July 1k-a-day Challenge

Tami and I - crazy kids that we are - have decided we need a kick in the ass to get some WIPs outta our hair. And so....our second annual 1k-a-day contest will be on for the whole month of July! Tami will post the official rules later this week, but I wanted to get you pumped for the writing adventure.

Got a WIP, new idea, series of short stories or flash fiction you've been meaning to finish? Well, this is your chance to work on one or multiple projects. A month-long push to clear some unfinished business off your laptop and get it into agent/publisher hands.

Unlike NANO, our contest doesn't limit you to one "new" work - you can haul out old stuff, stuff you've been struggling to complete, or that one WIP you're burning to finish. The point is to write 1k a day - and that 1k can be spread out over different projects.

Tami and I will post our word counts each day and encourage participants to do the same. On Fridays in July, everyone who checked in that week will be put in a draw to win free (gently used) YA titles from our personal collections.

So....like the promo image says: Don't just read a book this summer, WRITE one!

1k-a-day Rules and Contest Info

Tracy has announced YAedge's July writing challenge, now here are the rules! Those of you who participated in November of 2008 know what it's all about, but here's the info for the newbies.

1,000 words a day, no more or less (well, unless you’re on a roll and would like to bump up the word count…more on that later) from July 1-31. You may work on a book you've already started, work on something new or switch it up. We don't care, as long as it's 1,000 words or more. We'll be posting our word counts each day by 11:59pm PDT and we’d like you to do the same. Just post your word count in the comments section of each day’s post.

Now, down to the super cool part…free books. That’s right…FREE BOOKS! We'll be giving away YA books from our own collections at the end of each week.

"What do I do to win FREE books?" you ask. Just post your starting word count in July 1st blog post. It can be 0…it can be 40,000. We don't care. Whatever your word count is to start, we just need you to document it. From there, you can either post your word count daily, or by Friday evening. What is most important is your end word count each week.

For those of you who are unable to start July 1st, no problem! That is the beauty of 1k-a-day. We don't care about hitting an end of the month word count. It's all about your daily goal of 1,000 words!

This is where the overachievers come in. We will announce the winner who write the most words the previous week each Monday! We have a selection of books to choose from and will slowly “leak” the books up for grabs. How easy is that? Write a book…win a book!

Make sure to check the blog each day starting July 1st for inspiration and read our ups and downs of the challenge. Plus, you never know when we will decide to give a book out on a whim!

So, get your thinking caps on, your writing notes out and dust off your keyboards. Oh yeah, don't forget the coffee! It’s time to get down to business and write 1K-a-day! All of us here at YAedge are in the heat of the moment with our current work-in-progress and don’t want to put them down! The excitement is brewing. Make sure you don't miss it!

Don’t forget to post your word counts everyone. Make sure to tell all your writer friends and family. The more the merrier.

July 1st can't come soon enough! See you all then!

July 1k-a-day Challenge

The last few months I've been editing my book and other projects have sat in their respective piles on my desk, untouched. Well, edits are almost done (I think) and it's time to plug away at a half-completed manuscript. I'd like to have it done by the end of the summer, but how to stay motivated....hmmmm....

Enter Tami with a brilliant idea. And so we've come up with a way to make our summer - and your summer memorable and productive....mayhap even profitable (you just might sell your book one day!).

Sure, you could hang out at the beach and read a great book...nothing wrong with that. But why not WRITE one. If you've been looking for some inspiration and Nano seems pretty far away - then we have the challenge for you!

Similar to the contest we held in November 2008, this July YAedge is hosting another 1k-a-day shot of adrenalin directly into the heart of your writing.

Tami will be posting the rules shortly.