We Start Tomorrow! Our Writing Challenge!

August 15 through September 15, 2017

There are 32 writing days (including both fifteens) in our challenge. Have you chosen the time you want to write?

Have you set a goal for yourself?

My goal is 1000 words during that hour. I’ll probably write first thing in the morning, when the house (not including the hounds of the Baskervilles) is mostly quiet. After I’ve helped Mom but before the sun is really too high in the sky.

During the next 32 days (except for Sundays), Ann Dee, Kyra and I will leave you one writing hint or help each day.

So. My friend Trent Reedy (who is one of our teachers at WIFYR next year) organizes his office every time he finishes a novel. I’m not sure if that is from conception to sale and final revisions or what. But there is something cool about that.

My first hint for today is for you to check out your writing space. Do you have everything you’ll need for tomorrow’s start? Are there notecards? Have you already written character descriptions? Ideas of what might happen? Do you need your desk to look neat? The pillows fluffed on the sofa if you’re writing there? Is there a pen handy?

My second hint is to prepare a reward for each day. You decide what it is. Tomorrow I shall lunch with Cheri after the morning festivities. But I can’t do that every day (unless I win the PCH 15,000,000 dollars). The reward might just be writing the day’s word count (I like that kinda stuff!). But I’ll know by tomorrow what my reward will be.

My third hint is to keep a piece of paper, where you can see it, to log in your word count and how the writing day went. Watching those numbers grow will keep you motivated.

Okay, Everyone. Take a deep breath. Have a party, go to bed early, prepare however you must. We’re starting the writing challenge tomorrow!

HAP-pee New Year!

Yes, I’m late!

As always.

We had an illness in the family that left one of us in the hospital for 6 days and another one of us caring for the sick daughter’s baby for 6 days.

But this is still a New Year! A Yippee, Let’s Go! year. A We Can Do Anything

Each year I write out a million goals. Last year, though, I held back. I made only 70. (I’ve mentioned I’m not one of those gals who feels badly when she fails to reach a destination. I love the way I feel when I set a goal and imagine accomplishing it.) How’s I do? Not so well. It was a tough 366 days.

This year, well, I’m still writing out the things I want to do–but I can safely say I have more hopes and dreams than a human should have. There are house goals, garden goals, personal goals, etc etc.

I found these from 2009:

1. Read 200 books
2. Write three novels
3. Rewrite lost in Peace for St. Martin’s Press
4. Blog????

And then here were Rick Walton’s goals. Hahahaha! I love him. And miss him.

1. Read 200 picture books
2. Pick up three novels
3. Rewrite *A Million Little Pieces* for St. Martin’s Press
4. Comment anonymously on Carol’s blog????

It’s been a hard year. A lot of people I love have died. People I’ve loved have lost loved ones.

Here are 3 of my millions of aspirations–just in the writing category!

1. Finish rewrite with Ann Dee, rewrite for an editor, and draft of mystery before January’s end, and send in for review to Steve.
2. Write a true NaNoWriMo–meaning, accomplish the 50,000 words. Now, if I am rewriting a novel then, I will set the goal as I did this last year and just do the best I can. (I sent in the partial murder mystery and I’m hoping my editor likes it. I’ll let you know if she bites!)
3. Write a picture book with my daughter Laura.

 

We know we have at least 3 readers out there. If you’d like, put your goals here. Share as many as you’d like. Unless you’re crazy like I am. Then that means there’s not enough room.

Ann Dee and Kyra? Submit your goals, too. I’ll save them this time.

😉

 

 

And Then . . . .

I think in my writing I say, “And then,” too much.

Turns out, I had a too many ‘and thens’ this weekend.

First, I’ve started trying to write at least a thousand words a day. Last week I completed just over 4000 new words plus some editing on the mid-grade I’m working on.

And then

The agent for the conference had to drop out.

(He may have found us someone amazing though, to take his place. But I had a few days of panic.)

And then

you all know the book me and Ann Dee are working on? I love this book. Ann Dee is a fantastic writer and nearly every chapter she writes makes me laugh.

Anyway, last week, was a good editing week for us. I’d say we rewrote at least 10 chapters. Maybe more.

And then

I wrote my original Writing Exercises for Friday. I must admit they were pretty good.

And then

I thought I’d just clean on Saturday. So I worked 12 hours straight because I knew if I sat down, I’d be out. (You know that feeling when you’re legs are trembling and you just keep going because watching House Hunters, just once, means staying on the sofa the rest of the night? Anyway.)

Cleaning, recycling, yard work. Cooking, food storage, taking care of Mom. Laundry, vacuuming, and managing (?) the dogs.

Felt  good when I sat down at last–because I had just paid attention to the house. And man, the house needed attention.

And then

it was time to finalize my Sharing Time lesson.

I went to bed knowing what I was gonna do, having a rough draft planned out, ready to go.

And then

I forgot about Daylight Savings Time.

And then

I was ill, too.

Got to feeling a fever coming on while I was in the middle of the 2nd Sharing Time. Chills. Got out of there quick so I wouldn’t infect the nation.

Came home.

And then,

I was SICK all day.

And I slept all day and then all night.

And then

when I got up this morning, I  still feel like crap. But a better crap. One that isn’t as sick. Yippee.

 

 

 

BUT–last week? It was a good writing week.

 

 

PS Carolina now has what I had. Not good. Not good at all.