Writer's Opportunity

Over on Anna Louise's site, there is an opportunity for writers of contemporary paranormal and romantic suspense.

Study the submission guidelines carefully, and if you think you have a manuscript worthy, then have a shot. I am. I'm working on the final edits of Demonesque and I'm going to submit - as per the instructions.

On the upside, Demonesque is 127k, and change, long; on the downside, that means I'll have to do some ferocious editing. On the upside, it's better to cut back than to insert padding. On the downside, 27k is a lot of words to lose.

On the second opportunity, Deception (for want of a better name) could fit the bill. It comes in at 117k, so it's within the range. It needs double edits, because it's only a second draft, and I'll need to put the plot doctor through it.

As a side point, I was readjusting the formating from Times New Roman to Courier New on both ms's and the page counts blew out. Where once Demonesque was a handy 465 pages; it's now 610 pages long! Deception went from a measely 416 to 553 pages.

It appears amazing that a change of font could do such things, but you have to remember that each letter is spaced differently. As you have gleaned, the Courier New font letters are broader than the Times New Roman.

But all 'wowing' aside. It matters little how many pages you write, it's the quality that's important. We've all read books that are shite, wondered how they were published. As Anna Louise points out, it's up to the editor who bought it. I guess that's good news for us newbies. Our first outing might be less than stellar, but if an editor likes it enough to buy it, the bullet has been dodged - for the moment. Years down the track, you might remember that first book and wince. Hopefully, by then, you'll have improved your craft.

All you need is that first opportunity. Anna Louise is giving you two!

There are plenty of authors out there who are aiming for the same prize; Be One Of Them!