Ready. Set. WRITE! is a summer writing intensive that encourages goal-setting and accountability, and provides an opportunity for us to cheer each other on wherever we’re at in our writing—planning, drafting, revising, or polishing. This year, your RSW hosts are Alison Miller, Jaime Morrow, Erin Funk, and myself. Find the rest of the details HERE.
* How I did on last week’s goal(s).
1. Complete a revision of my contemporary YA, Where Poppies Bloom… Still IN PROGRESS. I’d been hoping to be done by now, but… nope. This revision is proving to be much trickier than I’d originally assumed. (Surprise, surprise.) I did revise twelve scenes, and I’m really happy with how they turned out. So… Yay?
2. Complete the first draft of my contemporary YA, The Road So Far, by the close of RSW… IN PROGRESS. Ugh. I’d hoped to add at least 5K new words, but I didn’t work on this project at all last week. *womp womp*
3. Read (on average) one YA/adult novel per week… YES! I finished Laini Taylor’s Dreams of Gods & Monsters, and I read Elizabeth Brigg’s More Than Music, a fantastic just-released NA full of music and steam and swoon.
4. Read (on average) one MG novel with my daughter every two weeks… YES. We’re still working on one of Sara Mylnowski’s Whatever After books, but my girl read a couple of books with my mom over the last week, so… Success!
5. Maintain my tan… YES! I read (and slept) at the beach on Saturday.
* My goal(s) for this week.
Keep on keeping on with Where Poppies Bloom. It’s my priority this week. Hopefully I’ll have time to add something new to The Road So Far too.
* A favorite line from my project OR a word/phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised.
In honor of Independence Day…
The explosions of color are gorgeous, vibrant pinwheels of pink, yellow, and blue. I’m mesmerized. When the air cools, Tucker wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his warmth. I tear my attention from the sky to look up at him; his eyes are starbursts reflected in pale, pale green. They disappear as his lids fall closed, as he leans down and presses his mouth to mine.
* The biggest challenge I faced this week.
Laziness. I worked hard and often, but there were a few instances when naps proved more appealing than revising. Like at the beach on Saturday, for instance. Luckily I had Daphne to cheer me on.
* Something I love about my WiP.
The romance. Still. I’m at this particular place in Where Poppies Bloom where things are really good for the MC and her love interest, so that’s fun.
How did RSW go for you this week?
Katy Upperman ~ Author 
I am so jealous about the reading and sleeping at the beach. I hope to get to do that in August. Can. Not. Wait. have a great week!
I hope you get your beach relaxation too, Kim! Have a wonderful week!
You have my permission to be lazy – not often we mommies get a few days to ourselves! Glad you enjoyed it! And I am completely okay with you not working on ROAD if that means I get to read POPPIES sooner!
PS – I just started DOGAM. I have missed Laini Taylor’s GORGEOUS writing!
I know this week’s going to be busy for you, but enjoy that family! Have a great week!
Let me know what you think of DoG&M! And you are a big part of my POPPIES motivation, so thank you a million times for being so encouraging and supportive. You’re the best!
Once again, swoon, swoon, swoon over your lines 🙂 Hope you have a fantastic week!
Thanks, Jennifer! Have an awesome week!
Yay for kisses. 🙂 I wish I lived close to the beach…but now my tan comes in the form of working in the yard.
My tan is also partially due to yard work. I prefer the beach, though. 😉 Have a great week, Liz!
I looooove a good kiss scene! How romantic, and how perfect for the upcoming 4th of July weekend 🙂
That’s why I picked it. 🙂 And thanks, lovely! I’m so glad you’re joining us for RSW! Can’t wait to check out your post!
Love love love that excerpt and crossing my fingers I get to read WHERE POPPIES BLOOM soon…You can doooooo it, Katy ❤
Oh, Elodie, I would LOVE to have you read POPPIES. I desperately need someone with a totally fresh perspective. Alison’s going to read it too, but she already knows all of the story’s secrets because she helped me with plotting issues. Hopefully you can tell me if the mystery aspect is working. Thank you, friend!
I really like the excerpt! I imagine it’s hard to concentrate on the beach! 😛 Hope you have a great week!
Thank you so much, Emma!
Naps are necessary. Take the opportunity when it comes! My daughter just finished her last MG series. We’ll have to try the Sara Mylnowski books. Your excerpt was gorgeous. Have a great week.
Thank you so much, Dawne! What’d your daughter read last? I’m always looking for new books to hand to my daughter; she loves series, so if you have recs, I’m all ears! Have a wonderful week!
She really enjoyed The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley and The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer.
My daughter loves The Sisters Grimm too. Our cat is named Daphne after the younger sister. 🙂 We’ll have to check out The Land of Stories… Thanks, Dawne!
Super jealous of the beach-front reading. Good luck with your goals this week! Why is it revisions always take longer than we estimate?
I don’t know why, but this one is also much more overwhelming than I’d expected. All of the little changes I’m making are setting off these enormous changes I hadn’t thought through. Hopefully it’ll be worth it in the end! Hope you’re having a great week, lady!
Aw, Daphne is so darn adorable! She would be way too distracting for me. 🙂 Yay for 12 scenes revised! That is great progress. And sometimes, those naps can be pretty darn important. Have a great week!
Daph is adorable all right, and yes… Very distracting! Hope you’re having a wonderful week, Kitty!
This week was definitely a challenge for both of us, I think. Though, revising twelve scenes is pretty darn great! Good job. 🙂 I like the excerpt you shared too. Hooray for kissing scenes! Swoon! Good luck with your goals this week, Katy!
“Hooray for kissing scenes!” is pretty much my writing motto. 🙂 Thanks, Jaime, and have a fantastic week! Are you and your husband doing anything fun to celebrate his homecoming?
It sounds like you’re sooo close to finishing your revision, so I hope you get there this week! I love that excerpt.
I’m super excited to read and sleep on the beach for Independence Day this year, and every possible weekend from here on out. Love it!
I *hope* I finish this week. It’ll still need a careful read through, but I need these major changes DONE already! Hope you’re Independence Day beach time is wonderful and relaxing, Ghenet!
Helpful kitty! Chin up on those revisions–they DO take forever. Hopefully your manuscript will be stronger because of it.
I hope so too, Stephanie! Hope you’re having a great week!
If I had the beach near me, I’d for sure be doing more reading and sleeping than writing 🙂 Twelve scenes revised is a win, I’d say! Hope you hit all your goals this week!
Thanks so much, Rebecca — and me too! Maybe you’ll get some beach time soon? Or at least some sun time. There’s nothing better than reading in the sunshine. 🙂
I am jealous of your tan. I am the most Scottish/English girl on the planet, so freckles happen in the sun, and I must coat myself if sunblock. Sounds like, even though you didn’t get to the WiP last week, you are making wonderful progress so far this summer! Good luck this week!
Oh, I am so bad about using sunblock. I’m going to regret it when I’m a wrinkly mess in twenty years! Thanks, Rebekah, and I hope you have a great week as well!
Wow! You were productive and even while getting a tan 🙂 Laziness is totally okay sometimes. I see it as tanking for the next energy blast.
I like you’re attitude, Tonja. Thanks for being my enabler. 🙂 Hope you have a great week!
Aw, I want loungy beach reading time. Or just any reading time. I told my husband that for my birthday (in a month), all I want is to read in bed for a couple hours, uninterrupted, haha… Good luck on your goals this week! What a swoony excerpt 🙂
That sounds like the most amazing birthday present ever! My daughter’s been with my parents for the last few days and one morning I spent four hours in bed finishing DREAMS OF GODS & MONSTERS. It was glorious! Have a fantastic week, Crystal!
You revised 12 scenes? Go you! *waves pom poms* And you got a tan? Jealous. I just get sunburnt lately…lol. And yay for reading so much! 🙂 Good luck with your goals this week!
Twelve scenes, only because I was kiddo-free this week. 🙂 How’s your revision going? Hopefully we can write “together” via Twitter this week!
Revising 12 scenes is pretty amazing!
I’m excited to read MORE THAN MUSIC- it sounds awesome.
Good luck on this week’s goals!
MORE THAN MUSIC was a super fun read, Melanie. Let me know what you think after you’ve read it. Hope you have a fantastic week!
What a great excerpt! And great job getting those 12 scenes revised! That’s a LOT of work!
Thanks so much, Karyne!
I don’t get much of a tan, apart from tan lines under my watch and bathing suit straps. I pretty much go from ghost-white to lobster-red if I don’t slather on the 65 spf sunscreen religiously.
Good luck with your reading and writing progress!
My husband “tans” similarly, Carrie-Anne. 🙂 Hope you have a great week, lady!
I HAVE A TAN! Sort of. Haha. It’s light but it’s there. Tan lines and all. 😉 Good luck getting your goals in this week! I know your girls coming back with your parents. Full house!
Loved the scene too. I just love fireworks.
Okay, fireworks lover, where should we go to watch them on the Fourth? I hate buying them, so if there are any good displays, you’ll have to let me know. Also, congrats on your tan lines!
great excerpt! Very romantic. I can never say no to a nap when time presents itself, it’s just too powerful a pull. And I love that you have a goal to maintain your tan, that’s awesome. You still got a ton done considering you were “lazy”!
Doesn’t feel like a ton, but I’m happy to at least be moving forward. Also, I totally agree with you regarding naps, Prerna!
Sounds like you’ve achieved a great balance between work and beach. Bravo! Have a great week, Katy.
Thanks so much, Laurel! I hope you have a great week as well!
I love the snippet from your WIP, especially the comparison of Tucker’s eyes to the fireworks in the sky. Revisions are hard and definitely tricky, so great job on getting those 12 scenes done. Hope work on both WIPs goes well this week!
Thank you, Erin! You are so right about revisions being hard. I feel like I’m flailing through this one, but hopefully it’ll pay off in the end! Have a great week, lady!