Sunday, April 22, 2012

Crazy in Indiana

Yeah, what else is new? Life is crazy as all get-out. For the last month or so I have juggled like five different writing projects. I love it! I am feeling more productive than ever. A couple of months ago, I had read an old copy of Family Circle and learned that they held an annual writing contest. So, I wrote a story for it and sent it off, with my eyes, fingers and toes crossed! Then, I read that Writer’s Digest also has an annual contest and wrote a story specifically for that. There is an entry fee of $25.00 and I heard on a writer’s forum that in 2009, that at least 8,000 people competed. It’s all very daunting. I go back and forth on what to do. I don’t want to see my money wasted, but if I place, it will all be worth it. Decisions, decisions… The deadline is May 15th. I’ll probably stew about this and on the 14th send it out. That’s how I usually operate. Then I visited one of my favorite websites, charitysplace.com and on the back page of her latest issue of Femnista, there were two openings left to write an article about a favorite literary heroine and the creator. I took a chance and asked if I could write one of the articles, and listed three heroines and their respective authors. Finally, I settled on Scout Finch and Harper Lee. And what do you know, for a first attempt at a biographical piece/essay, I nailed it. The article will appear in the June/July issue of Femnista. Super excited!!!! Happy, happy, joy, joy!!! And, as I speak (or should I say, write) an agent is looking over WIP #1. At first she rejected it out right, but after I asked her why, she suggested I revise it and then send it to her again. And I did. So, I am on pins and needles. I try not to slip into the abyss of false hope and keep my expectations low. Other than that, I don’t have much to report. Well, last Tuesday I attended a banquet for the Crisis Pregnancy Center. I had never been to a benefit before. Very awesome and I did really well there. In the past I had chronic anxiety attacks and new places/big buildings tended to make me nervous. I still do have anxiety attacks, but for some reason, I can control them better (or have a better reaction). The panic started to build as I entered the Hulman Center, but once I was seated, I calmed down. So that’s a huge praise. It’s nice to finally live life and not be confined by nonexistent boundaries. Anyway, that’s it for my monthly update. Until next time!