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Don't worry, you're not alone!
This week, I found myself really struggling to stay focused on my goal(s). I procrastinated a lot, using critiques for other people as an excuse not to work on my own writing.
However, the fact that I did sit down do something every day shows progress, and I intend to keep doing just that. Something! Today, I will focus on getting back on track!!!!
I'll let the Newbery/Caldecott/Printz, etc award announcements inspire me!

I kept writing. And I think I now see the end in sight on my WIP. I didn't send out any queries this week. Family things kept me from researching that too much - but I still intend to send out an average of one a week - which means I need to do two this week to keep up. It will happen.

And Vivian - you may not have written the number of words you wanted - but steeping yourself in your story is a big help to achieving your goal! Keep up the good work.

Hi, everybody,

I just want to check in and share that I worked for the most part on getting the book proposal that I want to send to McGraw-Hill. I did a number of things: I wrote down every day in my book log including: finalizing a list of resources for the first two chapters, editing the two chapters, researching potentially competitive books, outlining and writing a third chapter, and starting to work with a second reviewer.

I was able to also do a number of short queries including two to Kar-Ben and one to the local newspaper. I hope I'll get a lot of writing done today. My husband is complaining of lower back pain and I hope I won't get too stressed to become too distracted. It's really scary how he's taking to the pain.

Good luck everybody with your goals
-dorit

This week was a total success for me but not in terms of meeting my set-in-writing-writing-goals. I'm donating a portion of the profits from my first book to the Amazon Conservation Team, so I emailed them to let them know my intention--well before you can say "Is that a crocodile swimming toward u..." they emailed me a thank you letter back, put me on the top of their myspace friends list, featured my book on their myspace and requested to read it! Yay. Other things too, but...the good news is...it was all good news. The better news is...it was all writing related. The not-so-good-but-I'm letting-myself-off-the-hook-news is that I did not get one word written on my WIP. But I thought about it a lot. And I got motivated from all the good news. And I'm excited. And I did stick to my schedule otherwise.

I really fizzled out on my goal, but my reason is good: our oldest daughter and her husband had a big, healthy boy on Tuesday! We've spent the week playing Little Ponies with our 3 y/o granddaughter, and watching New Baby make faces. Good luck to all of you as you continue working on the challenge! And thank you, Hip Writer Mama, for inspiring and encouraging all of us! Pam

Seriously. The research is way as important as the writing. And fun too!
OK, I slacked a couple days on the water drinking. My 6 year old had to remind me. But I'm back at it!

I have to be honest and say I didn't really make much progress towards my goal last week. I am not enjoying the perspective that this review of American History is written from. However, I still need to do it.

Congrats to all of you on your progress. It is encouraging to hear about the success of others. Good Luck this week!

I struggled, too. Now with the actual doing. I logged my time that I said I would. But the honeymoon period was over, that was clear. I spent week 1 analyzing, figuring things out, brainstorming, coming up with solutions--yea! But then week 2 meant I was ready to start actually revising the dang novel. So. As soon as I sat down to work on it, everything I thought I knew/figured out flew right out of my head. Arrghh! But I'm making tiny steps forward, which I wouldn't be doing without this challenge. I have so much else going on that this novel revision would still be on the back burner without this.

Here's to a great Week 3 for everyone. Thanks for sharing all the good news!

Wow, everybody is doing so good! Vivian, I didn't realize you were working on a historical--I love those. If I liked research, I'd probably write one! :) But you do have to do it--three books read may end up as one line in your story, but the line will be RIGHT.

Okay, well, forget my goal of being internetless, while I work. It probably has to do with having queries and partials out to agents & just needing to "make sure" there's nothing sitting in the inbox. And I actually did spend several hours just downloading info for my WIP, the one I'm working on for this challenge. We still have dial-up (yes, you can all feel sorry for me!), and trying to go back and forth from that to writing did NOT work, so I just focused on finding the material and then taking the next day to write.
The good news is, despite the web addiction, I made serious progress. I got three chapters first-drafted, basically getting the stuff on the page and in the right order, and research done for the last two I have to draft. This week, I'll finish those and hopefully get started on translating the info into kid-friendly language. I'm actually ahead of where I wanted to be, so that's great! Thanks, again, Vivian, for the challenge.

Dorit, good luck with your husband's back--not only with it healing, but with it not pulling all your focus and energy away from your writing. The only advice I can give is ice, ice, ice (for him, not you!)

Good luck, everyone, this week.

Becky

Feeling a little blue today. I struggled but did actually get some poem-like pieces written each day. I spent a quiet weekend at home reading other people's poetry, and I'm wondering if I have what it takes. They are sooo good.

Vivian, I would be so tempted to write pseudo-historical fiction in the way Megan Whalen Turner does-- have settings based on city-states of ancient Greece, but not be accountable to facts. Good for you for holding yourself to such a tough standard.

As far as barring chords go, I'm getting better at playing the B minor chord without the "dying cow sound" but I've yet to use it successfully in a song without having to pause for a few seconds. Ditto with the barred F-- I can do it now, but when it comes to playing quick chord changes, I inevitably fall back on the F major 7, which is a quick pivot to a C chord. One of the benefits to this barred chord training is that my fingers are gradually beginning to loosen up more in the tendons, and I can play a blues shuffle in A with my index and ring fingers rather than with index and pinky.
At some point, I will probably blog about the F major 7 chord I use, which will be of interest only to the guitar players out there-- I'm guessing everyone's eyes glazed over as they scanned this check-in comment!

Hi everyone! I'm writing from the library right now. I've got no power, heat or internet service at home right now. Nothing like these winter storms. Sigh.

Minutes after I posted today's post, a huge branch fell down and missed my car by a couple inches. But it successfully knocked down our cable/internet service wire.

Our power has been out for a few hours, so I've got the kids in the library right now.

I'm pleased to read your reports. Sounds like you're all making some sort of progress. Good luck this week!

jmprince,
Actually, focusing on critiques for other people is good! It helps you analyze what works and doesn't work, so you can improve your own writing.

And you're right, you did do something everyday. And that means progress. Good luck this week!
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Chris,
Thanks! Glad you kept on writing. Best of luck with your queries this week. Good thoughts.
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DS Writer,
Wow! You must feel so wonderful with all you've accomplished this week! Hope your husband's back gets better soon. Good luck with your progress this week.

n.a. nelson,
Definitely great news! I think it is wonderful you're donating part of your proceeds to the Amazon Conservation Team. Thanks for sharing your good news. Best wishes for another positive week.
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Pam,
Congratulations! How exciting to have another little grandchild to spoil. Hope you get in some inspired writing this week!
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Tricia,
Here's to good health! Best of luck this week!
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Ms. Mize,
Is there another book you can study instead? If you're having a hard time because of how the book is written, I'm sure there are other books that will give you the same information with a more agreeable perspective. But if you need to go through this specific book, good thoughts go your way. Best of luck with your progress with week.
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Becky,
I've taken a step away from my usual stuff to try the historical fiction. This should be interesting.

You've made alot of progress! Enough to be ahead of where you wanted to be! Wahoo!

Hope this week keeps you focused and writing.
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Alkelda,
Thank you. You know, you should do an audio on your blog so we can hear the different chords. Sounds like you're going to be able to play some great songs.

Best of luck this week!
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Another fun week--it is feeling more like habit. Still hard and I can't imagine it ever gets easy to get up at 4:45 AM. I haven't lost any weight but I attended boot camp every day, made it through each day and ate healthy 99% of the week. So hopefully by the end of the 30 day challenge, I'll see some results!

Okay, I've tried to leava a comment twice and must be doing something wrong. I just want to congratulate everyone on how well they are doing. So far, so good with my poem a day project. Lots of haikus... but at least that's better than I usually do.

Anonymous,
I think you've echoed so well what most people think when they get to a particular point towards their goal. It's good you're wondering whether you have what it takes. And yes, there are plenty of people who have written beautiful work.

The fact you've recognized your fear, and are still working towards your goal, states your position loud and clear. Here's to your work and your persistence! I have a feeling you will find a way to make your dreams come true. Best of luck this week.
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Franki,
4:45 am! Yowsa. I'm not sure I could do that every day. Boot camp must be doing wonders for your psyche. You must be feeling powerful. Keep going, Franki. Good luck!
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Linda,
Glad you're doing well with your poem a day project. I find haikus very difficult to write, so the fact you've written lots of them, is great in my book. Best of luck for this week!

Yay, Vivian, for doing so well on your goals. I've seen the first part of the writing, as you know, and your hard work is paying off!!

I've been doing well. I've taken charge of 3 of 4 of my e-mail accounts and it feels so good!! One more to go. This one is more complicated, because it involves my computer that crashed. That is my goal for this week. Go into broken computer, extricate files, reconstitute e-mail program, clean out. All while staying on top of other e-mail. Wish me luck!!

Oops, I meant to post last night (Monday), but got caught up in watching two episodes from season 1 of The Wire. (How did I ever miss it when it first came out?) I didn't achieve my writing goals this week, but I have been making a serious effort to plot out this new book and doing writing everyday, and so far I'm really happy with what I do have.

Congratulations to all of you, and happy writing!

Kelly,
Four e-mail accounts? I have two and it is hard enough to manage what I have. Good luck with getting everything out of your crashed computer!
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Sara,
I'm glad your plotting is going well. Here's to more writing this week! Good luck!

On my first goal - to write for 1/2 hour a day - I far exceeded that most of the week, but am not sure I made it over the weekend. Averages out to okay.
2nd goal - one query a week. I sent out a query - got an immediate rejection. But, at least I sent one out.

Chris,
I'm glad you were writing! And hooray for sending out the query. I know the rejection bites, but, you sent your query letter and not only that, you're actively working towards your dream rather than sitting around thinking about it.

I wish you the best of luck in this new week. Keep on submitting and writing. You will get published.

I am *so* glad I'm doing this challenge. I worked 30 minutes or more each day on my novel revision. And I wouldn't have, except that I publicly committed to it:>)

I've been keeping notes each day to keep track of my process and decisions, since at this point, I'm not even working *in* the ms yet. But I've brainstormed and made some fairly major decisions about plot points that I needed to figure out before I could go any further.

I've worked out 3 of the last 5 days and I've been keeping track in an online journal. So far, so good!

Oy. Did I say I would write for 2 hours on my brand new WIP? Alright, let's just say I "worked" on my WIP, not "wrote", b/c part of the WIP takes place during the Renaissance period and if one (meaning "ME") isn't even sure when the Renaissance period WAS (let alone sure they are spelling RENAISSANCE correctly (one N, not two) one needs to do research. So, I "worked" on my WIP, every single day. Was it ten hours total? Hmmm, probably closer to eight. Did I stick to my goal of outlining my day? Yes. Did I stick to my outline? Two and a half of five days, yes.

Laura,
Sounds like you've done important work to get your revisions done. Here's to progress! Good luck this week.
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KB,
I'm glad you're happy with your progress. That is what I like to hear! Good luck with the work outs. I hope you have better discipline with it than I do.
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N.A. Nelson,
Oh, I hear you. The research part is time consuming, isn't it? Sounds like we were in similar places a week ago. Hope your writing continues to go well this week.

At first I felt bloated and had to go to the bathroom ALL the time. Funny now because I'm thirsty more often!
I'm hanging in there with the water!

Tricia,
That's funny! Water is great! Good luck this week.

Okay, today is my official start day, since yesterday was the last day of vacation. I'm going to write my three hours today, as soon as I finish this blog, and I'm going to push away the thoughts of the paperwork, etc, waiting for me at the end of that chunk of writing time! I've got the music on and the tea hot, and I'm good to go.

Good luck, everyone!

For my goal of working on barre chords 15 minutes a day, I've started with the F chord which requires the pressing down of the two highest strings with the left index finger and having the other three fingers at their appointed strings. I press down on the strings, play each string individually, and then adjust the pressure. The other chord I'm working on uses the A minor chord shape but goes up the fret-board to B flat, B, C, etc. At this point, I'm working on building the strength in my fingers rather than attempting to play whole songs smoothly with these barre chords. Sometimes I just hold down the strings for a few moments without playing them. I'm starting to see some progress. I remember that for the longest time (2 years?!), the unbarred D minor chord befuddled me, but when I did the methodical practicing of that chord, it came to me, and now I can play "O Come O Come Emmanuel" smoothly.

Thanks for hosting this challenge! Just so you know, I don't need a prize-- If I can get barreing down in one month, that will be prize enough.

So far, so good. It has been really motivating for me to know I HAVE to make time to write each day. Some days I've been able to write two or three poems, others I barely got one written, but I did it! Sometimes I get so interested in going back to revise the poems I've written that it distracts me from starting a new one. I'm trying to write the day's poem first then take a look at the others.

Glad to hear about your many successes. I don't have a critique group, so it's fun to have your support! All best to you.

Hi there,

I revised my second chapter of my ESL supplementary resource book Teaching At-risk Readers every day keeping a journal of my progress taking special note of those stuck and unstuck areas. (there's always progress to be made)

I sent my story "One Bridge, Two Hands" to four different children's magazine publishers. I queried two others while I worked on a new children's story for my critique group tomorrow. Thanks so much for this opportunity to be heard.

Have a great writing week.

-Dorit

Becky,
Hope you had a nice vacation. Good luck with your writing this week!
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Alkelda,
Glad you're practicing those barres! I'll probably be asking you for advice for when my nine-year-old starts learning how to play the guitar. The Luna guitar you recommended is so beautiful. Nothing like having a blue guitar with mermaids. Thank you! Good luck with your practicing this week!
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Linda,
You must find a critique group. They are amazing! I'm glad your writing went well this week. Good luck for the rest of the week!
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DS Writer,
Wow. You did alot last week. That is so awesome! Best of luck with your writing this week.

Passable. Not the writing frenzy I was hoping for, but at least it's something.

Monica,
Any bit of progress is good. Keep it steady and you'll get there. Good luck with your writing this week!

Checking in with a great week behind me. One hour per day with one day off for??? (???= no real reason.) Use to run lots of miles years ago and one day off was part of the week for recovery. However, now it seems wimpy considering I mostly walk, or ride a LifeCycle and recovery isn't required. Old habits really do die hard. Thanks for the virtual high five HWM.

Yikes - I could be generic and say I'm making progress (because I am) but my pants would be on fire (well, at least glowing a little bit) because I haven't really done the 30 minutes of new words every day since we started the challenge. :o/ But, really, I am so glad we are doing this and supporting each other!

Chris,
I had to write something to you. Don't give up! Keep sending out those queries and writing. The published authors are the ones that kept persevering.

Best of luck!

Today was the first day of Boot Camp and I did it--didn't really enjoy getting up at 4:45 am but I am thinking that might get easier...I will post my updates on my blog (http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2008/01/hipwritermamas-30-day-challenge-im-in.html)if you want more details but so far, so good. I made it through the whole workout and am still awake at 7:12 pm. Not bad for day one:-)

Here goes! I memorized 16 of the Presidents and I went through 2 chapters in the book about history. I have to keep in mind that it was only a 5 day week this time. I am hoping to do a bit better next week.

Hey congrats to all of you working toward your 30 day challenge. I should have said that in my other post.

I've revised for at LEAST 30 minutes every day this week, with some days including over 3 straight hours worth of revision. I'm pretty proud of that. Thanks for the challenge!

Congratulations to all of you on your hard work. I can see how much effort everyone is putting in and that's really inspiring!

OK, so I didn't meet my goal of 333.33 words per day. I spent a good amount of time re-working and massaging the beginning of a novel I'd started before. But as the days slipped by, I just couldn't make it work. I liked one of the main characters tremendously, but couldn't make the plot work. I had another manuscript in which I liked the plot, but thought the main character was boring. So now I'm experimenting with substituting the quirky, edgy MC into the more interesting (and very different) plot. The good news is that, in the end, I may be able to achieve my 10K goal by doing this Vulcan mind meld between these two manuscripts. The weekend, alas, completely slipped away from me.

Congratulations to all of you who HAVE achieved your goals!

Blink,
Good job! Hey, as far as I'm concerned, any time you can get the body moving, is a good thing. Here's another high five for great progress this week!
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wuggienorple,
What a fun name you have! And any day you work on your writing is progress. It's what is gonna get you to your finished manuscript. Good luck this week!
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Anonymous,
You wrote such a great thing, and you didn't leave your name. But I totally agree with you. Perseverance is key.
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Franki,
4:45 am! You are a goddess! I'm so glad you did well. Keep on going!
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Ms. Mize,
That's great that you memorized 16 of the Presidents. You're almost halfway there. Keep up the memorizing!
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jmprince,
You are moving along nicely. Great job! Hope this week works out well!

Sara,
Vulcan mind meld. Love it! You may not have written those 333.33 words a day, but you probably did something even more important by working on the plot.

Good luck with your writing this week!

One day of success so far!

I missed the deadline, but dang-blastit if I'm not following along. I have a manuscript I plan to SUBMIT by February 1st. Which means I need to use every day to write/revise/write/revise/write...
Good luck, ya'll....

Yay, Tricia! Hope Day Two is going as planned.
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Liz,
Oh, man. I'm sorry you missed the deadline. But, I'm so glad you're going to follow along. Good luck with your manuscript!

Thank you for the encouragement!

<< do what you love. Look fear in the eye, take yourself seriously, honor yourself, and stay persistent. >>

YES!

Ms. Mize,
You're welcome.
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LW,
Glad you liked this!

I've decided to work on barre chords in a serious, methodical manner. So, I think 15 minutes a day is good. I'll even time myself. I won't make it high pressure, but those fingers are never going to stretch and get strong enough to hold down the steel strings if I'm not methodical about it. And once I get barre chords down, I'll have so much more freedom in terms of the songs I can play. So, that's my 30 day challenge: 15 minutes a day devoted to barre-ing.

Yay, Alkelda! Here's to barre chords!

Gulp. I've been putting this off so long that I hesitate to make this commitment, because I know I'll hold myself to it. OK, here goes.

I will work at least 30 minutes per day on my novel revision. There, I said it. The novel might still be crappy after 15+ hours more work on it, but maybe it'll make a difference and I'll find myself on a new path with it.

Okay, this timing works well for me, too. Website is done. Curriculum guide is done. Class of 2K8 author page is done. I'm excited about getting back to the trenches! My goals are to:
1)organize every day into time slots so I'm not running around like the proverbial chicken yet in the end getting nothing accomplished.
2)write 1 hour a day on my new WIP.

N.A. Nelson

Laura,
Love your goal. I know what you mean about worrying about whether the content is crappy. I found myself stressing about my 500 word goal, since I think I'll obsess about making those words perfect.

But I think if we can get ourselves that much closer to where we want to go, the time we spend will be so worth it.

Good luck!
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N.A. Nelson,
Welcome to my blog and to the Challenge. Congrats on being in the Class of 2k8!

Here's to working towards your goals!

Hi!
Okay, since I made my Boot Camp adventure public, I'll join the challenge too! I want to make it through the whole 20 days of Boot Camp and have something to show for it (more energy, lost weight, anything!)
Getting myself out of bed and to the gym at 5:30 am before work every day in the middle of winter is the main goal so that's what I'll focus on!
Thanks!

Okay - my challenge - is to write at least 1/2 hour a day and to finish the third part of my WIP.

I also want to send out at least one query a week for my finished manuscript. Those goals should keep me going a bit.

(I'll leave out the other kind of things like eat better, exercise, get the house organized - you know things like that)

Count me in!

I will drink eight glasses of water a day!

Oh, I just deleted my last entry, it sounded so pathetic. I'm going to take charge and walk everyday for half an hour.

Oh boy, here we go:
I will sit down BIC and produce new words in my WIP for at least 30 minutes each day. :o) Pam

Debbie, that was *not* a pathetic goal! You should pick whatever you need at this moment. Not taking care of myself eventually led to an almost-yearlong separation from my husband while I did exactly that--took care of myself first, for a change. So don't let it get that bad! It's not selfish. Good luck in whichever goal you go for!

Pam,
Thanks for visiting. I'm so glad you joined the Challenge. Good luck!
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Tricia,
Congrats again on the Class 2k8! Here's to being healthy in 2008!

Debbie,
Thank you for being brave enough to comment. Laura couldn't have said it better. This Challenge is for you--no worries about anyone else.
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Laura,
Great encouragement from the heart. Now that's what I'm talking about!

Here are my goals:

1) Send revisions of CO to an editor.
2) No Starbucks!
3) Write at least an hour on either one of my WIP's.

Thanks to Laura for the link.
This is something I desperately need to do, so I'm doing it.

My goal is, like Laura's, to work on my revisions for 30 minutes each day.

It sounds so simple. Why do I get the feeling it won't be?

This is fun. A short-term support group, kind of. I can't wait to see how everyone does.

Thanks, Vivian, for organizing this. It's my first time participating, and I'm excited about it! I did my 30 minutes this morning with a feeling of mainly enthusiasm instead of mainly fear.

Hi Vivian and happy new year! I'd love to form a new habit right now (it would be exercise, I'm afraid) but I'm too much of a coward. Too much work in the next few weeks to commit. But. . . you've planted a seed. Hope your new historical fiction is going great -- I'm curious what your arena is. I love historical fiction but I'm not such a good researcher and am a little afraid to try writing it (one of the stories in Goblin Fruit is historical but it's short, so it wasn't such a big leap. Maybe one day! My fascination is Raj-era India. For now, I'm just going to keep reading about it and gradually get more comfortable with the era. Then maybe one day. . .

Happy New year!

Kim,
I'm so glad you're joining in this Challenge. Good luck!
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Julie,
Thanks for visiting. Take one day at a time. And I think it'll be easier for you than you think. Challenging, perhaps. But totally doable. Good luck!
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Laura,
You're welcome. It is more fun when you have the support of others.

I'm glad you did well today. Here's to tomorrow!
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Laini,
Perhaps next time? But, I have to say, I'm glad you're going to be busy over the next few weeks. That means Silksinger and Goblin Fruit is getting that much closer to print.

This is my first attempt at writing historical fiction, so it shall be interesting. There's alot of research to get the detailing right for the nineteenth century. Gulp. Thanks for your good wishes!

OK, Vivian, I'll take the plunge! I want to complete the first 10,000 words of my new WIP this month. So we're talking 333.33 words a day. Starting today. Gulp!

Thanks so much for doing this!

This will sound small and possibly unimportant, but believe me when I say it's the key to solving an awful lot of clutter issues for me.

I resolve to do at least 10 minutes of filing every day for the next 30 days. (I did 30 today by accident!)

Well, I finally joined. I am already working on a supplementary ESL teaching resource for at-risk learners putting in a good 5-6 hours a day at the library, but I also want to make more room for a) revisions on previous children's writing and this book and b) I also want to send out at least one query a week for my finished children's stories. Thank god I am on a sabbatical. I am working hard and steady. I want to make room for both!

Thank you for the opportunity to receive some support on this very challenging endeavor.

Sara,
I'm so glad you're going to take this Challenge! 333.33 words a day. Love it. I know your new WIP will be wonderful.
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Kelly,
Ten minutes of filing a day actually is a big deal. I know my paperwork could use it. It would be a great Challenge for me...perhaps next time. Good luck!
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DS Writer,
Thanks for stopping by. Good luck with all you'd like to accomplish.

Today is my 53rd. birthday so joining this challenge is a gift. I'm going to write a poem a day for the next 30 days. It may not sound like much, but teaching full time, taking a class, and having a family doesn't leave much time for writing. Like most of us, I tend to put my needs last. I'm sure the poems will need lots of revision, but getting them down is the challenge for me. Now, I'm off to write poem number one. Thanks for the challenge. I'm going to need all the support I can get.

I clicked through from MotherReader's Cybil's post and am seized with inspiration such that I'm delurking immediately. My goal, which might be cheating a little as I'm off work this week and it's a work-related goal I can't really start until next week, is to work for 30 minutes each morning on the personal writing project I need to do before turning to the administrivia I need to do for another element of my job. An hour would be better, but I"m trying to start with a smaller goal.

I love having a new year. It makes me feel as if I get to keep all the wonderful things that I accomplished/received/saw/heard, etc and forget about all the rest! This year I want to focus on my long term goal of opening a bookstore. My first step is to get myself in shape, physically. So, that's my resolution. Walking at least 6 days a week! I know, how does this fit in? I want to be physically, mentally, spiritually and financially ready, so I'm going to work on all of those throughout the year!

Wow. I love all of your Challenge Intentions. Thank you, everyone, for joining me on this journey.
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Linda,
Happy, Happy Birthday! I am so honored you would consider this Challenge a gift. Wishing you all the best on your poems. And if you ever need any good poetry blogs to read...check out Laura Salas and Kelly Fineman's blogs. Their links are in Mr. Linky.
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Susan,
I'm so glad you delurked. Welcome to the Challenge. Good luck!
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KB,
Very cool--opening up a bookstore! Here's to wonderful things in 2008!

Oh HWM- great challenge prompt! My goal: to schedule one fitness hour a day for me. 30 hours to produce a better body and mind is how I see it. Happy New Year.

Vivian, thanks for the nice words! And Kelly's Poetry Friday posts are always amazing, aren't they?

I loved hearing Linda's goal because it ties in with some future online class plans for me, so I was happy to hear someone thinking in terms of poem-a-day.

Laura,
Glad to hear about more online classes. Hope you'll let us know more as you develop the classes.

And I just remembered, Elaine Magliaro and Gregory Pinkus posted a poem-a-day for a month sometime last year.
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Blink,
Welcome to the Challenge. I like the fitness goal. Something I need to work in as well. Sigh.
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The sign-up period is officially over. I'm so thrilled that I have 20 people to join me in this Challenge. Here's to success and great goals!

Over the years, I've had several poems in other people's anthologies and in magazines, but now I really want to focus on my own collection. I appreciate the warm welcome. A wonderful thing about the internet is that we can join forces and support people who have common goals and interests. I can't wait to hear everyone's success stories on Monday.

Hi Linda Denise, Hooray for your goal! I owe you an email from about 3 weeks ago and will do that soon, but I'm glad to see you kicking self-doubt off its feet and committing to a collection. Good for you!

Laura

my goal: to write each night and not just waste time lazy in front of the mindless box of TV

Can't wait t hear the details!

Always good to jump start the new year, HWM. Go for it!

Go HWM!

Not sure if I'll be in.

Franki,
I hope to have the details up tomorrow. Good luck with the Boot Camp. It sounds awesome!
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Robin,
Thanks for the encouragement.
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Little Willow,
Thank you! It isn't a total no, so maybe? Hee, hee.

Count me in on the challenge. Maybe I'll go with the drink water one again.

2 days and counting!

Tricia,
Good for you! Here's to the challenge.

I think I'm already resolved to get off nicotine gum, be a better father, husband, teacher, and writer, and to finish the major surgery I have to do on my next book. Also to stop staying up til all hours on the computer surfing myspace and kid lit blogs. If I stay up late I should be reading. But I'm still optimistic, so maybe I'll be in! :D

Brian,
Optimism is good! I hope you join in!