Most Honorable
Notes on My Hat Trick
It has been an interesting week.
With the most recent set of Challenges provided by Vocal, I have been very diligent in setting myself up with my thoughts as I tap away in front of this screen. I could write poetry and stories, discuss those figures and stories from history or my own life and get some interesting feedback on them. I have looked over the list of upcoming work I can do, and I am both excited and terrified by what I have planned.
But I began to wonder about something…
With the “History Would’ve Burned This Page” Challenge, I received an official “Honorable Mention” for the third time, the first two being for “‘The Fan’ Gets Another Chance” (Self-Editing Epiphany), and “My Little Book” (New Year, New Projects).
I have recently surpassed over 700 pieces on the page, wondering if I would ever get recognition beyond a Top Story tip and your kind comments on my writing. There is the classic idea that you have to travel a rough road before you find the smooth – pay your dues – and things will work out for you. I agree, and I wondered if I had reached that point.
Have I?
There are at least two or three other pages I contribute to, and I note that they also often contain contests and offers of money for those of us who are willing to keep up with the hamster wheel of the writing life. And then there are the big boys: The Writer’s Union of Canada and the CBC’s Poetry, Short Story and Nonfiction Contests. I have been lucky enough to make the long list with the W.U.C., and my long-standing rejection by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is a tradition that I cannot give up. I am made to stand up to a lot of rejection and yet keep going…
But, there is a part of me that wants more.
An “Honorable Mention” is like being an “Honourable Member of Parliament” in Canada. It is a title that should hold some respect for the bearer, but feels as though it was just an afterthought. They needed to label certain people with a tag that could separate them from the rest of the herd without really hurting anyone’s feelings.
Also, you have the problem of the list. I mean the list of winners in both first and second place, and all those runners up. In a previous article, I commented on how to respond to entering these Challenges and not succeeding beyond kind responses from your fellow entrants and scribblers. I realized that one of the things you should not do is immediately read out the list of winners and then stew in your own bitterness (if you have any)...but who am I kidding?
We all want to win.
No one wants to be Garfunkel when you can be Paul Simon; no one wants Oates when there is the presence of Daryl Hall. There is always something a little bigger to aim for and it is in our nature to take that shot.
Once again, I wonder if I should go on with this. Is it worth what William Faulkner mentioned in his Nobel Prize Speech as “the agony and the sweat” of the work? I still think that I will be doing this no matter what happens next. I have two books online, with a third one mapped out in my head. I am in the middle of a heat wave during a long weekend, and yet I still had time to work on this (my second article for the day). And I am thinking of work that will not be entered into a Challenge; it will simply be for my own edification…
But I hope you notice.
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You can find more poems, stories, and articles by Kendall Defoe on my Vocal profile. I complain, argue, provoke and create...just like everybody else.
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About the Creator
Kendall Defoe
Teacher, reader, writer, dreamer... I am a college instructor who cannot stop letting his thoughts end up on the page. No AI. No Fake Work. It's all me...
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Contested
And here I go again... June is here, and with it my yearly entry into the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)'s Poetry Contest. They also have ones for Non-Fiction and Short Stories, but I think most wistfully over the one devoted to poetry. First, the deadlines are always the same, this one coming just as summer is about to begin (one of the coldest days in Montréal, but still). Second, I feel like I do my best work at the end of the semester with the pressure of term work and grading taken away and placed on someone else's back.
By Kendall Defoe 8 months ago in Writers
Comments (7)
Wish they were retroactively awarding HMs some $, it's nice that they've added it for the summer series, and I hope eventually it'll be more than $5. Because it is an honor and you should feel proud of it, but when it doesn't even get the $ or attention of a Top Story that's hard to swallow
Great article. I agree with your comments on the honorable mention. It can feel like an "also ran." However, the fact that your piece got noticed and liked by the judges is a positive thing. Be proud.
Haha, shots fired at art Garfunkel! but so true though, the whole sentiment here is relatable: comparison being the thief of joy. I try to avoid comparing my writing to the work of others, (not just on this platform, more generally) but strive rather to compare my current writing to my past writing. As long as I’m growing, that form of comparison remains satisfying rather than frustrating :) Otherwise I’ll read people who are amazing and get depressed because I know I’ll never measure up, or I’ll read people who got published despite being mediocre and I’ll get frustrated that I can’t achieve a similar success. For what it’s worth, I kind of agree that an honorable mention is almost a tease. Like a consolation prize. But they must get hundreds of submission to each contest, so a human reading a story and making a point of saying they liked it is still pretty good feedback— even if it tens of people wrote more moving pieces in the judges eyes. Getting named at all puts you in an outlier, in a good way, compared to the slush pile. I know writing, or rather sharing your writing, is a necessarily social thing. It invites the comparison that’s so daunting at times. And there’s also this pressure to drive lots of engagement. For me stories that only get a couple likes feel like a flop. But I have to remind myself that what felt moving or important to me doesn’t have to resonate with others to have value and if even one other person enjoyed it then it was worth sharing. Not ever piece of art has to make a big splash to be worth making and worth sharing Love the Camus quote by the way!
When the least honorable person (me) wins an Honorable Mention, that's when you know there's a problem with the quality control
I have 2 beliefs and I'll leave them here: 1. Challenge Placements and Top Stories are not a measure of how good of a writer we are or how good our piece is 2. It's not our fault if Vocal and the judges have poor taste. Lol
Yes, of course we all want to win and it’s the carrot that keeps is going. I agree with you in your observations. I also feel the disappointment many times. I recently commented elsewhere about my observations that many things don’t seem to be right on the platform. And some of the new changes were seemingly made for the worse. But who am I to decide or judge? I have not been able to read the winning entries to the history challenge yet. But I have been reading some others listed as TS and found two things: some were AI generated, some are highly political or sadness that makes you feel bad just by reading it, which I have decided I will have to avoid since I have my own quota to deal with, even though I don’t feel comfortable venting about it. It means my chance of winning anything are highly reduced. I feel quite disappointed today so that may be influencing this, too. But know you are not alone in your observations and feelings, even though what I say doesn’t really help much.
You are correct many of us are the bridesmaid and never the bride Yet we keep trying. I was honked to receive a runner up in the history challenge and line everyone entered wishes to place in top . The talent is amazing and I know for a fact that many are angered with the results I like that you mention( in so many words) … respond with kindness because they worked for the win