In case you weren't aware, I love contests. Not just the "win a car with a box top from your Rice Krispies package" kind of contests (though I enter those ones, too). My ongoing love/hate relationship is with novel-writing contests, namely because sometimes I love them, and sometimes I don't. ;)

A good friend of mine (cough, Michelle, cough) had the audacity to suggest that I should spend more time writing than entering writing contests. I mean, really. Be productive with my time? But entering contests is productive! I get my hopes up, dashed, strengthened, beaten to a pulp and then raised again. Sometimes all in the same day.

If only exercising could be this much fun!

And it's the close calls that hurt the most. Like one contest this year where my manuscript came in fourth place in the first round, but only the top three went onto the finals. Sob!

Oh, put those tissues away, because, like a good romance novel, this post has a happy ending. ;)

My novel, MEGAN DELANEY: MYSTIC MISFIT, took FIRST PLACE in Young Adult category of the Toronto Romance Writer's Golden Opportunity Contest!

First place! Can you believe it? Megan and I are both thrilled with the news and plan on celebrating this win with some time plotting out the next book in the series (which will be written some time next year, if all goes well).

And this totally makes up for all the times when this novel didn't even come close to winning. At least all the judges I've had have given me some great feedback.

Enough about me. In case you're writing a Young Adult novel and are into entering contests, Mary Kole at Andrea Brown Agency is running a query contest!

Here's the link: http://kidlit.com/kidlit-contest

Labels: adventures, contests, goals, RWA

Wow, it's October. The month of cool days, leaves crunching underfoot and goblins knocking at my door. Gotta love the goblins, especially when they expect treats without wearing a costume. ;)

And, as a total slave to my to-do list, I need to check in on my goals for the year. With winter nipping at my heels, it's time to start thinking about goals for 2010 -- and a good way to determine them is to see if any from 2009 are still sitting there, waiting for a miracle.

Here's where I'm at:

1. Stay active
STATUS: Oh crap.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I talk a really good talk, but I really need to just walk. Now committed to doing 30 minutes a day of any type of activity -- even if that means doing squats and lunges while watching The Biggest Loser.

2. Finish two more books
STATUS: One down, one to go.
Completed book one (hooray!) and have over 50K done on book two, which will need a whole lotta love once I get the first draft complete. Having it done by the end of the year looks totally doable at this point. Gulp!

3. Land a literary agent
STATUS: Working on it!
Do I need to say any more? Didn't think so.

4. Do it already
STATUS: On it!
Have done a whole bunch of things (the game show, flying to Chicago for the day to see the Harry Potter exhibit, joining Facebook) that I would have probably talked myself out of last year. Well, maybe not the game show. ;)

5. Give back
STATUS: In progress (see Goal #6)

6. Declutter
STATUS: On it! (in tandem with Goal #5)
I have no idea how all this stuff got into our home. The piles are slowly diminishing and we're trying out best not to add a bunch of new stuff to the mix.

7. Quality time
STATUS: This still needs work.
Again, I seem to be able to put off gathering easier than anything else on my to-do list. And Facebook makes it easier to sit at home and pretend I'm a social animal. LOL

8. Time off
STATUS: Done!
Thanks economic downturn! My overstuffed schedule is now totally manageable. ;)

9. Let go
STATUS: In progress
Yeah, it's a slow and steady work in progress, but changes take time, right? Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

10. Laugh more
STATUS: On it!
The achievement of this goal has been made possible by America's Next Top Model, Glee and some other reality TV programs that should not be on the air in the first place. LOL

Whew! Those goal sure have given me a bunch of stuff to work on. Let's just hope I can get more crossed off my the end of the year.

How about you? How are your goals for 2009 holding up?

Labels: fun, goals, ideas