My first CP called with questions about her plot and just to talk in general with me. We discussed my plan for the MS and querying it. And we discussed how to get an external Story Goal going for her women's fiction novel. I was glad I could help her brainstorm as she's been so generous in reading my queries, fixing them, and reading my BLAZE style novels (she isn't typically a category romance reader LOL).
My second CP called to share her GH scores. Three 9s and two 5s! I get the 9s--she's fantastic--but the 5s? Weird. Any rate, she missed finaling in the GH by 1 point. I was fine with my middling scores cause I expected worse and I know this MS can be reentered in its current version. Will it final? Who knows? Maybe I'll have it on an editor's desk at that point and the question will be moot. But I understand her frustration. Here she has finaled in the Dauphne and the Sheila, but she receives two 5s alongside three 9s? That's tough to understand. I just said it's a done deal, she's a fabulous writer, and now we must move on after I sympathized.
I wonder why I am so *shrugging shoulders* about my scores? I guess I didn't attach too much emotion into the results. I had already figured out I wouldn't final after I got my comments back from the Linda Howard Award of Excellence. I got great feedback, and I got honest feedback. My scores for that contest were high (in the 90s) and I almost finaled, but the feedback indicated to me there was a major flaw in my heroine/hero's first meeting and I needed to address that flaw. I knew then I wouldn't final in the GH so I was pretty much resigned to it. And I was happy to score anything above a 5 on the score sheet. TG I got at least two decent scores (7, 8.7). And the novel is changed now. It's fixed.
As CP number 1 says, "It's all fixable."
Now I am preparing to sign up for my editor/agent appointments tomorrow morning (wahoo!). I am nervous and excited about it. I hope I get into the chair facing my targeted category HQN editor! I'll be online early tomorrow to sign up.
Monday afternoon I will prep my two contest entries for the June 1 deadline and send them off on Tuesday.
Goals for the week are basic:
*continue revision in mornings
*sign up for editor/agent appointments at RWA Conference
*prepare two contest entries: Maggies and Reveal Your Inner Vixen
*research agents
*order business cards with pseudonym, order pens with my info on it, order postcards with my info on it
*encourage my new writing buddy in her goal to finish her first draft by June 30th.
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