A nice email came into my inbox a couple of days ago -- one of my friends circulating the shortlist (finalists) for the Aurealis Awards, and there was one of my stories in the Young Adult category. Writers are funny creatures. Our self-confidence waxes and wanes faster than the moon, ebbs and flows faster than the tides. It's lovely to get such validation, to sit amongst such august company. This is the first time I've made the finalist's list -- in the past the closest I've come is having a short story commended in the fantasy short story section, and that was a pretty fantastic thing to happen.
I've noticed a couple of my friends on this list: Adam Browne and Cat Sparks, so I wish them both good luck! And mine is one of my Clarion stories, the only one I've reworked so far, so I have to give thanks to all my Clarion buddies and to Nalo Hopkinson who gave me comments on this story. And of course to Western Women Writers who read it as well!
I learn so much from others -- I do believe that each of us is shaped by the shoulders of the giants we stand on, and I've had some great giants along the way. (Hi, Sherryl!) Whether I've learnt enough from them is another matter, of course, but one of the most exciting things about writing is that no matter how much you know, there's always so much more to learn. I love learning new stuff.
Here's the link to the list of finalists in case you want to peruse the list further.
5 comments:
Tracey - that's fantastic! Congratulations.
Congratulations Tracey, may there be many more short stories.
Congratulations, Tracey. That is amazing news. Good luck for the final judging.
Well done, Tracey.
You are in august company indeed. And the good thing is, it can only get better!
Thank you, everyone, for your good wishes. It's always great to get this kind of acknowledgment, and makes me ever thankful for everyone who has helped me along through the writing journey. It's amazing, I think, how much we all learn from each other, whether directly or indirectly.
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