Good News!

I’m jumping up and down, shimmying, and screaming for joy inside of me.  But my outside appears calm and collected.  It’s one of those things in which I’m not sure I should be happy or not.  You see, I applied for the SCBWI 2011 Barbara Karlin Grant.  It's the first grant I've ever applied for. 

I didn't win.  

I didn't even get runner-up.  

But hey, I got a letter of merit!  

And so did 11 other applicants.

So again, it’s one of those things.   In the grand scheme of things, I should be happy that out of so many applicants, I did get acknowledged for my writing.  That's a personal achievement.  But when sharing the news to my family and friends, saying "I got a letter of merit" doesn’t sound as exciting as saying, “I won the 2011 Barbara Karlin Grant!”  Trust me.  I’ve already shared my news and all the response I got was, “Good for you.”

So that's why I’m sharing my achievement here- with whoever is interested in reading my blog. 

This is what the letter stated:

"...The judges have selected you as a recipient of this letter based on its promise and creativity.  Although you did not win the grant itself, the judges felt your proposal deserved extra recognition.  We hope this will provide you some extra encouragement as you go forward with your project."

Art credit: Charles Schulz

I assume you are all writers and aspire to be an author someday.  So only you would understand the magnitude of this accomplishment, given the fact that, as writers, it is challenging to win any kind of award and difficult to break into the publishing industry.  Life of a writer can be tough.  So any acknowledgement is worth celebrating, don’t you think?  So yay, me!