Five for Friday

1. First off a big thanks to Ruth for giving me the Versatile Blogger award. It happened a while back but since my memory is slowly failing me, I kept forgetting to mention it. Go check out her blog from the link above.

2. I realized this week that I'm making my character do something in my manuscript because I want her to, not because it's what she would do. Now I need to go back and fix this screw up on my part. But it's going to add tension to the story and make it more of a page turner, which is good. It'll also cut my word count, which is also desperately needed. Why am I hesitating? Nano is a few days away, and writing a new project while overhauling my other story seems daunting. But at the same time, I took some time off recently and it has really refreshed me. I think I might be up for the task because of it. And I always love a good challenge.

3. There's a contest going over at confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com to have your query critiqued. By an actual agent. How much does that rock? The window is slim so set your clocks and do another do-over of your query before submitting. I have to say, I got some great feed back from Steph, but it's always nice to get another critique. I'm a perfectionist and I really want my query to sparkle. I seriously hate queries. I've gotten better at them over time, but they are still the bane of my existence. And so much is riding on it! Gah!

4. I've been thinking a lot about what I want from this writing gig. An agent? Yes. To be published? Yes. Fame and money? Well, money would be nice but I'm not so sure about the fame part. I've said before that I have realistic expectations, the kind that have prepared me for years of struggling, but that's not to say i'm looking forward to it. Well, I am looking forward to the pay-off, not so much the gut twisting agony of rejection. I get excited whenever I read a post by fellow bloggers after they can finally announce their hard work has paid off, and that they are now agented. It gives me hope. Please keep posting this good stuff, along with the aftermath of gaining representation. I love reading about edits and how hard you all are still working because it helps prepare me even more for what might come. So congrats to all of you with agents, I hope I can join your ranks sooner rather than later.

5. In other news, I finally convinced the hubs to watch the first season of Th Walking Dead. Zombies freak me out, I have an unfounded fear of them. I even have an escape plan in case of a zombie apocalypse. Zombies: it's one of those ideas that is so far fetched that you wonder why you're scared. But I am. And why do I subject myself to this show with this fear? Because it's fantastic. The writing is incredible, and really, I watch because of the characters. It's not a show for the queasy, there is blood and guts. But if you can get beyond that, awesome show. Now if only I can get him on board with Doctor Who...that might be asking for too much, I'm afraid.

Have a great weekend all!