Friday 21 September 2012

ROW80 Declaration of Intent!!!

Just a quick post to say I am definitely going to take part in ROW80 round 4! Not sure of my goals so they will follow at a later date but already I am looking forward to a fresh round!!!

If you want to take part you can find the information here.

Wednesday 19 September 2012

ROW80 Check-in 19th September 2012

Well this is the final check-in of this round of ROW80 which is scary as it has flown by. It has been a busy round and squeezing CampNaNo in during August made it a slightly crazy one! But I am over 58,000 words into my WIP 'Matchmaker, Matchmaker' and I hadn't started it at the start of this round so that is great!!!!! Did I finish my other WIP at the start of this round? I can't even remember! I am going to try better to keep records of how often I met my goals next round because yes, I will be back!!!

Here are my goals at the moment:
1) Write at least 1000 words five days a week (week total 5,000 words)
2) Two ROW80 check-ins a week no matter how short but sweet they are.

3) Read two books a week for 100+ reading challenge (or as much as I can!).
4) Review one book a month.

And this is how I have done so far this week:

Goal 1
Monday - wrote 1,001 words
Tuesday - wrote 1,003 words

Goal 2
Done! and I will post on Sunday to make sure I feel accountable!

Goal 3
I am reading Marian Keyes new book 'The Mystery of Mercy Close' and loving it and linked to Goal 4 - I will review it this month.

The next round of ROW80 starts on October the 1st so I will think about some goals for then. I am going to keep trying to write 5,000 a week until the next round starts and I need to keep my reading up to try and achieve my 100 books in a year challenge!!!

Sorry this is quick but I am heading out to join a Slimming World group as I need to start making my health goals a priority! I eat when I write and drink lots of coffee and obvioulsy all the sitting whilst writing doesn't help. So next round I am going to include some health goals. Wish my luck!!

I hope you have had a wonderful round and thank you for all your comments along the way. I hope you will all be back next round and I will check out some check-ins tomorrow. But now, I need to go get weighed!!!!

Sunday 16 September 2012

ROW80 Check-in 16th September 2012

Ok, since Wednesday things haven't been amazing this end but some progress was made!

My goals are:
1) Write at least 1000 words five days a week (week total 5,000 words)
2) Two ROW80 check-ins a week no matter how short but sweet they are.

3) Read two books a week for 100+ reading challenge (or as much as I can!).
4) Review one book a month.



Goal 1
So on Wednesday I was at 3,043 words towards my 5000 word target. On Thursday I took part in One Thousand Thursday, the brainchild of newtowritinggirl the aim being to write 1000 words on a Thursday. I wrote 1,013 words which takes my word count for the week to 4,056. Since then I haven't written. On Friday I went to see an Agatha Christie play which was great and then I was at my parents for the weekend. There was lots going on there (which I won't explain here) so I wasn't able to write but I am not going to beat myself up because it was important I spent time with my family.

So I am closer to my 5,000 word goal than I was last week and fingers crossed this week I will meet it!!!

Goal 2
DONE! Two check-ins completed.

Goal 3
I have literally just finished reading 'the last letter from your lover' by Jojo Moyes which I loved. And now I have the NEW MARIAN KEYES book to read! I am so excited by this you wouldn't believe and I can't wait to get started! So I have read 65 books so far this year. Going to need a bit of a push over the next few months to reach 100 by the end of December.

Goal 4
The Mystery of Mercy Close will be my review for the month. I just need to read it first!

So not a bad week but goal 1 is still proving to be slightly beyond my reach. Am going to try my very best this week to reach 5000 words especially since it is the last week of this round of ROW80!! Hope you are all going strong and that this week sees you reach all your goals!

Wednesday 12 September 2012

ROW80 Check-in 12th September 2012

Ok. I almost don't want to say it in case I jinx it but this week has started off well. Really, really well.

My goals are:
1) Write at least 1000 words five days a week (week total 5,000 words)
2) Two ROW80 check-ins a week no matter how short but sweet they are.

3) Read two books a week for 100+ reading challenge (or as much as I can!).
4) Review one book a month.

Goal 1
I have managed to write for three days in a row and hit the 1000 word target each day too.
Monday - 1,035 words
Tuesday - 1,006 words
Wednesday - 1,002 words.
Words added to WIP so far this week - 3,043!!

It is now at 55,223 words and it is amazing how good it feels to see it going up by so much each day. Today I really didn't want to write but I decided to write for as long as my tea took to cook. In 30 minutes I wrote 1,002 words which proves to me if I sit down and actually write then it doesn't have to take me hours to write 1000 words. I know it won't be that easy every day but it pays to remember that some days can be like that!

Goal 2
One down, one to go!

Goal 3
Finished one book and now reading book 65 of the year. Still behind but doing what I can to read as much as possible.

Goal 4
Waiting to read hte new Marian Keyes book which is out TOMORROW!!!

So all in all things are ticking along nicely. Fingers crossed I keep up my motivation and make my 5,000 word goal this week!!! Hope you are all having a great week!

Sunday 9 September 2012

ROW80 Check-in 9th September 2012

Well, this is kind of a pointless check-in as I have done nothing towards my goals since Wednesday. Nothing. Ok, here are my goals:

1) Write at least 1000 words five days a week (week total 5,000 words)
2) Two ROW80 check-ins a week no matter how short but sweet they are.

3) Read two books a week for 100+ reading challenge (or as much as I can!).
4) Review one book a month.

So I have completed goal two by writing this so I guess that is something!

Goal one. Where to start. I wanted to write 5000 words this week but since I haven't written since Tuesday I have only made 2,045 words. Which I know is good but not as much as I wanted. I think I underestimated the impact returning to work would make on my time, my energy, my brain power! In the evening it just seemed too much to try and write 1000 words so I just didn't even try. Believe me I am annoyed at myself. Yes I was tired and yes I had work to do and yes there is some family stuff going on at home but actually I could have written. But I didn't.

So I am not going to change my writing goal. I am going to keep it the same and aim for 1000 words five times a week but even if I sit down and write 100 words then that is progress towards the 5000 words. I feel if I change my goal I will be giving myself an excuse to try less and that is not ok. So let's see how this goes!!

I am reading a book I have really enjoyed and have nearly finished. I cannot wait till the 13th of September when the new Marian Keye's book is out and I should think 'The Mystery of Mercy Close' will be my September review! I just love Marian.

I hope you have all had much more productive weeks than me and hopefully when I check in this time next week I will be reporting a 5000 word week!!!

Wednesday 5 September 2012

ROW80 Check-in 5th September 2012

As many of you know I went back to work on Monday after a lovely six week holiday. I can tell you it is amazing how overwhelmed and lost you can feel when you haven't been at work that long although I am not complaining!!! I haven't slept because it feels like already there are a million things to do but I am starting to find my feet again. I am posting this on Wednesday morning as I am heading out straight after work with work friends to go for food and to the theatre to see Oliver! On a school night and everything!!!

So here are my goals:
1) Write at least 1000 words five days a week (week total 5,000 words)
2) Two ROW80 check-ins a week no matter how short but sweet they are.

3) Read two books a week for 100+ reading challenge (or as much as I can!).
4) Review one book a month.


Goal 1 has gone well so far. I wrote 1,037 words on Monday and 1,008 on Tuesday so am 2,045 words for the week so far. Five words off the halfway point of this target I just noticed! I won't have time to write today so I am thankful for the 5 day part of this goal! 1,000 words doesn't seem that much after some of the NaNo amounts I had to pull so I hope I can keep up this momentum.

Goal 2 - halfway there!

Goal 3 - I am halfway through a great book at the moment, book number 64 of the year but now I am back at work my coffee with a book time is seriously reduced. Rubbish!!

Goal 4 - lots of time to get this done!!!

So nothing big and flashy but I am getting things done which is what it is all about! Hope you are having a great week!

Sunday 2 September 2012

ROW80 Check-in 2nd September 2012

Did you notice? Did you? Did you notice my CampNaNo participant badge to the right has changed to a CampNaNo winner? Did you? Now I know this is shameless trumpet blasting but I am just so pleased I completed it this August. There were times in the month when I got behind and found myself thinking about giving up but I kept going. And a huge part of my motivation is my ROW80 buddies who are just so damn supportive no matter what you say to them and how much you moan and whine. It is such an amazing group!

Now I reached 50, 138 words but my WIP 'Matchmaker, Matchmaker' is maybe just past the halfway point. I haven't written today or yesterday in a post CampNaNo breather but I am back to work tomorrow and I don't want to ease off. I want to keep going so I get this WIP finished and then I can start thinking about NaNoWriMo in November! Madness I know but I just get so much done during the NaNo.

I need to tweak my goals because I know the next few weeks will be intense at work so writing the CampNaNo amount may be too big a stretch but I am going to aim for 1,000 words five times a week. This gives me a bit of leeway on busy days and some nights when I know I won't get a chance to write but should still keep my writing going.

From tomorrow my goals are:
1) Write at least 1000 words five days a week (week total 5,000 words)
2) Two ROW80 check-ins a week no matter how short but sweet they are.

3) Read two books a week for 100+ reading challenge (or as much as I can!).
4) Review one book a month.


Goals 2 to 4 are the same and here is how I did with them last week!
Goal 2 - check!
Goal 3 - check! Am reading book 64 of the year now.
Goal 4 - I reviewed 'Along came a spider' by James Patterson which you can read here

I hope you are all doing well and we are entering the home stretch of this round of ROW80 so lets go hard!!!!