This is my first time going through the Watty's but any time you see others in the trenches get plucked up and elevated while you're still down at the bottom scouring the muck for pickings, it's hard not to feel some type of way.

What's most surprising is the duality of both feelings. More than a few people I know got a Watty. I did not. So while a part of me was GENUINELY happy for them, an equally sizeable part hated them.

Hey, I'm human.

So I get it. You thought your stuff was good (no one's going to go stripping in their WORST undies. Right?) but it didn't make the cut. So how do you salvage your friendship and be a good friend?

I can't salvage mine. (ha. No, seriously. That ship has sailed), but maybe you haven't put your foot in your mouth yet. OR, maybe you were better at this and did the right thing and gave the tight-lipped 'congrats' and went into a small space and cried.

But if you need to, it's best to apologize. Apologize for many reasons:

1. That person worked hard. This isn't something that they 'stumbled' on. They worked, the worked VERY hard for it.

2. Their elevation is NOT your descent. They can go up without you feeling like it's a put down.

3. There'll be other awards. Someone's gotta lose. Right? And that's true for everyone.

4. When it's YOUR TURN you'd want to at least enjoy it in peace. If and when it happens for you, do you want to have others out there souring your moment? No. You don't. You'd want others to feel good about it, GENUINELY FEEL GOOD, not fake good, and give you heartfelt well-wishing.

5. That's a fellow-writer. He/she knows the struggle and you know it, too. Would you rather they be stuck down there with you for another year?

6. It's hurtful. They don't NEED your support but to not get it...hurts, because they are sure they would have given you theirs.

7. This isn't about you.

Ultimately, this is a good thing no matter if you win or lose. If you lost, reevaluate your story and your situation. Maybe it wasn't the story, maybe it was the pitch? Or maybe it was the story? Try to see it again with fresh eyes and improve. Also, keep in mind that a loss in this regard isn't some sort of reflection on your writing. The ones who won had GREAT stories, but there were others who I also thought had great stories who didn't win.

Remember that.

Are you failure because you didn't make it? Yup. But you're an even bigger one if you act like a whiny bitch about it. (Yeah, I said it)

Are you a bad writer because you didn't get it? No. You're a bad writer if you compare your works to others. You are SUPPOSED to be unique. And in a forest of trees, there's no good or bad, not really, just ones that suits an animal's needs a bit better.

This is a part of the process. You probably can't save that friendship, but learn to take it in better stride next time.

At the very least, apologize.