Thursday, July 14, 2016

Mewsings on a Muse (Medallion)

Many thanks to Christine at Riverfront Cats for the graphic and mailing my Muse!

It was November 2013 that I was accepted as a Professional Member of the Cat Writers' Association, and I wrote then that it was a dream come true. I still have a file folder in my desk filled with articles I printed out from the CWA website dated 2006. Back then I studied the membership requirements and made a vow to myself that one day I would become a member of this exclusive group of cat writers. It took me another 5 years to start blogging, and even more time after that before I realized my true blogging passion was cats. What else could it possibly be?

Even after being honored with a membership, the idea of ever winning a coveted Muse Medallion was so far in the back of my mind it was practically non-existent. I still had much work to do on honing my craft. Still, you'll never know if you can achieve something unless you try, so with the knowledge that Truffles' tragic passing inspired some of the best writing I'd ever done, earlier this year I decided to dip my toe into the water and enter their annual writing competition.


I chose the Blog/Any Other Topic category, requiring me to submit 3 blog posts which represented my best work. From there, entries in each category are reviewed and judged independently by three professional CWA members and their scores are averaged by the Contest Chair to determine the winner. Anyone earning an average of 90 or higher based on the scores submitted by the three judges receives a Certificate of Excellence, with the highest score winning the Muse Medallion. I volunteered as a judge for the first time, and found it to be such a rewarding (and incredibly difficult!) experience. The talent in our group of writers is just extraordinary.

I received a Certificate of Excellence alongside a pair of my blogging heroes. It couldn't possibly get any better than that, but it did. When my name was announced at the CWA banquet as the winner of a Muse Medallion I was laying in bed 2,500 miles away, and when my sweet friends messaged me on Facebook with the news, I just started crying. Even now, holding the Medallion in my hands and seeing my name engraved on the back, it hasn't sunk in yet. To say it's a dream come true is putting it mildly. I can't thank the CWA enough for the honor, and look forward to being a part of this esteemed group of writers for many years to come. My only regret is that I was unable to accept the award in purr-son and meet the writers I respect so much.

If you're on the fence about joining the CWA, DO IT!!! They are an incredibly supportive group that gives members every opportunity to learn, grow and succeed. They've made this blogger feel like the sky's the limit!

28 comments:

Momma Kat and Her Bear Cat said...

Congratulations! I wish you'd been there this year so I could meet you in person. Next year, right? Hopefully, I'll legitimately belong at the CWA banquet next year instead of attending only as a guest :)

Lone Star Cats said...

Congrats!!

GLOGIRLY said...

Congratulations, Melissa!!! I'm SO happy for you. You should be incredibly proud. : )
xo
Glogirly

Anonymous said...

Congratulation on your award!! You certainly deserve it!!!

The Menagerie Mom said...

Melissa, I can't think of anyone more deserving of this. A huge congratulations to you!

Ingrid King said...

Congratulations again, Melissa!

Dee, Nicky, Dusty & Izzy said...

Congratulations! I'm so happy you have realized a dream. Perhaps one day I'll get up the guts to take the same leap. I've always wanted to write about cats, but feel so intimidated by the quality writers already in the space. I'm not sure I could ever live up to the passion you put into all your work. I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog.

The Island Cats said...

Congratulations on making your dream come true.

Unknown said...

Congratulations! You just can't imagine how happy I am for you. Your blog inspired me to start blogging, so I am beyond thrilled to see you getting this well-earned recognition. Purrs...

Marg said...

A big congrats to you Melissa. Job well done and you certainly deserve that award. We are so glad that you won that. You all have a super day.

katsrus said...

Congrats

Anonymous said...

Paw-some!

Hannah and Lucy said...

Concats on reaching your dream Melissa.

pilch92 said...

Congratulations! You truly deserve recognition, you are an excellent writer and belong in this group of esteemed writers.

Dragonheart, Merlin, Devi, and Chloe said...

Congratulations! What an amazing achievement!

AmyShojai said...

The cheers erupted when your name was announced as the winner! Can't wait for you to be there in PURR-son for a future win...because this is just the beginning. *s*

Debbie S said...

Congrats!

da tabbies o trout towne said...

10,000 happy's for you melissa and as many conga ratz as da tabbies say...this is total lee awesome !!!! you SHOULD be proud; we all are ~~~~ ♥♥♥ YAY !!!

Unknown said...

Congrats Melissa! I'm sure that this is the first of many.

Sue said...

Congratulations!! We've always known you write a great blog.

Annie Bear said...

This is just so wonderful! You definitely deserve this and how amazing it must be to see a dream come true (with lots of hard work)!

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

Congratulations to youuuuuuuuuuuu!

edie said...

Congratulations!!!

Cathy Keisha said...

Concats! Someday TW will get the money to join CWA.

Three Chatty Cats said...

A big congratulations to you and so well-deserved!

Deb Barnes said...

I've been in your shoes, Melissa, and even to this day, I sometimes think I'm dreaming, being part of such a talented group of people. But then to be acknowledged by them for your own talent... wow... it just takes your breath away. Congratulations - I'm so happy for you and know this honor will carry you far. xoxox

A Tonl said...

HUGE concatulations to you, Melissa! We're so happy for you - and we can only imagine how thrilled you must be!! You should be proud!!

Nancy said...

AWESOME!!!! BRAVO!!! WELL-EARNED!!!!