Why haven’t I been actively blogging the last few months? I could go with the I-have-a-full-time-job excuse or I could say I haven’t had a crazy life experience to share worth writing about. While those excuses may be true, they aren’t the real reason behind my lack of blogs.
The truth is, I have been working on a novel. Before you start cheering over this announcement, please understand I’m dreading the thought as I type this. I blog. I write scripts. I occasionally write a witty email, but a whole novel? Why would I bother with that, when I could write a movie script much faster and with the potential of financial gain?
A few months back, Hallmark created a publishing branch of their company and opened the door to amateur writers who were interested in submitting their work for review. My further hope, while it may not be a reality, was that these submissions could eventually be turned into movies.
I had to capitalize on this chance to send them something I’ve written. However, I quickly discovered they were only taking novels between 65,000-85,000 words in length, not movie scripts. As painful as it would be to write a whole book, I figured if it got me noticed, it could be worth it. It didn’t stop me from whining about the massive word count until I wanted to slap myself silly. I began to chip away at the story and it was slow going. Shocker.
Imagine being on a sailboat in the middle of the ocean and although you have enough items on board to keep you alive, you have no idea what you are doing or what direction will lead you home. A few weeks ago, Hallmark announced that as of September 3rd, they would no longer be taking any unagented submissions. (Let’s pause briefly while I freak out).
Consider the proverbial fire-under-the-butt lit. I might as well kiss my social life (limited as it may be) goodbye. At this point, I’ve written 17,000 words. For those not doing the math, that’s writing 1,200 words a day to get this done with enough time to have beta readers review it and for me to make revisions. I now have a limited time frame before the door of opportunity closes.
When sharing this panic induced state with friends and family, they casually reply “you can do it.” I’m not sure if that is their lack luster attempt at encouragement or if they are just trying to shut me up since they would prefer I stop whining about my personal problems. It doesn’t change the fact I will remain in a semi-state of panic until this novel is finished. With that said, if you pray, keep me in your prayers. If you think good thoughts, send them my way. For those who are curious about the novel, I’ve posted the synopsis below.
Disclaimer: It’s like Hallmark Channel cake with Hallmark Christmas Movie icing and a dash of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries sprinkled on the top. If that’s not your gig, you can feel free to check out my other project “The Bride Collector” once they get the funding to produce it.
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