I did it. 

Remember that contest I was talking about? The whole "So You Think You Can Write" contest that I was going to enter? 

I entered it. 

I submitted a 5,000-word first chapter of a novel I'm working on titled Pink Diamonds. But why does that make me crazy? Because I have to finish it—60,000 words!—by Oct. 12. 

"How many words do you have right now, Danielle?" you ask. 

Yeah... um... 18,000.

"But Oct. 12 is only 14 days away!" you exclaim.

Yes, please, don't tell me. I'm painfully aware of that. 

"And you have a full-time job telling all us about the city of Woburn!" you shout.

Yes, indeed I do. 

So that's why your intrepid Woburn Patch Local Editor might be crazy. But I've always wanted to be a novelist, so writing Pink Diamonds hasn't felt like work at all. Well, except for that bout of writer's block last week. But other than that, I've been all right. 

I hope you'll take a minute to read my first chapter at the So You Think You Can Write website. 

And starting Oct. 2, you can vote for it and possibly propel me to the next round in the contest. But I'll tell you all about that next week.  

Thank you for taking the time to read Pink Diamonds. Be sure to tell me in the comments what you think of it! And follow me on Facebook for updates, sneak peeks into the book and more!