March Madness Check-in 29 - #WIPMadness - It's Nearly Over?

So sorry about yesterday's missing post!  There was some technical difficulties over on Dawn's blog. No one used that as an excuse to slack off,  right? 

I cannot believe the month is almost over! I'm happy to report that I've seen lots of positive comments about goal attacking and completion 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 in your future, 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 very nearly 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 am so close I can taste my goal! I've been working super hard all week, and will keep this short so I can get back to it. I hope to tie it 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, and I admit, with all my crazy hard work this week, I lost track a little of giving much away. If you have taken part in March Madness and have not received a prize yet, would you mind making my life just a little bit easier and emailing me at d(at)denisejaden(dot)com, and I will make sure you get something fabulous to celebrate your participation. 

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!

Eek! I forgot to lead you on to tomorrow's post! On Monday, we're over on Kim's Blog. See you there!

On Criticism, #NaNoWriMo, and #WIPMadness Check-in

Whether you're trying to fast-draft a novel in a month, or taking many years to draft a story, chances are good that you have faced or will face criticism that will threaten to halt your progress. Every writer I know hears criticism from even the most unexpected sources (and sometimes the unexpected sources are the most painful!), and those criticisms can feel like the only thing any one has ever said about our writing when we hear them.

But the truth is, there are many readers out there in the world with vastly differing moods and opinions! Because I think it's ridiculous how much criticism can affect our progress as writers, I decided to make a list, all in one place, of things I've personally heard, or seen in reviews of other authors I love in hopes of shining a light on the ridiculousness of spending any time at all thinking about one person's criticism.

• "There's too little description I couldn't picture it."
• "There's too much description and it slowed down the pace."
• "Cardboard characters, lacking detailed description."
• "Why would I want to know every detail about what this character eats for breakfast?"
• "Starts off too slow."
• "I got whiplash from the breakneck pace."
• "Too languid and boring."
• "Too quick-paced and choppy."
• "Unlikable characters. 
• "Characters are too perfect."
• "Too short. I like my books at least three hundred pages."
• "Too long. Went on forever."
• "Too much sex and cursing."
• "Felt too clean to be realistic."
• "Melodramatic."
• "I wanted to feel more emotional connection."
• "Strange plot. Unbelievable."
• "Cliche. Felt like I've read it all before."
• "Main character is too angst-y."
• "I wish the characters had more passion."
• "Not enough conflict."
• "Too much going on. I wanted a minute just to breathe."
• "I hate issue-driven books."
• "I hate character-driven books."
• "I hate plotty books."
• "It's too simple."
• "It has everything in it but the kitchen sink."

That's a long list, but I'll bet there are many more I haven't mentioned. Seeing them all together helps me at least to remember not to put too much weight in any one thing anyone says. Feel free to add to my list in the comments, and let me know if criticism has ever hindered you from something creative. And how did you get over it?

Also, what are your goals for November? Are you joining in on NaNoWriMo, or do you have your own different set of goals for this month?

End of June Check-In #WIPMadness

I know it's not quite the end of June, but I'm going to be away from my computer for the end of this week and beginning of next week. We didn't have an official host for this month, but YAY, we do for next month! Be sure to stop by Kim Baccellia's Blog to check in through July.

June has felt like a scattered month for me. I have gotten some stuff done - an online course mapped out and I've been working hard on my screenplay - but I haven't had a regular writing schedule in a while and I think that's what is leaving me feeling disjointed about the process. Now that school is done, I plan to schedule in some writing time and take off to a coffee shop a few days per week through the next couple of months.

How about you? How did June go and do you have any writing plans for the rest of the summer?

June Check-In #WIPMadness

I cannot believe it's June. JUNE!!! Where did the first half of 2014 go? Seriously.

We didn't have anyone step up to host this month, and I get it. It's a busy time, tying up different commitments with school and so forth. But let this serve as your little reminder not to forget about taking some time for yourself. Whether it's writing or in some other area, don't let this month slip by without finding some time to be creative. Believe me, that will make all other areas of your life go better.

So what's in the plans for this month?

For me, I have a lot of details to tie up for a course I'll be teaching and a book I have releasing this fall (eek!) But none of that is particularly creative. I'm slowly working away at paring down my first screenplay, but that, too, feels more like technical work than creativity. In my spare thinking time, I have been plotting out a new book I'm pretty excited about...so that works. My aim for June is to at least spend a little bit of thinking time on that project every single day this month.

How about you? Where will your creativity bloom this month?

Surprise May Check-In #WIPMadness

Hi all,

I knew I wouldn't have the organizational skills to keep up on hosting WIP Madness through May, but at the same time, it's really hard to set goals and keep up on them in 140 characters or less, isn't it?

So this post will serve as our at least a one-time check-in for May. I can't promise more, but I will try.

What are you up to this month? Have you already set goals? Have you already achieved or made headway toward them?

As for me, I was in limbo waiting for feedback on a couple of projects. In the meantime, I was working on mapping out an online course I plan to teach this summer. Of course I got all the feedback on my manuscripts at once, so not I'm working hard at figuring out how to best implement it all. I hope to get one manuscript polished off by the end of May.

How about you?

(Also, I wanted to add the little WIPMadness badge that some awesome person made up for us - Was that Mary Ann? I'm lacking in organizational skills, remember?--but I can't find it anywhere in my files. Does anyone still have this kicking around? This one works (thanks, Carol!) but I was looking for the one that said WIPMadness and included the little harried character.)

Okay, now THIS is funny. Carol just wrote and said, "You have a graphic that sounds like that... "#WIPmadness Participant" with a harried guy... in your blog's sidebar already. Is that the one?"

Yes, Carol, that is EXACTLY the one I meant! So there's a little glimpse into my disorganized state these days. LOL. So glad I have you guys around!