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 with our writing projects—planning, drafting, revising, or polishing. This year, your RSW hosts are Alison Miller, Jaime Morrow, Erin Funk, Elodie Nowodazkij, and myself.
1. How I did on last week’s goals.
1. Revise The Road So Far. –> In progress. I’m ~almost~ done!
2. Read 12 books by summer’s end. –> In progress. I finished Sarah Dessen’s Saint Anything, as well as Elodie Nowodazkij’s A Summer Like No Other. Two fantastic contemps! I’m up to seven books so far this summer.
3. Get stronger. –> In progress. I hit the elliptical twice and practiced yoga three times. I seriously wish I had the time to get my yoga on daily.
4. Explore a new place each week. –> Success! My daughter and I visited our local farmers’ market, and we made a family trip to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
5. Cross at least two items off my Thirty Before 35 list. –> In progress. I’m working on #17 as I (slowly) draft my WiP. Also, I was totally going to plant my herb garden this week, and I found some fantastic herbs at the farmers’ market, but we walked there and I had no way of transporting a bunch of plants back home. Next time, I’ll drive. 🙂
2. My goal(s) for this week.
Finish my The Road So Far revision and send it off to a few wonderful and gracious readers. Read Adam Silvera’s More Happy Than Not. Keep up with my exercise routine. Plant a damn herb garden!
3. A favorite line from my story OR one word/phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised.
My jaw tightens. “Don’t tell me what I should be. You have no idea what you’re doing—what kind of mess you’ve made. You lied to your dad. To me.”
“Yeah, and if I hadn’t, you’d still be sitting in Bell Cove, just as lost as you’ve always been.”
There’re a million comebacks I should spit at her, but they scatter like roaches under a naked bulb.
She stares me down, unblinking.
Who the hell is this girl?
4. The biggest challenge I faced this week (ex. finding time to write).
Finding time to work has been tricky. My girlie’s on summer break and my husband’s back to work, so it’s up to me to keep our kiddo engaged during the day. We’ve been having all sorts of fun, but at the cost of my revising time. Totally worth it, though!
5. Something I love about my WiP.
This road trip story? It’s my favorite of any I’ve written. There’s something about it… its characters, their adventures, their emotional journeys… I could work on it indefinitely without ever getting tired of it. I mean, hopefully I won’t have to work on it indefinitely, but you know what I’m saying. 🙂
Are you participating in RSW?
Don’t forget to link to your update below.
(Also, another giveaway coming next week!)
katyupperman.com 
Hooray on The Road So Far! You’ve had such a productive summer. Also–I would love to visit that particular Smithsonian museum! Good luck this week 🙂
That Smithsonian was full of information, though it’s not as kid-friendly as some of the others. My girl was b*o*r*e*d through a lot of it. My husband, on the other hand, could have stayed all day. 🙂 Have a great week, Liz!
Yay! So excited about all your progress on ROAD! I hate cockroaches but I do love that analogy. And that excerpt! And very curious and excited to hear what you think of MORE HAPPY THAN NOT. Loved that one so much!
Also, I hear you on engaging the kiddos and trying to get in writing time. I try to get up early (sometimes a win) and write in the mornings but not always successful. It’s all good though. All too soon they’ll be back at school. 😦
Hope you have a great week, Katy!
I have such mixed feelings about C going back to school — love hanging out with her all day, but it’ll definitely be nice to have more writing time come fall. For now, I’m just resolving to enjoy summer. 🙂 Have a great week, Alison!
So much tension in your excerpt, great job!!
Thanks so much, Christina!
Congrats on getting so far. Get those last revisions! You can do it! (Those always seem sticky as gum). And yay to the trips with your daughter and possible herb gardens. Mine is suffering this summer – got to redye my green thumb.
You’re right about the final revisions — this is where I have to really decide about words and phrases, plus even everything out and double check my characterizations. *guzzles coffee* My green thumb is pretty pathetic, too, Tonja, but I like to pretend. Hopefully I don’t kill the little plants in their first week. 🙂 Happy writing, lady!
I love that feeling when you never want to stop working on a manuscript. 🙂 Best of luck finishing the revisions!
Thanks, Emma — I need it! 🙂
Did you eat at that Smithsonian? The restaurant is soooo yummy. Your excerpt is great, lots of tension. Good luck this week! 🙂
We didn’t eat there — I didn’t even realize there was a restaurant. Now you’ve got me wanting to go back for food. 🙂 Have a great week!
It’s refreshing to hear your excitement about your WIP! We can’t wait to start working on something new–hopefully we’ll have the same zest for ours 🙂 Good luck on completing your revisions and sending out the draft to your betas.
Thanks so much, girls! And best of luck to you as you finish up your drafts!
Great excerpt–I especially liked the vivid analogy with the cockroaches (*shudders*). Yay for almost being finished with revisions! Hope this week is productive for you :).
Thanks so much, Jessica! I know — roaches are the worst. Hope you have an awesome week!
I love that excerpt. (Honestly, everyone’s excerpts have been fantastic!) You’ll get the revisions done, but I love that you guys are doing so much exploring around DC. And post pictures of the herb garden once you plant it.
I love reading all of the excerpts, too, Alicia! That’s usually the first part of the posts I skim down to. 🙂 I’ll definitely post herb garden pics. Hope you have an awesome week, lady!
I love how much you always seem to pack into one week! I’m envious! And even though kiddo time is cutting into revision time, I think it’s always worth it. ❤ Good luck finishing your TRSF revision!!
We do usually have busy weeks — there’s always something to do, it seems like! And you’re right about kiddo time being worth it. I totally agree. 🙂 Have a fantastic week, Courtney!
I love your excerpt! And hooray for farmers’ markets. We got a local one (after years of not having one) and it’s always packed. Keep up the awesome work!
Thanks so much, Kimberly! Best of luck with your goals this week as well. 🙂
Congrats on what sounds like AWESOME progress on your revision, Katy! And happy to hear you enjoyed SAINT ANYTHING…it’s definitely up there with my Sarah Dessen faves. ❤
Hope you have a great week!
Thanks so much, Kaitlin! What are your other Sarah Dessen faves? I’m curious now? (For the record, I love DREAMLAND and THIS LULLABY most.) Have an awesome week, lady!
I hear you on the revision time when the kiddos are out of school. But it’s fun making memories with them. 🙂
Have a great week.
Definitely fun to make summertime memories. I know that as soon as my girl starts school again, I’ll be missing her like crazy. 🙂 Have an awesome week!
I’m right there with you with my kids. I have four and since it’s summer, I like to do things with them while I can and before they go back to school. Unfortunately that takes away from writing/revising time like crazy. Ah well- it’s fun to spend time with the kids.
Love the excerpt!
Thanks so much, Melanie! Are you the type of mom who’s missing her kiddos as soon as they’re back in school? As much as I love my quiet writing time, I’m always a little sad when school starts up again. Hope you have a wonderful week!
Love the snippet, Katy! I can’t believe you’re almost done your revision. That’s awesome! If you need another set of eyes at any point in the process, feel free to send it my way. 🙂
I’ve been loving all the pictures you’re sharing of your DC area exploration. Very cool! I’ve been to many places in the US, but not that neck of the woods. One day! It sounds as though you’re having a very full summer, which is wonderful. Hope you have another great week! Oh, and plant that damn herb garden, lady! 😉
Jaime, you should totally try to make a DC trip happen in the next three years — in other words, while I’m living here. 🙂 And thank you so much for your offer to read. I just might have to take you up on that. Have a great week, lady!
Good luck with finishing your revisions!
I love farmers’ markets. The local JCC used to have one in the summer and early fall, with crafts as well as food, but they haven’t done it for the last few years.
I like markets that sell crafts as well as food/plants, but ours is fairly small and simple. Still, though, it’s awesome to have fresh, local fruits and veggies! Have a great week, Carrie-Anne!
You’ve made so much progress with your revisions! The smithsonian is amazing and I love going to the Farmer’s market! I still haven’t read Saint Anything yet, which is making me antsy because I love Sarah Dessen. Good luck this week!
If you’re a Sarah Dessen fan, I think you’ll really enjoy SAINT ANYTHING, Prerna. It’s everything good about her past books rolled into one. 🙂 Hope you have a fantastic week!
I love the tension between your characters in that excerpt. It’s communicated so strongly through the dialogue without needing to explain their emotions using dialogue tags. Really well done! And I understand how you feel about your road trip ms–like you could work on it indefinitely–because that’s how I feel about my current trilogy. I hope all your efforts on it pay off in a big way! Have fun with your kiddo this week, and good luck with your goals!
Thanks so much for your kind words about my excerpt, Erin! I like that passage for its simplicity and (I hope!) depth of emotion. Have lots of fun working on that trilogy of yours, and best of luck with your goals this week!
So much tension in your excerpt, I’m curious to know what’s going on!
I’ve always thought it would be cool to plant an herb garden, but I’ve never gotten around to it. We’ve got a green pepper plant this year and that’s it and I’m pretty sure someone is stealing our peppers, which I actually don’t mind b/c I don’t like them 🙂
Have a great week!
Ooh, how scandalous to steal the neighbor’s green peppers! 😉 I don’t like them either, so I’d say, “Have at ’em!” Have a wonderful week, Jennifer!
That excerpt is good. I can see how a parent might feel that way, but to imagine it so directly…. that was powerful.
An idea if you want to still walk to the farmer’s market next time and still get your herbs… flat-bottomed bags such as paper bags and some canvas re-useable bags work really well for carrying small pots. Just make sure you have something with a handle to free your hands. Or use a rolling cart/wagon…. What sort of herbs caught your eye? I keep wanting to start some chocolate mint here, but never manage to plant it in the ground for the next year.
I was actually telling my daughter the other day that we could’ve used a wagon! She’s past that point, though, and I think I’d feel silly buying one now. But flat-bottom bags are a great idea! I saw a woman with a big canvas basket, too, which I think would work. Thanks for the ideas, Eden, and have an awesome week!
I hope you don’t have to work on The Road So Far indefinitely either because I want it. 😉 But I totally get what you mean, and I love that you love it so much. Hope you find more time for revisions this week!
That said, I love seeing the summer adventures you’ve been having with C. I’ve basically already told my friends that we have to go to Sugar Shack when we go to DC. 🙂
Oh, my gosh — you totally have to go to the Sugar Shack! Their donuts are aMaZiNg and they have such variety. 🙂 Have a great week, Alice, and I hope you find time to squeeze in lots of writing!
Love the excerpt and glad to hear writing is going well. Good luck with drafting and enjoy Summer while it lasts. It’s currently Winter in Australia and I’m looking forward to some sun!
Thanks so much, Rebecca! Sending warm weather from Virginia, though, I’m jealous of your sunny Christmases. 🙂 Have a great week, lady!
Heh to the roaches line!! And ew! 😉 Have a great week!
Ha! Thanks, Leandra! You too!
I hit that same challenge this week, and I am looking at another week where spending time with my son will definitely be taking priority. We just get the writing in when we can and hope for the best. Good luck this week!
I love your excerpt, too, Katy. Lots of mystery and emotion!
Thank you so much, Rebekah! Here’s hoping we’re both able to squeeze some writing in among the kiddo time in the coming weeks. Have a good one!
What a great excerpt Katy! I loved the imagery, especially the roach bit, I can definitely relate with that – Summertime in Florida! I love that you are exploring new places with your daughter, can’t wait to see where you go next!
We just moved away from Florida, so I totally know what you mean. Lots of creepy-crawlies in those parts! Thanks for the kind words, Suzanne, and have an awesome week!
Love love love the excerpt, but what else is new? 🙂 Can’t wait to have this in my mailbox! *checks email*
And I love that you can walk to your Farmer’s Market. So. Cool 🙂 And can I just say again how much excited I am to see my book right next to Sarah Dessen?<3
This story is coming your way in the next day or two. I’m doing one last read-thru, picking apart word choice and such. Super fun! And thank you again, a zillion times, for agreeing to read. ❤ Have a great week, and see you soon!