Dorchester Contest and NaNo - The Drama Continues
A very enterprising writer put a Twitter list together of all the semi-finalists in the textnovel Dorchester Next best Cellar Contest. I only discovered this tidbit when I went on to try out the new list function and found out I was on three lists. Pretty cool, made me feel like a "somebody" in the writing biz for the first time.
Voting opens again on November 16th for the finalists and I'm not sure if it will run all the way till the contest announces the winners on Jan 31, 2010 or if it will stop at some earlier time. Here's my plan - I think I'm going to go back into the game Second Life which I haven't had much time for lately with editing, various doctor visits, and frankly juggling the issues from my first life.
If I can re-connect with people on there and then politely ask for votes when/if I make it into the top ten I may have a shot. The people on there are super nice and incredibly supportive. The life stories I've heard and the reasons for being in the game for as many hours a day as they are is varied and interesting. I can see why the game is referred to as a hobby by the participants rather than that they are "playing" a game.
Think of it as a virtual social networking site and you'll understand more clearly what it is. It's like a big chat room and you can wear any costume you want, slip on a new persona with a new name and have at it. The "rooms" you visit are a colorful menagerie of settings, breathtaking graphics and out of this world locations.
Don't get me wrong - the game has freaks and sex rooms and scary people "playing" a little too intently. For newcomers, I suggest a guide. People have written books about navigating it as well - and sold them - I kid you not. I'd offer to be a guide for you, but I'm still too green. Think I may go buy that book.
NaNo!!
Wow. I can't believe I'm still in it. I made yesterday my "day off" because I had too many doctor visits going on to keep my head on straight. On that front the Infectious Disease Specialist wants me on antibiotics for at least another month to kick the Lyme's and he put the ball back into the Neurologists court on my freaky spinal tap results. He said he doesn't order that test much and would ask a neurologist to interpret the results if he did... hmmm... okay.
Back to writing, sorry I digressed. I'm excited to be killing off a new member of the seethe today in my book. I should easily surpass the 10,000 word mark and since we changed our vacation plans to April (lots of reasons) I should be able to write a lot more next week than I had planned. And get to go to my first Write-In!!
A Write-In is when writers from the area participating in NaNo get together in a public spot and write for a few hours. I missed this week due to the doctor visits but look forward to next week. Even if I'm the only writer that shows. My main writing buddy has the H1N1 flu so I doubt she'll be there (here's to hoping she didn't give it to me at our last planning session).
Anyone else in NaNo near the Borders on Rt 7 in Sterling, Virginia is welcome to stop by on Tuesdays and Thursday from 9:30 to 2pm for the rest of the month (stopping on the 24th). People may or may not be there the whole time, but you probably owe words, so sit you butt down and write.
And with that parting comment, I'll go re-fill my coffee, get out of my jammies and start to write.
C.J.
I subscribed to the list, naturally, and found out some info on the contest. Looks like the voting isn't done yet. Pooh. I really don't think I can pester anymore people I know to vote. Oh - and the Dorchester editors are looking for readers to tell them which stories are their favorites. If you have a moment and a kind word to spare on Vampire Vacation, then please stop by:
Voting opens again on November 16th for the finalists and I'm not sure if it will run all the way till the contest announces the winners on Jan 31, 2010 or if it will stop at some earlier time. Here's my plan - I think I'm going to go back into the game Second Life which I haven't had much time for lately with editing, various doctor visits, and frankly juggling the issues from my first life.
If I can re-connect with people on there and then politely ask for votes when/if I make it into the top ten I may have a shot. The people on there are super nice and incredibly supportive. The life stories I've heard and the reasons for being in the game for as many hours a day as they are is varied and interesting. I can see why the game is referred to as a hobby by the participants rather than that they are "playing" a game.
Think of it as a virtual social networking site and you'll understand more clearly what it is. It's like a big chat room and you can wear any costume you want, slip on a new persona with a new name and have at it. The "rooms" you visit are a colorful menagerie of settings, breathtaking graphics and out of this world locations.
Don't get me wrong - the game has freaks and sex rooms and scary people "playing" a little too intently. For newcomers, I suggest a guide. People have written books about navigating it as well - and sold them - I kid you not. I'd offer to be a guide for you, but I'm still too green. Think I may go buy that book.
NaNo!!
Wow. I can't believe I'm still in it. I made yesterday my "day off" because I had too many doctor visits going on to keep my head on straight. On that front the Infectious Disease Specialist wants me on antibiotics for at least another month to kick the Lyme's and he put the ball back into the Neurologists court on my freaky spinal tap results. He said he doesn't order that test much and would ask a neurologist to interpret the results if he did... hmmm... okay.
Back to writing, sorry I digressed. I'm excited to be killing off a new member of the seethe today in my book. I should easily surpass the 10,000 word mark and since we changed our vacation plans to April (lots of reasons) I should be able to write a lot more next week than I had planned. And get to go to my first Write-In!!
A Write-In is when writers from the area participating in NaNo get together in a public spot and write for a few hours. I missed this week due to the doctor visits but look forward to next week. Even if I'm the only writer that shows. My main writing buddy has the H1N1 flu so I doubt she'll be there (here's to hoping she didn't give it to me at our last planning session).
Anyone else in NaNo near the Borders on Rt 7 in Sterling, Virginia is welcome to stop by on Tuesdays and Thursday from 9:30 to 2pm for the rest of the month (stopping on the 24th). People may or may not be there the whole time, but you probably owe words, so sit you butt down and write.
And with that parting comment, I'll go re-fill my coffee, get out of my jammies and start to write.
C.J.
Comments (1)
4th Day of NaNoWriMo
Things are going better than I expected. I guess since I've been getting the one-two punch with doctor's appointments, odd test results, and insulting apologies from chapter presidents, I was prepared for much worse.
First off - I'd like to thank every family member, friend (especially my Facebook ones), writer and new follower I may have pestered in the last few weeks. I'm shocked to report that V V made it into the semi-finals of the Dorchester Publishing contest on November 1st.
Why is this particularly sweet? Well, competing against 302 other writers, most of which started on June 1st when the contest opened and getting as far as I did in SIX WEEKS was an amazing feeling to say the least. There were some really dark moments when I was on the cusp of the 20th spot for days - one up or one down and I couldn't sleep at night.
Or - it could be because only a week earlier I received an extremely insulting contest score and figured I pretty much had no chance in hell of going on to the next round in this contest - after all, if a judge in my genre, from my own chapter, hated it so much what were the chances? Read my previous post and I'll spare you anymore details. Let's just say it was a bad few days and I grateful my friends were around to smack some reality back into me.
Do I think V V will get to the finals and win? No, I don't. One thing that I have learned by entering the various contests that I have - is this: the published authors who judge it agree that my book isn't a Romance. And therefor, I'm entering the wrong contests.
The textnovel contest was a validation for me. My supporters got me there by their sheer dogged determination alone. I'm truly grateful the book has gone this far and I'm shocked on how many published authors I'm in the semi-finals with. I thought the entrants were all like me - I never thought someone with two to five books under their belt would be in it too.
In a way, it was kind of a popularity contest - you had to get people to vote for you, like a school election. I've never been popular my whole life. I speak my mind, I stand up for the under-dog, I don't tolerate bullies and sometimes I come across as brash - okay and maybe obnoxious, but I'm working on that. Middle school and high school were hell for me and I was teased and picked on often.
I retreated into books at a young age - and read a lot of things that were not appropriate for my age. By college I picked up role playing games as well as serial dating. Once out of high school, men became a challenge I intended to figure out. Let's just say I've had a mixed background of experiences and leave it at that. My life and my choices have given me strength in myself.
I know my book is good. I know it will sell. Convincing an agent and a publisher of this without coming across as arrogant and stupid is really the key. So far I haven't succeeded, but I haven't been at it that long yet so I'm hopeful.
Okay - back to NaNo. I'm writing the second book and having a damn good time of it. I keep interviewing my husband on what a guy would say and how a guy thinks. This book switches POV's every chapter to a different member of the seethe - unfortunately for me there are five guys!
Each voice must be unique and the time line consistent. It's a challenge, but it's fun. Oh - and how many of you knew woman fell into the categories of: Too old, Too young, I'd do her or No, I wouldn't do her?
I was really, really glad to hear about the "too young" one! Apparently some of the simpering actresses that are drop dead gorgeous fall into this category for my husband. Ah, it's the simple things in life that make me love him.
Later comes the categories of: Too bitchy, High maintenance, or Low maintenance.
Apparently, I fell into "I'd do her" and "Low maintenance" categories, which was key in why he wanted to date me. Life is sweet.
Poor man still thinks he had a choice! I basically hunted him down like a rare beast - he never had a chance. I dated enough jerks in my life to spot a live one when I found it.
I'm having a really good time writing this so far. NaNo is a challenge, but it was the kick in the pants I needed to stop obsessing over V V. I'm sure by next week when we're in Disney and I'm way behind on word count and ready to cry the "good time" feelings will change.
C.J.
Catching up and getting back to Normal
I haven't written in a while. I feel like so much has happened that I'm not quite sure where to start. Obviously I survived my Week of Hell being laid up with a spinal tap (lumbar puncture) leak - oh and now I have a new thing I would never wish on anyone.
Good news is the Lyme's didn't make it to my brain. Still taking the super strong antibiotics to kick the bacteria's butt and I probably have at least another two weeks left of it.
My writing partner got my ass in gear and really helped kick my edits of V V into overdrive. I should be done with it before the end of the month. Leaves me wondering what to do - keep submitting to NY publishers and agents or seriously consider starting my own publishing house?
My website isn't ready yet. Even though I've designed it through Rapidweaver I'm apparently missing a crucial step in getting it live b/c no matter how many times I attempt it, it still doesn't work. Moving on from that kettle of fish. I'll work on it next week. Gee, and can I mange to design my own apple app for V V? Hmm...I'm thinking it will be a challenge to say the least.
Planning for NaNoWriMo!! I've got some new friends and fellow writers that have connected to me through Facebook and the various writing guilds to write a book next month. My writing partner is coming over today for a planning/plotting session. We're working on her book as well as mine. Very Cool.
Lastly, all of this good stuff helps to balance out the depressing fact that I'm trailing in the textnovel Dorchester contest. Out of the 21 entries ahead of me only 7 are editor's picks, which really makes me feel like mine had a real chance of making it in the top ten.
The literary agent that started the site told me he couldn't represent me with V V because his wife would kill him if he represented erotic fiction. Uh, hello? Erotic fiction? Apparently he doesn't read the bestsellers for Urban Fantasy right now, because mine is right in line with them. My book actually doesn't have enough sex to be erotica, and I should know because I read erotica. The good news is he asked if I had anything else to please send it for him to review.
Sadly, I do not. And I like writing the sex scenes. They're always some of my favorite parts in the books I read (except for LKH when they go on for a 100 pages and six partners, please already!!).
I'm going to start hounding every person I know to vote. What my friends and neighbors haven't figured out yet, and neither have the Facebook fans, is -- that no vote means no invite to the publishing party when the book finally does sell. And I have user IDs on textnovel, so I know who votes.
Seriously, if they can't log on to a site and give me a vote why am I going to fill them full of food and booze? I'm starting to hate those 'sunshine blowers' that say all the good stuff to my face but won't actually help me in the contest.
Mean people suck. Moving on. Get rid of the negative energy -- time to PLOT!
Enjoy your day!
C.J.
Comments (3)