Reflecting on that

Getting bragging rights at the spelling bee was not because we were smarter than the others, I suspect, but that we writers are READERS. Along with 'show, don't tell', the cliche advice to writing wannabes is 'read, read, read.' Read widely, read outside your own interests. Then when you know what you want to write, read everything you can find in that genre. Not only will it enrich your vocabulary, it will enrich your life.