Alle fails at "Hot Mess."

Relax. It's The Moth.

Last night, I lost at my first attempt at a Moth StorySLAM. The theme: “Hot Mess.”

The scoreboard pictured lists me second—reflecting that my name was pulled from the hat to perform second; not that I placed second.

My husband—more of a numbers guy than I am—pointed out that two judges ranked me third.

• A careful analysis of referenced scoreboard might indeed reveal that I remember accurately his assessment.

• He might have said, “Three judges ranked you second,” or something else entirely.

• I’ve been writing all night, inspired by The Moth’s September theme: “Lost.”

Failure motivates me.