New Contest

The last contest was so much fun, I decided to do another one.

The contest: Over the course of the next week or so, I'm going to do another revision on the short story I've been working on for the last few weeks, wrestling it into what I hope will be its final, submittable form.  How many words long do you think it'll be?

Clues:  This the the third major revision.  The first draft was 3757 words, the second draft was 4181, and the third draft was 6713.  I expect that it will be a short story (generally understood to be 7500 words or fewer) but am not completely sure.

The prize:  The five closest guessers get a sneak peek at the finished story, before I start submitting it for publication.  Besides myself, you will be the first people in the whole world to read it. I will also write you a haiku on the subject of your choice.

Bonus prize:  Anyone guessing within 10 words of the actual total will be Tuckerized in either a future story or the novel I'm working on (up to three people).  No promises as to the survival and/or happiness of the character named after you. *

The rules:  No looking over my shoulder or hacking into my computer.  Contest runs from right now until 11:59 pm Pacific time on Wednesday, February 2nd.  One entry per participant.  Leave your guesses in the comment thread here or on my Facebook page.  Winners will be announced Thursday February 3rd.


* I know John Scalzi just did this, and I'm a total copycat, but I thought it was a cool idea.  Which is why I stole it.