Seems to work...
That (setting up the blog) was surprisingly easy, I thought. Though there are some inconsistencies that no doubt I'll get to grips with in time.So, now that InApt Words is up and running I suppose I'll have to post something actually relevant. Such as what's happening about novel number two.
While the first one is languishing at the bottom of some prospective (Hah!) agent's slushpile, I've been pushing ahead with the next, on the basis that I may not get even the tiniest nibble at the first for six months or more.
All well and good: the second novel's first draft is two-thirds finished (great!), but I haven't touched it for two weeks (not so great). And what's even less great is that the way it was going two weeks ago -- what with various plot revisions and restructuring -- it looks like my estimate of 100,000 words might be a bit short. It could well end up (like the first one) at about 130,000. Which makes my 'two-thirds finished' boast sound a little inflated.
But I had an excuse, honest! Monday is the deadline for the BBC's End Of Story contest. I had 1200 words in which to finish one of eight short stories by best-selling authors. Prizes are debatable: Fame (of sorts), but no money. And no copyright, even if I lose. Probably the worst contest conditions I've come across.
So why did I enter?
Mercenary motives. Winners get publicity (and a chance to spend time with the author -- what kind of a prize is that?), and I reasonably thought that a winning entry would demonstrate writing proficiency enough to warrant interest in my as-yet unpublished novels.
I deliberately left myself limited time to enter the contest. Not because I work better under pressure (not true, I think), but because I didn't want to spend too much time on it. With a writing assignment like that, I find there's the temptation to be endlessly tinkering, to the extent that I'll revise the life out of it. As it was, even as I stuffed the envelope into the post box (no email submissions permitted...) I was considering how I could have improved some particular aspect of the thing.
Nevertheless, I did it, and posted it. Now I can forget about it. Probably forever.
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