Clocks a ticking......

Some things have a timing and a symmetry all of their own. It's enough to make an atheist like myself sit up and take notice.

My current job, which was a massive step in the right direction came about because of a chance remark by someone. I looked into the job saw it was perfect and found I had two days to fill out the application and get it off. All done in a rush.

My previous job also came about because of a chance conversation with a friend but less of a pressing timescale in that I had three days to get my application form in rather than two.

So driving back from Jake Jane and Wez's excellent barbecue last weekend, I started having short story Ideas, yes plural. I had three distinct and separate ideas in the space of three hours.

This. Never. Happens.

So when I got home I started writing seriously for the first time in months. And I loved it. I was exactly where I wanted to be doing exactly what I wanted. When I could get into the PC to write two nights last week I got a little cranky.

So having had the day off today I decided to spend the majority of it finishing off the first rough draft of a short story set in the Warhammer 40K world. They can be a touch trite but they do some excellent SF books, I'd point you in the direction of anything by Dan Abnett.

ANYWAY so having finished the first (very) rough draft this morning I'd thought I'd work on it over the next couple of weeks whilst getting the first drafts of the other stories together.

However after doing teh shopping and all the other bits I wanted to get done today I checked the Warhammer submission guidelines just to see if I was in the right ball park with what I'd got.

I found out they have a very small submission window, eight weeks in total. Which ends on Friday! Yes, this goddamn Friday!

So I now have a choice. I either do nothing and wait for next years submission window (opening late may usually) or rush to get a submission in this year. They need a summary Synopsis and a thousand words. As I've got about 10000 this won't be a problem but should I wait to polish it or get it as good as I can and send it by Friday?

I think looking back at my previous experience with this sort of thing it has to be yes. Maybe I'm just a 'shine under pressure kind of guy'?

Anyway If I don't hear anything in eight weeks then I failed. but I've still got at least two other stories to work on and polish for next year!