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… IN PROGRESS. I’d been hoping to be done by now, but still… nope. I revised ten scenes this week, and I have twelve left to go.
2. Complete the first draft of my contemporary YA, The Road So Far, by the close of RSW… IN PROGRESS. I didn’t work on this project at all last week. Poppies has to be my priority now, but I can’t wait to get back to this one!
3. Read (on average) one YA/adult novel per week… YES! I read Amy Christine Parker’s Gated, a seriously creepy contemporary about life in a cult.
4. Read (on average) one MG novel with my daughter every two weeks… YES! We’re working on one of Sara Mylnowski’s Whatever After books, and my girl read a chapter book on her own, one from the Baby-Sitters Little Sisters series.
5. Maintain my tan… YES! My family and I went to the beach on Independence Day and spent all morning in the sun.
* My goal(s) for this week.
Finish my Where Poppies Bloom revision. Send it to Alison. 🙂
* A favorite line from my project OR a word/phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised.
The first line from Where Poppies Bloom…
I never used to be the type of girl who hotboxes her bathroom.
* The biggest challenge I faced this week.
I had family in town all week which was awesome, and of course I wanted to spend my time doing fun things with them. Revisions took a backseat, but I’m back at them now. My girlie’s going to Zoo Camp this week (!), so I’ll have every day from 9-3 to work, work, work.
* Something I love about my WiP.
I kind of want to strangle my WiP right now, so… I baked Danish Puff and Texas Chocolate Cake. I love these desserts more than anything I’ve written lately.
In other news… July is the month of RSW giveaways!
For the next four weeks, Erin, Jaime, Alison, and I will be giving away some pretty spectacular Writer’s Care Packages. All you have to do to be eligible is participate in Ready. Set. Write! and enter via the Rafflecopter link below.
This week, Erin’s giving away an adorable package including a journal, to-do notepad, mug, 2 kinds of tea (in the gold bag: wild cherry & chai chilli pepper), tea filters, rainbow pens, sticky tabs, Post-its, paperclips, Tic Tacs, and gum.
Enter to win here: A Rafflecopter giveaway!
I can’t wait to read about how Ready. Set. Write! is going for you.
Don’t forget to share the link of your latest post below!
katyupperman.com 
I’d forgotten about the BS Little Sister series! One of these days I’m going to take a long weekend and just sit around reading books I loved as a kid. And I’ll eat tons of baked goods while I’m at it 🙂
Good luck finishing POPPIES this week!
Thanks, Jennifer! It’s fun to watch my girl enjoy the stories I loved as a kid. 🙂
Your tan is inspiring (ahem…making me jealous) to work on mine. 🙂 Also, so glad you had a wonderful week with the family! You’ll make up for the sparse progress this week – especially because I’m going to randomly tweet at you, “are you done yet?” That, and I need some peeps to keep me working. I didn’t feel really great about my progress last week either. 😦
But yay for camps! I kind of want to go to zoo camp – sounds fun! My big kiddo is off at camp too so I’m hoping I get a little more accomplished this week than last. Have a great week, Katy! And I owe you an email. Hopefully today!
Yes! Harass me all week, and write with me too! Your excitement about this story is keeping me motivated. And yes… Email, please!
I remember you sharing that opening line ages ago, and I still love it now as much as I did then! Good luck with all your goals while your girlie’s at camp!
Thanks, Erin! That opening line is pretty much the only sentence from the original story that survived. 🙂
I have no idea what Danish Puff actually is, but both these cakes look delicious!
Looks like RSW is going well for you. 🙂 Revising is something I’m weak on, so I can definitely empathise with that task.
Danish Puff is a really amazing pastry that is full of butter, eggs, powdered sugar, and almond extract. Yum. 🙂 Hope you’re having a great week, lady!
Sounds very scrummy!
And you 😀
This week was tough for productivity given the holidays (the 1st here and the 4th there). I think you did pretty well considering you had family staying with you too! At the rate you’re going, you’ll be done your revision this week, from the sounds of it. Also, I have to say I like how you cope with WiP frustration: BAKE! I might have to take a page from your book. 😉 Hope this is a super productive week!
Holidays are always rough for me, productivity-wise, so I’m trying not to feel too defeated about STILL not being done with this revision. If I don’t finish it this week… Well, I guess I’ll just keep working, but that would suck. 😉 If you bake, share photos/recipes, please!
I don’t remember if I ever read any of the Little Sister books, though I stopped reading the Babysitters’ Club somewhere in the 30s, before the ghostwriters took over so completely. When I revisited the series as an adult, I didn’t exactly like Karen, a sentiment I found not uncommon among other readers!
Zoo Camp sounds fun. It would’ve been nice if I could’ve gone to a specialized camp like that, if my parents had had more money and I hadn’t had so many problems without a name in those days.
I don’t remember going to summer camps either, Carrie-Anne, but I had (have) two brothers to hang out with all summer. My girlie gets bored during the day, being an only child and all, so I’m trying to find activities that’ll give her a chance to hang out with other kiddos. So far, so good! Hope you have a wonderful week!
Zoo camp sounds awesome! =) And bonus that you get to write while she’s there. That’s great that you’re so close to finishing! And I’m the worst about baking “crap” when I want to put off work. In fact I want to go make brownies now…
I hope those brownies turned out well! Have a wonderful week, Karyne!
Love your first line! I already want to read more.
Your Texas chocolate cake looks a lot like (or maybe the same as) Texas sheet cake that my Great-Aunt used to make. It’s one of my faves!
Thank you for your kind words about my opening line, Melanie! That chocolate cake is a version of the Texas sheet cake, only I make mine in a 9 x 13 pan. Still just as tasty! Have a great week!
What an awesome opening line. I would totally read that book. Your baking pictures always make me so hunggryyy, your daughter must be in heaven with all those treats! Good luck on your work this week, I hope you finish your revisions!
Aww, thanks, Crystal! Hopefully someday you CAN read this book. 🙂
Best of luck with your revisions! Baking to alleviate stress sounds like a great idea. I’ve been buying ingredients for this very purpose, when I get my editorial email. 😉
Treats will definitely be necessary then, Emma! I find they make feedback easier to bear. 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful week!
I love your first line! 🙂 Yah, those revisions can be so difficult to determine just how long they are going to take, right? Sounds like you made some great progress, though. And a whole day at the beach – woohoo! Have a great week, Katy!
Thanks so much, Kitty! I hope you have a wonderful week as well!
I love the yummy things you always mention. And am reminded AGAIN I need to keep up my reading with my daughters. I always love it when I get started, but so easy to let it slip.
Good luck with your goals! I’m revising too and supposed to be drafting another book, but the revising is consuming me.
I have another book I wish I was drafting right now too, Margo. Can’t wait for this revision to be finished so I can get back to it! Have a great week!
It’s so hard to tell how long revisions will take so getting ten scenes out of the way is quite the accomplishment! And baking sounds like great therapy for working out your writing frustrations. Seriously, I’m amazed you got anything done this week with family visiting! Hope you have another productive week with those revisions!
Thanks so much, Erin! I NEED a productive week. I feel like I’m stuck in neutral! I hope you have a wonderful week, lady! 🙂
Good luck with the revisions. YOU CAN DO IT!
Thanks, lady! I hope you have a great week!
Your food looks delicious as always, and I am sure the writing isn’t as strangle worthy as you think. Love your first line! I hope you have a wonderful week, and good luck on finishing Where the Poppies Bloom!
Thanks so much, Rebekah! Fingers cross that this is the last week you guys will be hearing about this revision. 🙂
I love that you bake to take breaks from frustrating points in WIPs. Lol. And that is a great opening line! Way to go on reading too, good luck this week! 😀
Thanks so much, Cortney! Baking is cathartic. And tasty. 🙂 Have a wonderful week!
So glad you had a great time with the family, even if it did get in the way of revisions. Good luck this week. Was going to add send to Amanda after Alison…but if this is the sequel book that doesn’t help at all! haha. Good luck this week!
Nope, this isn’t the sequel. You’re welcome to read it sometime, but only if you’re brutally honest about what you think. 🙂 No pressure!
You are getting an A+ with your keep up your tan goal! The perks of living near a beach, I guess? 🙂 Totally feel you about this week being tough for finding time to write/read. Holidays = great for social stuff, but harder for writing stuff. Good luck this week!
Ha! My tan is becoming pretty epic. 🙂 Hopefully we all have more time for productivity in the coming week. I’m rooting for you, Alice!
I remember you posting that first scene on your blog a long time ago–and I remember loving it. Good luck revising it this week!
Dude, I don’t remember posting it, but I’m glad that those of you who read it and remember it have positive things to say. 🙂 That’s pretty much the only line that’s remained unchanged over the years. (Ugh. Years.) Have a good week, Trace!
You guys I love giveaways. Stop it!
Thanks for the encouragement this week while I was sick! If you need peer pressure to work on Poppies I’m here for you! Also–I definitely want to check out Gated.
I love giveaways too, and I had so much fun shopping for my prize pack. 🙂 I kind of wish I could win Erin’s! GATED was really good, Liz. I find cults fascinated, so I was an easy sell, but I think this story was executed particularly well. Let me know what you think if you read it!
Ok, my mouth totally watered when I saw those desserts. They look awesome! Good luck w/this week!
Ha! I’m eating leftover cake now. Just what I need. 🙂
That first line is so full of WIN. I want to read more immediately. And I’m immensely jealous of those solid hours of writing time you’ll get this week! How awesome that your girlie will be off doing something totally fun at the same time 🙂 Can you come over and bake for me?? Try not to strangle your WIP too hard. Everything you’ve shared from it has been fantastic.
I would love to bake for you, Sara! Someday, perhaps. 🙂 And thanks for your kind words about my first line. Hopefully the rest of the story ends up living up to it!
Ahh competing projects, I know that well. Zoo camp sounds awesome. My boss just sent her daughter to horse riding camp and I got jealous for childhood. 🙂
I’ve been teasing my daughter, telling her that I’m going to join her for Zoo Camp — she’s having so much fun, and I want to play too! 🙂 Hope you’re finding success with your competing projects, Steph!
I had to look up “hotbox the bathroom”. How embarrassing. Good thing I’m trying to write for MG and not YA. Clearly I’m not qualified for YA themes! I really need to get out more. *sigh*
Anyway… have a great week with your girl in camp all day. Sounds heavenly!
Ha! Glad I could expand your mind with my naughty YA themes, Laurel. 😉 Hope you have a great week of writing!
Sounds like you are on tap for all of your goals (even a tan!) so best wishes!
Thanks so much, Kim!
Congrats on getting closer to finishing your revisions! It’s going to feel SO awesome once you’re done, I’m sure. 🙂 Also, my kitchen table is WAY jealous of the delicious desserts sitting on yours. Just saying! Have a great week Katy!
Good luck finishing up your revision this week. You can do it!!!
We were at the beach over the long weekend and it was amazing. Love this time of year. 🙂
You go, girl. It sounds like you’re doing exactly what you need to be doing– sorry your WIP is frustrating you right now… but from all that angst something amazing will emerge. :0) And I want to go to zoo camp! That sounds super fun!