I write stuff for kids...and muse on writing, children's books, and the publishing industry in general

Monday, April 30, 2012

What's on in May (plus #writemotivation post, Beta Match, and winners of my Writing Prompts Contest)

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I hope everyone had an awesome April, whether taking part in the A to Z Challenge, having a rest, or blogging on as usual. While my A to Z Writing Prompts Contest was running (the winners are announced below!), I took a little time off writing to settle into my new house and get over some health issues, then I started plotting my new novel, DARK. It's so exciting to start something new like this - I'm sure you all know the feeling. I'm all pumped up now and ready to get writing.

How about you: How do you feel when you start a new novel - excited, nervous, scared, exhilarated, all of the above or something else altogether???

What's coming up in May on Rach Writes...

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I've got a massive schedule coming up for May. It's going to involve a month of Monday guest posts, all around the subject of self-publishing and digital publishing. I'll have guest posts from:
  1. Michael Offutt (May 7 - as part of his SLIPSTREAM book tour), 
  2. Rachel Morgan from Rachel Morgan Writes (May 14), 
  3. Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi from The Bookshelf Muse (May 21), and 
  4. Adina West from Stairways and Landings (May 28). 
They're all either already published or have books that are coming out soon via self-publishing or digital publishing, and they're going to share some of their publishing journeys with you, give you interesting information about self/digital publishing, and perhaps even give you the chance to win some cool loot!

So make sure you pop back each Monday during May for the next step in the self-publishing/digital publishing journey :) And each of the four weeks, I'll be popping in some interesting agent tips on self or digital publishing as well!

Beta Match

It's been a little while since I've done a Beta Match, so I'm going to hold one on Monday, June 4, 2012. Anyone who is looking for a critique partner or beta reader, make sure you pop back then :)

#writemotivation

I'm about to start writing my first draft of DARK, so I decided I could use some help and people to cheer me on. I've joined K.T. Hanna's #writemotivation, where I've set goals for myself during the month of May, and I can work to achieve those goals while cheering on other #writemotivation peeps on Twitter (and being cheered on myself too, I hope).

As part of #writemotivation we need to be accountable for our goals, so here goes. My May goals are:
  1. Finish plotting DARK (and incorporate any comments by CPs into plotting notes)
  2. More detailed characterization of secondary characters
  3. Organize Scrivener so I'm all ready to begin writing
  4. Write. Write. Write
  5. Finish first draft by May 31, 2012
There's a lot there, but it's all doable, I hope. I've already got some very detailed plotting finished, so I'm hoping that will take a lot of guesswork out of my writing (unlike FROM THE OTHER SIDE, where I pretty much pantsed the whole thing then took forever in revisions!). So wish me luck!

How about you: What are your writing goals for May???

Winners of my A to Z Challenge Writing Prompts Contest!

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It was so awesome to see so many people take part in my Writing Prompts Contest. Diving headfirst into my complicated rules (to ensure that the entries fitted into the A to Z Challenge), were a grand total of 56 entrants, and many others cheered them on. The entries were so creative, sometimes funny, sometimes very moving, and I loved reading every one of them.

Special props go to Nemoswriting, who entered 17 times, many of them inspirational! And also to C. Lee McKenzie, who (until her computer crashed) managed to complete 12 entries by using only words starting with the letter of the day - she had me in stitches with all of them!

So...*drumroll*...the winners for the best entries as determined by yours truly are:
  • guest post on Rach Writes... - C. Lee McKenzie
  • interview on Rach Writes... - Jericha Senyak
  • book (from The Book Depository) or Amazon gift card (emailed) to the value of $15 - Nemoswriting
  • a query critique by me - Tracy Bermeo
And I enjoyed her entry so much I'm going to add another query critique as well, so congratulations to Teresa Cypher! While unfortunately not winners of a prize, honorable mentions go to the following people for their awesome entries:
  • Dawn M. Hamsher
  • Super Happy Jen
Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks again to all who took part or commented on my post :) Winners, please email me on rachael[dot]harrie[at]gmail[dot]com to claim your prize.

Well, I think that's it for me for the moment. Can't wait to hear all about how your April was and what you're working on at the moment. I'll see you back next Monday for Michael's guest post!

 

Sunday, April 1, 2012

A to Z Blogging Challenge (Rach's Writing Prompts CONTEST!!!)

My internet problems are still ongoing, so I've had to rethink how I'll be participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge this year. I've got a little creative *grins*. I've decided to hold a contest, which will run for the whole month of April. The theme of the contest is Writing Prompts (from A to Z), and there'll be prizes at the end of the contest for the winners :)

Here's how it will work:

For those of you participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge (and those of you who are not), write a short story/flash fiction/poetry/other writing in the comments section of this post. The entry should be based on this picture and should be less than 150 words.

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In keeping with the A to Z Blogging Challenge, the entries should also comply with the following, based on the day you write your entry (for consistency, we'll be working in US EDT time):
  • Sunday April 1 - base your entry around the letter "A"
  • Monday April 2 - your entry should contain the words "brackish" and "bend"
  • Tuesday April 3 - begin and end your entry with a word beginning with the letter "C"
  • Wednesday April 4 - include four words starting with the letter "D" in your entry
  • Thursday April 5 - base your entry around the letter "E"
  • Friday April 6 -  your entry should contain the words "flight", "forlorn", and "fog"
  • Saturday April 7 -  begin and end your entry with a word beginning with the letter "G"
  • Sunday April 8 - free choice - no requirements for your entry. Alternatively, for an added challenge, see how many words beginning with the different letters of the alphabet you can include
  • Monday April 9 - include four words starting with the letter "H" in your entry
  • Tuesday April 10 -  base your entry around the letter "I"
  • Wednesday April 11 - include three words starting with the letter "J" in your entry 
  • Thursday April 12 - your entry should contain the words "king", "kestrel", and "key"
  • Friday April 13 - begin and end your entry with a word beginning with the letter "L"
  • Saturday April 14 - include four words starting with the letter "M" in your entry 
  • Sunday April 15 - free choice - no requirements for your entry. Alternatively, for an added challenge, see how many words beginning with the different letters of the alphabet you can include
  • Monday April 16 - base your entry around the letter "N"
  • Tuesday April 17 - your entry should contain the words "own" and "orient"
  • Wednesday April 18 - begin and end your entry with a word beginning with the letter "P"
  • Thursday April 19 - include three words starting with the letter "Q" in your entry
  • Friday April 20 - base your entry around the letter "R"
  • Saturday April 21 - your entry should contain the words "silent" and "slinks"
  • Sunday April 22 - free choice - no requirements for your entry. Alternatively, for an added challenge, see how many words beginning with the different letters of the alphabet you can include
  • Monday April 23 - base your entry around the letter "T"
  • Tuesday April 24 - your entry should contain the words "unsure" and "unknown"
  • Wednesday April 25 - include three words starting with the letter "V" in your entry
  • Thursday April 26 - begin and end your entry with a word beginning with the letter "W" 
  • Friday April 27 - see how many X's you can include in words in your entry
  • Saturday April 28 - include as many words beginning with the letter "Y" as you can
  • Sunday April 29 - free choice - no requirements for your entry. Alternatively, for an added challenge, see how many words beginning with the different letters of the alphabet you can include
  • Monday April 30 - base your entry around the letter "Z"
I hope you have fun taking part in my contest! Feel free to enter as many times as you wish and on as many days as you wish - the only requirements for you to claim a prize are that you are following me, and that you include your email address in your entry if it's not already included in your user profile. And I'd love it if you'd tweet or facebook or Google+ the contest or mention it on your blog.

And the prizes (international) for the best entries as determined by yours truly are:

- guest post on Rach Writes...
- interview on Rach Writes...
- book (from The Book Depository) or Amazon gift card (emailed) to the maximum value of $15
- a query critique by me

Good luck, and I can't wait to see what you come up with :)


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