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Summer Revision Smackdown: The Process and the Perks
- Declare that you will crack the whip during the month of June and revel in revision with us.
- State your own revision goals (pages per week, hours/day, picture book/dummy drafts). What do you want to accomplish by June 30?
- Check in with us at the end of each week (Friday or Saturday) and report your progress by commenting on our blogs. We’ll alternate where to post, starting with Holly’s at the end of week 1, then over to Jolie’s at end of week two, then back to Holly, finally back to Jolie). No worries, we’ll remind you where to post every Friday.
Each Monday, Holly and Jolie will award THE WHIP OF THE WEEK to one Smackdowner who they feel has cracked the revision licorice whip the previous week.
During the month we will link to great spots to have a read on revision. Plus, you may just hear from some special guests, sharing tips and thoughts on revision.
At the end of June, Holly and Jolie will give one Smackdowner THE WHIPLASH AWARD for excellence in revision during the month of June. And that just might come with a cuppa something and your own personal licorice memento.
Don’t feel like you need to wait until June 1st to start…ready, set, werplash!
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35 comments:
Yay...let the smackdown begin!
Okay. I'm in. I am the queen of revisions. I even revise after a book is in hardcover.
Is that a bad thing?
I am so in. This is perfect for keeping me working on my WIP (dear to my heart) while other summer things threaten to pull me away. THANK YOU for the challenge Holly and Jolie!
In figuring out goals to post, I realized that it's hard to define goals with revision. But this is so so good that you ladies are making me try. Procrastination be banished! I will have goals!
I'm going to aim for revising 2 illustration spreads (from my current dummy WIP) a week (10 total in June). My definition of success will be that both spreads are better than when the week started by a *satisfying* amount.
Satisfying =
-If the composition needed work, satisfying would mean I’ve resolved the composition issues with thumbnails (in which case the drawing can remain rough and still be considered a satisfying revision)
-If the drawing started rough, but the composition was solid, then satisfying would mean cleaning up and finishing the details of the drawing.
It will be fun to see how this works. I’ve never given myself deadlines with revision before. I’m excited to try it out.
Oh this is awesome! I'm in!!!!!!!
Can I join? I need some serious whip snapping to get my butt working on yet another revision.
Thanks for the inspiration, ladies. I'll be revising through June, continuing on and on and on.
I'm in. Need to finish the FINAL revision! Thanks for the wherplash!
You go girls! I'm not revising just yet. Still working on first draft of my second book. But I'll cheer you all on!
I think first draft goals are acceptable - don't you, Jolie? Bring 'em on!
I agree, Holly! Bring 'em on. Although we'll be "highlighting" revision tips and may commiserate as we go through the process, I think any writing goal that could be kicked into gear by Smackdown should join in the fun!
I'm in but I will be the one who doesn't follow the rules. I never do the exercises in writing books and I'm rotten at setting writing goals.
BUT I will be revising right along with you all, you have my word on that.
Whirplash!
I'm in. Now I have to think of some goals! I need to get this story into submission-worthy shape, or give up and give in to one of those tempting new ideas. Either way, it's time to move forward!
I'm in!
My goals for June 30:
1) Finish rough draft
2) Do one complete read-through and fix problems
3) Get a solid draft ready for beta readers by June 20
4) Get manuscript sent to beta readers by June 30
so in!
shelley S.
I don't know how I can apply i to the graphic novel that I've been working on for the last year. I've created 170 pages of art for it and have at least that much more to go. I'm just plugging away. I'll have more time on it after my contract with Microsoft ends in the middle of June.
I don't know what sort of goal to set, but I'm in! I just finished reading my 1st draft all the way through for the first time, so I'll think more about goals. :)
Okay, wonder women, here are my goals (starting Wednesday)...
Reread my novel (dormant so long it will feel like opening a new book), refrain from first-chapter obsession, read the reams of past notes, and playfully rewrite each chapter. By July? Maybe? Probably not, but I'm with you, and grateful for the kick in the pants. This is not a good sign. The word verification says "Unthor." Hmmmm.
First of all...LOVE this! Thanks for the invite. I'm so in.
I am of WIP faction. Working on my third YA novel. I'm with Kirby in that I don't follow rules well. I've never set word count goals or page goals. I'm scared to set a "time spent writing" requirement for myself, but I'm going to do it. That said, my "crackin' the whip" will reside in the tiny chamber called accountability.
Here's what I will do:
1. Check in each week
2. Write at least three hours daily until June 19th (last day of school for my kids)
3. Write at least two hours daily from June 19th to end of month and squeeze extra writing time in on weekends.
How:
-I will not confine myself to the computer and write longhand in my notebook (this will allow me to "tote" along my WIP wherever I go and free me from the chains of merely "waiting" while my kids are at Karate or elsewhere.
-I will sacrifice reading time in June in order to get in more writing time.
-I will abstain from baking at weird hours of the night and write instead.
-I will--gulp--log my writing hours daily.
Ready to smack down!
Stacey
I'll join in! Wow, seems like everyone is revising this summer.
I have two things going on:
Finishing up revision for FIRST book.
First drafting the SECOND book.
My goals:
-Get revision of first book done on first week of June.
-Get 20 pages of second book done per week. (It's not a lot, but I have a full-time job.) So I should have at least 80 pages by end of June.
This will be a good way for me to move on to the next book. (It's a difficult transition after all the focus on first book!)
Cheers everyone! Let the whips start cracking!
Oh my gosh. I would totally do this if I had my first draft done. Sigh. HUGE reminder that I need to get going! :(
I'm in, too! I have a mg reluctant reader manuscript that I sold but that didn't see publication because the publisher had to pull an entire line to save itself from going too far into the red. I still love the storyline but want to revise & convert the book to an at-level novel to try to sell again. So that's my big-picture goal. I'll have to ponder and report realistic June revision goals next week.
Whip me! I'm in. I'm hoping to finish revising a middle-grade novel. My goal, a modest one, is to finish one chapter a week.
I will give it a try. I will
state goals when I am more awake.
I'm in. Will aim for 5 or more chapters of my third FWQ book (since I'm hoping to sell this one on chapters and synopsis, which would be a first). I'll try to think of some clever revision tips/thoughts, too!
Holy brown cows, I'm so in. In, in, in!
I'm totally in. I want to get all my major revising and rewriting done this month.
All right damnit, I'm in.
I hate accountability and like Kirby I never do the writing exercises in writing books.
However, desperation drives a man to funny places. Like Sequim. Or Canada.
Goals: In bed before 11 every night, up at 7. Three chapters by July... (que panicking)
Ha ha, the peer pressure has gotten to you! And seriously, we had no idea we'd have so many peers - we were only trying to whip each other into shape a la our awesome 5K first draft days back in November. Let the lashing begin!
Cheers, thanks for the pressure. I'm sorta new at the blogging but I like your blog and congratulations on your HarperCollins publishing success. Look forward to reading it. I'm struggling along on my novel and could certainly use the kick in the butt.
In fact, I was in one of Kirby's critique groups and one day she pulled me aside and told me to get my novel done already. HA! I've been working on it for a LONG time. But this is the summer. I can feel it.
I am in. I have a novel that needs to go through another whole-book revision. And I am writing the first draft of a WIP.
Bring on the whip!
I'm in! I'm revising a young adult romance. I have six pages of revision notes to work from--I'll be busy!
Okay I'm in . . .
Right now I'm expecting two editorial letters: One for The Ancients (Egmont). One for Bound By Three (Dial). When they hit I'll be laying out master plan for how to handle both. Until then I will be dreamwalking through my next book: a sequel to Stealing Death
Daily work hours =
~ Streaming Story
~ Character profiles
~ Scene dreaming
~ Exploring landscapes
~ when ready -- beginning first draft following Kipp into his next adventure.
~ Also (yikes!) writing a coherent synopsis
Week One
Pg 20 of streaming story today.
I'll check in each week with all you whipper Snappers.
If it's not too late, I'm in, too! My crit group is tackling my YA novel today. My goal: incorporate their comments and revise at least a chapter a day for the rest of the month.
Is it too late for me to join?
I've meant to, but I've been busy, um... revising!
My goal is to finish a boy book revision by June 12, then to start/finish a paranormal revision by the 30th, with a short break in Tahoe.
Please? If I'm going to do it, I need you.
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