Got in my Pitch

I remarked in an earlier post that I was going to submit an entry in a "Perfect Pitch" contest sponsored by an editor who specializes in midgrade fiction. I found out about this last week, and decided to use it as the kick-in-the-posterior incentive I needed to finish the book. Due today was a 500-word-or-less "pitch" to be emailed to the editor. She'll ask for the full manuscript for all of the pitches she likes, and she'll choose the best pitch to analyze on her blog so that the rest of us can do better next time. The catch, if she likes the pitch (ha!), is that the full manuscript will be due by July 1.

I have been incredibly productive this week, and the girls have been productive at school because I've been very organized (usually our relative productivities are inversely related). Not only have I created several report programs for clients in my real job, but did some billing, got the vegetables in the garden, wrote my weekly e-newsletter, formatted several new KOA pages, structured and started working with Laura on a new board games review column for KOA...AND at night I've been writing in the book like mad (almost finished with 12 chapters of about 16 or 17), and produced about five iterations of my Perfect Pitch (taking into account comments/criticisms from a couple of trusted friends...thank you, Trusted Friends). I sent it off to the editor today. On time. Now, to finish the rest of the book in 3 1/2 weeks.

I was always good under pressure from deadlines. Not that I want to live life on Full Speed all the time, but I can deal with it occasionally.