The problem with winning an award so young is you begin to believe it has something to do with you, and it does not. People like to give out awards, but most often it has more to do with the judges’ tastes and less to do with the quality of one’s work.
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When writing my second book The Cold Panes of Surfaces, a much better book than my first one, in my opinion, I opined to my friend Autumn Getty that I was having trouble writing. I felt like my next book would have to be better than Bonfires. My good friend looked at me with pity and tenderness and said as gently as possible: “No one is waiting for another book by Chris Banks”.
It shocked me at the time but it was the best writing advice I have ever been given.
- Chris Banks, from his essay "Confessions of a Prize Winning Poet" over at The Miramichi Reader. You can read the whole thing here.
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