RSW Update 4

July 7, 2014July 7, 201454 Comments

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!

Ready. Set. Write! {Goals}

June 9, 2014June 8, 201457 Comments

Today I’m setting my RSW goals…

1. Complete a revision of my contemporary YA, Where Poppies Bloom. I’m currently about a 1/3 of the way through the heavy overhauling, and then I’ll need to do a read-through. I’d like to have the manuscript CP-ready by the end of June, and agent-ready by the end of July.

2. Complete the first draft of my contemporary YA, The Road So Far, by the close of RSW. This WiP is currently plotted and sitting at 30K words. I am super verbose in my first drafts, so I suspect it will be “done” at around 80K. Yikes.

3. Read (on average) one YA/adult novel per week.

4. Read (on average) one MG novel with my daughter every two weeks.

5. Maintain my tan. (Yes.)

That’s it! Simple, right?

Don’t forget… this year we’ll be using headings for our weekly updates, which will take place every Monday. The headings are as follows…

* How I did on last week’s goal(s).
* My goal(s) for this week.
* A favorite line from my project OR a word/phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised.
* The biggest challenge I faced this week.
* Something I love about my WiP.

We’ll see you next week for our first official progress posts. Until then, best of luck with your writing/revising, and please do link your own goals post below…

Ready. Set. WRITE! {2014}

June 2, 2014June 2, 2014106 Comments

It’s that time of year again! Time for Ready. Set. WRITE!

Ready. Set. Write! will kick off with an initial goal-setting post on June 9^th. This time around, our RSW check-in posts will be on MONDAYS. The start of the week feels sort of appropriate for goal-setting, don’t you think? To change things up a bit, we’ve decided on a format for our weekly check-in posts. Using headings should allow for a quicker and more concise rundown and will give other participants specific ways to offer encouragement.

Here are the headings we’re using:

1. How I did on last week’s goals.

2. My goal(s) for this week.

3. A favorite line from my story OR one word/phrase that sums up what I wrote/revised.

4. The biggest challenge I faced this week (ex. finding time to write).

5. Something I love about my WiP.

**As mentioned, Week #1 will only be goal setting.**

Something we noticed last year during RSW was that we spent a lot of time blogging about writing, instead of actually writing. Accountability and goal setting are super important, but we don’t want RSW to detract from writing, which is, of course, the whole point of this summer intensive. All of that to say, with respect to our weekly check-in posts, THE BRIEFER THE BETTER. Your hosts will be limiting their answers for each heading to 2-3 lines at most, and we encourage participants to do the same. (Save the words for the WiPs!)

Each Monday there will be a linky sign-up on all of the host blogs. Leave the link to your check-in post, hop around to other participants’ blogs, and spread encouragement like sunscreen. (This is a summer writing intensive after all. ☼)

Here are the RSW 2014 buttons, courtesy of Jaime, who’s amazing. Click the link below the collage for your choice of button (Polaroid or non-Polaroid style).

Click HERE for the RSW 2014 buttons!

Stay tuned for info on giveaways and be sure to watch Twitter for spontaneous #RSW writing parties. Ready. Set. WRITE! will kick off on Monday, June 9^th with our first goals post followed by updates every Monday thereafter until August 25^th. In the meantime, decide what you want to write/revise. Set goals. Write a little. Or a lot. Spread the word! And be prepared to Ready. Set. WRITE!

Leave questions in the comments and tell me…
Are you planning to participate in Ready. Set. WRITE!?

#WriterRecharge {Final Update!}

March 2, 201433 Comments

Writer Recharge is a month-long motivational challenge similar to last summer’s Ready. Set. Write! So many of us benefited from setting goals, connecting with other writers, and social media-based accountability. So, let’s do it again! Whether you’re delighting next to the crackling fireplace of a Shiny New Idea with a warm cup of tea and or spinning out on the ice-covered roads of revisions in an attempt to avoid the snow-packed ditch, we want to write with you! Learn more HERE.

Clearly I’m motivated by Internet accountability. If it weren’t for last summer’s Ready. Set. Write!, I never would’ve finished the first draft of my contemporary YA, Good Girls. And if it weren’t for February’s #WriterRecharge, I wouldn’t have finished its first major revision. For me, check-ins are good. Twitter writing parties are good. Like-minded friends with similar goals are good.

Thank you a million times to Sara Biren, who cooked up the idea for #WriterRecharge and was amazing enough to invite me to be a part of its planning group (including Alison Miller, Liz Parker, & Elodie Nowodazkij). And thank you so much to everyone who participated, posted about their progress, and rooted me on when I posted about mine. Seriously. There’s no way I would’ve met my goal without you guys.

And I did meet my goal! I have a reader-ready draft of Good Girls, and I am elated. Also, terrified. Because now it’s time for critique — yikes. Don’t worry though… My CPs are brilliant and thoughtful and wonderful, and mostly I’m just anxiously awaiting their feedback so I can further improve my little story.

Just in case you need proof, that’s me, all excited about finally finishing this beast of a revision. And also working on my tan, because Florida decided to be awesome this weekend.

How did #WriterRecharge shape up for you?
If you’ve been participating, don’t forget to post about your success and share your link at Sara’s blog.

What’s Up Wednesday

February 26, 2014February 25, 201438 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you. If you’re participating, make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, others can visit your post and check out what you’ve been up to.And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: So… I had to put Holly Black’s White Cat aside. I only got about ten pages into the story and while I’m intrigued, I’m just not in the right mood for urban fantasy these days. I’ll definitely go back to it, but for now, I’m going to stick with contemporary YA. What can I say? It’s where my heart is (just look at those covers below!). I finished Jolene Perry’s The Summer I Found You, which I’ll review in detail in tomorrow’s Bookanista post, and now I’m reading Sarah Ockler’s The Book of Broken Hearts. Loving Juju’s voice so far!

What I’m Writing: I talked about my revision of Good Girls in Monday’s #WriterRecharge post, but let’s review: I finished my Cut All the Crap round, and now I’m going through my revision to-do list and fixing the issues I know exist — mostly having to do with character development and cohesion. I’m also doing some polishing and shifting and texturing. I think this baby’s going to be ready for readers by the end of the week!

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Other than rocking my revision goals, I’m still watching Friday Night Lights like a feign. I’m nearly done with season 3 and holy crap… I love this show so much. I actually met one of its creators, Peter Berg, a few months ago and it’s a good thing I hadn’t started watching FNL yet. I probably would’ve fangirled all over the poor man. (Incidentally, I did tell him about the enormous crush I have on Marky Mark Wahlberg, so there’s that.)

I made Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread, which turned out wonderfully. My girlie thought I was kidding when I told her I was fixing bread with zucchini *and* chocolate in it, and that would end up tasting like a treat. She loves it. 🙂

It’s been gorgeous in Florida lately, and we’ve been spending lots of time outdoors and at the park. Hearing about the crappy weather the rest of the country’s dealing with makes me thankful for this beautiful location the Army has moved us to. We’ve been so lucky these last few duty stations!

Oh, and I bought a garden gnome. She’s reading, and she reminds me a little of Moaning Myrtle. She makes me smile.

What’s Inspiring Me Now: My WiP is full of characters who make terribly selfish choices. Yet, I want readers to empathize with them and, at the very least, understand their motivations. When Flaws Go Too Far: Avoiding Unlikeable Characters by Angela Ackerman for Writer’s Digest has fantastic tips for creating characters who are flawed, yet still relatable. I’m also inspired by this piece by Ruth Harris for Anne R. Allen’s Blog called From Pathetic to Professional: 8 Ways to Beat the First Draft Blues, which shares strategies for shaping and refining first drafts. Super helpful. Also, I’m loving Miss Megan Whitmer‘s latest vlog called Censoring Characters: Where Do We Draw the Line? It’s an awesome conversation starter about writers staying true to their characters vs. remaining socially acceptable. Like Megan, I’ve yet to nail down my stance on this — tough stuff. Lots of great thoughts in the comments section too!

And, on a much more personal note, this week my former neighbor and dear friend Brittany wrote about the birth of her angel baby Bella Joy. It’s a heartbreaking story, but so beautiful and inspirational too. Brittany and her husband are amazing people and incredible parents (their five-year-old is one of my daughter’s favorite friends) and I wish them peace and love and all the best. ♥

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

Thirty Before 35

February 20, 2014December 16, 201533 Comments

It’s that time again. My birthday. As of today, I’m thirty-three.

I wish I was one of those people who approaches birthdays with grace and enthusiasm. I’m a whole year wiser — yay! But really, I sort of dread my birthday. I liked being twenty-six. Thirty-three sounds so… old. But, unfortunately aging is one of those inevitabilities we can’t control, and in the spirit of my 2014 word stoicism, I’m going to accept it and move forward with a positive attitude.

Which brings me to…

Ever since I started following Ghenet Myrthil‘s blog, I’ve been inspired by her Thirty Before 30 project. She’s created a list of things she wants to do before she turns thirty this summer, and it’s been so fun to follow along as she fulfills her goals. What better way to make birthdays brighter than establishing objectives and finding a sense of achievement in accomplishing them?

I love Ghenet’s Thirty Before 30 project so much, I’ve decided to jump on board. Obviously I’m beyond thirty (*sob*), and thirty-five isn’t far off. So, I’m giving myself two full years to check the items off my list. Thirty Before 35, if you will.

I’ve thought long and hard about what I want to include on my list, and I’ve decided to go big or go home. I realize that some of the items are almost entirely out of my control (#2 and #25 specifically), but they’re things I desperately want to happen. So, I’ll do everything in my power to get there, and if I don’t, well, at least I’ll know I tried. Conversely, some of the items I’ve included may seem silly or trivial, but they’re ambitions I’ve had in the back of my mind for a long while, and several of them are things I want to do with my husband and/or daughter. Therefore, on the list they’ve gone.

What I’ve ended up with is part to-do list, part bucket list. I’m excited about it!

Bake a Rainbow Cake.
Sell a novel (or two!).
Complete a 500 piece puzzle.
Have a picnic on the beach.
Read and review a Stephen King novel.
Drink a Hurricane in New Orleans.
Have professional family photos taken.
Run Disney’s Princess 1/2 Marathon.
Attend a writers’ conference or festival.
Order a Stitch Fix box.
See a musical.
Plan and host a tea party with my girl.
Make a quilt.
Take an international vacation.
Watch Friday Night Lights in its entirety.
Complete a three day juice cleanse.
Write a manuscript that’s not contemporary YA.
Pass 2K Twitter followers.
Read Speak (my most shameful YA gap book).
Host a brunch.
Master “Space-A” travel.
Attend a writers’ retreat.
Get a massage.
Make Chocolate Babka.
Add another child to our family.
Visit Mount Rushmore.
Master “Crow” pose in yoga.
Go to a(nother) country music concert.
Plant an herb garden.
Teach my daughter to swim (really well).

There they are. Thirty things I hope to accomplish before my thirty-fifth birthday. This list will be in a tab up there above my header, and (like Ghenet) I’ll cross items off (and most likely blog) as I accomplish them. Sounds fun, right?

Here’s to a happy birthday. I’ll be binge-watching Friday Night Lights and eating cake if you should need me. 🙂

#WriterRecharge {Update Two}

February 17, 2014February 17, 201430 Comments

This last week has been weird. I had a lot of Army Wife Stuff to deal with (lawyerly will-drafting meetings, Family Readiness stuff, etc…) which took up more time than I would have liked. I also ended up revisiting an old story that I may or may not be breathing new life into. All things considered, I still made decent progress with my revision of my WiP, Good Girls, and I’m feeling hopeful about my goal of having a reader-ready draft by the end of February.

I mentioned in last week’s WUW post that I really like my story. I know that seems like a given, but there’ve been a few occasions where I’ve reached this point in the revision game and thought, This story is SO BORING, and threw in the towel. Because if *I* think it’s boring, certainly everyone else will too. So far, I’m not finding Good Girls boring, thank goodness, because I’ve been working on it for nearly a year . It’d suck to give up on it now!

Lots of #WriterRecharge friends shared excerpts last week and I love that idea, so I’m going to include one today…

Begrudgingly, Jenna slipped her hand from Tyler’s and shuffled down the row behind Dylan. When their feet hit the stadium steps, Dylan linked their arms and dragged her to the ladies’ room, where she chose the stall adjacent to Jenna’s.

“Spill it,” she demanded, her voice carrying under the aluminum wall that separated them.

Jenna would have preferred to pee in peace, but evasiveness would never fly.

“I’m having fun,” she said. “I like him.”

“No shit. I saw a lot of hushy-hushy conversation on your end—when I wasn’t slapping Brody’s hand away from my thigh, that is. What were you guys talking about?”

“Baseball.” Jenna smoothed her skirt and flushed the toilet with her foot. When the roar of water quieted, she added, “He wants to go out again.”

“I bet he does.” Dylan emerged from her stall and followed Jenna to the sinks.

“I think he might actually like me. But that’s crazy, right?”

“Yeah. Totally crazy.” In the cloudy bathroom mirror, Jenna saw Dylan give her eyes a cynical roll. Dylan liked to say that every guy who possessed a working pair of balls considered Jenna covetable yet unattainable. The preacher’s virgin daughter, the songbird with enviable talent, the shy girl with the fiery hair… The way Dylan described her made Jenna blush—it was ridiculous to think that boys might desire her. She was mousy and jittery, cast away in her first day of life by the person who was supposed to love her most.

“Come on, Jenny,” Dylan said, flicking water at her. “Why else would he have asked you to come tonight?”

Jenna considered. “Maybe because he’s new to town? Or because he’s nice? Or because he doesn’t know you yet?”

Goal for this week: Wrestle my story’s ending into something awesome.

Tell me: How’s #WriterRecharge going for you?
If you’re participating, don’t forget to post about your progress and share your link at Sara’s blog.

#WriterRecharge {Update One}

February 7, 2014February 16, 201438 Comments

#WriterRecharge has whipped me into shape!

I’ve gotten tons of revising done this week, about eight scenes worth, so I’m pleased. I’ve done some brainstorming with Alison, one of my CPs, and made some sense of a few muddled aspects of the story. I’ve also trimmed A LOT of cheesiness — yay! My objective for the next week is to cut everything that isn’t moving the story along. I’m making great progress with that already — my draft started at 87K and is now down to about 77K. Then I’ll need to go back and patch up several holes that need attention. The end of my manuscript definitely needs some major work, and I’m looking forward to tackling it.

Goal for the coming week: Finish this read-through and cut everything that needs to be cut (as of now). Eliminate cheesiness. Improve flow. Nail down main characters’ backstory and motivations.

Totally doable. 🙂

How was your first week of #WriterRecharge?
If you’re participating, don’t forget to post about your progress and share your link at Sara’s blog.

#WriterRecharge

February 3, 2014February 3, 201419 Comments

January is in the books and you’ve had to deal with:

a) polar vortices

b) ice storms

c) mountains of snow

d) gray skies and general malaise

e) all of the above

We thought our writer friends might be in need of a little boost.
A jump start, if you will.

A recharge.

We’d like to invite you to join us for Writer Recharge 2014, a month-long motivational challenge similar to last summer’s Ready. Set. Write! So many of us benefited from setting goals, connecting with other writers, and social media-based accountability. So, let’s do it again! Whether you’re delighting next to the crackling fireplace of a Shiny New Idea with a warm cup of tea and or spinning out on the ice-covered roads of revisions in an attempt to avoid the snow-packed ditch, we want to write with you! What do you want to accomplish this month? Hit a daily word count? Revise a certain number of pages or chapters each week? Complete a draft by the end of the month? Let’s get this party started!

Writer Recharge 2014

Your hosts and cheerleaders:

Alison Miller, Liz Parker, Elodie Nowodazkij, Sara Biren & me!

Your timeline:

First week of February: Post your goals for the month on your blog, website, or Twitter. Use the hashtag #WriterRecharge. Link your blog post at sarabiren.com.
Every Monday in February: Update your progress via your blog or twitter. Link your blog posts at Sara’s Monday posts.
Throughout the month: Use the hashtag to connect with other writers, have writing parties, and cheer one another on!
February 28: Post your final update via your blog or twitter.
Anyone who uses the hashtag or links their blog posts will be entered to win one of five query or 3-chapter critiques.

My personal goals…

I have a revision to finish, friends!

I completed the first draft of my YA contemporary (working title Good Girls — I suck at titles) back in October, and now I’m trying to make sense of it. I’m about halfway through now, but the hard part’s only beginning. I need to make some Big Decisions for my characters, and nail down their motivations and goals. I’ll also need to read back through and do some texturizing and polishing. My goal is to work at least four hours on weekdays and at least two hours every weekend to have a readable draft ready for my CPs by the end of February.

We hope you’ll join us! Set your goals and link them at Sara’s blog…

We’ll see YOU at #WriterRecharge!

Also… holy crap! The Seahawks won the Super Bowl!!!!

On Goals (& My 2014 Word)

January 3, 2014January 3, 201458 Comments

Happiest of New Years to you, friends! Can I just say how relieved I am to see 2014? I’m incredibly excited about this new year, a clean slate, and a fresh start.

You see, 2013 was not such a great year for me. While I had some wonderful moments with friends and family, when I look back on the last twelve months the overall tone is one of stagnancy. I’m standing in pretty much the same place today as I was this time last year. I’ve not achieved much of anything. I’ve grown very little as a human. It’s depressing, if I think too hard about it.

Lately, I’ve taken a step back and really reflected on the last year, and I’ve come to realize this bleak feeling that I’ve accomplished nothing stems from the “goals” I set at the beginning of 2013.

(Here’s where I get personal and possibly overshare a bit…)

My “goals” for 2013 were to 1) Sell a book, and 2) Get pregnant.

Simple, right? I wrote a fantastic story. I have an awesome agent. I’ve put in YEARS of writing time. And hello… I’ve already had one child. How hard can it possibly be to have another? People get pregnant every day!

*sniffle*

First, let’s address the obvious problem with my 2013 goals…

THEY’RE “GOALS” THAT ARE COMPLETELY OUT OF MY HANDS.

I can’t control publishing or editors or the literary market. And I can’t control chemistry or fertility. I broke big and obvious goal-setting rules, and I set myself up for failure right out of the gate. Of course I’m disheartened now. Of course. But at least I see the flaws of my ways. At least I can make changes now. At least I can look forward to the brightness of the future, to 2014.

My (attainable) goals for this year…

Revise and polish the manuscript I wrote last year.
Get CP/beta/agent feedback on said manuscript.
Face future submissions with a smile and a shrug and a “work harder” attitude.
Be the best CP/beta I can be, and learn from my friends’ writing.
Approach fitness differently; nourish and strengthen my body instead of beating it up.
Cherish time with my family. Be present in the moment.
Worry less; take deep breaths.

And with those goals in mind, I’ve decided on my focus word for 2014…

STOICISM

It’s an idea my husband and I both want to work toward this year. Living stoically basically means that we’ll try not to stress about things we have no power over. We’ll try not to let our emotions control our actions. We’ll live ethically, and with clear heads. Instead of getting upset, we’ll adjust our expectations and try to make the best of things.

Already, we’ve been reminding each other… “This isn’t very stoic of you,” I told my husband the other day when he was irritated about a move-damaged piece of furniture. “You’ve gotta know adversity,” he noted when I grumbled about how impossible it was to move a crazy-heavy armoire up four brick stairs. Sure, the reminders can be a little annoying, but they also make us laugh, and they help us take a step back from whatever situation is threatening to ruffle us.

Nothing like a cross-country move to put stoicism to the test. 🙂

So, that’s me. 2014 is going to be a good year.

Tell me… What are your goals for 2014. Do you have a focus word?