Kate Mackereth won the 2024 CALEB Award for her unpublished fiction manuscript. Here she describes how the CALEB gave her the confidence to continue through doubt, and her writing journey since entering.
What inspired you to enter the CALEB Unpublished Award?
I had just finished my first manuscript ever and I was terrified to show it to people. CALEB seemed like a safe way to get feedback. It was my first time entering a writing competition so it took some bravery.
How did you handle the feedback you received?
I found clarity and advice for the parts I was worried about and made lots of changes. I became confident in my writing ‘voice.’
I cried over the comments of one judge but it was useful to understand how differently people can interpret your work. It also made me passionate about how feedback should be given and I’ve since enjoyed judging for other competitions in a way I hope is kind and encouraging. I am very thankful to the judges who were constructive in their feedback, they will never know how much they encouraged me.
How did entering help you in your writing journey?
Actually it was the moment I had to get an author photo for the finals. I felt like a phony or a wannabe. I could almost hear a voice saying ‘Well how silly are you, thinking you could be an author.’ In the same moment, I felt God asking me to trust him. I would not have pressed forward like that if I didn’t take a chance on CALEB.
What opportunities have you had since entering? After making edits, I entered the Genesis 2024 competition through ACFW and I was thrilled to be a finalist in the contemporary category.
My husband gifted me with a trip to the ACFW Christian Fiction Writers conference in New Orleans where I was able to meet some of my favourite authors as well as writers at the start of their journey like me. It was very inspiring.
I also started social media accounts and a website, which was a very big step for me.
What would you say to anyone still deciding about whether to enter?
It is hard to be vulnerable with your work when you are still new and learning but there’s so much beauty to be found in that vulnerability. It can help you lean into God in new ways. I really enjoyed sharing that journey with other writers that entered CALEB because we all felt the same way. You don’t have to do it alone. Just do it, but steel yourself for conflicting feedback or harsher judges and pray that God will guide you in making changes.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about the CALEB?
The volunteers are champions really and there’s a lot of hard work behind the scenes. I would encourage everyone involved to keep the heart of the competition in mind. It’s about lifting each other up. Writers that surrender themselves to this process need to feel loved and respected when receiving honest and professional feedback. The Omega community is precious, let’s care for one another so more people can courageously step forward.