So Much for that Idea!

For those of you following this blog with fervor, you know I’ve been anxiously awaiting the results of a certain writing contest.  To recap, I entered a young adult novel contest being sponsored by one of the most popular e-book web sites on the internet.  It’s a three round contest, and I’ve been waiting to learn if I'm moving on to round three. The submission period for round two closed on April 30, 2011 so I hoped to hear shortly after that date. Having heard nothing at the time of my last post, I centered my topic on that. 

As a result of some news I received in the interim, I had my latest topic all figured out. Not only did I have it figured out, I’d begun to compose it in my head and was quite pleased with my witty repartee. From the time I began this mental composition until the time of the actual post, I’ve received some entirely different news that forced me to revise my strategy so to speak.

When last you left your heroine (that’s me), I was still waiting to find out if my novel was good enough to advance to the third round. I knew not when I’d learn of my fate. I knew only that if I were to make the third round, I’d have to submit my completed novel no later than May 30, 2011.  Considering the entire novel is already finished, that part didn’t bother me at all. The concerning part was how to post it onto the submission site given the news I received last week. It seems I wasn’t the only author trying to determine when the results would be announced. Given the overwhelming requests for this information, the administrators took pity on the entrants and informed us we’d be notified by May 15, 2011.  That gave competitors only fifteen days from the date of announcement to the date of close to complete and submit their novel. This sent some of my competitors into frenzy since they’re still in the drafting process. Having completed my novel, I wasn’t worried about this. In my true forward thinking nature, I opted to pursue an aggressive course of action.  I took the approach that perhaps I might make round three and needed to begin submitting my novel now so that fans had the chance to read before the round closed.

Seeing as how today is only May 9, 2011 I planned to write about the contest and deadlines and what not but in a different light.  Once again, I’ve been thrown a curve, but this is a happy curve.  The round three finalists were announced today instead of a week from today.  I’m pleased, humbled, excited and elated to report I’ve made the third and final round.

So that idea I had about deadlines and preparation and submissions? So much for that idea! Who knows? Maybe I can save it for another time.