What's Up Wednesday

What's Up Wednesday is a blog hop hosted in part by Jaime Morrow to catch up on the week.

PLUS, it's how we we will check in for Ready. Set. Write! an idea generated by a few writer/bloggers to help each other stay accountable with writing goals over the summer. Here's a description:

Ready. Set. WRITE! A two(ish) month-long writing intensive for writers that includes weekly goals and updates, and a whole lot of encouragement, accountability, and support along the way. Each week we'll check in during What's Up Wednesday, share what we accomplished and set new goals for the coming week in the What I'm Writing section.

What I'm Reading

I usually have several books going at the same time:

Detroit City is the Place To Be: The Afterlife of the American Metropolis
I'm still chugging through a non-fiction book on Detroit which is incredibly interesting, but not quite the best read to curl up in bed with.


A Rogue by Any Other Name
I started an audio book by Sarah MacLean, regency queen. Her books are witty and clever, similar to Courtney Milan's. I'm not sure if audio book is the best format for a wordy regency--at least for me. I listen while driving and my mind tends to wander.

 

The Princesses of Iowa, a contemporary YA about a queen bee/princess whose senior year is marred by a drunk driving incident that occurred the year before. I pretty much love this book.

What I'm Writing

For Ready. Set. Write! my goals for the summer are:

• Complete the revised draft of the novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo last November. It's contemporary YA with a sort of psychological twist. 
• Draft an outline or "zero draft" a new project. I'm keeping mum on the details but it's to potentially adapt a classic movie. The idea came from my agent and I let her know I'm putting together An Exploratory Committee. Not sure if it will work so I have to do some homework and brainstorming.

For the next week, I'd like to revise at least 3 more chapters. I have weekend plans which will limit my time, but thanks to a wonderful workshop at my local RWA chapter, I learned how to calculate the average wordcount I can churn out in a sitting, and that helps to realistically plan how long it will take to complete a project. Granted, editing is different because the wordcount is there, and this is revising, adding, or taking away. But it helps to know how much you can do and plan ahead.

What Else I've Been Up To

Working, writing, catching up with friends. I think Jaime usually puts a photo here so I'll have to work on that for next time!

What Inspires Me Right Now

• I recently watched a bunch of MTV's Awkward, which is pretty hilarious, especially if you read or write Young Adult. It's smart and a little harsh and well-written. 
• Forever Young Adult is doing a rewatch/recap of Gilmore Girls. I started recording some re-runs on ABC Family for when I have downtime. Their recaps got me all nostalgic for Rory and Stars Hollow.
• Reading The Princesses of Iowa inspires me. I want to dive in and write more when I read something that really clicks for me.

You can visit the other blogs participating in Ready. Set. Write! or just share in the comments what you're up to and inspired by this week!