Lulu Blooker Prize Update

Hi Folks,

Sorry I've been absent lately. I've been working tooth and nail on coverting one of my blogs into a book or "blook" as it has been coined, for the Lulu Blooker Prize Contest.

The deadline is January 30th. It wasn't as simple as I thought it would be. First I had to cut and paste the entire blog into word, then reverse the date order to earliest to most recent, then decide which posts would stay, which would go, which comments would stay or go.

I rearranged formatting, (cause who wants to pay for what amounts to little more than a printed blog that they can read for free on the web?)

I also rewrote some pieces, omitted some pieces that were not authored by me, (mostly email specials), omitted all pictures except those of or by me, then forwarded to my editor.

I received my first edit draft two days ago and am working out the kinks. I tirelessly printed out the manuscript last night. At that point in time, I went to bed discouraged, sure that it was tripe. This morning I took it with me on the bus, in the hopes that a brilliant brainstorm would strike as I rode along.

I began reading with a critical eye, slashing and hacking away. But somewhere along the way, something happened--I became engrossed in reading my own work! I don't say that to be egotistical or a braggart or anything like that, but I had written those posts and read and re-read them while editing them for posting, but reading them all, back to back in book format to check the flow, gave me a lift.

I got off the bus with a just-read-a-good-book feeling that I relish from reading books by real authors! Go figure--there might just be some hope for me yet.

First NaNoWriMo, then Lulu Blooker Prize... who knows what's next!

Anyway, enough rhapsodizing and back to work for me.

But before I go. Someone might be wondering, if it's just for a contest, why go to all that trouble to repackage content from a blog? Why hire an editor, a graphic artist and a layout expert?

Because as large as the internet is, there are still many without computer access, or those who simply prefer to have the sensation of a book in their hands and enjoy the crisp sound the turning of a page makes.

Plus I had all intentions of authoring a book or three, anyhow. This blook competition just served to galvanize me into action as well as a trial run for the real deal.

Evenso, I will not skimp on quality, because if my name is on it, it better look and read like something.

So here's to future blogs to blooks, because I intend to continue the trend until all my blogs are immortalized into book format; and here's to a busy and prolific 2006.

Peace,
Dee

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