By Cheryl Rushing

That’s the title of my contest entry.  I managed 855 words, with an hour and 12 minutes to spare before the deadline.  I’m pretty please with the end result, and I’m trying to decide whether to post it now, or after the results of the contest.

What do you think?

Five hours until my contest entry is due, and I’ve already written and discarded something.  I’ve been up about an hour and a half now, tossing ideas in my head. 

Everything either seems too contrived, or too lame.

This is the same time I’m usually pulling my hair out wondering why I enter this stupid contest anyway.  I think it’s because I’m seeing it as a CONTEST instead of a writing prompt.  I really get off on writing prompts.

Back to work.

Edited to admit defeat:

There are 3 hours and 40 minutes remaining until my entry is due and I am absolutely stumped.  I got NOTHIN’.

I hate to not even enter something, considering I paid the entry fee.  But, the fee was only $5.  

I’ve decided to release myself from the obligation of submitting an entry in the hopes that I will have a burst of inspiration about an hour before deadline and can whip something up.

The problem is I feel like this is a no-win situation.  I can’t figure out on whom to focus the story.  If I let the scene play out, it’s just a scene – not a story.  Start from the beginning?  Start from the end?  I’m just completely at a loss.

Edited to crow:  Thirty minutes later inspiration has struck!

The topic for the WritersWeekly 24-Hour Short Story Contest has been posted, and it’s a doozy.  I’m at my day job today making up a couple of hours, but I’ll be chewing on the topic all afternoon.

The small wood stove kept the tiny chapel warm and their snowy footprints had already melted by the door. The dim light from the candle nubs played on the faces of the minister and his wife, and made the bride and groom’s shadows dance on the empty pews.

The minister’s monotone continued, “If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else for ever hold your peace.”

All four turned abruptly when they heard a cough by the door…

Entry is due by 1 p.m. my time tomorrow.  Oh, this is going to be good!

Last year I decided that I was going to write for pay, something I have never done.  This is not because I didn’t want to be paid for my writing, but because I wasn’t sure how to make that happen.

I’ve often felt that perhaps I needed to know the secret handshake, or know the right people, or be willing to follow a certain set of rules.  I made freelance writing this unattainable goal for myself.

I decided to change all that, and set a modest monetary goal for myself for 2008.  I exceeded that goal by about 50% by doing paid blog posts on my personal site.  Sure, it’s not high art or The New Yorker, but it’s writing, and it pays.

I’ve set a much higher goal for 2009, some of which I expect to come from paid blog entries.  I also want to write articles for Helium and Associated Content.

I’ve figured out that people don’t hand out writing work.  Freelance jobs don’t show up in your doorstep.  You’ve got to beg, borrow and steal to get them.  You’ve got to stick your foot in the door and then force your way in, jumping up and down and yelling “Pick me! Pick me!”

OK, maybe that’s just my way, but it works.  I’m currently working an article (possibly two) for I’ve Tried That (click that link to see what I’m writing about).

I’m not technically getting paid for the writing in the strictest sense, but it will be a writing credit, and something I can point to and say “I did that for them, now what can I do for you?”.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this:  if you want it, go for it.  Don’t let anything stop you.  I let everything stop me, for far too long.