Monday, August 31, 2015

Ready. Set. Write! Summer Wrap-Up


It's the Ready. Set. Write! summer wrap up! RSW is a summer writing intensive that encourages goal-setting and accountability, and provides an opportunity for us to cheer each other on wherever we’re at with our writing projects—planning, drafting, revising, or polishing.  This year, your RSW hosts are Alison MillerJaime MorrowErin FunkElodie Nowodazkij, and Katy Upperman. All the details are HERE. Also check out #RSWrite on twitter.



Goals for the Summer:

  • SHINY NEW PROJECT! If RSW is through the end of August, I'd love to have a rough first draft completed. OR at least 35k - 55k words drafted.
    • I have 27k words on Shiny New Project. Not bad considering I did additional edits on another manuscript in July.
  • Participate in Camp Nanowrimo for word count goals and motivation/support
    • Yes! Though, I did not reach my Camp Nano word count goal. I still managed almost 20k words in July.
  • Revisions for contracted work (waiting on these, so I'll need to make plans/deadlines once I know what the editor wants. (Squee!))
    • I'm waiting on the publisher/editor since as we know, publishing is all about the waiting. I've filled out some forms for Bloomsbury Spark and the contract is signed, so it's a start!
  • Summer Reading Challenge YA Buccaneers
    • I read 9 books out of 15 categories! I read a handful more books this summer that did not fit into the challenge.
  • Maintain my regular fitness classes each week and add in walking and biking
    • I've been pretty good with my regular classes, but I did not bike the whole summer. Why??? My bike is all dusty. Sad. September is usually pretty warm, so I'll see if I can ride yet this year.
Other noteworthy accomplishments this summer:
  • Attended RWA National conference in NYC; made new friends & connections
  • I'm a Pitch Wars mentor and just selected a writer to mentor for two months (not yet revealed!) prior to an agent round
  • I joined Adventures in YA Publishing as a regular mentor/critiquer for their First Five Pages workshop
  • I completed edits on a YA contemporary manuscript! Sent to one last reader, polished, and shipped to the agent.


Manuscripts and Manicures:

Here is my nail art inspired by my work-in-progress. I painted my nails to match the cover of Ms. Marvel, a reboot of the Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel series, that debuted last year. This graphic novel is mentioned in my new contemporary YA and comics themselves play a part in the plot. This also just won a Hugo award! It's a really smart and fun read (especially if you like YA since she's a teen) and a great entry into graphic novels if you haven't read any. 

Thanks to all for the encouragement this summer! Check out the links at the top to visit other RSW blogs.


15 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for joining us, Stephanie! And WOW! You not only completed so much, you've had some seriously awesome things and noteworthy accomplishments going on. Go you! In random semi-related news, my 16 year old made me take a Buzz Feed quiz the other day (well, it was one of several she "made" me take, lol) and, based on my zodiac sign, apparently I am Ms. Marvel. :) Love that she is such a feature in your story and I love the nail color to go with it!

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    1. Awesome on the quiz! My hubz takes those Buzzfeed quizzes all the time, haha.

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  2. Wow, it sounds like you've had a lot going on! I know how hard it is to keep up with the writing while contest-judging and dealing with author stuff, so you've done an amazing job.

    I want to get into graphic novels, so I'll definitely be bookmarking that one! :)

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    1. It's a great one to get into, especially since it's newer so there isn't a lot to catch up on.

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  3. You are amazing! Where did you find the energy! Congratulations on getting so much done!

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  4. Congrats on an amazing summer of words!!

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  5. It sounds like you made excellent progress! I totally sympathise with not making the Camp NaNo word count in particular, but it's in such an awkward month, isn't it? That you got so much done over summer is still absolutely brilliant! Hope the autumn is just as productive--and that you can fit in bike rides! (But September really is the best month for that, warm without getting sticky-sweaty... great biking weather!)

    I love the rebooted Ms. Marvel, and I love that your WiP makes reference to it--and that your nails really do match the cover so beautifully!

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    1. Thanks! Same to you on a productive next few months of writing. I always fare better with regular Nano and not the camp. I've failed camp twice now! :)

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  6. You did so much this summer, it's awesome. I love how you made your manicure tie into Ms. Marvel. Good luck in the coming months!

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  7. Awesome progress this summer! Plus other stuff that wasn't even part of your goals. Do you feel like you need to take a nap? :) I love the manicure and how it's tied to Ms. Marvel. Looks like a great book. Have a great week!

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  8. Wow! I'm very impressed by everything you accomplished this summer! And 27K on a shiny new project on top of that is fantastic! Your manicure is very cool, and the reason behind it really makes me want to read your story. :-) Thank you for all the encouragement this summer, Stephanie!

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  9. You've had a big summer! And I love your manicure. I'm super interested in your story! Also--I may just take you up on that beta read offer once I get to that point! Here's to hoping September is warm enough to ride and as productive as your summer has been!

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  10. Congratulations on doing so well with your goals! You had a lot of stuff going on all summer. Good luck with your goals and plans in the coming months.

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  11. Wow, you've been busy this summer, Stephanie! Congrats on your awesome wordcounts and books read and all your other accomplishments. :) I'm definitely interested in Ms. Marvel - I've been hearing a lot about it lately (all good things)!

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  12. Productive summer! Congrats on getting so much done! I didn't end up subbing to you guys, but I can't wait to see how Pitch Wars goes down tonight and tomorrow--very exciting! Thanks for the encouragement this summer (and thanks for being one of the amazing PW mentors)!

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