I read a short story about two frogs trapped in a pail of milk. Not able to escape the long, smooth sides of the pail, the first one gave up and drowned, but the second one was not ready to give up. He persisted, repeatedly kicking his legs, until the milk began to harden into churned butter. He crawled atop the butter and hopped out of the pail.
When given a situation that appears to be impossible, you could give up as the first frog did. Or you could face the challenge head-on and go down swinging (or kicking) like the second frog.
Semifinalists were named in the James Patterson contest. Though I didn't make the list, I am not deterred from my dream: to be a published author.
