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.
1.1a. Draft at least 30K words in my new WiP by summer’s end. –> Success!
1b. Revise The Road So Far. –> Success! (It’s with beta readers now.)
I’d been hoping to add more wordage to my WiP (sitting at just over 30K, but I was super lazy this last week. I read a lot, but the writing just wasn’t coming. Hoping to do better in the coming week!
2. Read 12 books by summer’s end. –> In progress. I finished my ninth book, All We Have is Now by one of my favorite YA authors, Lisa Schroeder. Loved this beautiful story about making the most of each day.
3. Get stronger. –> In progress. I cardio-ed twice and practiced yoga three times.
4. Explore a new place each week. –> Success! We headed to an outdoor amphitheater in Bristow, Virginia to see Toby Keith, who puts on such an incredible show. My husband and I saw him play something like ten years ago, and I’d totally forgotten how awesome he is live.
5. Cross at least two items off my Thirty Before 35 list. –> In progress. I’ve planted my herb garden, I saw (another) country music concert, and I’m working on #17 as I draft my WiP.
2. My goal(s) for this week.
Apply beta notes to The Road So Far. Add some new words (just SOME — anything!) to the WiP I’m drafting. Read Mary Kubica’s Pretty Baby. Exercise. Hit the pool a few times.
3. A favorite line from my story OR one word/phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised.
I have to tip my chin to look up at him; he’s blue-eyed and russet-haired, strong-jawed and serious, but with a smattering of freckles that don’t match, like Converse with a tuxedo.
4. The biggest challenge I faced this week (ex. finding time to write).
Motivation. Ugh. I’m lacking it.
5. Something I love about my WiP.
That they’re YA. Occasionally well-meaning (non-writer) people try to sell me on drafting their ideas (which is strange, right?) and often, those ideas are for books that would fall into the adult category. Um, nope. I have zero desire to write adult fiction. I love reading it and I have all the respect for those authors who pull it off, but I’m a YA writer through and through.
Are you participating in RSW?
Don’t forget to link to your update below.
In other news… Big congrats to Tonja Drecker, lucky winner of last week’s Ready. Set. Write! prize package!
This week we’re offering our fourth giveaway — a fantastic writer’s care package assembled by Alison.
Alison’s package includes: a “Be Inspired” journal with inspirational quotes and writing prompts, Jane Austen air freshener, sticky notes and page markers, “I like BIG BOOKS and I cannot lie!” bookmark, spiral index cards, WRITE journal/composition book, Werther’s Originals caramel hard candies, Paddy Wax Ginger Peach soy candle, Trident Island Berry Lime gum, spiral memo pad in a rainbow of colors, Sinful Colors Decadent nail polish, post cards with inspirational quotes, mini Ink Joy pens.
Giveaway open internationally, to RSW participants only.
To enter, click the link below!
Katy Upperman ~ Author 
I hear you on the motivation factor. Some weeks it’s there; some weeks, it’s tough! But you can do this. Especially because I want to read this summer camp WiP ASAP. 🙂 And yay for all the concert fun! Dave saw Toby Keith a few weeks ago with his friends and had a great time.
Love the excerpt from the WiP, lady! (as always!) Hope you have a great week!
Thanks so much, Alison! Hoping my motivation returns SOON. And yay for your husband, a fellow Toby Keith fan. 😉
I love that snippet and all the mental images that come with it. He sounds lovely!
I think reading is a pretty good stand-in for when the words don’t want to play nice. It gives your brain a little time to recuperate, which is always good–and it helps contribute to your reading goal too, so it’s all win really. 😉 Good luck with this week, I hope the words decide to come out and play this time!
Thanks so much! I kind of like that little excerpt I shared. I unearthed it from a marathon drafting session last month. 🙂 I’m hoping my words reappear soon — I’d like to finish this draft sometime in the next decade! Hope you have a wonderful week, Pax!
My husband’s boss tried to give him tickets to that same Toby Keith show. But hubs has barely had a day off the past month and I couldn’t name a single TK song, so we passed on them. Sounds like we missed a good show, though 🙂
Love the analogy in your snippet!
Not a TK fan, huh? Had I known you had the opportunity to go, I would have hassled you into it. We could’ve had a beer together, Jennifer, and I could’ve taught you the lyrics to all his songs. 🙂 Hope you have a great week, lady!
Sometimes I’m more in a reading mood than a writing one, too. Reading is a more than fair substitute for writing, especially when you’ve worked as hard as you have on your WiPs this summer! Glad you all had fun at the Toby Keith show! 😀 And as usual, that excerpt…<3 ❤ LOVE!
Have a great week, Katy!
To be honest, while I have been reading, I’ve mostly been in the mood to watch old episodes of Gilmore Girls — so good! And thanks so much for the excerpt love, Kaitlin. Hope you have a wonderful week!
Hopefully all the reading will inspire you to write this week! Good luck with the goals. 🙂
That’s what I’m hoping, Emma! I need to borrow some writerly mojo. 🙂 Have an awesome week, lady!
I didn’t get as much writing done this past week either. It only picked up yesterday because of the weekly write-in with my local writers’ group, and I was able to claim about 5,000 words for the week. Even a few new words are better than no new words, and if no new words managed to come, at least they weren’t forced when they just weren’t ready. My writers’ group still talks about how our oldest member made no bones about how she cheated to win NaNo last year, and has done that several other times, by copying and pasting her WIP twice into the validator. That’s not an honest win, and she should’ve been proud of the words she honestly wrote even if they weren’t enough for a legitimate win. The only reason anyone could come up with for wanting a win that badly was to possibly get a discount on Scrivener.
Uh, yeah, the only person you’re cheating when you fudge NaNo words counts is your self. What’s the point?! I like what you said about avoiding forced words, Carrie-Anne. For me, no words are better. Hope you have a fantastic week, and congrats on the 5K you knocked out!
The analogy in your snippet is fantastic. 🙂
Thanks so much, Melissa! ❤
My motivation has been waning lately too, Katy. I think with the end of summer on the horizon, it’s too tempting to enjoy this last bit of time before the fall rush starts up.
I hear you on wanting to stick to YA. I’ve been so frustrated lately about querying that I’ve questioned whether or not I’m going to have to switch age categories or genres just to get any closer to publishing. Ultimately, I love YA though, and I hate the idea of abandoning it.
Good luck with your goals and I hope the words flow better this week!
I have those thoughts in regard to being on sub, Erin. Sometimes I feel like the YA market is SO flooded, and that I’ll never get my chance. But I’d rather keep trying with projects I’m truly passionate about. Otherwise, what’s the point? Here’s hoping you (and I!) find plenty of motivation as the month winds down. Best of luck! ❤
YA for life! We love that you’re sticking to your YA roots and not letting others sway you away 🙂 Also, how freaking amazing that you’re checking so many goals off of your RSW list this summer. You’re pretty amazing. Finally: that line from your WIP? We’d like to read the manuscript. Now. Kthanksbai!
Aww, thanks, girls! ❤ And yes — YA FOREVER! Have a wonderful week!
You’ve been working hard all summer, so it’s okay if you have a slow week here or there. 😀
The concert sounds awesome! I can’t wait to see what your next adventure is. You go on so many of them! Good luck with the writing goal this week ❤
The concert was amazing — so glad we decided to go! Best of luck with your goals this week, Courtney. Have a great one!
I’m struggling with motivation, too, Katy. But you are getting so much done this summer! Good luck this week!
Thanks so much, Valerie! Here’s hoping we both relocate our motivation before the summer’s out! Have a great week, lady!
I love, love, love that excerpt! And congrats on all your success this week – even if you didn’t reach the writing goals you wanted to. You sure accomplished a lot of other things! Cardio and yoga counts for a lot. 🙂 Have a great week, Katy!
Ha — thanks so much, Kitty! At least I used some of my slacking-from-writing time to work out. 🙂 Hope you have a fantastic week, lady!
Seems like there’s a theme of distraction and motivation as a challenge. I bet it’s because of summer. Your excerpt is fantastic (as always). Good luck on your goals this week!
Thanks, Alicia! I agree about the lack of motivation thing. I’m seeing echoes on lots of posts today. Hopefully we’ll all push through in the next week! Hope you have a good one, lady!
It’s so funny, people pitch me ideas to write all the time, too. I’m like, uhhh… it’s your idea, you write it. I’d much rather keep writing my YA stories with lots of kissing. It’s not like ideas are in short supply, haha! Anyway, I hope you get some more motivation this week! I’m right there with you. Good luck on all your goals! 🙂
Right? I always say that too: Are you sure YOU don’t want to write that idea? I’ll never give up my kissing books either, Crystal! 🙂
Yay for YA writers! 😉 Fantastic excerpt, I cannot wait to one day read a whole book of yours.
Aww, thank you Leandra! Ditto! ❤ Hope you're having a wonderful week!
Good luck on your edits this week! Can’t wait to see where The Road So Far ends up!
ME TOO! I know I’ve told you this already, but your notes are helping me so much, Liz. Can’t thank you enough!
YAY, YA writer pride! 🙂 Also great job on your goals last week! So many things in the beta read bin, and I have full confidence you’re going to cross off those 2 things on your 30 Before list.
Good luck with more motivation this week! I’ve been struggling with this all summer. BOO.