first things

in the beginning...

once upon a time...

first things first...

oh fuck. how do you begin something literary and creative, whose aim is to create something out of nothing (i.e., the manuscript of a fully-completed novel) in a short span of time (i.e., the deadline being march 15th)? there's no way to properly begin something like this. you look at a white canvas and simply do your best to fill the blankness with beauty.

i don't often check my Borders e-mail - i already work there, isn't that enough? but something compelled me to open up yesterday's - and then further compelled me to scroll all the way down to the bottom. my eyes caught a few words and widened, fingers clicked on the link and eyes widened some more....

it's all because shakespeare was watching me. he was, i swear. we sell these tote bags in the store, with caricatures of famous authors painted on the front. one is a caricature of shakesespeare, looking suspiciously like the mona lisa, all knowing eyes and smug grin. on my way back from helping a customer, i felt someone watching me, turned to look, and locked eyes with the bard himself.

"what?" i mouthed.

he simply gave me that look, the one that said "my dear girl, what ARE you doing here? shouldn't you be writing?"

"yes, you know-it-all bastard" i mumbled, before realizing that talking to myself in the store wasn't going to help matters, and hurried away. the next day, there was this e-mail about this contest...

the "first chapter" contest is looking for writers who have never been published before to submit an entire manuscript to the gather.com website by MARCH15th, 2007, where it will then be critiqued by "the masses," edited, judged, and voted on. the winner receives a publishing contract with simon and schuster, $5,000, and a promotion of his/her book by Borders itself.

i am a major procrastinator - i walk around with a million ideas whizzing through my head, and by the time i can actually set them down on paper, i have either lost every single train of thought, or i'm too tired, or i tell myself i'll do it tomorrow. i need 1) solid, but doable, deadlines 2) ass-kicking friends to keep me motivated 3) and to sit down every day and write SOMETHING - it doesn't always have to be good, it just has to be writing. and eventually (hopefully) it will become good writing. that's where you, the ass-kicking friends/free-of-charge editors come in. i threw the idea out to my friend steph while we were cleaning and closing up the store cafe last night. 2 months to write an entire book. we can do it, and this blog can help.

let it be known that if this book wins, i will never do an oprah appearance. you can quote me on that. now let the ass-kicking commence...

-z