The Stakes get Raised

So, I knew that this project was going to be hard. Writing is something that I love to do... But it's never been something that I have developed beyond that. A few short notes that met their end crumpled on the floor behind a dresser, some short stories that sit hidden in a file still without an ending. I know the basics of grammar and can stumble my way through a few sentences without relying solely on the computer's spell-checker. But I don't know how to string my thoughts together into a book; nor do I know how to present these thoughts - once compiled - into a presentation for an editor or publisher. Or how to convince them that my thoughts - my book - are worthy of publication.

So many things to think about. And it dawned on me last night as I was reviewing my header and chapter headings that I still had time. After all, it's not as though there is a time limit. That's when it struck me - that not having an exact time limit would make this project even harder for me to finish.

I needed a deadline or else this manuscript would most definitely end up an unfinished mess, with only the two or three meager posts of a blog that could ever serve as proof of its existence.

So, how to set a deadline for the edits that I need to make? That is where my husband is a genius. He found a writing contest being featured at Suvudu.

March 18, 2011. That is the deadline now set for me to get most of these changes made and have this manuscript ready to submit. If I win, I receive an editorial review and consideration for publication... If not, then it's back to the writing board for more edits and time to find a new deadline ;)