Every month we gather here to discuss what we’ve achieved and commit to making more progress in our creative lives in the coming month. We call it our Serious Writer’s Accountability Group or SWAGr, for short! (We’re serious, not sombre!)
Leave a comment below telling us how you got on last month, and what you plan to do next month, then check back in on the first of each month, to see how everyone’s doing.
(It doesn’t have to be fiction. Feel free to use this group to push you in whatever creative direction you need.)
Did you live up to your commitment from last month? Don’t remember what you promised to do? Check out the comments from last month.
And don’t forget to celebrate with/encourage your fellow SWAGr-ers on their progress!
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Examples of Goals Set By SWAGr-ers in previous months
- Write a story a day in May – everyone!
- Revise at least 10 short stories – Iraide
- Write two short stories. – Jami
- Attend one writers’ conference – Julie
- Write fable for WordFactory competition – Sonya
- Re-read the backstory pieces I wrote in May and see if I can use them within my novel – Monique
- Research the market – Jami
- Focus on my serial – Maureen
So, what will you accomplish this month? Leave your comment below (use the drop-down option to subscribe to the comments and receive lovely, encouraging notifications from fellow StADa SWAGr-ers!)
(Next check-in, 1st of the month. Tell your friends. )
Don’t forget, if you need inspiration for a story you can still get ALL THE PROMPTS from StoryADay May 2016 and support the running of the StoryADay challenge at the same time. (I’m really proud of this year’s collection!) Give a little, get a little 
Click here. Now only $2.99
This week?
getting 3 more chapters finished in my novel
By December?
Having the first draft done and ready to edit!
It’s a bit quiet around here this month. Is everyone at the beach?
Maybe everyone’s writing? I’ve been dealing with a LOT of homeschool paperwork; hoping to have everything done by September, so stories can happen in clear space!
Yeah, that’s a lot of work. I hope people are either being productive elsewhere or relaaaaaaxing (hope you get a bit of that in, too!)
I have to get relaxing in when I do homeschool paperwork. Our life is exciting and wonderful – the legal red tape….well, not remotely so much. But since it’s the price we pay for this life, I pay it.
I’m really looking forward to indulging my pointy-eared, green-blooded muse next month, though. She doesn’t like it when I stay gone too long. She’s even been known to wake me up to show me her stories!
Ok, well I’m feeling pretty good about my July goals.
WHAT I SAID I’D DO
* finish first draft of novel – DONE! (No one is more surprised than I)
* share it with critique partners – DONE
* blog about my writing at JulieDuffy.com – DONE, though I slacked off on both writing and blogging as the month wore on
* begin revisions using Stuart Horwitz’s books – DONE I’m using Scrivener’s summary and kwyword features to summarize and tag every scene (characters, themes, settings, catchphrases etc) so I can look at an overview and spot weaknesses.
* critique friend’s YA novel – NOT DONE yet. Must get on that
As an added bonus I sent my n-f book proposal to my publisher-of-choice and received an acknowledgment. Fingers crossed.
THIS MONTH
* Prep for attending the Writer’s Digest Conference in NYC and pitching novel to agents.
* Think about running StoryADay September. Anyone interested? anyone want to help?
* prep prompts and blog posts for StoryADay blog
* Keep revising novel – create overview and start moving things around/adding/subtracting.
* critique friend’s YA novel!
I’m interested, and I want to help! =D
My goals: Be ready for StaD September, maybe recruit interested people in my local writers’ group…
And post my SWAGr goals for September BEFORE the month is nearly halfway over! =D
Yay! I’m thinking this year I might just run the same prompts from May (a new experiment) and also have the Victory Dance group for people NOT writing to the prompts.
I liked those prompts, and they helped me learn a lot more about two novels to be.
I’m planning to do fan fiction next month, though, so the prompts will be almost like new! =D
Let me know how and when I can help. I’m on an administrative roll, so I should be in really good shape in a week or so. And, if you need help sooner, I’ve got more wiggle room than I did a week ago.
I’m trying to get some folks from my local writer’s group interested in STaD, too.
Awesome, thanks!
Last month I got 50k done of my re-write for Camp Nano! And this month I’m planning on finishing it. I’m only giving myself a 20k goal this month, but I’m so ready to finish this story!
I finished the first draft of my current novel ms last month. You can do this! And I can assure you, you’ll be even more excited when you do! Go do it!
Last month was a bust, though I did write a couple of pretty good letters to people I love. 😉 Also, I was inspired by a new podcast and made the decision to write and possibly self-publish a nonfiction book. My goal this month then is to log a little time each weekday bringing my idea to life. I’m excited!
Good for you! I love new ideas and I love getting things out there. Non-fiction is so satisfying because it has a sense of structure and you can usually tell when you’ve finished (at least I can).
What’s your topic?
Over the past month, I completed a handful of draft flash fics, many poems and some true short stories. I’ve posted one of them on my blog: “What Might Have Been” http://wp.me/p1AR9N-2Os
Not quite sure where to go or what to do with it next. I’d appreciate the input of anyone who’d like to give it a read and comment their impressions. ~ JH
This July I complete 50k words for Camp NaNo. This August, I will finish going through the edits for my novel.
Fantastic!
How do you approach editing a novel?