sigh again

There is only one way to find out, and that would be to share
your stories. Mind you not every story is going to be a winner, but
not all of them can be terrible. You just need to stay positive about
what you are writing, and others will see that you are at least giving
it a healthy go.

Stephen King, to me is boring and drowning in cliches, yet people
love him, despite some of us oddballs thinking his stories are kinda
crap. So look on the bright side, at least you aren't snorting cocaine
and writing the insane things you may or may not be hallucinating.

I think in general we all have that little bit of us that is overly critical
about our own works, and the fear that somebody is going to put it
to the shredder. Though with a bit of drive and courage we manage
to move past that fear, and take the risk. It isn't always easy, though
it can be rewarding when something works out.

Take it easy, and I hope you get through this rough patch.

You must have some clue, because you won the last one. Something I have learned here is that if you want to win you need to write to your audience -- and this one is small. I really believe some stories that did only okay in this contest (ahem) might have done better elsewhere.

There are almost no, if any, stories that appeal to everyone. Just write what you feel (and you write well) and read what you like. There is no ultimate arbitrator or judge.