In light of Denise's post yesterday, I've been thinking about song lyrics. When I was 10, my best friend and I sang the Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends for our school's talent show. We didn't win any prizes, but I took that song to heart and am thinking about some of those lyrics right now--how they relate to the writing journey and #wipmadness and the awesome help I've received from people I've met right here during March Madness. Many of us have raised our hands and stepped up to critique each other's work on a moment's notice. We've cheered each other on. We've made each other laugh. This is golden. So sing along with me:
What do I do when my love is away
(Does it worry you to be alone)
How do I feel by the end of the day
(Are you sad because you're on your own)
No, I get by with a little help from my friends
We've made it through a week together and I officially declare today March Madness Gratitude Day.
I am grateful that at the end of the day I feel encouraged and supported and because of your help, I've already revised almost 40% of my novel! THANK YOU ALL!
How has being part of March Madness made you feel at the end of the day? What have you accomplished?
Speaking of support, don't forget to stop by Anne Hale's blog tomorrow for Thursdays check-in.
Thank YOU, Angelina! And Denise, and all of the blog hosts and participants last year and this. I almost can't believe we've been encouraging each other for a year now, and I am eternally grateful for #wipmadness!
ReplyDeleteYesterday was a long and drawn-out struggle with one of my chapters, but I was victorious in the end, MWA-ha-ha, and I'm hoping it goes better today.
Beta reading has been awesome. I read a great ms over the weekend and am loving the one I'm reading now too! *coughs* *whistles* I'm speeding through it so should finish it tonight.
A very productive Wednesday to all!
Kip
Way to fight through and come off victorious, Kip!
DeleteI am so glad for March Madness - it's pushing me to go that extra mile. I've been getting up earlier, staying up a little later, because I want to work on writing stuff.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm mostly a pantster, I sometimes have trouble in the middle of a novel b/c I have no clue where it's going. Yesterday I jotted down notes and I *think* I've got my WIP figured out until the end. Now just to write it out!
Yay for the breakthrough! And for early mornings and late evenings. You can do it!
DeleteA HUGE thank you to everyone involved in March Madness. I have never felt so invigorated and inspired as a writer. I am actually working on both my blogging and my WIP because I feel accountable to my fellow wipsters. So, I am very grateful for this group for helping set and accomplish realizable (is that a word?) goals.
ReplyDeleteAnd you, too, have been an inspiration, Linda. Keep realizing those goals!
DeleteI too am really grateful to you all for the kick in the pantalones that is March Madness. How else would I even be aware that I blew it yesterday on 2 of my 4 goals? I'm not looking for sympathy, but for accountability, which is what checking in every day gives me. When I think about why I didn't stop obsessively researching agents and worrying about my query (and thereby also fouling up my other goal of writing 500 words on the new wip) I realize this is not something I can change in a day. I'll try harder today and I'll get there in the end. Good news is that in blogging and visiting/commenting on blogs, I did pretty good. And I'll do better today.
ReplyDeleteYay for 2 of 4! May today bring you closer to the 4 of 4 day. ^_^
DeleteVery excited to be taking part this round :) I used to think you had to be solitary as a writer - and it was quite lonely. Reaching out and finding support has been an incredible boost.
ReplyDeleteMy wake up and write hit a snag this morning. I stayed up way too late last night reworking a scene fifty times and ended up sleeping in :/ So now I'm a bit behind. But I did get a few things accomplished on my to do list today. After a nice hot cup of tea I'm ready to get back on track.
And I'm very grateful to Angelina - she was a voice at a time I needed it most. A time when I truly felt alone. Thank you Angelina!
:) Marie
Sleeping in after a long night of rewrites seems fair. ^_^ Grateful for your cheery voice, too, Marie.
DeleteLike Marie, I appreciate not trying to go it alone, which inevitably makes me feel like I'm wasting my time. Just hearing of others doing battle with the page encourages me not to give up. I love checking in on Twitter and seeing everyone's comments during the day. Yay team!! Today is a writing day after the day job. Progress report at 11.... =)
ReplyDeleteKeep up the fight, my friend!
DeleteAhhhh - I feel all warm and mushy inside. Just what I needed today.
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for the incredible friendships and encouragement with this #wipmadness crew. Thank you. I'm also grateful for a WIP to be working feverishly on because I'm feeling really blue on other writerly fronts. And that is all I can say. But I will take virtual hugs. Sigh.
*hugs* Sorry about the blues. It seems our spirits can really take a beating sometimes. Hang in there....
Delete(((HUGS)))
DeleteThanks Shari and Angelina!
DeleteMy son told me to stop my off-key Beatles singing. LOL. But, yes! What a great post, Angelina! I'm so, so, so thankful for March Madness this year, I can't even tell you. I swear I would find ways of putting off writing this book forever, but now I think I'm almost through the tough part (I hope!)
ReplyDeleteI had a school visit scheduled for today, but it just got postponed. You know what my first thought was? Extra time to write! A very, very good sign :)
You must be enjoying yourself. Happy to hear you're almost on the other side of tough!
DeleteKnowing all my March Madness partners are cheering for me and expecting me to work hard toward my goals is HUGE! This whole writing thing is a long journey -- and at times a very hard journey -- and although it's often a solitary road, it helps immensely to know there are others "on our side". I'm very grateful for all of you!
ReplyDeleteMy #wipmadness hit a wall yesterday, as old doubts about this project returned with a vengeance. They point me in a very different direction. I'd thought them through, talked them through with a writing friend, and put them behind me. But they're back, and I'm wondering again if I need to listen to them. *sigh* Feels like I'm wasting precious writing time with all this contemplation. Argh! But sometimes that's what I need to do.
Writing time IS precious this week, too, with kids around -- teachers are on strike here, so there's been no school this week. I hope to work though this stuff this morning, though -- planning to take a long walk for some serious thinking time. :)
The long walk sounds like an excellent idea, Shari. When I've ignored my doubts, they've come back to bite me in the tushy and I wish I'd listened to my gut. Hope the strike ends soon. ^_^
DeleteAh, I so agree, Angelina! I posted my Insecure Writer's Support Group post this morning. It was all about gratitude. Support is so precious, isn't it? Big hugs, JRo! And, I know all too well about feeling like the lone writer, Marie. Gosh, we probably all feel like that once in a while.
ReplyDeleteBig hugs to everyone today! Happy writing, revising, blogging, tweeting, or anything artistic. :-)
Thanks Candy.
DeleteI can't imagine making this journey without my partners on the path. So happy to have you all along.
DeleteRight on, Angelina! I feel energized and supported but this amazing group of people. Big thanks to you for perusing my synopsis and keeping the encouragement going. And to JRo for all her fabulous support and soon-to-come word splitting, too! Candy, I love that you hit the "Insecure Writer's Support Group" vibe. I know how that feels and even tweeted the same sentiment earlier today.
ReplyDeleteSo I've picked at the synopsis a little more and tore down chapters 1 & 2 even further to send into the SCBWI grant. Fingers crossed.
And now, back to the climax/denouement and revision...
happy WIP-ing, wipsters!
You're welcome to be :0)
DeleteMy pleasure, Mary Ann. Giving my best grant wishes. I'd love to see another friend win it.
DeleteI am always grateful to have writing friends, someone who "gets" all the quirks that come from being a writer. It was so lonely before I found this online community. March Madness has helped keep me accountable to my story, making me use naptime for writing instead of napping :)
ReplyDeleteGreat to have you along, Jeigh. Sleepy or not. ^_^
DeleteI haven't found it easy, making friends online. It's hard for me to open up when I don't know the person on the other end of the screen. So March Madness has been an incredible experience for me. For maybe the first time I feel like I'm part of a community, not just doing it on my own.
ReplyDeleteAnd every day since the first of March I've been hard at work on my novel. Even when I don't get a lot done, the little progress I make each day is still a step forward.
And it's all because of you, March Madness friends!
So encouraging to have you with us. Forward go!
DeleteYay, I love the Beatles! I just set up my goals yesterday, and we were out of town for a week so I've been scrambling to get my house back together...so I didn't get much NEW writing done, though I kicked booty catching up on blogs! :D I love this whole March Madness concept, how we encourage each other! I like having something to give me a little *nudge*.
ReplyDeleteWelcome home and welcome to March Madness. Need a nudge? I'm at your service. ^_^
DeleteYes! March Madness time! What do I do when my love is away♫♫♫ Lo ve it!
ReplyDeleteWhere'd you get those notes? Love 'em!
DeleteThis group has been great for me. It definetly keeps me on track and striving for by goals.
ReplyDeleteI was called in to work early today so my writing time was taken from me. I still managed 594 words.
Happy Wednesday and good luck!
Called to work and still almost 600? That deserves a Wipster high five!
DeleteMy background is as a playwright, and when working in theatre, the playwright may write the words, but there is so much collaboration that comes into play with the creative input of actors, directors and designers. Switching over to fiction felt very lonely and solitary, but I am am so grateful for March Madness -- and so many other wonderful community building opportunities the internet offers writers -- for helping me find my way through and keep loving the fiction process!
ReplyDeleteGrateful you've become a part of our happy little group!
DeleteCan I just say I love MArch Madness. I love it because I have been so bummed and not doing much with my writing or this group. But I keep reading these updates and the #wipmadness tweets and it motivated me again. Today I edited 50 pages! Yay for support!
ReplyDelete50 pages? I bow down in your honor. ^_^
DeleteThe song I've had willingly "stuck" in my head (see my post on music; I can change channels on earworms) has been "Little Bribes" by Death Cab for Cutie. But that's mostly because we're going to Vegas pretty soon.
ReplyDeleteI got caught up with some non-writing stuff last night, including an important political discussion regarding recent events in my local writing community. I left that much less stressed out because sometimes, discussions need to happen. It was worth it.
Because community matters. And it matters even more for writers, whose frequently engage in an act so solitary that it can be a struggle sometimes.
But after all that, I managed to edit one more chapter. So I'm on Chapter 18 now, and officially at about the halfway mark. I've blown most of this lunch hour catching up on a few online things, but I should have some time tonight to work on it.
I'll look for you tonight, m'dear. ^_^
DeleteThis year's my first time and it's fun to come and talk of triumphs and tribulations with others trying to reach goals.
ReplyDeleteI managed to get caught up today. Wrote 2,602 words for the day. Gives me just over 6k so far for the week. However, I'm thinking I may need to reassess my goals and sacrifice getting the word count for the week for the sake of a more developed outline so that I know where book 2 is going. I think this is part of my struggling point as far as getting the word count I had in book 1. I feel like book 2 may be lagging as a result and I don't want that. So tomorrow (or more) may be spent writing out the rest of the book in a solid outline, giving me a road map, so to speak, so I can finish this thing.
Stopping and reassessing always seems to become a big part of March Madness.
DeleteHitting another revision chapter. Trying to slow story down and show more of the world like a couple editors suggested back in October.
ReplyDeleteWas kind of bummed at news from yesterday. One publisher told me that I had to write the whole sequel before they would decide whether or not to offer a contract. I was down about that but decided I to continue with my current project and also to finish the second round of edits for No Goddesses Allowed. I
Wanted to keep you all in suspense? For some reason the rest of your comment is not showing up. Please feel free to finsih your thought. ^_^
DeleteOh, oops!
DeleteI was kind of bummed about the news on that one proposal. I didn't want to write the whole story if they wouldn't pick it up as most places won't touch a sequel from another publisher. So that kind of bummed me out. So no suspense. The publisher for No Goddesses Allowed wants me to finish this round of edits and then we'll go over my proposal to that series. I have more hope of that series becoming a reality.
I wrote about 1000 words today, which I'm really excited about. I got very badly off track for a while, with no writing at all, so it's nice to be back at work. My outline still has a big empty spot at the end, but I'm hoping that something will come to me.
ReplyDeleteKeep asking. Keep seeking. You shall find. ^_^ Congrats on the 1K day!
DeleteStill feeling the "ick" of being sick.
ReplyDeleteGood news is that I've still found inspiration to write my main WIP. I also brainstormed new ideas for my other WIPs.
I'm grateful to be a part of this immensely supportive group. I hope to continue that inspirational drive throughout the year. :)
We're here all year. ^_^ Great job working through the "ick".
DeleteHave spent most of my writing time today editing someone else's work, but it's very satisfying. Some research books for my WIP came in at the library today, so I have those to look through. I'll do some plotting before bed, but I'm waning...
ReplyDeleteSounds like a full day. Falling asleep while plotting can make for some interesting dreams. ^_^ Sleep well!
DeleteSitting in my designated writing space, using the melody of 'Game of Thrones' to put me in the mood for some travel-based fantasy scenes. So far I've carved out enough time - and will - to get back into the game with about 1000 words done.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see everyone still going strong.
Cheers,
Deana
Sounds perfect, Deana! Have a great night!
DeleteI am a little late to the bandwagon, but ready to jump right on! I have my work cut out for me starting today. I have to get back on track, and this is an awesome way to do it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWe're always more than happy to slow down and lend a hand to latecomers. Welcome aboard, Jessie!
DeleteGrateful - that the family has gone to bed and left me in peace to wrestle with my outline! Grateful that I have a place to go to celebrate every single idea that gets down on paper. This virtual space is so easy - I know I'm not keeping anyone up, or interrupting them, but you're all here and writing!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking "the long and winding road...I've been down this road before.." but a little help from my friends keeps it from being lonely. Thanks!
Enjoy the quiet evening. It is a long, winding road, isn't it? Enjoy the quiet evening.
DeleteOkay...so I am way late with checking in for Wednesday, but really wanted to say way. to. go. on your novel, man!! That is awesome. I'm a chugging along on all my stuff. Reading, writing, blogging. Getting a little done every day and totally enjoying exploring this new draft of wip in long hand. What I am getting out of wipmadness is this great sense of community...knowing you all are always out there. Just hashtag away and I love it. Hope your Thursday went well! Now off to do the Thursday checkin.
ReplyDeleteBetter late than. . . keep chugging!
DeleteI love those lyrics!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your writing progress. :)
Thanks for stopping by, GE.
DeleteLove that song--and the Beatles in general!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been participating in March Madness, but it sounds great! Congrats on your progress!!
I've been feeling thankful, too. Just tonight I posted about how awesome crit groups are.
Have a nice and productive week, Angelina!
Congratulations on the 40%! That song really embodies the writing community as a whole, doesn't it?
ReplyDelete