Tell us Your Application Story!
We hope that applying for The Gift Of Freedom Award was a beneficial process for every applicant.
We'd like to hear your application story: both the toil and the triumph. What did you struggle with the most? Did you have any moments of clarity during the application about your work or your writing goals? Did you join other women writers to support each other in the process?
Pleas e share your experience with us by writing us at info@aroomofherownfoundation.org.
Hello!
I would love to share my application story: I submitted an application to the AROHO Foundation Gift of Freedom Award this year and loved it!
It was a catalyst for me to determine my priorities. It coincided with the start of a new year when I always try to focus on defining new goals and plans and dragging the unfinished ones over from the prior year.
The process also made me feel like a writer. It connected me to my Spirit and what I believe to be my purpose. It boosted my confidence enough to cause me to enroll and now participate in a creative writing class that I am enjoying immensely. It made me feel like I was in good company and part of a community that shared similar outlooks, challenges, and goals, even though I did work alone. I used the site several times for information, help, and guidance. I used email to ask a couple of questions and was answered quickly and efficiently.
I struggled most with the essay about what my writing means to me. I didn’t get to my answer until I had written the essay- similar to the way novelists are led by their characters. It became so personal and comforting when I realized that my writing is my family. It was a moment of clarity, as you mention in the email, and, again, connection, so, the struggle was insignificant compared to the light.
I would recommend the process to any potential applicant, even if does mean more competition! I am a writer, but I am also a reader, so I have nothing but happiness and respect for the author who wins.
Thank you for the opportunity!
Karen Rutherford
Indianapolis, Indiana