Wednesday, March 28, 2012

March Madness Day 28

Congratulations!!! We've been hanging out together for four fun weeks already!!! We've got a great group of cheerleaders, I mean WRITERS here and I appreciate every single one of you. If you've joined us late in the race, welcome. It's been fun sharing this time together and I hope you've formed some relationships that will last throughout your professional careers.

And we have another winner:
Kim Baccellia!

Congratulations Kim! Please email Denise your choice of prizes at d(at)denisejaden(dot)com. And for the rest of you...don't stop checking in! She'll be drawing more names this week and it's not too late to win.
Advance copy of ARTICLE FIVE by Kristen Simmons (Courtesy of Jaye Robin Brown)
UNRAVELING ISOBEL by Eileen Cook (Courtesy of Shari Green)
OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL by K.M. Weiland (2 e-copies up for grabs!) (Courtesy of Deb Marshall)
DARWEN ARKWRIGHT AND THE PEREGRINE PACT by A.J. Hartley (Courtesy of Laura Taylor - Laura kindly offered to get this one signed if you're willing to wait for it!)


This has been one of my most productive months ever and I'm feeling good about what I've accomplished. But I'm a bit exhausted. April will have to be a month dedicated to refilling my creative well. 

How about you? As we approach the end of this March Madness, do you find yourself growing tired and weary? Or have you found your second wind as you stretch out to reach that finish line? What are your thoughts as you look toward April?

I do hope you'll still stop by this blog to say hello from time to time. I've got some great interviews and book giveaways coming up next month. ^_^

See you tomorrow over at Anne Hale's.

49 comments:

  1. I am tired and weary. Did zero book-mapping this morning and with an art club meeting this p.m. doubt I'll do any then either. I'm on that roller coaster of love it/hate it with my WIP - does it have enough tension, what is it's reason for being, do I really need all three of those boys?

    I am having fun with my A-Z blog posts, including doing a little foray into illustration - I'm all the way through "O" now and have plans for P,Q,R,S,T,Y, X - U,V,Z are still unknown.

    Spring break is exactly 7 school days away (if I count today) and it feels like the end of a race without the euphoria. One more step, one more class.....I have been involved in some lively Hunger Games discussions this week with teens and that's been fun.

    I'm thinking of going on an Internet hiatus in May - like limit myself to 30 min/day or something. I've been a little obsessive in my avoidance through use of the Internet this month.

    Congratulations Kim - Keep plugging away y'all.

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    1. The WIP rollercoaster is not my favorite ride. Hope it slows down and lets you off, soon. Sounds like you've done a ton of work this month. Yay you! As for an Internet hiatus, you should do whatever it takes to recharge your batteries. ^_^

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  2. Congrats, Kim!

    I *was* weary on Monday evening and thought I would step away from my WIP for a few days.

    But I was jotting notes yesterday and can't wait to dig in for another long writing session. I'm determined to have the first draft done by April 30.

    Yay March Madness for giving me that push!

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    1. Sounds like you're invigorated, Jennifer. You can do it!

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    2. Funny how we just can't totally let go, even when we want to! That's a writer... :-)

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  3. Congratulations to Kim! Woo Hoo!

    Good morning Angelina and all wipsters :) I found March to be a bit of a whirlwind myself. April looks to be about as busy, with my son's birthday and starting classes at the community college added into the mix. It will be some juggling until I find a rhythm to make it all work, lol.

    This morning I managed 1k on novella and plan to spend most of the day on edits and revisions. Hoping to spend some time reading Incarceron as well.

    Enjoy filling that well Angelina!

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    1. May you find that energizing rhythm that keeps you dancing through April, Marie!

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  4. My goals have shifted throughout the month. I went from working on something new to shifting back to edits for an upcoming release. I am both energized and nervous as the days fly by. I have a ton of blogs to write and each day gets filled with other writing obligations. It's all good, but I had no idea there was so much more to being an author than simply (ha!) writing a book.

    I don't like roller coasters, either. The only reason I ever get on them is when my kids talk me into it.

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    1. Upcoming release? How exciting. And crazy-making! Congratulations. We want to hear all about it. ^_^

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  5. Eventhough I'm a bit exhausted from March Madness, I'm really going to miss it when it's over. I feel like a kid at summer camp with everyone setting and accomplishing goals, then meeting up every day to talk about them. But now the summer is drawing to a close, and everyone is heading home. *sniff, sniff*

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    1. Not quite! We still meet once a week. Mary Ann Scott (ghostgirl) will be hosting weekly check-ins for the month of April. And we'll still hang out on Twitter #wipmadness. It's like summer camp all year round!

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    2. Oh good, I was wondering who was hosting - I'll be able to point to her blog then on Saturday.

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  6. I'm exhausted from this manuscript! But I just passed 50k this morning (barely!) and that has rejuvenated me a little. I'm racing toward the end, but it is somewhat it sight now.

    As for April, I've had another story idea that's been nagging at me. Since I'm finally in drafting mode, I think I might launch right into it.

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  7. Yay, Denise! Lots of good stuff going on for our Wipsters this month!

    I got so little done on the WIP yesterday. However, I had the most lovely conversation with NY Times best-selling author Heather Graham and posted the interview over on my BLOG.

    Today I will conquer some serious revisions!

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    1. Sounds like you're charged up and ready to go. To the revision battle!

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  8. Exhausted? Very much so. My goals have shifted, too, and between that and everything that's happened this month, I'm ready for a break. Except I'm not, because I still have so much to do.

    However, I am looking forward to next week. On Wednesday DH and I are headed to Vegas for my best friend's wedding, in which I am a bridesmaid. And we're taking my youngest sister and her boyfriend, because they both turned 21 this past July and they've never been. Should be a blast. I'm looking forward to a comfortable sleep in a king-sized bed, and some quiet time reading and writing (and okay, maybe a bit of gambling).

    Yesterday I managed a few more brainstorming breakthroughs. I'm also up to halfway done Chapter 3 with these new changes. There's a lot more ahead of me, but I'm making *some* progress, and that's what matters.

    I'm also nearly caught up on my missed sword classes. Tomorrow and Saturday should seal the deal for February/March.

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    1. Yes. Yes. Always so much to do. ^_^ Have a wonderful trip!

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  9. I am not tired from wipmadness, but am thoroughly tired from the day job and physical therapy. I'm greedily looking forward to April. My novel will be finished and I'll be able to dive into revisions, and revisions ARE MY FAVORITE!

    Anywho, I wrote 1872 words today and reached my goal! I'm at 40794 words for the month!

    Here's to everyone who has accomplished their goals and to those almost there!

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    1. You've been an inspiration, Brandon... consistently cranking out your daily quota of words. Congratulations on your progress. I enjoy revisions, too, so hope to soon finish this ms and start working towards making it a whole lot better.

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    2. Awesome, Brandon! Revision is the reward for finishing a draft, right? Press on!

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  10. Congrats, Kim!! Off to do some more writing. ;)

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  11. I was feeling quite tired after finishing my revisions, and just yesterday I said I was going to take some time to 'fill the well' but surprise! My new story just announced it is ready to be written.

    I'm so excited to be working on something new. There's nothing so healing as striking out on a new project :)

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    1. Funny how that works. . . I'm hoping my shiny new idea will give me some time off. Enjoy!

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  12. I'm not ready for the #wipmadness to end, wah! Exhausted, yes, but inspired more. :)) Participating in March Madness has truly been a blessing for my wip revisions. I'm about 50% done with rewrites, and have achieved all my goals. I'm glad I didn't set a goal to finish 100%. I've gotten my second wind and I'm ready for April. My plan is to finish up my rewrites and get this puppy off to a couple of beta readers. :)

    Today, I spent 1/2 day in College Station leading a SCWBI presentation on Balancing the Writing Life. I bragged about you #wipmadness folks and how joining groups who encourage goal-setting is a great way to help achieve balance.

    It looks like so many of us have achieved our goals. April may be spent filling lots of creative wells. :)
    Way to go, wipsters!!! Y'all rock!

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    1. Thanks for the plug. Yes, being part of a group is a big help. So happy you've been a part this year, Candy!

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  13. It's a little like nearing the end of a marathon... I'm not exhausted, but no longer energized either. One step in front of the other, working in the groove, knowing that once I reach the ticker tape I still have to continue on home, so I'm trying to keep up a steady pace.

    By the weekend I will have accomplished a large portion of my goals although I won't have written all 10,000 words on the w.i.p. as I hoped. (I'm still diddling with the last couple chapters, trying to find the right ending.) I did get the revision done, and I sent out three of the four queries for my aunt's children's book, which was one of my goals. Since winning a synopsis critique last weekend, I've substituted polishing a synopsis for the non-fiction article I intended to write.

    MM has kept me focused and I've been more consistent about working toward my goals than I would have been on my own. I'm glad to hear Mary Ann will continue to host weekly check-ins -- it'll be good to stay in touch with everyone there and on Twitter. Happy writing, wipsters! Let's make the last three days count!

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    1. Moving steadily to the finish line. Go, Carol! It has been great having you with us this month. Best wishes with that ending. I always drag my feet when I get to the last 5K and then end up rushing the ending. Thank goodness it can all be fixed later. ^_^ Congrats on reaching your goals (mostly)!

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  14. Yay!!!!! I'm excited! Today has been a crazy day as I started if off at the doctor's office for a sonogram of my thyroid. They're monitoring some nodules to make sure they're not growing too fast. So that's always very stressful as younger sis has thyroid cancer. Then husband 'forgot' to give son his ADHD meds so guess who's been bouncing all over the place? I so can tell the difference.

    Thanks for the twitter, Angelina! This made my day! I've been wanting to read ARTICLE FIVE for some time now!

    I hope to work on one revision chapter. We'll see though!

    Thanks for everything you guys!

    Kim

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  15. I'm so thankful for MM. When I thought I was losing wind, I got a second and third wind. Everyone here motivated me to push harder. I've opened myself to try new methodologies and to not sweat the small stuff (especially when I was holding fast to something, a plot line or concept, for so long). I've learned to accept change when it's for the good of the project as a whole.

    Prep is continuing well for Script Frenzy.

    I'm starting A Clash of Kings for the April 1 premiere of Game of Thrones Season 2. That's also Day One of my next month of creative action!


    Cheers,

    Tonette

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    1. "I've learned to accept change when it's for the good of the project as a whole."
      That's worth a billion in writer gold. ^_^
      Happy to have had you along, Tonette!

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  16. Sick today. Headache, sore throat and cold chills. Managed a little hand-editing, but that's about it so far. Brain too thick.

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    1. Oooh no! So sorry! Feel better! Or I might have to throw more exclamation points at you!!!

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  17. I'm done!! 70 pages notated so far this month. Now the rest of the too pile is a reasonably sized novel lol. Using the time to think about websites and marketing and the big picture stuff. Thanks Angelina!

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    1. Yay! Have fun with the rest of that stuff. ^_^

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  18. Popping in for a late check-in. No writing today -- travel time and much wonderful "shop talk" with other writers as we settled in at our retreat. Tomorrow there will be many words.... (Yes, I'm getting my a second wind!)

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    1. So happy for all of you. Wishing I were there, but will enjoy hearing it vicariously. ^_^ Have fun!

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    2. Thanks! We wish you were here, too.

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  19. I'm glad you've had such a productive month! :) Congrats to Kim!

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  20. You should get out of town for a short vacation. That always seems to help me recharge. Congrats on the productive month.

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    1. Yes. I should get out of town. Would if I could. . .

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  21. I wish I could say all my goals were met, but the move really threw a kink into my plans. Still, I did get some things done and got to be in a really fantastic, supportive group! Thanks!

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    1. Happy to have you, Deana. Best wishes for April!

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  22. Ambitious achievement - March Madness.

    Now ... the A to Z Challenge!

    Popping in as an A to Z Blogging Challenge participant. Please feel free to visit and comment on any of my blogs as well, leaving a link to your own post, so my readers can find you too!

    All on Blogspot.com and all in the A to Z Challenge

    Heart of a Ready Writer – Bible &Devotional
    Meme Express – Daily Blog Prompts (A to Z)
    Nickers and Ink – featuring favorite classic poems from A to Z
    Practically at Home – Wait till you see what fellow writers are cited – with article links! Maybe you!
    Simply Snickers – Not posting daily in the A to Z Challenge, but inviting you to leave comments with you A to Z/NaPoWriMo poetry links!
    The Mane Point – profiling special horses from A to Z (just a few letter spots left!) –
    Working in Words – Writing How-to’s

    You can click my name/icon for links to all these blogs!
    Happy A-to-Z-ing!
    Linda Ann

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    1. Wow! That's going to make you a super busy blogger this month! Go you!

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