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Because I expect to be published one day, and because many of my friends seem to be signing contracts these days, I've been giving thought to my public image. Sure, I'll never get the chance to press charges against the paparazzi. I'll never have to wear a wig and big weird sunglasses to avoid a potential fan mob. But eventually, you will be able to Google my name and come up with a picture of me. And the more I think about it, the more I want that picture to be professionally done.

We hear talk about how author websites need to appear professional, efficient, and informative. So then, your author pic next to your bio shouldn't be of you in hair curlers, or you sliding down a suspicious looking pole. Probably you don't want the camera-phone picture your best friend took of you with that big glob of ketchup on your chin.

Does a good picture have to be expensive? Nope. Should you hire a professional photographer? Probably. You want to put your best face forward (and if you're a woman, you know you have variety of faces) so you don't want to leave that public image up to chance, flash, thumbs, zits, or lighting that makes you look recently resurrected. Sure, you don't want to spend a fortune, but you don't necessarily have to. Maybe you could exchange advertising favors. Maybe you could negotiate the price, or get a discount for referrals.

Bottom line though, I plan to use a professional. What about you?

NOT GONNA HAPPEN

I think it's safe to say I won't be making the RWA Golden Heart deadline this year. I've got 36k words of a 65k word manuscript, and while I'd love to hurry up and register my place in the contest, there's this itty-bitty section that makes you promise the manuscript is complete. I. JUST. CAN'T. DO IT.

So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna say that I have faith in my current WIP. That after it's spanked by my critique partners, after it's trimmed by the shaking scissors of self-editing, after it's shining so brightly I can use it to find my way to the bathroom at night: I have faith it will earn me an agent. Who will then win over a publishing editor. Who will offer me enough money that I can buy myself a flashlight instead of re-breaking the same toe on the corner of the door while I shuffle my way to the 2 am meeting.

So my question to you is: Have you or anyone you know ever landed an agent/publishing contract from entering a contest? And how often do you participate in writing contests, and what are your likes and dislikes about them? (No need to name specific ones, generalizing will do).

IN THE MOOD

What gets you in the mood to write? For me personally, it's music. I've always been a fan of movie soundtracks. Maybe that's because the key points in movies are always accompanied by music to enhance the impression made on the audience. "What a Feeling" from Flashdance, "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun, "Must Have Been Love" from Pretty Woman, "I Will Always Love You" from the Body Guard, "Eye of the Tiger" from Rocky, and so on.

When I'm prepping to write a particular scene, I listen to music beforehand. If I'm writing a fight scene, I'll select something with a fast pace, and it will probably be hard rock or some hateful rap (edited, though). Something that makes me want to scrap. If I'm writing a first-kiss scene, I usually go for 80's love songs, because they tend to be sweeter, and they build to a climax, like a first-kiss. And if my character is overwhelmed by loss, well, then, there are plenty of depressing songs out there for that.

But what gets you in the mood? Meditation? Reading other works in your genre? Exercise?

LOSING MOMENTUM

Okay, so not as many words this week as last week. I only churned out 6k words, so I'm at a total of about 23k words. What I'm finding is that I'm more meticulous in word selection now. And being meticulous is time-consuming. While my word-count goal is still important, I don't want to rush this story. This story needs to be told, but it needs to be told right.

A few of you mentioned that I don't have to submit it the very first day the contest opens. While I want to get as close to that date as possible, all of it would be a waste if I turned in a rushed manuscript. It would be like baking a cake but forgetting a key ingredient. It looks delicious, the icing is pretty, but when you dig in...something is missing.

I don't want the judges to spit my manuscript in their napkins. So, meticulous it is. Is this the right decision?

Progress Report

I promised to give weekly updates on my WIP, as I've set a break-neck word count goal in order to whip my WIP in shape for the RWA Golden Heart Contest. The result? Since my last post, I added 10k words to my manuscript, for a total of about 14.5k words. While it falls short of my goal of 2166 words a day, you must take into consideration that Mockingjay came out Tuesday. 'Nuff said.

I will say that the more I write, the more I enjoy my story, and well, the more I write. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some dialogue that's screaming to be written!

The Countdown: A Procrastinator's Motivation

Well, I've set an idiotic goal for myself. And now I'm telling people about the goal, so there's no backing out. I've decided I want to enter my YA romance in the RWA Golden Heart Contest this year. Thing is, I only have about 5K words into it right now, at 6:53 am on August 21st. And entries open in exactly one month.

I've entered the figures on my dollar-store calculator: 2,166.66 words a day for the next 30 days.

Here are the Cons: I work full time. I have a family. I will probably need to eat and sleep at some point. We're also moving in the next month. The finished product will not have a whole lot of time for editing before I enter it.

Here are the Pros: I've cleared it with my boss to use my work computer at lunch to write. I already know how my story is going to go. I have the most awesome critique partner on the planet who said, "Go for it, and send me chapters as you finish them and I will edit/critique and get them back to you quickly." My husband has agreed to give me as much writing time as humanly possible.

So, can this be done? Any tips on how to do it?

I will post weekly to update work count progress.

Outlines and Stilettos

I know writers who plot every twist and turn in their story. Who can write from a synopsis. I admire this kind of writer. I am not this kind of writer. Which surprises me. Every other aspect of my life is done by schedule. I pre-plan what I will eat for the week, when I will workout. I pre-plan my savings to accommodate big purchases. If I have a problem, I devise a plan to fix it, then follow said plan. I am an itinerary kind of person.

Except when I write. To me, outlines are like stilettos. They look nice, but aren't meant for long-distance travel. Like chapter two. Or up a flight of stairs. Or three stairs.

The point is, I can only plot so much before it feels wrong, like when you accidentally get in the shower with your bra on. Something just doesn't feel right. Like I'm being stifled during the one time I get to be really free.

So, um, what about you? To plot or not to plot? Stilettos or flip flops?