Making the cut

A few months ago I entered a writing competition.  It was hosted by the Ipswich District Teacher Librarian Network – or something close to that – I can never get their name straight!!  Anyway, it was a national competition for junior novels and picture books.  I submitted two of my favourite manuscripts- Samuel’s Kisses and Rosie’s Glasses.  I remembered yesterday that I had entered but couldn’t remember when the competition was to be judged.  So I fossicked around for their website and checked it out.  Lo and behold, my name appears on the shortlist!!  My favourite picture book ever, Samuel’s Kisses, is one of 12 books that will be presented to an Omnibus publisher for judging.  Regardless of whether I win or not, I’m stoked.  I made the cut!  What a nice surprise. 

The Snowflake Method – nearly there!

I mentioned in an earlier blog entry about my wonderful discovery of the “Snowflake Method”.  I am please to report it continues to both amaze and delight me.  A brain child of Randy Ingermanson, The Snowflake Method is a step-by-step guide for turning that wonderful idea into a reality.  I have ideas.  Lots of ideas.  Too many ideas to ever follow through on all of them!  What I haven’t had thus far, is the capacity to turn those ideas into something concrete, something someone else can read, something that has the words ‘the end’ and a last page.  There are 10 steps in the Snowflake Method and being the perfectionistic character that I am, I am of course, working through each step in an orderly fashion.  Here’s a summary of how it works:

NaNoWriMo – The Tower

I’m getting excited.  In 2 more weeks it will be November, and on November 1st I can finally start writing “The Tower”.  As I’ve mentioned before, I have started – and not finished – half a dozen or so novels.  This one is going to be different.  Seriously.  I may have told myself that with the other 6 that patiently await my attention again, but this time I’m certain.  So what’s made the difference?