’m in school, but making an effort to incorporate what I learn into my writing. I've learned so much already. So in summary, I respect my dream by treating it like a friendship: I’m investing in it, spending time with it, and learning to be patient so that my dream can continue to grow. 

Leah Good—Leah had us both at "marketing degree." What a clever way to invest in her future as a writer. And we also loved seeing that she's attended a writers conference and is planning to go again. Investing in your dream is so important!

Here's Leah's entry:

When I first got serious about wanting to write for publication, it didn't take long to realize that the road would not be easy. That’s okay, though. I like challenges. In order to pursue this goal I have attended two writing conference and am signed up for a second one. I also shaped my college education around my dream. Because publishers want writers to do so much of their own marketing, I pursued a degree in marketing and worked hard to finish the degree by the time I was eighteen. Now I’m taking a full year to simply concentrate on writing. Thankfully my family supports this goal. I also completed a two year class with The Institute of Children’s Literature, and read lots of books on the writing craft. Oh, yes, and of course, I write! A lot. God has blessed me with several wonderful writing friends to exchange critiques with and help with brainstorming.

Writers studying the craft learn early on to give their heroes big obstacles to overcome. The bigger the obstacle, the more satisfying the goal will be when reached. That’s the way I look at my dream of publication. It won’t be easy, but reaching the goal will be that much sweeter as a result.

Tonya LaCourse—Tonya had some great thoughts about accepting a beginner's status. "Humility is the foundation of all other virtues." —Saint Augustine 

Here's Tonya's entry:

Respecting my dream is accepting my spot as a beginner. When I first dreamed of writing I thought I'd have an idea, write it, and sell it. I didn't expect to have to write multiple drafts or have to be aware of slipped tenses, creating characters arcs, and having unique plot twists. It was supposed to flow and be dreamy.

All to often I want to jump ahead and be great but I'm a beginner, I have to start somewhere. I'm  making  writing goals, writing manuscripts and revising them to make them deeper, I'm reading blogs and books on writing, and I'm keeping my eyes out for the conference that'll be the first one I attend. Most of all I'm allowing myself to make writing mistakes and putting my fingers back on my keyboard for some more.

When I realize my plots are boring, characters flat, and dialogue lacking I get frustrated and defeated because I want to be a good writer. It shuts down any ability I do have. When I stop to embrace my place I'm much happier and move along faster. It's through letting go and handing over my inhibitions I nurture my goals. It doesn't matter how slow you go as long as you don't give up. 

And the winner of the Respect Your Dream Essay Contest is:

Rachel Leila—When I read this, I was delighted. And it really stuck with Steph too. Rachel and her writing partner have really discovered a creative way to improve themselves, to encourage each other, and to have fun.

Here's Rachel's entry:

How am I respecting my dream? Well first I had to realize it was a dream that needed respect. I needed people to know that I was taking authorship seriously, and they needed to respect my dreams. The next step was to determine how I would achieve publication. It’s one thing to dream about something in your head and another to figure out how to accomplish your dreams. I talked to fellow teen writers, published authors, searched for blogs (hello goteewriters :D ), and purchased writing books. My friend and I put together a writers pact. Once prep work was finished we had to write 2,000 words per week. If we fail to meet the word count we must put 1 dollar for each 400 words we missed in a special jar. The money will then be used to buy the other person a drink at Starbucks during the next writers meeting. Once we have both completed and edited our novels we will have one year to send the novels out to as many publishers that meet our criteria. Whoever has the most rejection letters at the end of the year wins. The other person will have to treat them to something fun, tickets to the fair, gift card to Barnes and Nobel’s, or something along those lines. My writing partner makes a huge difference in my writing and fuels my desire to become published. We respect each other’s dreams, and push each other to success.  

So, Rachel Leila, Anna Schaeffer, Leah Good, Tonya LaCourse, and Tierney Reardon, please email jill@jillwilliamson.com with your mailing address to get your prize. 

And thanks for entering, everyone!

Oh, and one more thing: