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!
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. 😉
Guess I’m an overachiever: I hit my NaNo goal tonight.
The story’s not quite finished, though. I probably have another 5K to write. For a few moments, however, I’m going to revel in the accomplishment.
That’s it for now. After writing a couple thousand words today, I’m fresh out. I’ll leave you with this sight worth celebrating:
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and I’m still not over the excitement of learning I’m a finalist in the First Coast Romance Writers Beacon Contest for unpublished writers.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.)
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