Confirmed

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Well, I’m dealing with the disappointment of not getting into the first round of “Speed Dating with Deidre.” I didn’t even get the consolation prize, a chance to send in a one-page query.

However, life — and the querying process — will go on. So will the nerve-wracking process of entering contests.

None is more nerve-wracking — for me, at least — than the Golden Heart. But I cleared another hurdle in that process: I mailed in my entries … all 654 pages of them, plus a disc with each full MS, a week ago Monday.

That's a lot of paper!

That’s what they looked like stacked together. Singly, they looked like this:

Two entries, complete with synopses.

Still pretty impressive, eh? Nothing like requiring a couple of trees to make the supreme sacrifice to the Golden gods. 😉

Anyway, I checked with the Post Office today, and delivery confirmation said my entries were delivered on Nov. 24.

Delivery confirmed!

Now, the wait begins.

Since I volunteered to judge this year, I suspect at least some of my fretting time will be usurped. I’m not complaining!

Must stay awake

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Since I’m usually up until 3:30 or 4 a.m., I didn’t think it’d be tough to stay up an extra couple of hours — but it’s turning out to be more difficult than I planned. In the last 30 minutes, my eyelids have started to droop and I desperately want to turn off the light and burrow under the covers.

Still, I must stay awake for another 40 minutes so I have a chance to enter the “Speed Dating with Deidre” contest at the Knight Agency blog. She’s offering 125 spots … 125 lucky entrants will submit three pages of MS. Up to 25 will advance.

“Beauty and the Ballplayer” wants another at-bat. After last week’s contest final, it’s ready to knock another one out of the park.

Uh-oh. My sleepy brain can’t conjure up any more baseball metaphors. Good thing I have less than 25 minutes to go. 😉

Great news

by with 4 Comments ContestsMeg & Matt

It’s been more than 24 hours and I’m still not over the excitement of learning I’m a finalist in the First Coast Romance Writers Beacon Contest for unpublished writers. (You can see the proof here, in the list of finalists.)

This is especially exciting because it’s my first-ever contest final. Strangely enough, I almost didn’t enter the Beacon. I was already busy thinking about the Golden Heart. But when I saw the deadline had been extended and they were looking for entries in the category I had a manuscript ready in, I decided, “What the heck? Why not?” I had some extra money to pay the entry fee — and I’m glad I did.

The timing couldn’t have been much better: I got the call as I was walking out of the post office, right after shipping off my two GH entries (one of them being “Beauty and the Ballplayer.”)

When my phone started ringing, I almost didn’t answer it because I didn’t recognize the number. (Ah, the wonder of caller ID.) But, being certain it wasn’t a bill collector, I went ahead and picked up the call.

The first thing I did after getting off the phone — and squealing with excitement — was call our chapter president. Then I called another writer friend to share the good news … I also left the Boyfriend a voicemail and posted the news on Twitter and Facebook. I wanted to share it with the world — or at least my little piece of it.

Thanks to everyone who gave me their congratulations so quickly.

What’s next? The Beacon gives finalists a little time to revise before entries are sent to the final judges. I got my judges’ score sheets last night and have had a chance to start digesting the comments. Most were very complimentary … I guess that’s what happens when you’re a finalist! 🙂

I’m having a tough time switching out of NaNo mode to think about revising, though. I’m going to try to do a big push to finish NaNo in the next couple of days, giving me a few extra days to work before the revisions are due on Dec. 3.

I can do it — less than 10,000 words to go! (We’re not going to talk about the fact that I’ve had writer’s block today. That’s only a temporary problem. Heading to the Bux in the morning to get some heavy-duty writing done while the Boyfriend’s at work. I actually think better at Starbucks, I think.)

Productive day

by with 2 Comments ContestsNaNoWriMo 10

I’ve been a busy, busy writer today.

Not only did I log a few more than the NaNo-recommended 1,667 words today, I read through both of my Golden Heart entries. They’re as good to go as they’re going to get, meaning it’s time to print those puppies out and pop them in the mail.

Of course, reading them has made me realize that a lot of what I’m churning out this month for the NaNo is crap. Yes, I said it: Crap.

*Deep breath*

I just need to remind myself that the GH entries aren’t first-draft material. I’ve read, re-read and polished those things multiple times. Of course they’re going to be heads and shoulders above the first draft I’m writing now.

If they’re not, I’m in trouble. 😉

Time’s running out

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The gals over at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood reminded me that time’s running out to get my Golden Heart entries mailed off.

Yes, the deadline is Dec. 2 … but in order to use snail mail instead of a more expensive method of delivery, I probably ought to visit the post office before Thanksgiving.

That means I need to take a day (or at least part of a day) off to re-read my entries one more time and then prep them for the mailbox.

Wow. I really should have done this before I started NaNo. Even though I’m still slightly ahead in my word count, I don’t want to take a lot of time off. I’d love to remain ahead … it’s a nice change from last year, when I was behind the entire month and didn’t even finish.

I’m only scheduled to work a half-day Sunday, so I’ll set aside part of the day to reading the entries and printing entries/synopses for the GH judges.

Now, to get money for postage before Friday (my next payday) …

No turning back

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I registered for the Golden Heart the other day … with two manuscripts.

Yes, I think I might be nuts — or at least I’ll be driving myself nuts soon as I to finish editing two GH entries before the NaNoWriMo starts on Nov. 1.

All that and I have my RWA chapter’s newsletter to produce. See me with my hands pressed to my cheeks, mouth open wide in a silent scream? 😉

It won’t be easy. But hey — no one ever said the stuff in life worth having is easy, right? Besides, I’ve already decided I work better when I have a deadline.

Time for me to get crackin’!

Giddy with excitement

by with 3 Comments ContestsMeg & Matt

What do you do when you get great news at 11 p.m., when everyone who cares is sound asleep? I have to share it with someone … I already tried texting the Boyfriend, with no response. I shared it in my Facebook status and got one “like.”

But I’m still too excited to settle down, so now I’m going to shout it to the blogosphere: The gals at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood picked my first line as one of 10 finalists in their “Make It Golden” contest.

I was thrilled — and a little stunned, because I read the competition. There were some fantastic first lines. Many of them made me want to read more.

For the next round, I give them the first 250 words. I was pleased when I discovered my first 240-ish ended on a mini-hook.

The grand prize is my $50 Golden Heart entry fee. Not too shabby!

But even if I don’t win, I’m excited to have finaled. There were 79 entries. Yes, 79. I’m not great with math, but I think that puts my first sentence in the top 12 percent — and that has to be a good place to be.

I did it

by with 2 Comments ContestsMusingsProgressQuery Letters

It’s not Monday, but I finally got around to doing what I said I would: I submitted two queries on “Beauty and the Ballplayer.”

Now, I wait … and continue to work on perfecting the GH entries … and write some more on Bethany & Cody’s story.

For some reason, I’m finding it hard to focus just on the Golden Heart entries. Seems that, this year, I don’t have nearly as much work to do. Last year, I had to do some substantial editing and rewriting on Brad & Erin’s tale.

This time around, I have decent synopses written for both my entries, and the entries themselves are in pretty good shape.

Or maybe I’m just getting too cocky … 😉

Putting it out there

by with No Comment ContestsMeg & Matt

I know my writer friends are busy — some of them getting ready for the same contest I plan to enter. As such, they’re probably too busy to read anything of mine. (And they could well be my competition!)

With that thought in mind, I posted on Facebook that I was looking for friends to give me feedback on “Beauty and the Ballplayer.”

That was at about 1 a.m., and I had no idea what to expect in the way of responses … So imagine my surprise when I checked my page this morning and had not one, not two but FIVE takers.

How exciting! Now I’m waiting for them to e-mail me so I can send them an e-copy of the story.

This is the tale I got a little feedback on from NARWA members at our July meeting. (That was the day we read through the first three pages of several stores submitted by members. It was anonymous, but we really didn’t have much trouble guessing whose was whose … I think we all confessed to writing our stories in the car on the way home. Ah, carpools!)

Still, I’m eager to see what other people think of it. Hopefully they’ll be able to point out any plot holes big enough to drive a truck through … Although I don’t think there are any of those.