Writing Wrongs

December 21, 2006

Today�s Radio Disney earworm: If We Were a Movie by Hannah Montana

Auction update: My gift basket went for $90.00 (or was it $95.00? Gah! I can�t remember), and we raised $2,600 for Second Harvest Heartland.

The other day, I was thumbing my nose at the universe. It was, if you recall, obligated to give me a sign. I remember responding with a rather sarcastic toss me a bone, already.

Let�s review what has happened since then:

An editor emailed me about a creative nonfiction piece I submitted. She wanted to okay a few edits with me before sending it up to the senior editors for review. Not an acceptance, but it�s still in the race.

The synopsis for Geek Girl�s Guide (just the synopsis, mind you) placed first in the ByLine Magazine synopsis contest. I�ll try not to spend those forty bucks all in one place. Seriously, I�ve been trying for years to snag the top slot. Lots of honorable mentions, and once I got third for a character sketch, but that first place was elusive.

The Geek Girl�s Guide to Cheerleading is a finalist in The Duel on the Delta contest in the YA category. I have a history with this contest. It was my very, very first writing contest. And I always tank. Always. No exception.

Well, except for the obvious. The first year I entered, I didn�t just get a low score from a judge, she called not only my hero, but me and my story immoral. It was my first run in with one of the self-appointed RWA morality police, and boy was I confused. I have since learned to ignore these people. (But for the record, I had split scores: one relatively high and one low, and my entry went to a discrepancy judge, who scored it fairly high.)

The second time I entered, it was partly my fault. I mistook the �mainstream� category for mainstream with romantic elements. When I got my packet back and saw the score sheet, it was clearly slanted for �romance not aimed at Harlequin category romance.� And yes, India Charlie tanked hard. In retrospect, I wished I had known. There were no score sheets or even a category description on the site before I entered, so I didn�t have a clue.

So, I was a little leery about entering a third time, but figured at least I couldn�t screw up the category.

Anyway, I feel a little strange now, after this three-in-a-row whammy. Ever play with a Ouija board and freak when it moved? Or stand in a quiet house and say, �If there is a God, give me a sign?� Then a picture frame falls from the wall and crashes on the floor?

It�s kind of like that.

Charity Tahmaseb wrote at 9:50 a.m.

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