Well, this is going to be awkward.

You can bet if I could go back in time I would change a few things. I’d have stuck with my piano lessons and learned how to play show tunes and the Blues. I wouldn’t have quit cross country in the seventh grade just because of a few side cramps. And, I would have packed three less bags to carry on the train trip I took from Dallas to New York to Milwaukee after I graduated college.

Nobody likes to sit next to a traveler with too much baggage.

And, that email I wrote today (because my inner editor kept hounding me about a typo)? I would have sent it a week ago.

Here’s the thing about my inner editor: sometimes she’s there to hassle me, sometimes to push me forward, sometimes to keep me from making a mistake. Like announcing a win before the award letters go out.

Last Saturday, Pen Parentis published their long list of winners for the 2011 Writing Fellowship for New Writers. When I saw my name in Second Place, I couldn’t help but squeal: in my house, on Facebook, here. But there was a typo in my name as they printed it, and my inner editor quietly suggested I, you know, check it all out before I run off hooting and hollering.

But, who wants to do that really?

. . .

An anxious writer who can’t get a typo out of her head.

. . .

When I finally sent the email asking if there might be a confirmation in the mail – electronic or otherwise – for posterity, I mentioned the typo as reason why I wanted to just “double check.” The reply I received, very polite, apologized for the typo and more so for the clerical error.

Turns out, I didn’t place second.

. . .

It would be funny, maybe, if it didn’t feel like a sucker punch.

But here’s the thing about writing: sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes there’s a typo that makes a rejection email feel like a pin prick.

You write anyway.

‘The only reason writers survive rejection is because they love writing so much that they can’t bear the idea of giving it up’ ~ M.J. Rose (as quoted in this excellent blog post on Beyond the Margins).

Do a little dance, and mark your calendars.

There’s been a slight, but critical correction to this post, an update on that Second place win. Read it here.

Sunset Party Dancing Girl Silhouette

The weather is hot (just how I like it), the sun is out full force (yay for freckles!), and yesterday I found out I placed Second in the Pen Parentis 2011 Writing Fellowship for New Parents.

Second!

When you’re fighting self-doubt with both fists lately, second place feels really great. I was alone, in a quiet house, when I read the announcement, but I didn’t stay quiet for long.

And, there’s more good news — for you. In the month of August, I’ll be hosting three authors here: two for interviews and one for a guest post. Plus, all three events include book giveaways.

Sean Keefer will talk to us about his award-winning novel,
The Trust, on August 10th.

The lovely Jenna Blum stops by on August 24th
to discuss her bestselling novel, The Stormchasers.

And, Caitlin Kelly will be guest posting on August 31st and giving away a copy of her memoir, Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail.

Watch for these posts and enter the giveaways. It’ll be easy: all you’ll have to do is leave your name in the comment section. Leave a pseudonym if you want, but don’t miss your chance to enter.

What good news do you have to share? I bet you’ve got something. Big or small, let’s celebrate together.

* photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography on Flickr