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I like the way you wrote this post. Thank you for articulating some things I need to watch in my work.

For me, I think its voice. I almost hate saying that, because I know (believe me!) how hard it is to create a strong, captivating voice. But I do believe, especially in kids' lit, that voice can often be the most important selling point.

Personally, I like humor. If something makes me smile or grin in the first page, I'm probably hooked. This doesn't necessarily mean the book has to be funny--many books with powerful themes of loss, etc, have a quirky way of talking about that theme, with humor an important part of telling the story.

And, yes, sometimes it does feel like we're playing a game, trying to figure out which is the best way to get noticed, rather than concentrating on the story. But publishing is a business, and most agents and editors do know what it takes for people to pick a book up off a shelf and NOT put it back. That's what we all want for our books, I think!

I love your blog! Just discovered it last night. Thanks for all the posts on writing. I'm also a passionate,unpublished writer of young adult/middle grade books and have 3 kids. I have a finished novel and one WIP. Keep up with the inspiration and good luck with your own writing endeavors.

m. thompson-
Glad you found this interesting. Good luck!
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Becky,
I agree, voice is important and I also enjoy books that infuse humor in different situations. Though, personally, I find it difficult to accomplish.
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Patty,
Thanks for stopping by. Good luck with your writing, too!

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!