Write-a-Thon Update (and ROW80 Mid-Week Check-In)

Things have not gone quite as planned...of course.  I've been working on this project for work for a week and a half and we're at crunch time now.  It's due Friday! So, my day time hours have been devoted to that.  Add in the four hours I spend in the car doing the pick up/drop off at school for my sons (they go to two separate schools now) and the evening homework, meals, etc. (my husband works 2nd shift so he's not home to help) and my time is literally squat.  And I'm exhausted so when I get the down time, I'm beat and falling asleep! Okay...buck up, Michelle.  Time for some serious readjustment to the rest of this week which will probably involve some burning of the midnight (all night) oil.  Hope I'm up to the challenge.  I will get words on paper this week, even if it's not as much as I had originally planned.

So, how is everyone else doing?  Leave me a comment and let me know what you've accomplished during the write-a-thon...or leave a link to your update post.

Happy writing!

Sit Down and Write Write-a-Thon: Starting Line

It's on! Are you ready?  Have you been working on a novel, short story, etc. that you want to finish?  Are you swamped with books to review after all these read-a-thons this summer?  Well, this is the week for you! Sign in at the starting line below (please link to where you're updating...blog, Facebook, Goodreads...to a starting line post preferably).  Stop in on Twitter (or use Tweetchat, Tweetdeck, Bottlenose) and use the hashtag #sitdownwrite  Maybe we'll have some impromptu writing sprints.

My goals:
My goal is to try to catch up on Camp NaNoWriMo, which would be about 4500 words a day this week and the rest of the month.  Can I do it?  We shall see! Like I said, even if I can get halfway done with my novel this month, I'll be happy.

What are your goals?

***Write-a-Thon Participant Giveway***

I will be giving away winner's choice of one of these three writing books that I love.

I will be sending the book from Better World Books so it will be a gently used copy.  Don't worry...I have had a lot of experience with them and have never been disappointed with the used books I've received.  BWB ships free worldwide.  So guess what?  Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL! All you have to do to be eligible is sign in at the starting line, participate in the write-a-thon, and link up your wrap-up at the end.  Easy stuff, right?  I will give everyone until 10am CST Tuesday (8/28) to complete their wrap-up posts.

Link your starting line post here:

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ROW80 Check-In: It's on...write-a-thon!

Well, my write-a-thon starts in three hours! My goal is to try to catch up on Camp NaNoWriMo, which would be about 4500 words a day this week and the rest of the month.  Can I do it?  We shall see! Like I said, even if I can get halfway done, I'll be happy.

Won't you join me for the write-a-thon!?

ROW80 Midweek Check-In and Sit Down and Write Write-a-Thon

Yup...my first check-in for this round.  Why?  Because there has been no action on my part unless you want to call reading a book on writing as action.  I guess it is, in a sense.

I'm supposed to be doing Camp NaNoWriMo this month and you know what that means...about 2000 words (or so) a day.  I didn't go into it with much hope, but I do have a little trick up my sleeve that just might catch me up.

That's right! I'm hosting a week long write-a-thon next week! I'm hoping I can catch up my word count next week and possibly finish my book by the end of the month, but even if I don't, I'll be happy to just get a big chunk of it finished.

If you would like to find out more about the Sit Down and Write Write-a-Thon and/or sign-up, check out this POST.

So, what will my goal be next week?  I'm not sure yet.  I'm still working on finishing Book in a Month by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, Ph.D.  It's excellent, by the way! I should definitely have a goal ready for Sunday's check-in, which will also be my starting line post for the Write-a-Thon.

{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