Accountability

A little over a year ago a good friend of mine got some wonderful feedback and a partial request from the Feel the Heat contest. I'll admit, I was envious. She'd got her foot in the door at Richmond. I wasn't so envious a year later when she still hadn't sent in that requested partial. In fact, I threatened to kick her butt for wasting such a great opportunity.

I entered the 2009 Presents contest and also got great feedback. There was no way I was going to let this opportunity slip past in the same way. I had a plan, and you witnessed it here on this blog: I would write a complete new novel by the end of March, have my crit partners look over it in April, and send off that requested partial absolutely no later than May.

Do I need to point out that it's nearly May and I've only just started Chapter Two? I can blame the day job (which deserves a fair share of the blame but sadly not all) but I have to admit the fault is largely mine. I now understand what my friend went through last year. Paralysis. Avoidance. Drowning one's sorrows in a tub of chocolate and pretending everything's okay.

Well it's not okay. I've wasted five good months. No more! From now on I plan to be accountable. I plan to upload a word counter to this blog so the whole world (well Blogland at least) can whip my butt into gear if I start slacking again. This novel will be written. My previous novel will be edited. I will submit!

By the way, can anyone recommend a good word counter widget?