Am back from the 'burbs...got 2.5 hours of sleep last night (had to get up at 4AM to get to the airport!) and then went to work (though got there at 11AM and left at 5:30PM...I'm sure it looked bad, but it's not like I was getting anything done!!). Now am attempting to stay awake for a bit, and then go to bed early.

Nora and Tom's party sounds really fun!!

I'm going to miss Peter Jennings. Sigh.

Raq, I'm sorry the bastards have you over a barrel for the stupid DSL. Dang.

The strawberry mascarpone sorbet sounds really yummy.

Oh, and I like the idea of a buffista cookbook. I'd put in a couple cookie recipes!

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Seems to me that you just answered yourself right there. The contests seem to make you doubt yourself and that doesn't seem productive.

Unless, of course, the contest results are revealing a flaw in my writing that somehow isn't revealed in ordinary critiquing. But AmyLiz is certainly the expert here, and I do write out-of-the-box, though not to the degree Diana Gabaldon does. So far I've only actually seen the scoresheets for two of the six contests I've entered, so I don't really know if there's a pattern. In one, all the judges gave me high scores and positive comments, but just not quite high enough to final. In another, I got mediocre scores and comments that amounted to, "You're a very strong writer, but I'm not so sure about this story. It's certainly not what you expect from a Regency, and maybe it's a little too dark."

But yeah, I'm thinking of just giving up on all of them except maybe the Golden Heart, because moving ahead of the Pros in the line to get editor/agent appointments at National, and not just the year you final but forever after, seems worth buying what amounts to a lottery ticket. Plus, I'm using it as an incentive to get the thing finished and at least somewhat edited by the deadline.

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But yeah, I'm thinking of just giving up on all of them except maybe the Golden Heart,

Makes a LOT of sense to me, just because the payoff on the GH can be so big. (Not necessarily, though; the GH for Regency this year went to a woman who'd won it twice before, and yet she's still unsold.)

Be warned, though: As of this year, entries to the Golden Heart will get priority if the author also agrees to judge entries. (Get priority if they run out of slots, that is.) I expect this to lead to a flood of judges who can't set aside their own prejudices.

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The postal service in Menlo Park sucks.

Could be the fact that I mailed it from way up here in the boonies, too. Anyway, enjoy! The disco nightlight was one of my favorites.

But AmyLiz is certainly the expert here

Well, that's relative. And I know for a fact there are lot of editors out there who are much more dedicated and, um, nicer than I was when I was being overworked into an early ulcer working.

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I got a distinctly positive reply from actuarial student. Only issue is that I'm separated; but I strongly approve of the way she approached the issue. She asked if there's a chance of me getting back together with Bec, because she'd never get in the way of something like that.

Oh, and she's also threatening to psychoanalyse me. Foolish mortal. "So what school of psychoanalysis do you favour? Freud, Jung, maybe Lacan?" "...Lovecraft."

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I expect this to lead to a flood of judges who can't set aside their own prejudices.

And this is different from current contest judges how? (she says with weary exasperation)

Though I may be as guilty of this as anyone. I'm capable of giving very high scores to stories that aren't my thing if they're well done--most of my perfect and near-perfect scores have been for frothily light Regencies, albeit not ones with glaring historical errors. But I'm easier on goal-motivation-conflict and harder on historical errors, misplaced commas, and asshole heroes than some judges because of where my priorities lie.

I do like that the GH just assigns an overall number. I hate when as a judge I'm forced to score something higher than it deserves because "hero" is just ten points on the 250-point scoresheet, or to mark down brilliant writing because it doesn't quite follow all the Rules of Romance Writing. And I like to hope my writing will do a bit better when it's not being exhaustively dissected. We'll see.

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Only issue is that I'm separated; but I strongly approve of the way she approached the issue. She asked if there's a chance of me getting back together with Bec, because she'd never get in the way of something like that.

I think it's a fair question. And one you can answer quite honestly and well, I am sure.

"...Lovecraft."

Heh.

I have to call the client from hell. Don't wanna. Want to go play with animals at the Wild Animal Park.

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No, Cindy, I didn't call. But it sounds like you had a crazed panicky too-much-happening sort of day already, without trying to sandwich a visit with an out-of-towner in among the red allergic child and the clinic staff-murdering impulses and all. Oh, you poor thing. And I'm so glad that Christopher, who is okay, is okay. But neither of you should have to have gone through that.

ION, I apparently continue to be vibe-y. I was scheduled to meet with JonB and FAQ Wife for lunch today in Harvard Square. I got there first and was puttering around the giant international newsstand when JonB showed up. There was greeting and hugging and happy chatting while we awaited FAQ Wife.

Whom I spotted first, crossing the street from the direction of the Curious George bookstore. I raised a hand in greeting, but she gave me a blank bloodless stare. Oh, crap, I thought, something seriously evil must have happened at work this morning. As she drew nearer, the blank stare clarified itself into a death glare that could have felled armies. "Um, hi, honey?" Jon said uncertainly.

She tasered him with her eyeballs, trained her death-ray on me -- and then melted into a puddle of big-eyed shocked relief. "JZ! JZ! OMGWTF you look so different!" And then confessed that due to my extremely different haircut she'd had no idea that I was me, and had assumed that some random harpy was hitting on her thereminist.

We then had a totally delightful lunch, with talk of people's respective families and stories about The Decemberists and Thanksgiving plans and the family politics of eloping and Emmett stories -- but I must say, if any random harpies are planning to put any moves on Jon, they'd best not expect to long survive the effort. I am all respectful admiration (except for the part of me that is all concern about my own growing reputation on the Eastern Seaboard as an omnisexual homewrecker).

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Want to go play with animals at the Wild Animal Park.

You're not thinking of throwing that client to the lions are you?

billytea, I suspect the actuarial student is, in a way, following your good example with respect to Bec.

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my own growing reputation on the Eastern Seaboard as an omnisexual homewrecker

Wear it proudly.

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