This is Sven.
He’s your personal trainer for the Seventy Days of Sweat. See that look on his face? He’s serious. He wants to see a completed manuscript / multiple proposals / novellas in the plural by September 20th. If he doesn’t, well, it’s not going to be pretty. At least not as pretty as he is. *g* (You can grab the smaller version there on the sidebar to put on your own blog. You can save and upload to your own blog, or I’ll post the code at the end of this entry if you want to just paste that in.)
Here are a few announcements / clarifications for the challenge.
1) Even though the challenge officially begins today, the cut-off date for signing up will be Friday, July 13th, midnight, CDT. (July 13 – Sept 20 = 70 days) Everyone who signs-up MUST post in the comments of the sign-up post as well as leave their name in the Mr. Linky box. That’s how we’re compiling our list of players to be eligible for prizes!
2) Each Sunday there will be a blank post here where everyone needs to stop in and post their progress for the week. You need to post your words for the week, and your total words written on the way to your goal – that goal being between 60K and 100K words – however many projects you need to work on to get there! (First reports due on the 15th!)
3) Each Sunday there will be one name drawn to win a prize (TBD) – (email me to let us know if you’d like to contribute a prize). Prizes will be books, writing goodies, gift certificates, etc. – with the grand prize awarded on September 20th! Each Sunday there will also be a juicy post on writing made by one of your sponsors, and that link will be included in the post.
4) Each Wednesday there will be a blank post here where you can stop in and post your word count, maybe mention a big A-HA! moment you hit during the week, a problem you’ve had to work through, a tip you found for keeping focused and getting the pages done through whatever distractions life has thrown your way. This is optional, but will keep everyone in contact.
5) There will also be random pop-prizes (like pop quizzes but more fun!) awarded throughout the 70 days.
6) Your sponsors will be posting regularly on their writing process, sharing their own tips, etc. We will also be stopping into your blogs as we can, and encourage all of you to do the same, getting to know your fellow writers and their sweat!
And now, I’m off to do just that. Get my pages for the day done. I think I’m going to write a scene out of order (don’t tell Steph – oh, and if you haven’t read her post on “wanting it” go and read) since it’s one that’s been percolating for awhile! Good luck and good writing!
Here’s the code to paste into your sidebar for the Sven mini-graphic for those of you unable to upload it to your own space:
<p align="center"><a href="http://www.alisonkent.com/blog/?p=2089"><img
src="http://www.alisonkent.com/blog/blogimages/svensayssweat.gif" width="145" height="65" alt="Sven
Says Sweat" /></a></p>
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Is there any other way BUT out of order?
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I am so excited about this. I think it’s because there are so many people in the same boat as me. God, I sound like such a geek.
There’s just such a great sense of support and we’re only starting!
(okay, gushing over)
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My 22nd birthday is Sept 18, and I can’t think of a better reward than a finished first draft, can you? I didn’t even realize that was around 70 days from now! Thanks so much for setting this up, Alison! :) *goes off to do her pages*
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Love the Sven graphic, and I’ve already put the button in my Flickr group and used it in my first post about this writing challenge. Sven makes me want to do one of those Axe commercials where a sultry women’s voice talks about “how dirty boys get clean.” *grin*
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I’m excited and am glad to participate! :)
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I’m plotting the evisceration of my characters, as well as yours and Stephanie Tyler’s, Alison.
At the end of this, I imagine there won’t just be a lot of sweat and words written, there will be a lot of blood and gore too.
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blood and gore is good!!!
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Only if it’s yours, Alison!
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Mmmm. Sven.
Now I’m inspired.
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*blinks innocently at May*
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Just fyi, I could see the “Can you hear me now” post in my feedburner. (I know it also appears in the righthand column via Twitter Tools.)
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Cool. I was testing! I know it has an rss feed, so I thought it would be a fun way to do short posts from the cell on the road and at the conference!
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It is tres cool. National is certainly a very good place to employ the power of the Twit. :) I’ll be sure to check for tidbits to link to from Blogging National.
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Ok I was talked into it LOL. I have many many small projects to finish LOL.
Aline
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You need to post your words for the week, and your total words written on the way to your goal – that goal being between 60K and 100K words – however many projects you need to work on to get there! (First reports due on the 15th!)
Does this mean we have to post up bits of our writing then? isn’t that a bit iffy in case someone (not one of us lot) comes and nicks it? =S
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Nope. Just the number of words written.
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What is the “Mr. Linky” box?
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Look at the bottom of the sign-up post!
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Hmmm – Still not understanding. I see comments two and three over there saying:
#
[…] Here’s the link to the full post where you can sign up: Officially, it’s Seventy Days of Sweat. […]
Comment by — Stephanie Tyler – Military Romance Author 7/6/2007 @ 1:22 pm
#
[…] Here’s the link for the Seventy Days of Sweat Signup […]
Comment by — Jo Leigh » 2007 » July » 06 7/6/2007 @ 1:34 pm
But no link in them. Maybe it’s my browser? I use firefox on a linux machine, and I’ll check again from home later on a windows machine. Otherwise, what am I looking for?
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At the very bottom of the post. Do you not see the 200+ names signed up? At the very bottom of the post before the comments?
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I don’t think I see it. But if it’s just me being dense I apologize up front! I’ve taken a screenshot of what I see. I think you’re saying there should be a list of names between the last sentence of the blog and the start of the comments. Here’s what I see:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/timandjen/blog.jpg
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Yeah, that’s your browser/os then because it’s there! I use FF, but on a windows machine. The Mr. Linky box is a javascript. Maybe that’s it?
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Got it! I have a script blocker, and I had turned on scripts for your website, but the Mr. Linky think needed scripts turned on for a couple other websites too. I did, and there it is. Glad you mentioned this in the post or I would never have known I wasn’t really signed up. :)
Thanks for the help.
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Ah, cool then!!
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Update
I have done a total of 17 pages, that is from Sunday to Tuesday, which equals a word count of 4,111.
Today I did none:-(
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My update: 10k words and that’s not only on the other one. Sorry I’m late in doing my update. ttfn
B.L.
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Okay,,,,here I go with my excuse for not turning in word count on time! Just sit back and listen..it’s a good one (I think..lol). I had accidentally deleted 40,000 words of a novel I was planning on subbing the next day. Fortunately, my crit partner had all my rough drafts. The same day this happened I commited to Seventy Days of Sweat. So, I am working on polishing the rough draft and starting the new one for Sweat! Please forgive me…lol…”I got the days of the week mixed up”, she said, slapping her hand to her forehead. I’m afraid the count is not too good either…but considering my state of mind. I am proud….1,600 words. Cyber slap me. I will definitely make it up, though. Thanks for the listen.
Tess MacKall
http://www.tessmackall.literalseduction.com
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Okay, my computer challenged self missed the boat on the Wednesday post thingy. I’ll do better Sunday and maybe I will be caught up by that point. My word count for July 8th through July 11th was a pitiful 2195. I WILL catch up!
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Sven is making me sweat
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog&pop=1&ping=1&indicate=1
Just keep swimming, I mean writing everyone!
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Thank you for the encouraging(?) picture of Sven. He now has another home on my website. I think I’ll get him a towel now.. ;)
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Argh I’m late I’m late… lol.
But I got 10k, so…. :)
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To be eligible for Sunday’s prize, be sure and post to the comments section of the Sunday check-in post!
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Damn I didnt get in until 12:30 AM this morning. Ah well. I did get 1K done sunday while i waited for my flight to come in. Next week then :) I’m at 22K and that is because I was MIA for national
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I’m a little late checking back in after Nationals. But here I am today say I’m on track (though I through in a novella to write with my other half done project!)
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I’m at 60k plus for Just Another Day.
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Due to some problems I am having. I am unable to continue in this contest. Best of luck to all others still participating.
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My excuses… 1. I was writing and forgot to post! 2. The work I originally started out on died…so I started work on a different project and finished another project.
So, on two different works I have a total of 3000 words. As of today. That means last Sunday…I was busted!
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1500 words this week not including plotting and reworking scenes to correct the pov.
That’s pretty good for me!
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*sigh* I have missed my sign ins.. NOT MY FAULT! There was Camping, there was back trauma.. there was… p-r-o-c-r-a-s-t-i-n-a-t-i-o-n..
but I have about 500 words of writing MANUAL, yes, in a book. It’s going to be a great story.. stay with me on this .. and forgive us our missed deadlines as we wish our missed deadlines to be forgiven.