What to do now?

Okay, so the pooch is doing okay. She eats grass and throws up every other day or so, but I know that's because she has a tummy ache and is getting a natural antacid. At least there's no more bleeding. She looks good (although frailer) and is active, enjoying her walks, eating well, going potty. What else is there in life? I swear I'm coming back as a dog in my next life, although, knowing my luck I'd belong to someone not as loving as me. ; )

I'm finished with the rough draft of my latest story. What to do now? This is the hard part. I know I have to let it sit unread for a while, then go in and rewrite, revise, reshape once I can read it again with new eyes. Well, they're still the old worn out eyes, but you get my drift. I have the synopsis done and there's this contest I'd love to enter. I've always jumped the gun in the past and sent off three chapters without revising the entire manuscript, and then I've kicked myself when I got the results. Even if I scored high, or placed, I knew what had been shaped over the months of waiting for the results was so much better, and that I'd shot myself in the foot by rushing. You only get one chance to get your work in front of that final editor or agent.

But I want to enter this contest. This specific contest. Not some other contest. I sound like a spoiled brat. But I wonder, is what I have the best I can do? I have shaped this story as I've written. And this time I'm working with a wonderful critique partner. Decisions, decisions. Maybe I'll let it sit for two weeks, and then revise for one. I'd still have time to meet the deadline. I'm beginning to sense a plan forming.

I got my results back from the annual Golden Heart contest. They don't provide comments or critique, just scores, but you can tell by your scores how well your story is received by your peers. There are five judges and the entry is scored from one through nine, with five being average. There are three tiers. This year I made it into the top tier but didn't final, you need to have eighty percent, which I did have but they can only choose the top eight scorers in each category. My scores were great, and I'm very happy, although part of me is sad that I was so close. I felt like the swimmer who came in second by a score of 112th of a second or something equally as ridiculous.

Oh, well. There's always next year. ; )