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WWF Check-in Friday
 Posted by admin Jan 14 2011, 12:01 am
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The Winter Writing Festival is off and running, with the Ruby Sisters and well over a hundred friends writing their hearts out!
I’m in the chair–more than three hours a day, truth be told–and am excited by all the good comments and the progress everyone’s reported. Way to go!
But you’re getting up and walking or stretching during those three hours, right???
Your post from yesterday has me very conscious of how damned much my butt hurts. Oh, circulation, how I miss you!
Between the dog and the Hubble—oh, and the snow—exercise hasn’t been an issue. LOL
As for your tush, try the balance ball. Sitting on air has perks. {{{Hugs}}}
I had a weird hip ache when I got up yesterday. It was a new-to-me ache as opposed to my normal aches.
Have this all the time. I’m sure it’s from the sitting, but haven’t found a way to prevent it yet. Side and hip stretches help, but if you have someone who knows about these things, ask them what to do quick before it becomes one of your “usual” aches.
You might want to try sitting on the balance ball, too, Kelly. It changes the pressure points, keeps you sitting upright, and when my find is churning, I flex my legs and bounce. It’s kinda fun and gets the blood moving.
Make that mind. I think I need more coffee….
The last few days have been awesome! I did NaNo and cranked out my 50,000 words, but the holidays slowed me down to almost nothing.
Just having my daily goal of one hour BICHOK has been miraculous for getting me back to making progress! Very glad for the group support!!!!
I am having a great time! This is really kicking my butt into gear and helping me get a lot of writing done as well as meeting soem really swell gals. I’m loving and so happy I joined!
Fabulous, Tia! So great to have you with us!
A general comment for anyone who tuned in today and has no idea what we’re talking about: it’s NOT TO LATE TO JOIN!!! You can get to the special Writing Festival site anytime by clicking on the light blue box in the upper right of the home page (the one with the Ruby shoe inside) or go to rsswwf.com/about
And don’t worry about being behind on points.
The whole point of this Festival is to fit YOUR needs. Among your personal ways to earn “points,” add “Saying, ‘Dang, I wish I’d known about the Festival earlier!!’” (Repeat as necessary until you’re caught up on points, and write forward from there!)
Great prizes, all!
Already this week, I’ve written about 2K new words and read through my NaNo novel (making a few edits along the way).
Hurray, Arlene!!
I think I undershot my goal. I technically would have nearly 20 points based on my goals! I am making such progress revising my book that I am excited again by it. I think I should revise my goals! I tend to find I am capable of more than I think. Thank you for this! I am not feeling crazy like Nano makes me feel. I have learned so much from Nano but this is helping me create a habit of writing daily without the fear of failure if I miss a day or decide to revise only 4000 words today instead of 7000! A balanced life will make me a better writer!
Shannon
Awesome, Shannon! So glad to hear it!
I think if anyone wants to tweak their goals now that we’re underway (to make them either more or less ambitious, depending on how things have been going), that’s just fine.
Keep going!!
Wow. Getting excited all over again is amazing. Keep up the good work, Shannon. Writing every day is a habit worth having.
I’m so thrilled with the results of the writing sprints! I dragged myself through my 1K-per-weekday goal on Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday I was starting to think root canal would’ve been more fun than writing so I came onto the RSS site looking for inspiration. I stumbled into the sprint page, decided to give it a try, and holy moley, did I love the results! For 20 minutes I shut off the inner critic and just let my hands do the talking. Last night I tried the exercise all on my own; did okay, even with a few interruptions. I’ve kept up with my goals for the last 4 days, plus signing up, so I think I have 5 points? Woo hoo! By Tuesday night I had a feeling I was sliding down the slippery slope to failure, so thanks for sending me a lifeline!
Thanks, Kim! That was awesome! (Please don’t take that statement the wrong way.)
It was awesome for me, too
Seriously, so glad you’re doing so great. Imagine what you’ll have accomplished by the end of February!
I’ve met my goal every day. Over this week I’ve written 2,500 words – which is 2,500 more than I probably would’ve written, considering how hard it’s been to drag myself from my bed for my pre-work writing time.
What a great butt-kicker this has been! Well done to everyone who’s met their goals.
Pre-work writing…what great discipline you have! Dragging myself out of bed is a chore on the best of days. Way to go!
Thanks, Tina! It can be tough, but not as tough as trying to write when work’s worn me out. It seems to be my most creative time of the day.
I am loving this writing festival. I have finished 2,150 words so far this week along with keeping up with nightly homework for an online class. I have only had the opportunity once do to the writing sprints in chat, but it was great to work with fellow writers and get nightly words accomplished.
Having the support and encouragement of people who “get it” is an amazing boost, isn’t it, Emma?
The Winter Writing Festival came at just the right time. I’d just finished a manuscript, and that would normally be my cue to kick around and do anything but write (it takes a lot to motivate me). Instead, I jumped right back in and started another book. Yay!
Oops. Forgot to add that I’d met my goal this week.
Yay for meeting your goal!
I’m galloping into the home stretch on my WIP, finishing up the last few chapters (though my villain just pitched me a curveball I think I have to swing at). The contest is definitely giving me an increased sense of focus!
I’m so glad I joined in this festival!! I’ve been putting off revising a completed ms for *months* and this event has given me just the kick I needed. Now I’m jazzed to keep working on it — or add new words to wip 1, whatever suits my mood and available resources : ) Thanks to that flexibility, I was able to hit or exceed goals all week – woot!
Now really hoping I can join in on a sprint soon. Must remember to watch for those : O
Hope you see you in the sprint room, Jen! Sounds like a great job for you this week!
Me, too, Jen. I write with certainty, revise with trepidation. Not good. Need to trust myself more, I guess, but revisions are like wrestling grizzlies to me; ain’t doin’ it unless I gotta! LOL
I am so psyched. There’s nothing like knowing others are working when I’m working. “Yes I can” flows through me to the keyboard. Thanks to the festival I have hit conquered my writer’s block on the second novella of a trilogy I’m writing and have exceeded my goal of 500 words every day. Thanks sisterhood.
Fantastic, Anna! Keep up the great work!
Thanks, Kim. I love, love, love being cheered on.
Yes! We are collectively WAY stronger than writer’s block!!
Sisterhood is powerful! Thanks sisters.
I love reading about everyone’s progress!
I made goal(10 pgs/day) twice this week, but the other two days I still got 7 and 6 pages. Not too shabby. I hope for a good weekend to make up the difference.
I’ve noticed the nights I go into the RSSWWF chat are the ones where I’ve made goal. Hmmm…
Yay, Jeannie!!! I’ve got to get into the chat room! That will have to be a goal of mine for next week. LOL. Go where the party is!
Hmmm…interesting, yes?
I joined this festival because my motivation’s been circling the drain due to a slew of rejections on my last book. With my previous 3 books, I was very regimented about hitting my word count each week, but lately I’ve been more inclined to let it slide. The festival has re-energized me, and I’m meeting my goals. It is a wonderful resource, and after only one week, I already feel like I’m back on track. Thanks so much!
Yay, Christi! Glad to hear you are energized. I’m lucky enough to know your writing firsthand, so I know you’ll be getting acceptances REALLY soon! Keep going!!
The Writing Festival is doing wonders for my writing but not so many wonders for my housekeeping. I need to work on that.
I joined the festival because 1) Jeannie Lin is just awesome and I’d follow her anywhere, and 2) I loved the “work on your own terms” aspect of it. When I write fast I make a mess I don’t want to clean up so marathon writing challenges usually do nothing for me. I didn’t need to write something new – I needed to revise/rewrite one of those marathon writing challenge messes.
Revisions are an aspect of writing I absolutely loathe but the festival is making it notsobad. Plus it’s nice to know in the back of my mind if I stay on track, I have a “done” date built in.
Thanks for organizing the festival, ladies.
Bah! Who needs housekeeping?
Glad to see it’s working for you, Bonnie!
Hey! if you need support let us know we can go to the chat room
I’m with you, Bonnie. Once I writer The End I want it to be the end. There are so many more stories to be written! But it never is, and revisions are a fact of life for us. I’m hoping, like Shannon, I can get excited about the story again. That would be a perk!
I can’t believe how much I looked forward to checking in here today! To be a part of a writing festival/group, when usually we are all plugging on our own. Can we say–solitude? This is such a great thing! Off to check points. Thanks Rubies!
I soooo agree, Marian. The WWF has been inspirational for me. Seeing others make their goals is a great incentive for me to push to make mine. Not to mention how wonderful it is to have company along for the ride!
My resolution is simple: edit, revise or rewrite at least 3 pages per day. (I have two drafts at the moment, so I’m not going to run out of things to edit until the end of February) It’s been a fun five days so far – for one thing, my MCs are becoming more like the characters I envisioned them to be. Here’s to more fun days ahead!
Wonderful, Eve! It’s the greatest feeling when what you’ve got in your head starts taking life on the page! Glad to have you with us!
I love it when the characters really emerge. That doesn’t happen for me either until revisions.
Yay everyone!
I’m totally meeting my goals and I’m super excited. This winter festival is a great motivator! And, to top it all off, I’m meeting my gym goals too. I’ve dragged my butt to the gym every night this week. (Endorphins are a good motivator)
The prizes up for grabs this week look awesome! But, I have a question about the randomness of the allocation. What happens if we win a prize we can’t use? For instance, I already own more than a few of the books up for grabs (Hello, my name is Kali and I’m a bibliophile…). Or, as much as I appreciate any and all feedback on my WIP, I would kinda prefer feedback from someone that’s more familiar with my genre. If I’m lucky enough to win something, but I can’t use the prize, can I ask to trade for something else or should I just send a message asking you to draw a new winner for the prize? I’d hate to win a book I already have and deprive someone else of the chance to enjoy it, or win a critique from someone that could be better utilized on someone else’s work.
I think this WWF is an amazingly inspirational idea and the prizes are a great perk. This is the best thing to float across my computer screen all winter! Thank you to all the Ruby Sisters for this fantastic opportunity. You’re an amazing bunch of ladies.
Thanks so much for all the kudos, Kali! And how exciting the motivation is flowing over into your gym goals, too! I’ve noticed that happening to me a bit more this week, too!
Since we’re all about being flexible, I’m sure if you win a prize we can make sure you get something useful to you. I’ll leave the specifics up to Elisa, but just wanted to say that we’re all about making this work for everyone, so I’m sure we can come up with something that works! Good luck!
Absolutely! If you win something you already have or can’t use, let me know when I contact you by email, and we’ll swap out. Flexibility is the Festival’s middle name!
You ladies are awesome!
So glad to hear you’re taking care of yourself as well as your manuscript. Just blogged about that on the RSS site yesterday. Very important. Healthy body, healthy mind, better books!
I’ve been addicted to going to the gym for 2 years now. I’ve been slacking and only going 2-3 times a week the last couple of months, but now I’m back up to my usual routine. I wish I was as dedicated to writing as I am to the gym. It seems like (until the WWF) I was letting the writing slip whenever life got in the way, but I’d always find a way to go to the gym. Now I make room for both and I’m a much happier person all around.
I’m really enjoying that one of my goals is to write on my lunch break – such a no-brainer way to get writing in but I would usually work through lunch, or want some down-time to blog or tweet. I find writing during lunch makes me feel more productive the rest of the day too!
Good for you, Sabrina! It’s amazing how many words one can get into those little breaks. I used to do it all the time.
I used to write on my lunch hour on days when killing my customers would have been – nice. I wrote two thousand words of a child kidnapping one day in a half hour. That was a very bad day at work.
Hey, I like that idea of making a goal around using a specific writing time. That might work even better than page count/word count!
I made most of my weekly goals–I was able to achieve the 500 yourds adily, which also kept my but parked for the 20 mn. I did not journal at all.
I am a bit confused about the points though–can you get multiple points per day? so would I have 8 (1×4 days + 1×4 days)
Ruth
Yes, you can earn multiple points per day. That way you can have a bit of a cushion if you have a day when the goal doesn’t come so easily. You don’t HAVE to give yourself more than one point a day, though, if it helps keep you on target to only earn one per day.
The system is very flexible, Ruth. If you meet your goals every day, all well and good, but if life makes you stumble, you can double up or whatever you need on future days to raise your point total to what it should be. No jumping ahead, however. Hope this helps.
Strike that. I thought you could save them up if you exceeded, but not post ahead. But Elisa’s the point lady on this, so go with what she said.
I figure if you can build up a lead with extra words in NaNo, we should leave that option open for the WWF as well. Though I do think it’s probably wise (for me, anyway) to wait until I fall behind BEFORE giving myself any double points.
My WWF goal is 200 words and, although I usually do Club 100 with my chapter-mates, I’m finding that pushing for that second 100 words a day regularly results in more like 500 total words. So, thanks!
Zowza! Go Nancy
I’ve got 1374 words so far on my new WiP and I’ve written an entire chapter outline for the book (about 7 pages…single spaced
). I don’t always follow it exactly but it gives me a little idea of the story I want to tell, even if the specifics change along the way.
I’m so thankful for this festival. I’m hoping that I can get a good chunk of this first draft done. And in the next week I plan on taking part in more writing sprints.
Great! Hope to see you in the sprint room next week!
I knew my goal (one hour a day, six days a week) was ambitious and I’ve been struggling this week. But I think the real struggle has been how much I’ve grown accustomed to *not* taking every opportunity to write. I have to write 2 hours and ten minutes to catch up today–and I’ll have time for that this afternoon (I’ll post the victory points on th WWF site when I’ve met that goal). Tomorrow’s writing time has already been scheduled.
So the festival is doing what I hoped it would do: kicking my butt and reminding me that I’m a writer who should be writing regularly. I think next week will be a bit easier as I work on finding ways to fit more writing into my schedule on a regular basis.
It is working, isn’t it? In less than a week, I already feel like a writer again. Writing is once again a priority and something I actively figure out how to fit into my schedule, and not an ugh-I-need-to-write-tonight-I-suppose kind of thing. Loving this!
WWF Forever ♥
This is my first time revising a manuscript and it is proving to be more difficult than anticipated. Possibly because I don’t know what I’m doing? Hmmmm…Still, if I can finish 7 more pages I’ll be on track for the week. I participated in the sprints last night with Kim and Co.-great way to get the brain rockin’ and rollin’-made me wish I was ready to start something new. Oh well, not ready for that yet…revise, revise, revise.
Thanks for everything.
Kelley, hang in there. I’m in the middle of the revision from hell — and I’ve revised more manuscripts than I care to count.
Revising a manuscript can be one of the most challenging things you will do as a writer.
Kelley, I’ve written, edited, and published 15 shorts/novellas, and I’m STILL a revisions/rewrites newbie. I struggle hard with them because I find it easier to just write a new story (and maybe go slower so I don’t have as much of a mess) than to revise something beyond a few word changes. You are so not alone in the revision torture.
Later on, take a look at MANUSCRIPT MAKEOVER by Elizabeth Lyon. I’ve found it immensely helpful.
Hope and Bonnie,
Bless you both. It’s good to know I’m not alone.
Kelley
I did 2 writing sprints in the chat room this week and that was incredibly fun. Just having the comeraderie and knowing there are others out there typing into the wilderness was a great support!
Thanks, Rubies, for doing this–it’s very inspiring.
We’ve been hearing lots of fabulous stories about how much the chat sprints are helping people! So glad it’s working for you, Miranda! (I need to get myself in there one night…a bit tricky, since I’m on California time. We’ll have to schedule some for different time zones.)
Much thanks to Kim Law for hosting so many!!!
Congrats, everyone, on all the hard work.
Had to drop by to say I had a horrible nightmare this morning: Someone was posting GH scores online, and my entry got 2s from one judge and no score from another.
I hope that’s not foreshadowing of what’s to come …
And yes, I realize this is awfully early to start the GH jitters.
I have no idea what my brain was trying to tell me.
Goodness, Arlene! I hope you don’t suffer from those dreams often! Funny what our worries can turn into, huh? No doubt your scores will be FAR BETTER than your dreams!
You can see your GH scores online as they come in? Seriously? Wow. That just seems… beyond wrong. I liked it better when they sent the letter–get my disappointment out of the way all at once.
*hugs*
No! nothing has changed with the scores. Still have to wait for THE DAY for winners to be announced and wait for your scores to come in the mail.
Ahhh, okay. You know… I reread it… it was a *nightmare*. She only had a *nightmare*. Duh, Allison. *blushes* (Don’t you love how GH time gets everyone antsy? She has a nightmare… I think it’s real… GH time is worse than, umm, I don’t know.
)
I made the same mistake first reading through. I thought–WHAT? Judges are posting online? How rude!
Then I figured out it was a real nightmare, not a figurative one.
*HUGS* Arlene. Totally crazy of you, but this is a crazy business. Only the crazy are sane.
In fact, you don’t get your scores until AFTER Nationals….
If you don’t final, you get them mid-May or so. But if you final, you don’t get them until after Nationals.
Oh, right…I was talking about finalists.
You’re so focused right now, working hard to produce a saleable product, Arlene, and the GH is always a niggle simmering, I’m sure the convergence of those things is the root of your dream. Not precognition, just pure nerves. Not to worry. And don’t let it derail you. Keep on keepin’ on.
I knew you guys would understand! Thanks for the pep talk.
Arlene, as long as you don’t dream you show up for the awards ceremony naked. Or late. Or both.
Now that’s a nightmare.
Arlene-it’s all a little crazy-making, huh? Keep going…it will all be worth it.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jeannie Lin. Jeannie Lin said: First check in today for the Ruby Winter Writing Festival. Report your progress & win some prizes! http://tinyurl.com/4c2qvqr #rsswwf [...]
I’ve met my goal every day but one this week, and I had a really good excuse. (Beautiful nephew in hospital; had to go harass.) All of mine have been the “3 hours of BICHOK” because I’m on 2nd round revisions for Third Grave, but hey, goal met!
Now I want to get some new stuff down! I hope to be working on a completely new project next week.
Yay for all of our participants! Keep up the good work!
~D~
I’m having such a fabulous time reading FIRST GRAVE, Darynda! I’m sending you many good vibes for your work on THIRD GRAVE, ’cause I’m sure I’m going to be desperately waiting for December 2012 to come!!
Thank you so much, Elisa!!! OH! And Third Grave comes out in Feb 2012, so not TOO far in between. LOL
Feb 2012…oh, that’s much better than Dec 2012!!!….I think I heard the Dec date via another blog.
A pat on the back for everyone who has made progress this week, whether you met your goal or not. Progress is progress even if it’s a small step in the right direction.
My goal was to write 3 hours every day has proved to be quite amibitious. To meet it I’ve had to do some writing at night, which I don’t usually do. But the writing sprints last night were AWESOME. 600 words in 20 minutes! I’ll probably have to revise those words extensively but I’d rather have crappy words than a blank page, any day. If I keep this up I may turn the next book in early.
[ELISA the rules say anyone who comments is eligible for a prize (including Ruby Sisters, if I read it right) -- if that is the case, you could make sure that my name does not go into the hat for a prize? I'm here to support, not to win prizes.
]
Well said Hope. This is about progress first.
I didn’t think the Rubies were included in the prizes but if we are you can take my name out of the hat also.
Ditto…it’s about progress.
And ditto…leave my name out. I’m with you, though, Rita. I don’t think we were intended to be in there.
Yeah, I was intending to leave Rubies out of the drawings.
Excellent, Elisa. That’s how it should be.
My progress is slower than I’d like but I’ve still managed to amass 5 points so far. I found out about the Winter Writing Festival from Jeannie Lin on Twitter. It’s a great incentive to get back into my writing schedule now that the holiday season is over.
Thanks so much for hosting this.
Great on making those 5 points, Sarah! And just keep in mind what you said…progress. You made progress this week. That’s what counts! Keep pushing forward!
Made my weekly goal and my reward is getting on the net. All I can say is WOW! To all the progress reported here. You are inspiring me to stay on track. I even joined in a sprint last night. I am such a slow typist it isn’t exactly a sprint.
Since my weekend is shaping up to me a hot mess I doubt I will get much writing done so I’m going back and see what I can get done today.
So great to have all of you here.
I tried …
I was doing great until Wednesday. Then I got the stomach flu. I cried. All day. Tears just seeped from my eyes and I couldn’t stop. I hate, hate, hate being nauseated. Thursday was pretty good, though. I’m doing revisions now and having a blast.
Hope you’re feeling better, Shea!
Awww…hugs, Shea. It sounds like you’re doing better, though.
Nasty bug, that. Glad to hear you booted its little butt, but take your time and get well, Shea. The writing is important, yeah, but not nearly as important as the writer (see yesterday’s RSS post!) Sister hugs, doll.
Thanks gals. I’m much better. I even met my goal today, which was difficult because I hurt my hand boxing. My pinkie is not happy with me and typing the letter “A” is slightly painful.
Glad you’re better,Shea! Hugs!
Ugh to the stomach bug, Shea! Glad you’re feeling better now.
A great week so far for me — I exceeded my BOCHOK times each day (easy to do when I had a contest deadline breathing down my neck!)
I love having the little “nudge” to get farther along in editing the muck I slammed out for NaNo…
WOOT! Hey there, sister! When do *I* get to see more of those pages?
Well, you WON’T see the contest submission — I had to cut out so much that it feels “too lean” right now. But I hope the RSSWWF gets me to the point next week where I can send you some of the new writing you haven’t seen yet.
Eeeeeexcellent!!
My favorite thing about the RWWF is that it’s given me permission to spend time thinking and researching. I’ve had a fantastic week, and I haven’t written a word.
Well, maybe I wrote a few words.
It’s hard to ignore a scene when it starts forming in your head!
I feel like I’m making great strides in my understanding of the monomythic structure Campbell identified and others have expanded upon, and I’m eager to apply this understanding to my next book. Also, I now know how to defend myself against a mountain lion attack.
Good week.
It could never be a bad thing knowing how to defend yourself against a moutain lion attack! It might never happen…but dang, isn’t that something you’d like to know if it did actually happen?!
Funny how we sometimes feel like the research and learning isn’t really getting us anywhere so we feel guilty for not putting words to paper, isn’t it? I do this too. But IT ALL COUNTS!
FYI, if confronted by a mountain lion at close range, try to make yourself seem like a much too large and bothersome target to hunt. Without making sudden movements that might trigger its “play” instinct (AKA “kill the mousie,” if you equate this to a housecat), make yourself as big and powerful as possible. Open your jacket wide. Raise your hands — or small children — above your head. Show your teeth, shout obscenities, throw sticks and rocks at its head. Just don’t bend down or show your back to the beast. And if it attacks, fight back. Go for the eyes. Go for anything. I love animals, especially cats of all species, but playing dead equals dead.
And yes, this will figure STRONGLY in my next book! So excited!
I’ve also heard their favorite killing technique is to use their powerful hind claws to rip open their prey’s belly….so if all the initimidation techniques don’t work, or you get jumped, try to use your knees to protect your belly.
Living in California, we have regular issues with mountain lions near hiking trails….usually they avoid people, but when they don’t, Jamie’s advice is spot on. (Keep your backpack on to look bigger. Keep your children tight against your body to look like one organism if possible….otherwise they go for the little ones.)
We have stories every year of mothers fighting off mountain lions who attack their kids by relentlessly beating the cats over the head with sticks or water bottles or whatever they have handy. Usually the cat will let go if you’re persistent.
Wow. I can not imagine having to do that. Don’t get me wrong, for my child, I would. But wow.
Was living in Foothill Ranch when a biker was attacked by a mountain lion-literally behind our townhouse complex. The woman’s friend was incredibly brave-she saved her life. Prior to that attack, I’d tease my husband for not walking back there…afterward…not so much.
LOL about the mountain lion, Jamie! Can’t wait to see how you implement that new knowledge into a book.
Huh – I spent my lunch hour researching Dengue Fever and Malaria. What the heck kind of romances are we writing, anyway?
Geeky ones? Those are my favorite kind, so keep on truckin’. Er… writing.
We HAVE to torture our characters, or what fun would it be?
A mountain lion attacking me could happen. We had a big kitty get trapped up a tree in one the neighborhoods by me a few years back. Scared the kitty litter out of a lot of people.
I’m up to 1,862 words; have done around two hours of revision.
When I set my goals, I used the same goals I’m using over at another group’s 100×100 challenge, but I don’t know, I feel like I’ve been *more* productive since doing the WWF. (It’s the incentive of points and prizes. And Kim Law being an awesome whipper in the chat room. 
) Like yesterday, I did revising in the afternoon then hit the chat room in the evening for the sprints. If it wasn’t for the WWF, I’d probably would’ve stopped at the day and have been satisfied with just the revising.
Haha! I LOVE cracking the whip! You guys are helping me out over there, too. I’m getting so much more done than I would without the sprints.
You know I have a question for you, though, Allison. Did you do it? Did you make them kiss?????
No. Not yet.
They’re sitting really close to each other though. (I’m going to need the biggest bottle of wine to make me write this kiss. 
)
*sigh*
I’ll send you some virtual wine. Maybe that’ll help!
Pulling my hair out a little, but getting a lot done thanks to RSSWWF. Finding way too many mentions of “heart squeezed,” “heart dropped,” “heart slammed” in my manuscript. Polishing isn’t as easy as I thought, but it IS getting done.
I hear you on the overuse of particular body parts…I have an issue with chins and eyebrows. Sigh. But that’s what revision’s for!
Noticing the redundancies is half the battle, Joya. Kudo to you for being so aware. I’ve seen published books where my eyes are rolling, and I’m thinking, “Again?” You’re ahead of the curve!
Go, Joya! Conveying emotion is hard and worth every second of the effort!
This is my first RSSWWF and I’m so glad that I decided to participate in this festival. I’ve meet my word goal everyday, plus extra words. I will be back again next year.
Hi, Emily! It’s OUR first RSSWWF, too! I’m glad we seem organized enough to make it seem like a “going concern.”
Thanks so much for joining us–I’m delighted to know it’s working for you!
It is working, in fact I’ve been a little blocked with my writing and this has given me a reason to get back to my MS.
This has been so great! I actually spent computer/phone free time with the DH last night, and didn’t feel guilty.
I have also been super productive writing and reading contest entries. Thank you so much for sponsoring this!
Hi, Dara! I love that this actually helps you feel guilt-free about TIME OFF! Balance is sooo important!!
I feel for Shea. The stomach flu is making the rounds in my house too. My husband and sons have both had…and never on the same day. So between caring for my loved ones, I’ve managed to sneak in time to write.
So far, I’ve made my weekly goals. Hoorah!
I’ve heard about the writing sprints, I’m eager to do one too.
Thank you for coming up with the Writing Festival. It’s such a great program!
Congratulations on making your goals (and thanks for joining us)! Good luck clearing the bugs out of your home. We both had nasty colds that we’re only just now getting over, but I’ll take that over the flu any day.
I’m hoping to do a sprint, too. Maybe by the end of the festival I’ll actually be putting words on paper! I’ll host daytime sprints, if so. I never write at night unless my husband is away, and that’s pretty rare.
Careful Jess. My daughter and husband had it before me and I did everything right not to get it. Outsmarted me in the end. Thankfully, the flu I got was only a 24 hour bug.
Have written 3 blogs this week. Not bad considering this is the first time in a LONG time that I’ve really made myself sit down and write. Later today will work on the real writing and hopefully quiet the voices in my head.
That’s fantastic, Laura. Sometimes it feels good just to write anything at all, doesn’t it? But I hope you make progress on your WIP, too. Let us know how it goes.
The festival has been wonderful so far. I’m off the wagon today having spent way too much time attending to a couple of my way overdue emails, but it’s only 4 p.m. eastern. Maybe once the claritin kicks in to ward off the allergic collapse I’m in the middle of having (I have cats. I am allergic to cats. You’d think I could remember to take a claritin everyday. I can’t.) I will be able to do something other than sneeze and wipe my dripping face. TMI, sorry guys.
Me = very productive writer this week => Happy.
Festival = Brilliant.
Excellent! Head to the chat room tonight, Anna, and I bet you’ll catch right up!
What a great suggestion! Thank you! I hope the timing works out tonight so I can make it.
Drat. Didn’t make it. Next week for sure.
Hopefully we’ll have some chats at good times this weekend!
Wow, the enthusiasm is great! Almost makes me excited to be doing revisions! Almost, lol.
I am loving the Fesitival so far. It has really motivated me to keep going. I have always been the kind of person who works best with a little bit of pressure. I am staying on top of my goals and I’m even thinking of making my own point system for other areas of my life. I will mentally give myself 1 point for making it to Jazzercise, 1 point for packing a lunch and avoiding the drive thru, and 1 point for getting my familiy to eat dinner at the table.
Getting your kids to eat dinner as a family at the table is the best thing you can do for them. When one of mine was in college, she brought home a friend who raved about my cooking. Nobody raves about my cooking. Came to find out, her family never ate dinner together at the table. The experience of family dinners makes even my cooking palatable. And then they might be more inclined to let you have free time to write.
I’ve made over my commitment every day. This is the first week in almost a month that has been truly productive. Drat those pesky holidays. LOL Thank you Rubies. I really need this.
I definitely wouldn’t have the word count I do if I hadn’t been doing the festival. I wouldn’t have written at all yesterday, as usually happens on my day off from the day job, into which I pack everything else. And Fridays are always a chore. But I’ll probably have 7000 for the week, once I’m done today.
Thanks, Rubies!
Thanks, Natalie! I’m so glad it’s working for you.
Fantastic, Natalie! That’s an amazing amount for the week!
Yay, Natalie!
Well, I haven’t done as well as I’d hoped, pagewise, but I have nearly finished rewriting the first Chapter of my Nano novel (Just 25 more to go). My excuse is too many distractions Next week I’m going to try to do my two hours/10 pages BEFORE I go on the internet. I’ve also had to revise my goals a bit to give myself a day at weekends to play catch-up!
Ruby Slippered Sisters, you’ll get me organised and sisciplined in the end, I’m sure you will!
Don’t beat yourself up. Next week will be better. Any progress you made this week is fantastic.
(Sigh) or even disciplined!
Hang tight, Lyn. It may take some doing to get it all in order, but it’ll happen. You just have to want it badly enough. If revising your goals makes it easier, helps steer you in the right direction, go for it. You’re captain of your own ship, we’re just here to make sure the thing’s caulked and fitted so you can set sail.
So, we’ve arrived at Friday and our check-in. I wish I were jumping for joy but, Monday and Tuesday were spent judging entries for The Write Stuff and then Wednesday and Thursday were spent judging entries for the Great Expectations. I am truly enjoying reading these great entries. There is so much talent out there! Needless to say, I averaged two pages on my Nano rewrite. Next week, I will be caught up and concentrating on my stuff – yeah!
Lifting up a glass to discipline.
Doree, we all agree judging can help us all immeasurably with our own work. Two contests in one week? You did good.
Next week, your stuff, and you can apply all you learned doing for others this week. Not a bad deal.
I entered the Write Stuff contest! Hope you enjoyed the judging …
It was a great week. I stopped in at a few writing sprints hosted by Kim Law and had a great time chatting between each one. Everybody was incredibly upbeat and encouraging. Thanks for that!
~A
Hi, Ava! So glad you’ve been enjoying it. Hope to see you there again!
I definitely want to. I’m hoping my schedule permits it! (I have a 3 and 6 year old, so not much gets done for mom, lol.)
Ava! Que pasa!
You’re here too? Cool! I hope to run into you in the chat room some time soon!
Hey Carla!! So glad to hear from you. That’s awesome that you joined in too! Hopefully we’ll meet up in some chats or sprints!
~A
So glad you dove in, Ava!
Me too, Natalie. Thanks for the heads up on the whole shebang!
GOOD LUCK everyone!! I hope you all hit your goals
Noble Romance is always looking for good pieces!
Please do consider submitting something!!
Julia
Acquisitions Manager
Thanks so much, Julia, for stopping by!
So far so good! I’ve exceeded my goal every day and it has felt great! I haven’t been able to participate on the sprints or over at the blog yet, but just knowing there are so many other people out there writing is the boost I needed
Yay, Misty!
I’m pleased with my progress this week. I even balanced my writing with judging for Great Expectations.
Good luck everybody!
Giving back is important, Robin. Kudos for taking time to judge while still meeting your goals.
So before I wasn’t that motived to get my writing done. I was motivated but not very motived. The writing sprints have been helpign me get my word count up and my story that much closer to finished
So glad you’re enjoying it! We’re all awesome, writing as a unit over there! Lots and lot of creative energy flowing. I love it!
I just can’t tell you how great it’s been sprinting in the evening with Kim L, Vivi and the others. The combination of inspiration and support that is provided has really helped me get my writing on track during the January Blahs.
Thanks all of you!
Awww… thank you! We’ve enjoyed it too. I’ve gotten so much done! Glad you are, too!
I second that, JC. The sprints were terrific!
Hi JC! So good to see you here.
I haven’t tried a writing sprint yet. Will have to check it out sometime.
Good luck with meeting your goals.
I wasn’t doing too well the beginning of this week. Having a kid in kindergarten is like inviting every germ known to man to come on over and have a party at your house. My wonderful hubby, though, saw my frustration at being stuck in the house for so long and kicked me out yesterday, so I was able to catch up. Yay! So now, we’re all getting better (knock on wood) and I’m back on track.
Thanks!
Hurray, Jen! I absolutely hear you on the difficulties of writing with little ones (and trying to stay healthy with little ones.)
ok, finally posting my update for the day. Had a great day (to make up for slacking yesterday), and thanks to the Festival, I’ve gotten almost 10,000 new words this week, and some revisions along with it. So thrilled!
WOOT!!!
This is my day off. All day long… me, me, me. And did I write? No. Nary a word. But I did read a really good Balogh novel. Hey, research. Yeah.
It is a good thing the rules allow me to make it up. Saturday’s the day.
Beth
Filling the well, girlfriend, filling the well!
Did pretty well this week considering I had some things thrown in my way. Mainly an unplanned root canal and my very planned brother’s wedding (today and tomorrow.) My goal for the week was 10,000 words and I did 9,286. I’ll take it!
I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of meeting my goals. So I got 1 pt for the first day and then 4 more. I’ll work on catching up on the last 714 words next week. And I WILL make the full goal next week.
YAY! WWF ROCKS!
An unplanned root canal? Yuck. Hope you feel better soon.
And congrats on getting so much accomplished despite it.
Thanks, Arlene!
And just an aside…I made up the 742 words doing sprints today. So I made my goal for the whole week. Yay!
Now, I’ve got to set my determination for next week. I need to kick butt.
Whew! What an awesome list of accomplishments! I’m impressed and thrilled for everyone and delightedly chiming in. This has been a wonderful and successful writing week. Thank you, Sisters, for this great incentive! I’m really excited about the weeks to come, too.
Thanks, Lisa! And thanks for joining us!
How do the writing sprints work? I think they’re in the chat room, but I didn’t figure out how to get into one. Clues for the challenged? : ) Thank you!
At the WWF site, there’s a tab along the top that says “connect,” I believe. Put your cursor on it. A drop-down will appear. Click on Chats/writing sprints and you’re on your way.
Have fun.
Hopefully we’ll be able to schedule some sprints for the weekend. Keep your eye on the rsswwf.com site.
Thanks to all who stopped by today! It’s a thrill to hear so many people say the WWF is helping them!
Please go on leaving comments….it’s only 10:24 Pacific Time (I’m in California), so I haven’t cut off the chance for commenters to win today’s prizes.
Do we have any participants in later time zones than the Pacific? I will confess my ignorance about our Australian participants….does January 14 begin earlier there, or later?
Anyhow, expect to hear announcements about prizes sometime tomorrow morning.
Hi, Elisa! We’re ahead of you. It’s about 5:45pm Saturday here in Sydney, Australia.
Love reading everyone’s comments and fabu progress reports! I’ve been dealing with some hurdles this week, but I’m hoping to get into the writing spirit with you all soon.
Thanks, Vanessa, for setting me straight!!
Anybody happen to know about Hawaii?? Do we have any participants that far out?
I’m in Alaska…which is an hour behind Cali. I believe Australia is ahead of us by almost a day.
That’s right, Kali. *Waving*
All right…so we have at least a couple Alaskans, an hour behind my midnight! Got it!
Okay: the winners have been chosen!
In order, they are: Eve, Carla, Sarah Tanner, Ava, and Emma Leigh Reed!
I will be emailing the group of you. Eve will have first choice of prize, then Carla and so on down the line. (That’s the order in which your names were chosen, which was done by random draw.)
Congrats, friends!
Late to the party, but just wanted to say the WWF has really inspired me to keep my writing goals at the forefront of my mind.
I’d earned four points as of yesterday, and that’s better than I expected to do!
Great job, Laurie! It’s done the same for me. It’s what I think of all day long now…chomping at the bit to get back to it!
Very pleased with today’s progress. I attended my first ‘Writing Sprint’ today. (Thanks CJ) I’ve discovered that ‘sprint writing’ can work for editing as well as drafting. It avoids me spending time staring into space trying to work out a plot hole, instead of just getting on and doing it! It’s also great to have some company and to feel one is not alone!
Thank you RSS, you’ve got me motivated again!
I’ve been pretty busy the last couple of days so wasn’t able to do the ‘sprints’. They have been so helpful though, and I hope to do some moe tomorrow. I’m certainly making progress I wouldn’t have without The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood’s Winter Writing Festival.
Thanks so much.