MARCH MADNESS is Here! Day 1: Set Your Goals!

If you’ve been looking for a challenge to get your writing into gear, you’ve come to the right place! Through the month of March we will be cheering each other on to meet challenging goals with our writing, reading, blogging, or illustrating.

Basically, anyone who wants to challenge themselves regarding books and win prizes for it!

Today is goal-setting day! 

(But if you don't make it here on the first day, not to worry.
Feel free to add your writing goals here any time during the month of March).

March Madness officially begins today, March 1st, and this is how it works.

1. Set a goal here (anything writing, reading, blogging, or otherwise book related). It can be as small and simple of a goal as turning off your Internet while you write, or finishing reading a book you've been trying to get through during the month of March. Or it can be as large as writing or revising an entire book.

2. Check in daily through the month of March at our designated check-in points. Let us know how you're doing with your goal. Share your victories and struggles. Encourage others. The key is support and camaraderie.

3. We give you prizes just for stopping by and letting us know how you're doing, and for encouraging others!

Sounds easy and fun, right?! The following will be the check-in points for the month of March. Check in as often as you can, as we will be announcing prize winners throughout the month on all of the different blogs, but we're writing too, so we don't have time to chase around anyone who has won.

We plan to have check-in posts up and running by 9AM PST (noon EST) each day.
Mondays –  Check in with Kim Baccellia -  http://kimbacceliasweblogfantasy.blogspot.com/
Tuesdays – Check in with Shari Green – http://www.sharigreen.com
Wednesdays – Check in with Mary Ann Scott - http://thebrokentree.blogspot.com
Thursdays – Check in with Carol Garvin - http://careann.wordpress.com
Fridays –  Check in with Tonette – http://www.tonettedelaluna.com

Saturdays – Check in with Dawn Ius - http://www.dawnius.com/blog

Sundays –  Check in with Denise Jaden – http://denisejaden.blogspot.com

The prizes! We have some truly awesome prizes up for grabs this year! I'll start by giving away a prize to one person who comments below with their goals within the next 24 hours!

Here are the prizes that are up for grabs (these are in no particular order and have been donated by my generous co-hosts for this event!) I've added in brackets where we are able to mail each prize:

A critique of your first five pages - (courtesy of Denise’s agent Michelle Humphrey – INT’L)

A handmade bracelet - (courtesy of Mary Ann Scott – INT'L)

A surprise book on the craft of writing (courtesy of Dawn Ius – US/CAN)

An audiobook of Writing With a Heavy Heart  - (courtesy of Denise Jaden – INT’L)

A FULL Manuscript Critique! (courtesy of Tonette de la Luna - INT'L)

A Writing-on-the-go Writer’s Kit – (courtesy of Carol Garvin – US/CAN ONLY)

Book of Choice (to $20 Cdn) from Book Depository (courtesy of Shari Green - INT’L)

A swag pack from Anne and Henry and Falling For Alice - (notebook, charms, bookmarks – Courtesy of Dawn Ius – US/CAN)

A surprise box of YA Fiction - (courtesy of Denise Jaden – US only)

A package of fiction books, including KI, SPIRITED, and possibly an ANNE & HENRY ARC – (courtesy of Dawn Ius – US/CAN)

A beautiful Van Gogh Sunflowers Canvas Cuff Bracelet (courtesy of Kelly Calabrese - US Only)

Some popular high-demand advance copies of YA fiction – Choose one or two from the following selection (courtesy of Kim Baccelia – US/CAN)

Isn't that quite the ARSENAL of prizes?! Wow, thank you to all of our awesome hosts!!

(Also, check back, because in the past I have had March Madness participants so eager about their progress  or about the great camaraderie that they have offered additional prizes during the month!)

Why do we do this, you may ask. Well, I can only answer for myself. First of all, people who set tangible goals and stay accountable with them are as much as 90% more likely to achieve those goals. And I REALLY want to achieve my goals this March. Secondly, I love the camaraderie. This business makes writers feel lonely enough, so any chance I have to feel like I'm not in all of this alone, I'll take it! I love NaNoWriMo each year, but this group is a little more personal. We get to know each other and care about how we're doing on our projects and in our lives. And if one check-in a day is not enough camaraderie for you, we also hang out on Twitter under the hashtag #WIPMadness, so please join in on the conversations there as well.

As for this year's goals, I'd like to draft a book that I outlined over a year ago. I haven't even looked back at this outline for months, so I'm still unsure of how it will hold up, but I'm jumping in with both feet anyway! 

How about you? What are your goals for this March? Have you done this challenge with us before, and if so, how has it worked out for you? I'd love to hear!

Don't forget to leave your goal(s) in the comments below, and head on over to check in with Kim Baccellia -  http://kimbacceliasweblogfantasy.blogspot.com/  tomorrow! Remember, the more you check-in and encourage others, the better chance you have of winning some of the above awesome prizes! And if you set your goal within the next twenty-four hours in the comments below, you have a good chance at winning one right away!

ONWARD, Fearless Writers!

MARCH MADNESS Writing, Reading, and Blogging Challenge! #WIPMadness

It’s almost March and time for an Almost-Nano Challenge! If you have a writing project you’re ready to start, or a work in progress you’re ready to finish, come and join the fun. Accountability is our main aim and the more support we have, the easier it will be to sail on through the month of March, bouncing along on each others successes!

And, like last year, we're opening up March Madness to readers who want to challenge themselves to read more, bloggers who want to challenge themselves to blog more, and illustrators who want to challenge themselves to illustrate more! Basically, anything to do with books!

And did I mention there will be PRIZES? Prizes will not be awarded based on how much you write, read, draw, or blog, but simply on how involved you are in the Big Accountability Plan. There will be check-in points most days throughout the month of March. Each time you check in and record your progress, your name will be entered into a draw for some great prizes, donated by our fabulous blog hosts, including some high demand advance copy books, audiobooks, and a writer's survival kit! And not only that, but the more you encourage others along the way (in the comments), the more times your name will go into the hat!

Spread the word, and check out http://denisejaden.blogspot.com Sunday, March 1st, to put your goals officially in writing and find out the locations of the check-in points. If you’re ready to get serious, don’t do it alone…Get serious with us!

Now is the time to be setting your Ambitious Goals for the month of March! (Trust me, you will be able to accomplish much more than you normally would with the added camaraderie and support, so don't be afraid to set the bar a little higher.) If you haven't already, start meeting up with us on Twitter under the hashtag #WIPMadness .

Please spread the word about this Challenge. There will be lots to win throughout the month and the more support we have, the better all of our goals will go this month!  If you're interested in being a blog host for one day per week through the month of March, please let me know. We still have room for a couple more hosts!

So check back in here March 1st. If you're such a proud participant that you want to let everyone know, grab the March Madness badge from below, and put it somewhere prominent.

Everyone is welcome and the more the merrier! Let's march into March like the mad group of writers we are!!!

March Madness Check-in Day 27! #WIPMadness

I cannot believe the month is almost over! I'm happy to report that I've seen all sorts of "I'm finished" and "I've completed my goal!" comments around the hosting blogs and on Twitter. To that, I say CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

And even if you haven't completed your goals? Guess what? You're still here!!! You ARE diligent. You ARE committed. You ARE going to succeed in life--even if you didn't make your exact goals, your diligence will pay off later in life, I promise. 

We have loved having you here with us, and you've been an integral part of OUR processes. I honestly would not have set such lofty goals (and completed them) if it weren't for all of your participation in March Madness this year. And to that I say: CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU!

As for me, I have completed my goals for the month, but then added a few new ones, which I'm still plodding away at and hoping to tie up before the 31st. How about you? If you don't think you'll reach your goals, did you get more done this month than you would have without this challenge?

I still have prizes to give away, so today, congratulations to...

Ghost Girl!

Congratulations!!! Stop by the goal-setting post, choose your prize and then email me at d(at)denisejaden(dot)com. We'll get it out as soon as possible.

I want to send out a HUGE ENORMOUS HEARTFELT THANK YOU to all of my March Madness co-hosts. They have been so incredibly generous, both with their time and with prizes and so very responsible. It was a joy to visit each of their blogs along the way.

The last thing I need to talk about today, on my last check-in post for the month, is CELEBRATION. If you've known me for any time at all, you know that I'm a big believer in celebrating all of the tiniest victories. There's enough soul-crushing, difficult stuff we have to face in the writing world. We need to celebrate ALL of our successes to combat that! Even if you've simply checked in all the way through the month, that deserves to be celebrated!


As usual, I plan to celebrate with some nice red wine, some delectable chocolate, and possibly some guacamole. How about you? 

It's too bad we can't all get together to celebrate, but know that I will be raising a glass to all of you on the 31st!

March Madness Check-In Day 13 #WIPMadness

We're almost halfway, folks! If you haven't yet started your goals, or even set your goals for the month IT'S NOT TOO LATE! Stop by our goal-setting post and then check in each day for the rest of the month. You'll love the camaraderie and support, I promise!

For the rest of you, the halfway point is a great time to reevaluate your goals, so sometime in the next couple of days, I encourage you to step back and look at the overall progress you've been making.

Are you as far along as you thought you'd be by the halfway point?

How much of your initial goals still remain undone? Do you need to redivide the work over the next half-month to ensure you'll finish it all before months' end?

When we get our heads down and focused on our goals, we can certainly make great progress, but I think it's helpful as well to take a step back once in a while and look at the big picture. Are you spending too much time on small details and not getting enough forward momentum with your manuscript? Or are you rushing ahead and forgetting to include all the nuances you're seeing in your head?

The same goes for the actual structure of the writing. When we're focused on fixing sentences and paragraphs and scenes, sometimes it can be difficult to remember the premise of our novel or the theme. It's good to step back once in a while (not too often) and assess where we're at in the big picture and how we're delivering that big picture to readers.

So I'd love to hear about where you're at with your daily tasks, as well as where you're at in the big picture of your projects. Do you find you tend to focus on the little details too much, like me, or do you tend to take too many steps back too often during a month-long writing goal?

I have another prize to give away, but I've noticed there have been a couple of people along the way who have not picked up their prizes. If you'd like to take home one of the awesome prizes being offered, make sure to keep an eye on ALL of the check-ins this month (and it's not too late - if your name has been announced, go back and find it and let me know and you can still happily get your prize).

As for today's prize winner...congratulations to...

Stacy!

Stop by the goal-setting post and choose from the remaining prizes. Then email me at d(at)denisejaden(dot)com with your choice and we'll get it out to you as soon as possible. Congratulations! Still lots of prizes to be won, so don't forget to check in with us daily...

March Madness Check-In Day 6 #WIPMadness

We've almost made it through the first week! Congratulations to all of you who have stuck around and made a commitment to get serious about your March goals! And if you haven't joined on with us yet, it is NOT TOO LATE TO SET YOUR GOALS AND JOIN THE FUN!

I'd love to give away another prize from our huge prize arsenal today! Today's winner is...

Linda C. Butler!

Congratulations, Linda! Stop by our goal-setting post, and choose your prize from those still listed. Email me at d(at)denisejaden(dot)com with your choice and we'll get it out to you as soon as possible.

And if you didn't win, there are still LOTS of great prizes to be won, so keep checking in each day...

Also, I have some other great news! Our own Kim Baccellia (who should have been a March Madness host, but because of my own lapse, I missed her this year - Sorry, Kim!) still wants to donate some awesome prizes, because she believes in the support of March Madness. So these awesome ARC's are being added to the prize arsenal:

Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott

Big Fat Disaster by Beth Fehlbaum

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Going Over by Beth Kephart

Wings by Elizabeth Richards

Embers & Ash by T.M. Goeglein

Thank you, Kim!

But enough about fabulous prizes...let's get to today's check-in post!

Are you a tortoise or a hare writer? For me, to be honest, it was a slow start this month. That's not my usual style. More often than not, when I set goals, I spend the early days going overboard on meeting them, getting ahead, so if obstacles come up, I won't be so worried about them. That didn't happen this time around, due to poor planning and overbooking myself in the early days of March.

But...I'm not letting that stop me. So even if things haven't gone perfectly for you, or the way you had planned, or if you've already let yourself down...don't let that stop you either. A month is a long time to be able to make a difference on a project, and we're not even through our first week yet!

Let's do each other a favor this week. Let's ignore any poor or slow starts to this month. Let's agree together that we still have a lot of time this month to work toward, and even catch up on our goals. Slow and steady can still win the race. Can we do that together, and leave that idea of failure-dom in the dust?

And if you are not dealing with a slow start...if you've been going full-speed-ahead since March 1st, keep going, because you will lead us on and continue to inspire us! I'm so glad to have every one of you along for this March Madness journey, whether you're a tortoise or a hare.

No matter where you are at, keep pushing forward! And I'll see you tomorrow at Tonette's Blog!