MARCH MADNESS: SET YOUR GOALS! #WIPMadness

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.

Also, this year we've decided to open up the challenge to Readers, Bloggers, and Illustrators. 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 March 1st, and this is how it will work.

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 – Visit LS Taylor at  http://lstaylor.blogspot.com
Tuesdays – Visit Shari Green at http://www.sharigreen.com
Wednesdays – Visit Shana Silver at http://www.shana-silver.com
Thursdays –  Visit Denise Jaden at http://denisejaden.blogspot.com 
Fridays – Visit Tonette de la Luna at http://www.tonettedelaluna.com
Saturdays – Visit Carol Garvin at http://careann.wordpress.com
Sundays – Visit Angelina Hansen at  http://yascribe.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:

First Five Pages Manuscript Critique! (Courtesy of Denise's agent, Michelle Humphrey - International)

3 2 1 BOX of popular and new fiction! (Courtesy of Shana Silver - US Only)

A book of choice (up to $15) anywhere Book Depository delivers! (Courtesy of Shari Green) 

1/2 pound of peanut butter flavored tiger butter! (Courtesy of L.S. Taylor - US/Canada Only)

An autographed paperback of Julius Caesar Brown and the Green Gas Mystery by Ace Hansen (Courtesy of Angelina Hansen - US Only)

A full manuscript critique! (Courtesy of Tonette dela Luna - International)

Audiobook copy of NEVER ENOUGH by Denise Jaden! (Courtesy of Denise Jaden - International)

A Writers-On-The-Go Kit! (Includes various take-with-you stationary, and of course...chocolate!)  (Courtesy of Carol Garvin - U.S./Canada Only)

A previously read and loved copy of ROOMIES, signed by both Sara and Tara! (Courtesy of Shari Green - International)

A first chapter critique! (Courtesy of L.S. Taylor - International)

A $20 Gift Card for Barnes & Noble (Courtesy of Angelina Hansen - International)

Copy of your choice of paperback book by Denise Jaden! (Courtesy of Denise Jaden - US Only)

ARC's (Courtesy of Kim Baccellia - US Mailing Only):
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



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

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 have two of them. I'd like to revise the book I wrote during NaNoWriMo last year. I already have a strong vision for what to do with this one, so I'm eager to get going. I also plan to first-draft a very short novel (around 20k) that I hope to submit to a specific imprint of a specific publisher. It's a lot, but I believe with all the support here, I will be able to do it.

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 Carol Garvin's blog this Saturday for your first check-in! Remember, the more you check-in and encourage others, the better chance you have of winning some awesome prizes! And if you set your goal within the next twenty-four hours below, you have a good chance at winning one right away!

ONWARD, Fearless Writers!

Tips for WINNING #NaNoWriMo

A lot of people join NaNoWriMo. Not many accomplish the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel in a month, though. I think it's something like 15%. My first novel, LOSING FAITH, was written in 21 days during NaNoWriMo 2007, and I've completed the challenge every year since (and several of those books are going on to be published). I get asked all the time how I do it. Most people who write think it would be impossible to reach such a lofty goal. Plus, my new book, FAST FICTION (which will be out in February) focuses on the topic. So I wanted to offer a few tips of how I have been able to win the Nano challenge year after year.


1. Always write forward. Don't look back at ANY of your story until you reach the end. Your subconscious mind will bring back any details you need to work in as you need them. Each day you sit down to write, scroll to the end of yesterday's writing and start there (or on a new page below there). This helps keep your inner critic at bay so you can come up with lots of new and creative ideas for your story.

2. Write every day. No matter what. Write. Every. Single. Day.

3. Start first thing in the morning. Even if you only have five minutes, try to spit out a hundred words in that five minutes. Then if, by chance, you can't get back to your writing at all that day, at least you have that hundred words under your belt. At least you've kept your mind in your story and kept the momentum of writing it going. (But I'll bet that after writing five minutes, you'll want, and feel capable, to write more that day).

4. There are no bad ideas. A thirty-day challenge is for trying anything and everything. When you have an idea for an obstacle, throw it at your main character and see what happens. I come up with a very loose outline ahead of time, but many times I have strayed from that plan and worked my way back to it later in the story. The result has always given me something new and great for my story (even if it's just a nugget of greatness within a bunch of rubble) but more importantly, it has rejuvenated my enthusiasm for writing and for my story.

5. Set a goal and stay accountable with it. Find at least one person who will hold you accountable throughout the month. Check in with them every day. If you're stuck for someone, ask on Twitter or Facebook. My best accountability writing friends hang out under the hashtag #wipmadness on Twitter and you're welcome to join us.

What are your best writing tips for NaNoWriMo? I'd love to hear them!