Tag Archives: summer reading thing

Progress report

Note: coming up in our deep POV series this week: Getting into our characters’ heads in two different ways!

Well, we’re almost a week into Tristi Pinkston’s July Writing Challenge. I admitted when we started that my goals were rather lofty, especially given that I’ll be spending the rest of the month with family in town. Plus, my library due date is fast approaching. So I’m revising my goals a bit, and reporting on the progress I’ve made so far.

  1. Edit 350 pages of my MS:
    • Go through my writing partner’s notes on the last ten chapters. Down to the last five!
    • Go through the second half of the book last eight chapters again to make all my planned changes, add two scenes one scene to go! and cut out the parts people skip
    • Get as many chapters to my critique partners as they can stand. 😉
  2. Read my library books:
  3. Read at least one book off my Summer Reading Thing list.
  4. Continue to mull over the exact plot, premise and motifs for my next WIP. (If I’m feeling really ambitious—or, y’know, stuck on a long road trip—even outline one book or the full story arc.) (Mulling away!)
  5. Stay current on critique partners’ edits.

Even if you’re not part of the challenge, how is your writing (or your vacation 😉 ) coming along?

July Writing Challenge

Tristi Pinkston is hosting a July writing challenge! For the month of July, we’re setting goals for what we’d like to accomplish in our writing projects, whether that’s words written, pages edited or even research done.

July is set to be a pretty busy month for me—festivities for the Fourth of July (seriously; my husband just called and said he got us tickets to four different events next week), my family here for most of the month, two family reunions, a road trip. . . . I think I’m getting a little ambitious. But we’ll try, anyway!

  1. Edit 350 pages of my MS:
    • Go through my writing partner’s notes on the last ten chapters
    • Go through the second half of the book again to make all my planned changes, add two scenes and cut out the parts people skip
    • Get as many chapters to my critique partners as they can stand. 😉
  2. Read my library books:
  3. Read at least one book off my Summer Reading Thing list.
  4. Continue to mull over the exact plot, premise and motifs for my next WIP. (If I’m feeling really ambitious—or, y’know, stuck on a long road trip—even outline one book or the full story arc.)
  5. Stay current on critique partners’ edits.

This is a great way to help us reach our goals. By writing them down, we have something concrete to work toward. And part of the challenge is checking regularly at Tristi’s challenge blog, where you get accountability and encouragement. And at the end of the month, we report to Tristi for our final dose of accountability. All of these things can help us achieve our goals.

So what are your writing goals for the next month (well, five weeks—my goals start from today for me)? Share them in the comments or on your blog to participate in the challenge!

Photo credit: Richard Dudley

My Summer Reading Thing

LDS Fiction is running the annual Summer Reading Thing again this year! From June 1 to August 31, participants read fiction by LDS authors and post reviews. Since I was already doing the reviews, I thought it’d be good to jump in, since there’s a chance to win a fabulous prize. Id est, more books 😀 .

So I glanced over at my To Be Read pile and listed out the books sitting there waiting for me (yeah, there are other books in the pile, but they’re not by LDS authors).


Lockdown by Traci Hunter Abramson: Lockdown review

All’s Fair
by Julie Coulter Bellon: All’s Fair review

Contentment – Inspiring Insights for LDS Mothers by Maria Covey Cole (not fiction, but still on my list).

Having Hope by Terri Ferran: Having Hope review

Spires of Stone by Annette Lyon: Spires of Stone review

Tower of Strength by Annette Lyon: Tower of Strength review

Agent in Old Lace by Tristi Pinkston: Agent in Old Lace review

Recovering Charles by Jason F. Wright Recovering Charles review

Fool Me Twice
by Stephanie Black: Fool Me Twice review

Catholic roots, Mormon Harvest
by Eric Shuster (again, I know it’s nonfiction.
Methods coversmall
Methods of Madness
by Stephanie Black Methods of Madness review
mynotsocover
My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life
by Julie Wright My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life review