Yes, that’s right… I’m committed. Now before you jump up and shout “It’s about time! I’ve been saying you should be committed for years…”, I’ve got to break the sad news that it’s not that kind of committed.
The committed I’m talking about today is the commitment to The Writing Show’s “First Chapter Contest”. I know I said I would be doing it; heck I even challenged the other SWNers just to put some additional pressure on myself (or was it on them? I’m never quite clear on that point). So what’s the big newsflash?
Well… I went ahead and paid my entry fee. Pretty heady stuff! And no, I haven’t actually submitted my first chapter yet, but I will. Honest!
The fact is, the submission is largely done. By largely, I mean it needs a few more edits to make it… well the word perfect immediately came to mind, but I don’t think that’s quite it. How about better? I’m not sure what I’d do if I achieved perfection (probably throw away my pen and paper knowing it wouldn’t ever happen again).
This has to be the most time-intensive part of writing for me. That whole editing until it’s ready thing. I know, it was one of the major setbacks when I wrote my first book. Because I was writing the book as part of a writing course (see previous blog entry), I always wanted to put my best foot forward.
So I would have the draft finished in a matter of hours and then over the course of the next few weeks I’d edit and re-edit what I’d written. Not a great way to achieve productivity, let me tell you. Still, some degree of editing is necessary if you want to turn out something that’s not complete crap.
Now, where was I?
Oh yes, my commitment to the “First Chapter Contest”. I don’t know how I’ll fare, but I’m definitely looking forward to getting my entry submitted. The feedback will be great, of course, and I’ll have a fantastic opportunity to get my writing seen by a broader audience. Both items I haven’t had much of lately.
Do I expect to win? Well… YES… and at the same time NO. After all, I’ve never submitted my work for anything like this before. I should expect to walk before I run, right?
Still, if I didn’t think that my writing would be acceptable, I’m not sure if I’d continue in the same way. Don’t get me wrong, I’d still write. The difference is, I wouldn’t worry about anyone except me. And, I probably wouldn’t submit it to publishers.
I AM hoping to make this into a career of some kind eventually.
So I guess you could say that my commitment extends beyond just the “First Chapter Contest”. I also want to get my work seen, enjoyed and most importantly, published in some form that will become a career.
Maybe I should have called my article “Aspirations” instead.
Have a great week!
