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 Katy Upperman.
Week one is done and I crushed my goal of 500 words per day!
How I did on last week's goals: I was aiming for about 3k total, and I managed to write over 5k! I hopped on the planner/stickers bandwagon that I've seen other writers using (stickers are the BEST motivation!) and it's been working so well! If I double my 500 word count goal for the day...DOUBLE STICKERS! :D
My goals for this week: My goal for week two is 3,500 words. That's 500 words a day, no wiggle room. My manuscript should hit 20k this week, too, so there'll be some extra sparkly stickers in my planner on that day!
A favorite line from my story: [Eight-year-old Sammy is distraught when reading CHAMBER OF SECRETS for the first time and Hermione, his favorite character, is Petrified by the Basilisk]
He scrunches up his face, which looks a little splotchy,
and wails, “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“Um.” I’m staunchly anti-spoiler, whether it’s books or
TV or movies. People who come into the library, take a book off the shelf, flip
to the end and read the last chapter make me want to scream.
“She’s so smart and keeps Harry and Ron out of trouble,”
he continues, voice rising in pitch. “And she’s got big front teeth like me.”
He bares his teeth, and sure enough, his two front teeth are pretty large, and
a little bit crooked. Then he buries his head under his pillow.
Biggest challenge this week: Writing while having company and explaining what I'm doing. Everyone has come upstairs, seen me hunched over the computer, and asked what I'm doing. Since I don't tell people what my stories are about while they're in progress, it's been a lot of, "Oh, just writing stuff...fun...blahblah not homework..."
Something I love about my WiP: Sammy, the little guy from the quote above. He's an emotional one, and he keeps surprising me. Can't wait to see where his character goes!
How did you do with your goals this week?
I can’t talk about my WIP too much while writing, either. I’ve learned that it saps my excitement for the project and then I’m stuck at a standstill forever. Love your excerpt! I looooathe spoilers. Good luck on your goals this week! :)
ReplyDeleteOne of the fun things about a shiny new WIP is that it's kind of your little secret, and I love that! Glad I'm not the only one who's secretive about projects. :)
DeleteYay for stickers! I need to get back to doing that again because it was weirdly motivating. I think there's a big ole kid in all of us still. ;-) Awesome job meeting your goals this week, Kaitlin, especially with company in the house. I don't do well with all of the usual distractions, so major props for writing with an added distraction! Good luck this week! Hoping to see more sparkle on that calendar, especially when you hit that 20K mark! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Jaime! I really do think we all have a child in us somewhere. :) I'm all about the sparkles!!!
DeleteAww, that excerpt you shared is fantastic. I am also staunchly anti-spoiler, and a huge fan of Hermione. :-) Also, yay for planner stickers! I use them too, and they're SO motivating. Best of luck with your goals in the coming week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Katy! I loved seeing Instagram pictures of your planner - it looked motivating, so I just had to try it! :)
DeleteGreat job! I use writing stickers, too. I get superstitious about talking about my projects-in-progress with anyone before I've at least finished the first draft, but it makes it tricky when people ask what I'm writing!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to talk about a story that's not fully formed yet, too. I usually wind up going, "Um, there's this girl and she's doing this thing but it doesn't really work out at first...and then there's drama and a trampoline." :p
DeleteYour stickers are so cute! Love that you reward yourself like that!
ReplyDeleteThanks Karyne! They keep me motivated!
DeleteNicely done! You blew your goal out of the water! Cute lines from your story. I love that Hermione is Sammy's favourite character. Good luck with your word count goal this week, and I hope you earn lots and lots of stickers! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Erin! Sammy keeps surprising me as a character. It's also fun to write about someone reading Harry Potter for the first time. Somehow, a HP reference makes its way into everything I write. :)
DeleteWOW! You surpassed your goal by 2K! Go you! I hope you have another wonderful writing week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Alison! :D I hope your week of writing goes well, too!
DeleteCongrats on reaching your goal. Another week for success! I like that your characters are reading Harry Potter! So cute
ReplyDeleteIt's so fun to write about someone reading HP for the first time. My inner fangirl is flailing with joy!
DeleteI love that excerpt—so funny and adorable! Way to go on hitting your goals then leaving them in the dust. You're on a roll. Good luck keeping up the momentum!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tracey! Sammy as a character keeps surprising me with his funny/weird/adorable reactions to things. :) Happy writing to you too!
DeleteI have a hard time talking about what I'm working on, too. I usually end up with, "Like, magic, and stuff" and variations thereof. And my parents keep asking to read my books and I won't let them.
ReplyDeleteGreat job with the writing last week!
Thanks Stephanie! My family keeps asking to read my work, too. I finally gave them some short stories to appease them because there's no way anyone's seeing my RSW novel manuscript until it's been through at least three revisions!
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