So, as some of you might have read over at The Write Hemisphere there's a first YA novel contest at Delecorte. The prize is pretty sweet and the deadline is the end of December. Since I have 1/3 of a YA novel just sitting aorund, I think I'm going to try and finish it and polish it and send it to them.

I was planning on starting back in on it anyway in October for Mike Jasper's novel dare. Hell, the only reason I'm not working on it already is that I had this idea that I'd polish up one other story and get it in circulation before diving back into the novel.

But, you know what? I'm not polishing up that story. "Skatebirding" is pretty good, but not up to "SWF" or "Famishing" standards, and it needs a lot of work regardless. And I can't seem to think of a story idea that suits me. So. So, I think I'm just going to print out what I have of the YA, read it, go over my notes, and dive back in.

I was going pretty steady on this thing back in May (before Wiscon). I was surprised with my own dedication, the willingness to sit down and crank out 1000 words a night. It was a nice rhthym, actually, putting that work in every night, and I kind of miss it. And I already know what happens, I don't have to create characters out of whole cloth or come up with a reasonable plot, like I'd have to do for a story.

Plus, let's face it: I'm better with a deadline. My new goal is to finish a draft by, um, Halloween? Revise it twice in November. Have Tim line edit it to death in early December and send it off Priority Mail around Xmas.

I will be taking volunteers who are willing to read and crit lightning fast in early November :-)

Whoo-hoo! I'm pretty excited about this, actually! Being competitive is not all bad :-)