Today I saw a fun thing to try on Annie Rayburn‘s blog and jumped in. 😉 Sure enough it took a sample of my writing and thought I was a guy, too. (Go try it, it’s fun.) So, she and I both are ‘butch chicks’.
On Saturday, I found out at the GRW meeting that this:
THE DADDY ISSUE BY MELISSA BECK (Congrats, Melissa!)
is another GRW member. That makes 3 of us vying to be the winner in the same category of the same contest: Laurie. Being of a curious nature, I asked her if she received a call. She hadn’t. A friend had e-mailed her congrats and that’s how she found out.
She makes the 6th person I’ve heard this from, and I know of one author in the published division that had the same thing happen. I know one of the chapter members at SMRW and asked her ‘what gives’. I thought all RWA contests called the finalists and notified them. She was as clueless as I was. But one thing led to another and I ended up writing a letter to be posted on their chapter loop, expressing my views.
Wait, wait. Before you get all indignant, I was nice. I simply stated that there were few kudos to the aspiring writer. Finalling in a contest is one of them. The excitement of that call can get you through a lot – the next rejection, not winning after all, not being asked for a partial–lots of things. But in this case there was – nothing. I found out through friends online congratulating me because they’d seen the list released or had been a judge or something. It didn’t feel official. Like me, others who learned they’d finaled didn’t believe it at first because it wasn’t through official channels.
I also thanked the chapter for their efforts in putting on the contest and judging. I felt I was fair. So why is it that I feel bad for having written the letter? Is it because of the gender thing? If I really was a guy, I’d probably slough it off. Kinda like scrimaging in football. You knock a guy on his ass, then go have a beer with him. But women are taught to get along, make nice, be sweet.
Well, I felt a little cheated, and I expressed myself. Nothing wrong with that, right? Time to move on.
How’s that for a butch chick?
CAROL BURNSIDE / ANNIE RAYBURN 
>Carol – Congrats on being a Laurie Contest finalist! I had the same experience as you – found out by reading on someone else’s blog that they were a finalist and went over to the site to see the list and :POOF: there I was. Of course, it was a bit hard to tell since my title, first name and last name are all spelled wrong. GRRRR…..Congrats again – HelenKay
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>Hmmm. That’s 7 and counting…
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>Congrats, Carol!!I’m glad you told the judges what you did – and I was also glad you posted because I got to break the news to Katie :)Sheesh – I was like a little kid – so excited you’d think I’d won myself (which could never have happened since I didn’t enter :)2 in a row – I’m seeing great things for you.And HelenKay – congrats too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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>Carol Congrats!!! And I agree…I think finalists should find out from coodinators even if it’s via email. I remember the Laura had quite a lot of problems last year, that’s why I skipped it this year.
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