congrats to the top ten New Voices - and to all the entrants

As I prefer things on my blog to be on a happy note, I’d like to say congrats to the top ten contestants on the New Voices site – well done to you all, and good luck in the next round! You can read more about it over here on the M&B New Voices Website.

And those who didn’t make it? I do feel for you because disappointment is always hard. I watched the X Factor with the children last night, and seeing the faces of those who didn’t get through made me want to go and give them all a hug. So consider yourself hugged, too.

The important thing is, you tried – you didn’t sit there saying, ‘Oh, I wish I could…’ and then did nothing. You put the work in and you made the effort – and that’s definitely something to be proud of.

Now you go on to the next step. Just as, last night, some of them were saying that singing was all they wanted to do: if writing’s all you’ve ever wanted to do, don’t give up. Look at the feedback you had, and see what you can learn from it to improve your writing. Keep reading a lot. Keep practising your craft (and maybe get a critique partner – maybe one of the other contestants?) and take your writing forward.

Remember that rejection slips aren’t personal – they’re a chance to improve your skillset, because they tell you what you need to work on. Spend a day being upset, then do a self-appraisal: look at where you are now, where you want to be, and what you need to do to get there. Break that list down into manageable steps (aka SMART objectives – specific, measureable, achievable, realistic and timed) and then you’ll have a structure to help you towards that dream.

Good luck!