Success Breeds Success
How do you win a contest? The first requirement is to enter
it. However, some fear the disappointment of rejection so much, they won't try.
Failure is heartbreaking and if you don't try, you don't risk suffering
disillusionment, but you also deny yourself the chance of winning and
experiencing the elation of success.
I recently entered a contest in a new genre of writing, the
first contest of its type in the world. It deals with Tourism Writing and it
started in my home state of Alabama. Patrick Miller is the founder and the
concept is to write fiction using real places and inserting photographs and
links to interest tourists in visiting the highlighted locations. The first
place featured was Moundville, Alabama; the second was DeSoto State Park at
Lookout, Alabama; and the third was Mobile, Alabama, where I reside.
Entrants must focus on a particular place or event. I chose
Mardi Gras, giving its history, and stressing its family-friendly atmosphere.
Using the point of view of a masker riding a float enabled me to show how
people from all walks of life—from former members of the royal court to the
homeless and physically challenged—enjoy catching moon pies, beads and other
trinkets. It's a great equalizer as attendees at parades, adults and children,
end up scrambling for grabs they often share with others.
My entry, Raisin'
Cain, won first place. The Alabama Tourism Department co-sponsored the
contest and the prize was $500.00. The story is posted on the internet. The big
thrill, though, was Congressman Bradley Byrne coming to the Mobile Carnival
Museum for the Awards Presentation to present a plaque to me October 15, 2014.
He also made a comment in the House of Representatives entitled Highlighting the Value of Tourism through
Literature (September 18, 2014). This becomes a permanent part of the
Congressional Record. In it, he mentions that I won the 2014 Southeastern
Literary Tourism Initiative Tourism Writing Contest and that Dr. Sue Walker is
currently teaching tourism writing to several of her English classes at the
University of South Alabama. He suggests incorporating tourism writing into
other college courses in all states.
This new genre has another spin-off. It can boost the
economy in an area. When people read about places that interest them, they
often decide to visit. Tourists spend money. Also, if enough people discover attractions
that intrigue them, places become considered tourist destinations. But that
only happens if they hear or read about those things; otherwise, they'll never
know they exist.
I am happy that my story won this contest and the $500
prize. I am happier that it can lead to bigger things by promoting a
challenging, innovative category of writing while boosting the economy.
I hope others will consider this and enter writing contests.
If you don't try, you can't win. Better yet, if you win once, you may win
again. Success breeds success.
Mary S. Palmer
