WooHoo!

I'm soooo proud of myself right now!!! I kicked some word count booty today, girlfriends!! It's amazing what can be accomplished when you don't have a five-year-old attached to the hip. My mom has my nephews and wanted my little one to have a play day and slumber party...all night...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I've actually been able to write a full paragraph without stopping to answer a question or break up a battle between the boys. Wow. This is pretty dang cool. It'll be really nice next school year when both boys are in school....full time!

Hope you're reaching your goals today!!

Critique Partners

I love my critique partners. All of you. I'm very lucky to have found such an eclectic group of friends...each of us on the same journey to publication. I am sooo impressed with the friends and pubbed authors I've met through networking on eHarlequin.com.

My goal this week is to work on crits over the weekend and to write during the week. But one of the things I keep coming back to is my current chapter for my Desire ms that is up for crits. I've received a wide variety of comments and suggestions...all worth their weight in gold. Because whether I choose to use them or not, they make me think. It also helps to have someone there to tame my wandering brain. I think I was trying to be an overachiever and cram as much in the first chapter as I could.

Anyhoo...I've completed the outline and have a solid idea on which direction to go. My goal this week:

Monday ~ Synopsis, Rework Chapter 1
Tuesday ~Chapter 2
Wednesday ~ Chapter 3
Thursday ~ Chapter 4
Friday ~ Chapter 5
Saturday ~ Critiques and Chapter 6
Sunday ~ Critiques and Chapter 7

My plan is to get up early before my little rug-rat wakes up running at mach speed. Complete a scene and take a break for breakfast and an activity with my little one. The rest of the day will be a struggle to work on completing the chapter with kiddos running wild and wanting something everytime I sit down and get rolling. Dinner and get little one to bed...shower and work til I pass out.

I did this with NaNo WriMo...I think I can, I think I can...I'm going to do it again.

Argghhhh!

I'm stuck. The words flowed when I was developing the series backstory and story summaries. I was happy with my first chapter in the first book. Got back several great crits, some so-so and a couple that made me really think about the direction I was going.

So now? I'm stuck. Frustrated. Aarrgghhhh! I need to be writing furiously right now to be done in time for the pitch. But if the first couple of chapters are off...not going to work.

Maybe if I go back to several of the books I've read lately and dissect the first chapters...

Hope everyone else is feeling positive and productive!! Happy writing.

Synopsis

I know alot of my writer friends have expressed angst at putting together an effective synopsis. I've googled and searched various sites to give me some type of 'aha' moment...had a couple of 'ok, I can do this' moments but nothing really hit me with an exploding lightbulb.

I haven't had time to really go through all of Bron's articles but thought I'd check out the one with synopsis advice so I can prepare my Desire submission. I've decided that even if I'm not picked for the online pitch or Aussie's critique opportunity, I'm going to at least send in my partial to the Silhouette Desire line.

I love the Maureen Child's 'California Kings' series and almost anything Diana Palmer writes is a good read for me. But I wished they had more western storylines. Hopefully my storyline/series will peak some interest with one of the editors...

Here's the article. Enjoy and have a great weekend!!!

Bronwyn Jameson: Sample of a Short Synopsis

Good things happen if you'll just open your eyes!

So I was like...working *cough-cough* and noticed my name on a post by a buddy of mine (Thanks Jennifer!!!). She was sending out congrats to me for being a finalist in a contest I had entered. I'd pretty much given up on hoping because they were supposed to have announced the winners by May 30th and nothing has been updated on the website as of this morning. AND...I never received notification. It probably wound up in my junk mail folder and I didn't recognise the name or the subject matter and trashed it.

Congrats also goes out to my OKRWA chaptermate Robin Perini for being a finalist...twice! She finaled in two categories!! You go girl!!

WooHoo!!!

This is the ms I'd entered in their contest last year and didn't follow guidelines. (I'll play stupid since it was my first ms and first contest!) It is a first chapter contest where they score 30 points on the hero/heroine first interaction. Mine didn't meet until chapter two...but I still scored a 71 and 79. Go figure. I later won an online pitch through eHQ and was rejected. I made the changes the editor suggested and decided to try the Dixie contest again to see how they liked the ms now.

WooHoo!!

The Magnolia State Romance Writers Chapter of RWA is pleased to announce the finalists of the 12th Annual Dixie First Chapter Contest.

Contemporary

Kiss Me Cowboy
CHELLE SANDELL (See me Snoopy Dance!!)


Proof And Consequences
DONNA MEIER

Texas Hold'er
JUNE LOVE

Historical

Maiden Widow
VICTORIA WHITAKER

The Masquerading Duke
STEPHIE SMITH

Fatal Fortune
JOANNE BARNABA

Inspirational

Dead Letter
C J EERNISSE CHASE

Undercover Marriage
KELLY ANN RILEY

Knowing Grace
DEBRA E MARVIN

Paranormal/Futuristic/Time Travel

Fallen Angels In Paradise
CATHY LEMING

Dark Guardian
ROBIN L PERINI

Bluebeard's Hunger
ELLA DRAKE

Romantic Suspense

In Cold Storage
KATHY-DIANE LEVEILLE

Truth And Consequences
ROBIN L PERINI

Pleasant Lake P.D.
KELLY FITZPATRICK

Super Sexy

Heart for Hire
MARY RHYAN

Rock Hard
DEE CYMBER

Waking The Witch
LISA WHITEFERN