Well, I think I've had the worst day in the history of the universe and it kept me away from the computer so I didn't make my goal. But I got very very close and I'm thrilled with that. It definitely was the jump start I needed. My next book is outlined and my current book is *thisclose* to being edited and done. Whew! I worked hard and was so motivated by knowing I was accountable to you all.Thank you SO much to everyone who participated all month long. You guys are amazing and I'm so lucky to have bloggy friends...
Saturday, 30 June 2012
Friday, 29 June 2012
Can you believe it's the last Friday in June already? This year is flying by. Tomorrow is the last day of JumpStartWriMo and remember, if you come and post on the wrap-up post how you did on your goals, you'll be entered in the drawing for a first chapter critique from Jordan McCollom and a new release from either Melanie Jacobson or Betsy Brannon Green.Here is this week's First Page Friday submission.The EntryUntitledby Sonia CrawfordTeresa gasped as she fell. This is going to hurt, she thought as she tumbled to the ground, the...
Thursday, 28 June 2012
"Victory is won not in miles, but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more." - Louis L’AmourThat quote is exactly how I've felt about JumpStartWriMo. I knew my spirits were flagging and I needed something to get me going. I was holding my ground, but needed a little more. Finding other people in the same predicament and going through this JumpStartWriMo with them has been such a rejuvenating experience. I appreciate everyone who has made goals with me, sprinted with me, commented on my...
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
I am going gangbusters on my goal of finishing the revision by Saturday. My word count has been just over 5000 with the sprint I did last Wednesday. I am SO happy with that. I'm going to do another sprint tonight from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. MST. Would love to have you join us. I do a special sprint blog post so we can check in with each other every fifteen minutes and we're also over on twitter. How did you do on your word count this week?Okay, so yesterday I mentioned I was looking at the back copy for my new novel...
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Sorry this post is late today. I've been staring at the back copy for my new book and I don't know if I like it yet. And I don't know if I can share it because I don't know if I like it. But I sort of do. So I'm in a quandary. To share or not to share---that is the question.Anyway, when I'm in a quandary I always read (or watch Scarecrow and Mrs. King) and since I watched four episodes of Scarecrow, I settled down to...
Monday, 25 June 2012
I saw this quote over the weekend and thought it was so apropos for writers."Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears." - Les BrownMy dream from a very young age was to be a published writer. And I did that. But making my dream to make writing my career was scary. It's scary for me because writing is like giving something of myself for the public to scrutinize and criticize. And deep down I feel insecure about a lot of things, like whether my skin is thick enough to take whatever comes.After...
Friday, 22 June 2012
I hope all of you feel like JumpStartWriMo has helped you. We've got one more week this month and I am so excited at my own progress. I don't know that I'll reach all of my goals, but I have done so much more writing in June than I thought I would. I've got some fun stuff coming up next week for our last hurrah!Here is this week's installment of First Page Friday.The EntryUntitledby Jenny ProctorHenry Jacobson watched his seven year old son throw rocks into the still water of the Little Tennessee River. He was only a few yards...
Thursday, 21 June 2012
So, I drafted ten new pages during the sprint last night and can I just say, I am really proud of myself? I was totally on a roll, and have been editing that chapter all morning. It feels good and I am surprised at how much sprints have helped me. I never imagined I was the sort of writer who would get a lot done during a sprint. But I am!I also had something wonderful happen to me this morning. I took my children to swimming lessons and there was a lady there with one of my books. I casually asked her if the...
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Okay, I've got my playlist ready and I'm all pumped up to get this done! I hope you are, too. I will check back here every fifteen minutes with a little update on my progress. I hope someone is able to sprint with me tonight. (I'm also over on Twitter if you want to check in there, too. @juliebellon)See you in fifteen! Ready, set, ...
Well, I made it home last night at 1:00 a.m. after critique group (we even started half an hour earlier!) but I was so motivated to really polish my story. I took my notebook to my kids' swimming lesson this morning and jotted down all my ideas for my revision. I have to say, I am excited for tonight's sprint because I feel like I'm on the brink of some amazing progress! I hope you all can join me from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m MST tonight for the sprint. I had so much fun last week! I'll do a blog post so we can check in every...
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
I just finished Josi Kilpack's new book, Daisy, the second installment in the Newport Ladies' Book Club. I'll be honest, I was a little worried because I didn't know how the authors would handle essentially the same situations, except from a different woman's perspective. I worried for nothing.Josi's writing voice is loud and clear in Daisy and so different from Julie Wright's Olivia. I think that's what I liked most about it, is that I enjoyed both books, but for very different reasons. Olivia's story was gut-wrenching,...
Monday, 18 June 2012
I thought it would be fun to have some of my favorite best-selling author friends tell us their top ten lists for staying motivated even when they don't want to write. Today's author is Tristi Pinkston. She is a prolific writer who has written historical fiction and the popular Secret Sisters mystery series. You can read more about her here. Top Ten Ways to Motivate Myself to Write by Tristi Pinkston 10. Watch really stupid...
Friday, 15 June 2012
It is Friday! The day we check in to see who made their goal and who gets their name in the drawing for Jordan's Incredible Writing Guides. So, if you met the goal you wrote on Monday, just let me know in the comments, and I'll announce the winner on Monday. You can check in any time today before 9 p.m. MSTI read this amazing book last night that I'm so excited to tell you about on Monday. I know you are ALL going to want this one. Well, if you love humorous, romantic books that make you stay up until all hours of...
Thursday, 14 June 2012
Since Jordan is offering our amazing prize this week, I thought I'd have her guest post so you can see for yourself why I admire her. To see more of how she works, along with her great writing and marketing tips, you can visit her blog here.Once upon a time (in March), I made a goal to revise--and by revise, I mean totally overhaul--a 320-page novel in nine days. Looking back, that's more stupid than crazy. Even when I broke it down into "bites" to make it on schedule, I was usually trying to hit 40 pages a day.On a book that needed substantial...
Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Okay, peeps, (do I sound cool when I say that? LOL) we're going to write/edit for fifteen minutes, then check in, and quickly jot down our progress, then go for the next fifteen minutes, until the hour's up. I'll see you back here! At least I hope I will. I hope I won't be all alone. I'll also be over on Twitter @juliebellonFour minutes! Ready, set, ...
Well, now I'm cranky. I've been fighting with Blogger all morning because for some unknown reason it won't let me log in and I've gone the rounds to even make it this far. And to top it off, I've only revised/edited a chapter a day this week, instead of the two chapters a day that I wanted. That makes for a cranky Julie. :(In order to offset my crankiness, I thought it might be fun to have a writing sprint tonight for all my writing friends. If you're interested, then I will be writing/revising/editing from 9:00 p.m....
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Now that it's summer and all my kids are home (except my college age) I hear a lot of, "I don't want to do chores." "That will take me allllll daaaaaay." "Why do we have to work on summer vacation? Vacation means no work."And I think to myself I am just that way when it comes to my writing sometimes. "I don't want to revise that." "Fixing that plot hole will take me alllll daaaaay." "Why do I have to work so hard at researching? Fiction writing means I can just make it all up." Of course, as a mother I watch...
Monday, 11 June 2012
When I started writing I fell in love with the feeling of freedom that I had in creating that first story. I loved forming people and stories and knew that I'd found my lifelong passion.I wish I could hold onto that feeling forever, but as I've grown in my writing I've learned and now the process isn't quite as full of freedom. Creation takes hard work and while most people I know say they want to write a story, it's a precious few who actually sit down and do it. Writing is something beautiful and creative for me. It is...
Friday, 8 June 2012
BookExpo America 2012Last week, I promised to post about what I learned at BookExpo America. Full disclosure: This was my first year attending, so I had no concept of how quickly the day gets away from you when you’re navigating the immense Javits Center in Manhattan—charging from booth to booth in the morning and limping through them by the afternoon. If you ever go to BEA, be smarter about your shoe choice than I was.A feeling hits you when you first open the front doors (all of which were plastered with Dean Koontz posters this year) and step...
Thursday, 7 June 2012
I was doing so well. I really was. But then yesterday ended up being extremely busy and I didn't get the writing done that I wanted to. So I distracted myself with a book. And then I did some editing. Anything but edit my own manuscript.And now I feel discouraged.Usually I can jumpstart myself with some music. Upbeat music with drums and bass. I thought I'd share some of my more motivating songs that get my muse jumping. No judging, please! :)Back in Black by AC/DCPhotograph by Def LeppardHow We Operate...
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
I've noticed something since I've made an extra effort in my writing this past week. When I'm excited about a scene, the words just seem to flow onto the page. Also, when I'm writing late at night, my words seem really silly when I read them the next morning. (note to self: do not write description scenes after midnight).So, today, since I'm so excited about my writing and the progress I've made, I thought it would be fun if we all posted our favorite page that we've written (double-spaced 12 point font) for everyone to...
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
I have something to confess to you. When I started JumpStartWriMo on June 1st, I also started walked 1 1/2 miles every day. As you know from previous posts, I have found that my creative juices really flow whenever I'm near water, or when I'm walking, and I knew that I would need some creative juices if I were going to reach my goals for JumpStartWriMo.So far it has worked like magic.The knot in my manuscript that was preventing me from finishing it was unraveled. Last night I stayed up late jotting down everything that came to...
Monday, 4 June 2012
Quote for the day: "The reason people give up so fast is because they tend to look at how far they still have to go instead of how far they have gotten.” - UnknownI am so excited to see your goals. Thank you to everyone for participating and for helping your fellow writers achieve their goals.My weekend was jam-packed with family activities, including fishing, but I am making progress. I outlined my plot with more details, and I...
Friday, 1 June 2012
Are you ready for JumpstartWriMo in June? I am so stoked!I wanted to do this because I need a jumpstart on my manuscript. I want to set goals for the month of June that will stretch me but still be realistic (I know I can't do an entire manuscript with my situation, but I want to get going!) and I want to have accountability with you guys.So here's what we're going to do first. Tell me what your goals are for the month of June in the comments....
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