{Sit Down and Write} Write-a-Thon--Sign Up!

Well, our little discussion on Twitter during the High Summer Read-a-Thon has come to fruition! The write-a-thon is on! This write-a-thon is for any writing you need to get done.  If you're working on a novel and, perhaps, participating in Camp NaNoWriMo this month (like me), it's for you.  If you have a ton of reviews to write coming off of (or during) the many read-a-thons this month (Olympic Read-a-Thon, Review Copy Cleanup, Summer Wrap-Up Read-a-Thon, Bout of Books 5.0), this is perfect for you.  Any writing you need to get done...this is the week to really buckle down.  I'm going to use the week to get caught up on my Camp NaNo word count, if need be.  I'm not going to be hosting any mini-challenges, but I will have a special giveaway at the end.  Anyone who participates will be eligible.  And, of course, we must have a Twitter hashtag.  How about #sitdownwrite ...perfect! I may even host a couple of Twitter chats so we can gripe about our writer's block or anything else. =O)

Starting and end times are the usual:  Monday (8/20) 12:01am CST until Sunday (8/26) 11:59pm CST.

Be sure to grab the button (top of post) and spread the word! I hope you will join me!

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ROW80: Round 3--Goals, sort of...

They've decided and the level is EPIC! Yes, check off another fail on my list.  This time it was JuNoWriMo.  I signed up for it (read this POST), unaware that I'd be starting a new job the first week in June.  Yup, new job equals major adjustments and unfortunately, the writing was not in the cards.  Not only did I fail at JuNoWriMo, but I also managed to totally tank Round 2 of ROW80.  Yup, I rock...not.

I'm going to be kind of vague with my goals right now because I'm still in training mode for the new job (I'm a virtual assistant...that's right...workin' from home, baby!) and my kids are still out of school and my husband works nights so I get no relief.  I will probably hopefully use July for more research and planning and I'm determined to work through Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way again (Morning Pages) and perhaps take a look at Vein of Gold.  Robin (My Two Blessings) is also going to be reading Veins this month.  I already have the start of my novel written so I can at least say that.  The bad thing is that I haven't touched it for months.  So I'm thinking...the kids go back to school August 1 and that will be my time to start getting some writing done.  Their earlier bedtime will allow me to write at night as well.  I'm contemplating Camp NaNoWriMo in August, but I'm not going to make that decision until close to when it starts.

How about you?  What are your ROW80 plans?

ROW80--finally joining the fray...and my "am I crazy?" moment

Yes, I have been grossly neglectful of my writing since Round 2 of ROW80 started.  I kept missing check in after check in.  Heck, I don't think I even did a goal post for this round.  Meanwhile, my novel languishes away waiting for my attention.  Well, here is my official goal post/check-in, even if it's the last month of this round.  So, what is my "am I crazy?" moment?  Yes, I went and did it.  Signed up for JuNoWriMo.  I know that the folks at NaNoWriMo are doing Camp NaNoWriMo in June and August this year, but I stumbled across JuNoWriMo which was created by authors Becca J. Campbell and A.E. (Anna) Howard.  Becca felt that November wasn't enough and decided that June was the month.  Now this may not be a great idea for me because I actually was just hired as an independent contractor Virtual Assistant (working from home, baby!) so I'm now a working girl again, but I have been feeling so guilty about my novel which I started during NaNoWriMo in November that I just feel like I need to do this.  Yeah, I'm crazy.

The beauty of JuNoWriMo is that you can have already started your novel.  Don't worry, I'm not cheating.  I'm only about a thousand words in anyway.  Now I only found out about this a few days ago so I don't know if I'm going to be ready by Friday.  The end of the month is always a heavy time for me on my blog what with trying to get book reviews written on the last day of the month (yeah, that's how I roll) and all.  But I'm doing this...that's it! I'm thinking that I may actually start the word count accumulation a few days in so I'm going to have to adjust my daily word count from 1667 to about 2000 daily.  This is my jumping off point, but may have to adjust accordingly.  I have to remember to go into this with an open mind and to remember that no one is going to kill me if I don't finish.  They say we are our own harshest critics and nothing could be more true about me.

Okay, so wish me luck on this endeavor.  Hopefully, I'll have something to report on Sunday (or maybe Wednesday).  If you're interested in checking out JuNoWriMo, go HERE and read more about it.

Image/poem from A Writer in Wonderland

ROW80/Round One--Final Check-In

I tanked Round One of ROW80.  Yes, that's right I'm admitting it.  No excuses to offer.  I just have not been in the writing mode (or mood) at all.  Not only did I not write regularly, but I hardly checked in either.  I think this was my rebellious time of 2012.  I will be signing up for Round Two.  I'm going to spend these eleven days reflecting on my self-imposed obstacles and coming up with a plan that I will stick to.  Wish me luck...I'm going to need it.

NaBloPoMo--Day 18 and 19

I won a perk from Klout for a Dreamworks Family Fun Night at the Opryland Hotel here in Nashville.    I have to share it with you because it was just so awesome! We received a package that included a one night stay at the hotel (man, the rooms are nice), free dinner, free ride on the Delta Queen riverboats, the boys got to meet Alex from Madagascar, and at the end of the night...a DJ dance party with Shrek, Fiona, and Puss in Boots and lots of yummy snacks and drinks and a free souvenir photo.  The cherry on top was a complimentary Shrek themed breakfast served to us this morning in the room.  What a breakfast too! Scrambled eggs (some of the best I've ever had), sausage and bacon, potatoes, Shrek shaped waffles and pancakes, fruit, muffins, danish, croissants, coffee, Shrek juice, and milk.  Yummo! We had such a great time and an added bonus was all the exercise I got walking all over the HUGE Opryland hotel and dancing at the dance party.  Such an awesome and it cost us absolutely nothing.  Pretty cool for people who are as broke as we are.  LOL! Here's a picture of my boys with Puss in Boots at the dance party last night:

NaBloPoMo--Day 17

What do you think of the saying, "A son is a son till he takes him a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life."

I have had several women friends who have sons and they told me that once they were grown, they grew apart.  I know my husband and his brother are not close with their mother at all, but that's not completely a fault of theirs.  On the other hand, my sister is still very close with her son and my aunt seems to be close with her grown sons as well.  On the daughter side, I know that I'm virtually inseparable from my mom and my sister is very close with her too, even thought she lives out of state.  I sincerely hope that this will not be the case with my sons.  I am working very hard to keep close relationships with them and I'm hoping that I can be accepting of the women they choose as their partners in the future.  So, I guess the saying is subjective.  It really depends on the individuals and the family circumstances surrounding them.

NaBloPoMo--Day 16

Respond to the proverb: "Treat your family like friends and your friends like family."

I've heard it said before, "You treat your friends better than you treat your family." I guess what it means is that we are just really comfortable with our families, and usually feel certain that we can speak to them and treat them however we want, whether it be good or bad. This is because our families (usually) love us unconditionally. This isn't always the case with friends. So, the proverb is stating the obvious. We should treat our families like our friends and treat our friends more like our families. Makes sense to me!