ROW 80: Check in #6

My goals:
1.  Write 250 words a day.
2.  Blog frequently.
3.  Complete 2012's NaNo(ZF), then complete my earlier attempt(DoVH)

My Progress this week:
Tuesday:  624 words in ZF
Thursday:  209 word blog post
Sunday: 173 word blog post
              200 word letter
Monday: 200 word letter

Reflection:
I am back!  I am writing again.  I am behind on the Month of Letters, but I am going to continue writing until I get to my goal.  My sister and I have decided to become penpals  :)  It's really fun.  We can't keep up with regular phone calls or emails, but handwritten letters might just work.  So far the people who have received letters from me have been so touched and surprised; I think I want to do this all year long.

Are you A-to-Zing this April?

I am so looking forward to the A to Z challenge this April.  Last year, my husband and I participated in the challenge with our Project 365 blog, so we posted a picture for each day's letter.  It was a great way to increase traffic to our blog, and we gained a lot of followers.  I met so many great bloggers through the challenge and I hope to meet even more this year.

  This year we will participate on that blog again, but I will also be attempting to write every day in April on this blog.  I have been thinking a lot about a theme for the challenge and have thrown a few ideas around in my head.  So far I am thinking about an A to Z of myth and legend or an A to Z of Ireland.  Both themes would be interesting to me, and I think I could make it through the whole month of writing.

Are you participating in the challenge this year?  Do you have a theme? 

My Late IWSG Post

Yesterday was another Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

I am posting late for IWSG, and that really describes how my writing and blogging have been going recently. A few weeks ago, my back went out, and I spent a week lying on the floor to help my back heal and feel better.  This made it really difficult to use a computer, so I allowed my writing and blogging to fall to the side.    

This wouldn't worry me if it had been a temporary change, but I have been neglecting my writing for at least three weeks now.  This year I had been working so hard to post on my blogs regularly and finish my manuscript, and I just let it all fall apart.  It was easier to continue not writing than to find the motivation to start again. I even ignored social media for a week!

Finally, last night I opened my manuscript and started writing again.  I wrote over 600 words.  Today I updated all my blogs. I feel my motivation coming back.  I even checked out a book about poetry writing.  I used to write a lot of poetry in high school and recently I have been thinking about trying it again.  It feels good to be back, and I hope I don't falter again.

ROW 80: Check in #3

My goals:
1.  Write 250 words a day.
2.  Blog frequently (these posts will count towards my daily word count)
3.  Complete 2012's NaNo (ZF), then complete my earlier attempt (DoVH)

My Progress this week:
I did not work on my manuscripts this week.

Reflection:
I am very disappointed to say that I did no writing this week. I got caught up in exercising, knitting, crocheting and all the other things that life threw at me.  That's why NaNoWriMo never works well for me.  That's why I am participating in ROW 80, though, isn't it?  It's the writing project that understands I have a life :)  Maybe next week I will focus more on writing.  We'll see.

What I'm Reading Wednesday: El amor en los tiempos del cólera

Well, I finally finished reading Emma by Jane Austen.  I had a difficult time getting used to the language at first.  It has been a long time since I have read any Austen.  The character of Emma really bothered me.  She is such a snot and a snob.  I almost didn't want her to have a happy ending.  I wanted her to end up sad and alone at the end of the book.

Now I am reading El amor en los tiempos del cólera by Gabriel García Márquez.  I love Latin American literature, especially Márquez and Isabel Allende, and I love reading their books in the original Spanish.  I am already so in love with the main characters!

IWSG: Spread too Thin?

It's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group which was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh and allows writers to vent about their insecurities or lend encouragement to each other.  Go to the link to see what other writers are talking about this month.

This month finds me in the middle of a number of different writing projects.  I am participating in ROW80, which is a writing challenge that understands that you have a life.  You set a goal for each 80 day round and track your progress through blogposts.    My goal for this round is to write 250 words a day.  Blog-writing and work on my two unfinished manuscripts count towards the goal.  The amazing thing is that every day that I have put aside time to write, I end up writing more than 250 words.  Unfortunately, I am only setting aside writing time four days a week.  The weekends are too distracting.  It's hard to keep my focus.

I also signed up for NiNoWriMo, a monthly challenge where you set your own writing goal and track your progress.  I am using the same goal that I have chosen for ROW80; I just like the extra accountability.  I am already in the home stretch with one of my manuscripts and getting ready to tackle the next.

Another project I have signed up for is A Month of Letters.  I will be sending something in the snail mail each day that the US mail runs in February.  It's fun to write real letters again.  I started writing a letter to my sister, expecting to write maybe a page, and ended up writing 6 pages.  My hand actually hurt by the end of the letter.  I am planning all kinds of creative goodies to send through the mail this month.

Am I spread too thin?  Trying too many projects at once?  I don't think so.  I love the accountability and support of writing challenges.  Also, I love all the inspiration I find on the web in these unique challenges.   All in all I am feeling super inspired and motivated this month.

ROW 80: Check in #2

My goals:

1.  Write 250 words a day.
2.  Blog frequently (these posts will count towards my daily word count)
3.  Complete 2012's NaNo (ZF), then complete my earlier attempt (DoVH)

My progress for week #2:
Tuesday: 360 words in ZF
Wednesday:  WOTW blogpost 454 words
Thursday:  254 words in ZF
Monday:  apx. 800 words in a letter

Reflection:
The weekend is difficult for me.  No excuses this week.  I was just unmotivated.  But I did write more than planned every day I wrote.  Writing over 1,000 words in one week is good for me.  I hope I can keep it up.