"I've worked a few competitive jobs, but I think my most competitive experience was in my portfolio class in university. We were all creative writers in a short fiction workshop-style course, and there was certainly a desire among the students to outdo each other. Frankly, it surprised me, coming from an athletic background. It reminded me of my most competitive days playing basketball. I went to the class with the attitude that I was the one who had to do the most work. There was a group of four of us who became great friends. We'd praise each other's work even as we would playfully dread having to outdo such quality during the next round of submissions. Competitiveness was a uniting factor, and ultimately it made us all better writers. It earned me a few friends, too."