ROW80

ROW8o. It’s the writing challenge that knows you have a life. You can set goals that work for your needs and readjust them whenever you like. Plus, there’s the whole community-of-awesomeness to support, encourage and inspire you. It just might change your writing life!

Round 2 2012

I jumped into Round 2 just a hair late but ROW80 is flexible enough to take it. Here are my goals for this round:

• Update ROW80 page, for last round *blush* and this one.

• Spend 15-30 minutes minimum 4 days a week on new novella. I’m working on expanding Postcards from Hell and its sequel, Ants in the Mailbox into a novella. My MIP is on hold for now.
• Maintain blogging schedule. Try to have all posts schedule by the night before the posting day at the latest. All posts should go out by 4:30am CA time.
• Visit Twitter 1-2 times daily
• Visit Facebook at least 6 times/week
• Continue to take Sundays off with the family
• Read at least 2 fiction novels per month.
• Exercise 3 days per week.
• Reorganize Blog Menu in light of the changes to blogging schedule.
• Revamp post tags.

This time around, I’m planning to check in approximately twice a month.

Round 2 Check Ins:

• First Check In & Statement of Goals, 4/18/12 – The ROWpocalypse is Nigh

Round 1 2012

Aaah, the first ROW80 round of the year. This time I’ve got a few outstanding goals left over from last round but a better idea of how to tackle these and my new goals. I predict this will be the best ROW80 round yet! *crossing fingers, toes and eyes*

• Write at least 3 scenes per week for MIP (planning to have a completed first draft by August 1, 2012).
• Continue to blog 2 days/week plus Wednesday ROW80 Check Ins and Life List Club Fridays.
• Have blog posts ready by the night before the posting day and schedule the posts to go live at 4:30 CA time.
• Visit Twitter 2-3 times daily.
• Visit Facebook at least once a day/5 days per week.
• Continue to take Sundays off with the family
• Set up a sidebar for the blog schedule.
• Update Twitter Hashtag Hula page: Done.
• Read at least 2 fiction novels and 1 books on craft per month: last time my goal was to read 2 craft books per month but I want to be able to slow down a little and really absorb what I’m reading.
• Exercise 3 days per week (following Itty Bitty Baby Steps idea, will start with 5 minutes, then 10, 15, 20, etc until I’m working out 30-45 minutes each time).
• Reorganize blog categories and post tags: Done.
• Check in with Blogging to Build Brand class with Kristen Lamb daily and keep up with all assignments: Done.

Check Ins for Round 1:

• First Check In & Statement of Goals, 1/4/12 – ROW it Up
• 1/11/12 – Oh That ROW
• 1/18/12 – As the ROW Turns
• 1/25/12 – Getting ROWdy
• 2/1/12 – ROWse Colored Glasses
• 2/8/12 – ROWing All Around
• 2/18/12 – Hold the ROWs
• 2/29/12 – Back on the ROW
• 3/7/12 – The ROWses are in Bloom
• 3/14/12 – As the ROW Flies
• Final Check In, 3/21/12 – ROWver and Out

Round 4 2011

This time around, I’m setting more reasonable goal but also more of them. Since I’m finished with my MIP outline and storyboard, I’ll also be focusing on filling plot holes and adding new scenes to complete the first draft.

• Spend 15-30 minutes minimum 3 days a week on MIP writing tasks (including outline, character profiles, research, story bible, and pages).
• Write Morning Pages 5 days/week:
  Last time, I planned to write Morning Pages everyday. However, I found that the lack of flexibility started to make me dread writing them. I think that building in permission to take a day or two off each week will make the process more relaxing and rejuvenating, as MPs are intended to be.
• Blog 2 days/week:
  Last time, I was blogging 3 days/week. However, my writing and daily schedule have heated up considerably. In order to stay consistent with blogging and prevent some kind of stress freak out, I’m cutting back on blog days for now.
• Visit Twitter 1-2 times daily
• Visit Facebook at least 6 times/week
• Continue to take Sundays off with the family
• Update ROW8O page for the new round: Done.
• Set up a page for the Fear Friday Feature.
• Update Life List goals: Done.
• Update Life List Club page with new/adjusted goals and links to Life List Club guest posts: Done.
• Read at least 2 fiction novels and 2 books on craft per month.
• Exercise 3 days per week (following Itty Bitty Baby Steps idea, will start with 5 minutes, then 10, 15, 20, etc until I’m working out 30-45 minutes each time):
  The fabulous Gene Lempp inspired me to finally put my exercise goals in with my ROW8O…so I can’t weasel out of them any more.
• Reorganize blog categories.
• Revamp post tags.

Check-Ins for Round 4:

• ROW80 Round 4 kick off - Going for the Goals
• Rock the ROW Twitter Party
• 10/12/11 - Do the ROWky Pokey
• 10/19/11 – And the Writer Said, Let there be Blogs (and a ROW8O check-in)
• 10/26/11 – Making the ROWnds
• 11/2/11 – And the Words Go ROWnd and ROWnd
• 11/9/11 – ROW is Me
• 11/16/11 – And So the ROW Goes
• 11/23/11 – Here a ROW, There a ROW, Everywhere a ROW ROW
• 11/30/11 – Moving on Down the ROWd
• 12/7/11 – Walking the ROW
• 12/14/11 – Somewhere Over the ROW80
• Final Check In – 12/21/11 – Wrapping the ROW

Note: goals are edited and updated to reflect any changes (last update for Round 4: 12/21/11)

ROW8O Round 3 (my first round)

The idea behind ROW80 (see kick off post here) is to set measurable goals for the next 80 days and stick to ‘em.

I’m currently back in the planning stages of my MIP. The novel is about 2/3 of the way finished but I needed to fill holes and deepen the characters (I had done some outlining and character profiling before I wrote but not enough to carry the whole story). Not sure how word count goals will apply to all the outlining process but we’ll start with that anyway.

• Storyboard MIP outline by 9/21/11
• Finish Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat by 9/21/11
• Write a minimum of 1500 words/week (estimated because I’m using a paper outline) for around 25,000 words minimum at the end of 80 days.
• Complete the outline, character outline and story bible for MIP by then end of 80 days.

Note: goals are edited and updated to reflect any changes (last update for Round 3: 9/22/11)

I’ve already seen how publicly posting my goals can keep me accountable (The Life List Club and #wordmongering & #writegoal on Twitter), so I know this will help keep me on the straight and narrow with my writing. I’m excited about it!

Check out the latest on ROW80 at A Round of Words in 80 Days and #ROW80 on Twitter.

Check Ins

• 7/10/11
• 7/17/11
• 7/27/11
• 8/03/11
• 8/10/11
• 8/17/11
• 8/24/11
• 9/07/11
• 9/14/11
• 9/21/11
• Final Check In – 9/22/11