I wrote Waiting for Angie some time ago for a competition and though it didn’t get placed, I kept it because I felt it had something.
It sat on my hard drive for a while before I found another competition for which it might be suitable. It didn’t get placed for a second time.
But I had a soft spot for the story. It owes more than a little to my own teenage years growing up in the 1980s’ Derbyshire, lying on my best friends bed, stocking feet up on her wall, listening to the first Now that’s what I call music album. Having sneaky fags, watching the smoke curl from her bedroom window and vanish over the sooty chimneys.
So I kept the story and it slept a while longer.
Then I found The Writing District’s monthly competition and I remembered Angie and Anita and sent the story on a whim.
It won the competition.
So, I’d like to say thank you so much to The Writing District for liking the story and for showing that I was right for having faith in it.
It just goes to prove that sometimes, it’s the not that your story is bad, just that it hasn’t found its home yet.
To read Waiting for Angie, visit here.
Word Shamble 
Well done on the win, and on not giving up!
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Ah, thanks JM. A good lesson for every writer, I’d say!
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Congratulations!!! It is heartening to know that what was close to you was also recognized by a larger audience. Thank you for never giving up and for sharing this with us. We all need this.
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Ah, thank you so much. Yes, it’s a hard lesson and one you have to relearn every time another story gets rejected. But it all feels worth it for the occasional moment of success. Never give up, indeed! Thanks so much for reading
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Hi Lynn,
Very well done on the win. It’s a brilliant story, it has great era detail, and I love the girls’ relationship. You had me going, thinking it was a bad end.
Yes, you inspire me to keep going and not give up.
Maureenxx
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Ah, thank you so much Maureen. I’m glad I gave them a happy ending, even if Angie has been through some chilling times while she was away. We have to keep trying, don’t we? Try to build up that hard shell. Thank you so much for reading and for the lovely comment 🙂
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Congrats, Lynn!
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Thank you Walt 🙂
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That’s an encouraging story! It shows you have enough self-confidence to know when your writing is good, despite what other so-called judges think 🙂
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Thanks Jane. Yes, I think when you’ve been doing it a bit, you get the idea if something’s worth persevering with – I’m sure I might often be wrong, but in this case I was right. Perseverence can be exhausting though, so I’m glad it paid off this time. Thanks again
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I’m glad it worked out for you. There’s nothing more encouraging than winning a prize 🙂
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Yes, helps to bolster you against all the rejections! 🙂
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🙂
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Powerful story, that naive teenage desperation for something better than their crap, go-nowhere, smelly hometown. Maybe I would still love the story if I hadn’t also grown up in a depressed town in the 1980s, where the jobs were scarce and mostly involved manual labor or retail, but relating to it certainly added extra depth. And yes, not a few girls took less savory pathways, supposedly up and out, but in fact, getting neither up nor out.
I’m glad you kept trying with this one: it deserved an audience!
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So glad that you put your story forward for another competition and got the recognition you deserve! Well done on winning! 🙂
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Thank you so much, Charlene! That’s very lvely of you to say so. It’s a hard won lesson to anyone hoping to write, isn’t it? Coping with rejection is horrible, but the odd win makes it worthwhile. Thank you for the encouraging words 🙂
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