Apparently very hard. Or at least when the essay is only allowed to be 200 words long. Yes guys, I'm referring to that essay contest to win the goat farm down in Alabama. I had all these wonderful ideas for my essay submission, but then when I sat down and started writing, I realized just how hard it is for me to write SHORT essays. I can do five hundred words easily. One thousand words is even better. But only two hundred?? Gaah, it's killing me.
But I'm still trying. I'm stubborn that way.
I had thought about giving up at one point, but my morale was greatly boosted when someone made the mistake of telling me to give up now because, "You're not good enough of a writer anyway..." and "It's a pointless contest since there's no way you'll win." *Enter dramatic music.* (I don't know what kind of music, but it needs to be dramatic.) I was mad. Insulted. Determined more than ever to enter the contest. On the outside I was perfectly cool and polite, on the inside though I was roaring with indignation. Such is the way this girl ticks... I flat out never argue; I just annoyingly decide that I'm right, keep that opinion to myself and basically tune the other person out until they're done talking and we can all go our separate ways. Growing up with ten siblings taught me the art of keeping my mouth shut.
Now sure, that person is right for the most part; my chances of winning are something like 2,500 to 1. But there's still that ONE chance. And in the end, the way I see it is like this: If the good Lord wants me to have that goat farm, then it doesn't matter what I write; it'll happen. And if I'm not supposed to have that goat farm, then by Jove it won't happen! Simplistic of me? Possibly. But hey, you sleep better at night with simplistic views such as this.
But views aside, one does still have to write a 200 page essay to enter the contest... And this seems to be my Waterloo.
4 comments:
Of course you can do it! You're a great writer, and you have so much experience, knowledge and drive in your young self I wouldn't be at all surprised if you won. You've got this! :)
Good luck! I agree, if God wants you to have it, you'll get it. You'll have better chances that I will, because I can't write any length of essay. Cheering for you!
A 200 word limit is a big challenge considering the big prize! I think it is easier to reverse the tables and think about it from the judges point of view to know what to write in your essay. What makes you better than the potentially 2,499 other essays? They are not just drawing a number out of the hat so as a judge reading all those 2,500 essays I would want to know– does the person have goat experience – raising, milking, sales, business savvy and AMBITION? As a judge I would cull any essays that do not indicate these pre-requisite skills which I think raises your chances from 1:2500 to about 1:250 – you got the pkg girl!
I think a big selling point for you is your ambition, can-do attitude and wide range of experience you have as a young farmer though your young age could be a drawback here so I don’t know if I would point out how young you are. They would want a hard working, responsible, ethical, mature and stable person –tell them you are married rather than your age. Would hubby help to some degree with the operation- even if just deliveries or occasional feeding, so really they are getting a team? Highlight the number of years of experience you have with goats and other livestock simply listing all aspects like purchasing both stock and feed, raising, (herb or med) trtmt when needed, selling products like the milk, meat, eggs, wool etc., market research and a Business Plan and also your work experience at other farms - show you are committed to this industry. Remember that these are pre-req’s – "you must be this tall to get on this ride" so you need to briefly mention them but don’t waste words on it - you could say you would provide more detail upon request. (Once they whittle it down to the final top 10, I would assume they would Google you and read all about you on your blog anyway.) Use your words to highlight your ambition – what makes YOU the person they should pick, that will continue on seamlessly with their successful operation in continuing to service the customer base they worked hard to generate. Try this reverse approach and make a list as a judge what you would look for – both skills and more importantly the persons attributes- you know that saying about skills can always be taught? Ethics, being a hard worker, and entrepreneur drive, etc are not easy to teach. That is what I would do but go with your gut feeling you are the one applying. You have till Oct 1st so take your time to craft a winning essay – good luck! ~ Kari
You CAN do it!!!!
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