Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Harlequin Presents comp

Well, I've decided that my first chapter is nowhere near ready to be seen by an editor. Instead of entering the Harlequin Presents comp with a sub-standard entry, I'll work on it some more and submit it as my second assignment for the Category Writing Course that I'm doing. With the feedback that I'll receive from my fabulous teacher, then I can either rewrite, scrap, or edit the first chapter. There's something lacking, but I can't pinpoint exactly what...

At least I have a plan, so I'm happy. I've also signed up for NaNoWriMo this year with the aim of finishing the first draft of MBFFW. So instead of completing 50k, I'll be aiming for 44k.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Taking the plunge

I've finally decided to take the plunge into Blogland. I've been toying with the idea for a while, but didn't think I'd have anything interesting to say. Still don't. I also didn't want to spend time blogging when I could've been writing.



So what's changed?


  1. By blogging, I'm hoping to increase my writing output by being accountable. Even if no-one reads this blog, at least I can see that the wordcount meter for my latest ms is/is not moving upwards.

  2. I realised that even though I've been a member of Romance Writers of Australia since 2007, I don't know many other writers. Hopefully by blogging (and commenting on other writers' blogs), I can come out of my shell and network with other romance writers.

  3. If I can state my writing goals up where the whole world can see them (not that I think the whole world will be interested - LOL), then I have to work harder to achieve them.

There. Now that that's out of the way, I can talk about what's currently on my mind. For the third year in a row, I've thought about - then abandoned - the idea of entering the Harlequin Presents Writing Competition. To be fair, I couldn't enter last year as I had to pack my belongings, move our stuff into storage, and move house around the time of the comp. This year I wasn't going to enter because...well, because I didn't feel ready. But after this post, I'm considering about entering. My first chapter needs a rewrite and I haven't written a synopsis yet. Is it doable? Coincidentally, I have a whole week off work. So if I work 12-hour days on it...Maybe I can get my entry in before the deadline? Or am I nuts to even consider it?

One thing's for sure. I'm through with sitting on the sidelines watching others doing something with their writing, while I sit in my comfort zone.

 

©2009 Angie Peters | by TNB