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Quotes

"As for my next book, I am going to hold myself from writing it till I have it impending in me: grown heavy in my mind like a ripe pear; pendant, gravid, asking to be cut or it will fall." ~Virginia Woolf

"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." ~C.S. Lewis

"The storyteller is deep inside everyone of us. The story-maker is always with us. Let us suppose our world is attacked by war, by the horrors that we all of us easily imagine. Let us suppose floods wash through our cities, the seas rise . . . but the storyteller will be there, for it is our imaginations which shape us, keep us, create us - for good and for ill. It is our stories that will recreate us, when we are torn, hurt, even destroyed. It is the storyteller, the dream-maker, the myth-maker, that is our phoenix, that represents us at our best, and at our most creative."
~Doris Lessing

"Writing’s not rocket science. It’s a helluva lot harder. Because once you learn all that rocket science crap, you can (at least in theory) build a rocket. On the other hand, you can read every writing book known to man and attend classes and work with critique partners and get pages of editorial input and still end up with a book that doesn’t quite hit the high notes. Scary, but true." ~Karen Templeton

"Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Reading is the creative center of a writer's life."
~Stephen King

"You know, I'm a storyteller. We are storytellers. And ours is an ancient tradition, contemporized by the cinema and the capturing of light. And we should all be very proud of our place in society. On any given night, millions of people across the world buy a ticket for adventures that only we as storytellers can provide. We release burdens, we galvanize emotions, we make people laugh, we make people talk over breakfast. This is a great job and I want to encourage every one of you in this room to give everything you can to the story. God bless narrative. God bless originality."
~Russell Crowe
2002 SAG Award Winner

"When I write, I feel like an armless legless man with a crayon in his mouth."
~Kurt Vonnegut

"Don't be afraid of your material or your past. Be afraid of wasting any more time obsessing about how you look and how people see you. Be afraid of not getting your writing done."
~Anne Lamott

"My New Year's resolution is to focus on the book and forget all the crap that surrounds the writing business. To lose myself in a story, and not give a damn if it makes any lists, has a good sell-through, gets glowing reviews on Amazon, pleases my editors, hell, even pleases my readers. I want to love what I'm writing so much that none of the rest of it matters, and if I don't, I won't write it. Life's too short to abuse the muse."
~Anne Stuart

"America is now wholly given over to a d****d mob of scribbling women, and I should have no chance of success while the public taste is occupied with their trash--and should be ashamed of myself if I did succeed. What is the mystery of these innumberable editions of The Lamplighter (by Maria Susanna Cummins), and other books neither better nor worse? Worse they could not be, and better they need not be, when they sell by the hundred thousand."
~Hawthorne's 1855 letter to his publisher William D. Ticknor, quoted in Pattee, Fred L. The Feminine Fifties. NY: Appleton-Century Co., 1940. p. 110.

July 6th, 2007

Seventy Days of Sweat – The Writing Challenge Sign-Up

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the National Novel Writing Month where the goal of the participants is to write 50,000 words during the month of November. You’ve probably also heard of the Book-in-a-Week first draft blast, and may have heard of the Book in a Year challenge at eHarlequin, or simply the One Page A Day method to getting a book written in 365. How ’bout a book in seventy days? Doable? You betcha.

Say you’re writing a 100,000 word single title. 70 days at 1500 words per day (approx 6 pages) is 98,000 words total. Say you’re writing a 60,000 word series romance. 70 days at 900 words per day (approx 4 pages) is 63,000 words total. Writing 4 – 6 pages every day for 70 days is a schedule anyone who calls themselves a pro can handle easily!

So . . . along with Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler and Jo Leigh and HelenKay Dimon, I hereby challenge any of you who are interested to sign up for our Seventy Days of Sweat. The challenge begins on Sunday, July 8 and runs through Thursday, September 20. (Yes, that’s 75 days, but we’re giving you off July 11 – 15 if you need it for conference. That said, ask yourself, “What Would Nora Do?” Yes, Nora writes at conference. I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes.)

The rules are simple. You agree to write 4 – 6 pages a day (depending on the length of your book) every day between the dates listed above. If you need to take off a day, you make up the pages another. If you don’t like to write 7 days a week, too bad. This challenge lasts for only 10 weeks, and if you have to get up early on the weekends to get the pages done, you do it. (Hey, we all do it! You can, too!)

You don’t have to have a blog to participate, but we do want you to sign up below so everyone involved can get to know one another. And if you do have a blog, you can post the information there. Going public with your commitment is about owning it. As far as reporting your progress, you’ll come back here each Wednesday and Sunday and post your total word count. (We’ll expect the first reports at LEAST by the 18th, the Wednesday following conference, though for those of you not attending, your first report is due on the 11th!) And those of us sponsoring the challenge will be dropping by your blog (if you have one) and egging you on! AND, we may be adding more sponsors!

The challenge is open to anyone writing in any genre, published and aspiring authors both. Oh, and did we mention there will be prizes? Yes, there will be prizes. Critiques, RT subscriptions, memberships to RWA, gift certificates to B&N – who knows WHAT we’ll come up with! More info on the prizes to come. We’ll also be providing a logo if you’d like to put one on your blog. For now, let’s see a show of hands.

Who’s not afraid to sweat? Sign up below, and tell us:

1) Book Title
2) Hero Name / Occupation
3) Heroine Name / Occupation
4) Setting
5) Length

My book?

SIZZLE, 100K word single title featuring private investigator Finn McLain and boutique owner Olivia Hammond, set in hot Miami! Your turn!

Remember: In the end, we’re looking for between 60K and 100K words!

This entry was posted on Friday, July 6th, 2007 at 1:00 pm and is filed under Writing. You can feed this entry. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

315 comments to “Seventy Days of Sweat – The Writing Challenge Sign-Up”

« Previous 1 ... 6 7 8

Cora Salas
Comment
301
· July 12th, 2007 at 9:54 pm · Link

Hello all,

Picture Board has been sitting in my head for a couple of years. Got 1483 added to it last night. My aim is 6 pages tonight. I love accountability. Cora S.
Kristina Wright
Comment
302
· July 12th, 2007 at 11:47 pm · Link

I’m coming to this a little late, but I’m happy to be here!

I have multiple projects to finish in the next two months, including:

A Winter’s Tale (novella; 10k)
Dating Rachel (novel; 25k to complete)
Body Double (novella; 25k)
4 untitled pieces (short stories; approx. 15k total)
If I finish all of that… (new novel; as much as possible)

I’m being ambitious, but that’s the point, right? Wish I could be at National, but since I’m not, I’d better get to writing. Good luck, everyone!
Laurie Logan
Comment
303
· July 13th, 2007 at 12:20 am · Link

I’m excited to take this challenge! Thanks for the opportunity.

1) Book Title – Purrrfect Passion
2) Hero Name/Occupation – Kato / writer
3) Heroine Name/Occupation – Krista Duncan / teacher
4) Setting – residential Maryland
5) Length 15k

and

1) Book Title – Destiny’s Gate
2) Hero Name / Occupation – Caden Scott / Warrior Guardian
3) Heroine Name / Occupation – Challie / photographer
4) Setting – Deep Creek Lake, Maryland and the otherworld
5) Length – 75K
Heidi Blackstone
Comment
304
· July 13th, 2007 at 3:30 pm · Link

Paranormal romantic suspense tentatively called ‘The Hunter and the Hunted’. Alpha Jake Gray meets Maddy McKenna, and the fur begins to fly :) goal is 50k
Mimi B.
Comment
305
· July 13th, 2007 at 4:20 pm · Link

1. Book Title: Cabin Fever
2. Hero name/Occupation: Jack Miller/detective
3. Heroine name/occupation: Tressa Loyd/reporter
4. Setting: Rhode Island
5. Length: 55-60K

Romantic suspense involving ex-lovers who must stay confined in cabin while hero tries to keep heroine safe from whomever is trying to kill her. Chemistry still exists!
Harris Channing
Comment
306
· July 13th, 2007 at 5:00 pm · Link

Alison,

Thanks for doing this! I hope it’s just what I need to get my you know what in gear!!

1) Book Title: Her Heart’s Desire
2) Hero Name: Bartholomew Monroe/Liason for computer softward company/man of mystery
3) Heroine Name: Maggie Tate/partner in accountihng firm
4) Setting: Modern day setting/Savannah Georgia.
5) Length: undecided. Minimum 60,000

~Harris.
Cookie Michaels
Comment
307
· July 13th, 2007 at 5:42 pm · Link

1. Book Title: A Wish Come True
2. Hero name/Occupation: Cole Rogers/businessman
3. Heroine name/occupation: Janet Rogers/teacher
4. Setting: Mobile, Ala.
5. Length: 70K

When Wishes Come True – category/romantic comedy

Blowing out all 40 candles on her birthday cake should make for an extra special wish to be granted. She only wants one thing – to find the love of her life. When her past arrives on her doorstep, will he turn out to be the perfect birthday present and her wish come true?
Suzi
Comment
308
· July 13th, 2007 at 6:52 pm · Link

I only have a vague idea at this point, but it’s probably going to be a fantasy novel centered on a young woman who must complete a journey before her arranged marriage. I also have several short stories to work on…
Jeanne Vincent
Comment
309
· July 13th, 2007 at 8:39 pm · Link

Book Title: Mills Crossing (temporary working title)
Hero name/occupation: Jack/not yet determined
Heroine name/occupation: Nancy/not yet determined
Setting: fictional county in New York
Length: 80-100K word single title
Tina
Comment
310
· July 13th, 2007 at 9:11 pm · Link

My first big decision is to choose a planned work to concentrate on. My general goal is to a 90,000 word first draft of a contemporary novel set in the San Francisco Bay Area. Splitting my time on two of my favored wips would result in solid progress on both.
Alison
Comment
311
· July 14th, 2007 at 7:54 am · Link

Sign-ups for the challenge are now closed!
Angelique Armae
Comment
312
· July 14th, 2007 at 10:13 am · Link

I’m working on two books – finishing up one and starting another.

1) Blood Sword

2) Sir Conor Ashwood / Curator of cursed weapons, grimoires and hexed trinkets

3) Xenia Ivanova Petrova / Princess of the Saint Petersburgh tribe of Quasi-vampires/vampire hunter

4) Regency-era Ireland

5) 70,000

After Blood Sword I’m doing the sequel Bloodline and I have a few contemporaries but haven’t decided which one to work on first :-)
Cece Stuart
Comment
313
· July 15th, 2007 at 5:20 pm · Link

Hopefully I wont embarrass myself!

1) Title: Forbidden
2) Hero: Rafe – Prostitute
3) Heroine: Ameda – None
4) Setting: Montana in the future
5) Word Count: 90k ( I actually have 25k done)
Carol Ward
Comment
314
· July 15th, 2007 at 7:14 pm · Link

I’d like to start with saying that I had really good intentions, but you know what they say good intentions paves the road to!

With the first 7 of 70 days under my belt I’m already falling behind. I’ve only managed 3700 words but I’m looking at this as a challenge to do better this week.
Alison
Comment
315
· July 15th, 2007 at 7:17 pm · Link

I’m closing comments to this entry. Please go to the main blog page for updates!