Moving Forward

This week, I want to write something more upbeat. I've noticed that most of my posts are on the negative and insecure side, but I'm really not a glass-half-empty-person, I hope. So I'm going to try to come up with something positive this week.

I have decided to send my manuscript off to an editing agency. I've grappled with that idea for several weeks. After asking for the opinions of those more experienced, I concluded that it wouldn't hurt to get the help of a professional. I am blessed with a wonderful husband who sees this as a career investment and hopefully I will learn both my strengths and my weaknesses and end up with a better product.

I also entered a writing contest this week. The contest, called "Hook Me,"is put on by ACFW-Ohio. Writers enter the first 1,000 words of their manuscripts and a 300 word back cover blurb and the judges score how attention-grabbing it is. I am most looking forward to the feedback from the judges. Results should be determined by December 1st.

Also, unrelated to Sarah Cameron, I am developing one or two other stories. I am about halfway done with the development of the first. I'm having fun trying to do this next book the "right" way. Not that there is a right way, necessarily, but I'm trying more of an outline approach. In some ways, it's a little hard. I really want to get the characters out of my head. Having half a dozen people up there talking can be a distraction. But the development is also fun and I hope that the book will write faster and edit faster when I've taken the time to know where the story is going and how it's going to get there.

So there you go. I've put aside my fears this week and am moving forward. Next week, I hope I will have more progress to report on at least one of the three areas I mentioned this week.