Do You Want to Write 12 Picture Books in 12 Months? | Learn More!

12 x 12 April 2015 Check-In!

Lots of April showers over here. And no small amount of disappointment that, once again, I did not write a new draft. I did complete a major revision, but I’m itching to write something new and yet haven’t been able to get Butt in Chair. In part it’s due to a couple of disappointing rejections that threw me into what I call “funkitude,” but it’s time to snap out of it. Write a new draft in May or BUST is now my motto! 🙂

Now tell us your progress. Did you complete a draft and/or revision in April? Let us know in the comments and in the Rafflecopter. This month, one lucky winner gets a critique from Caldecott-honor winning author/illustrator John Rocco! Good luck to YOU!

Here is what you need to do to check in for a chance to win a critique from John Rocco:

  1. See the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post that says “Picture Book Critique from John Rocco” at the top.
  2. Click on the “Comment on John’s Blog Post” button. It will reveal the task, which is to comment on John’s blog post. If you haven’t comment yet, you can click HERE and comment. Commenting on John’s post and clicking enter will get you one entry in this month’s Rafflecopter whether you completed a draft or not. When you click ENTER on that option in Rafflecopter, the next two options will open up.
  3. Click on the “Wrote a PB Manuscript” button. This will ask if you completed a PB draft in April. If you did, click ENTER, if you did not, move on to the next step.
  4. Click on the last “Revised a PB Manuscript” button. This will ask if you revised a PB in April. If you did, click ENTER. If not, move on to the next step.
  5. Submit your entry. Rafflecopter will track your points.

You have until midnight Eastern on May 1st to enter your results. Rafflecopter will draw a winner and I’ll announce it on the blog on May 2nd.

May all those great picture ideas bloom into new drafts!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Share This Post:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Recent Posts

55 Responses

  1. It’s been a good month. I majorly revised 2 PBs, and sent them to my editor. One was rejected for not having enough universal appeal. The other she’d like to give me a couple of revision suggestions. Since she’s publishing my other book, I’m taking this as very good news!!! Now, to try to find an agent.

  2. A couple of good revisions and two new drafts (one not-so-great and one with possibility). I’ll take it!

  3. 3 new full drafts in April, multiple partials and revisions. A very productive month spawned in part by a bone dry March. From my sickbed (sinus infection), here’s to a bountiful May for you, Julie!

  4. One junky rough draft completed, several more started (and either abandoned or still in progress). REALLY wanna revise one this next month – and OF COURSE get another written. Thanks for the motivation!

  5. I did get exactly 1 new draft finished along with 1 revision from a ms written last month. This was the least butt in chair I’ve done this year, and I must say that the desire to meet the 12 x 12 challenge played a role in forcing some work time. So thanks.

  6. Can’t believe the month is over. I’m happy to have revised two manuscripts this month, but not completely satisfied with them. I know they still need more work. Although for now, I’m moving on to the third. 12 x 12 is keeping me motivated. Thanks Julie!

  7. 1 ms revised (sweat, blood and tears!). 1 draft written (currently in the blah stage, but with revision I will soon love it!).

  8. I managed to revise an old picture book manuscript which ended up completely re-writing it! Then with the help of my critique group, I’ve edited and edited and edited the ass off it! I also have written a first draft of a query letter to go alongside it. Not a bad month!

  9. Done and done! This challenge has been so good for me, pushing me to move away from the incessant “helicopter” revisions and create something new. 🙂 John’s video…and everyone’s postings have been so inspirational. Thanks, love and hugs to all! <3

  10. Spring blossoms flowers and manuscripts. Thanks to my crit group I’m revising and Susanna’s class has a new manuscript drafted. Going to try for an armload more this coming week with PiBoWriWee!

  11. April was the best of times and the worst of times. I wrote the draft early in the month after being inspired by the puppy digging yet another hole in the yard. Yay! Then I worked and worked on revising it but couldn’t come up with a whole story. Ugh! So I revised another story. It’s ready for a critique group now. Yay! Then I tried a bunch of different approaches to the story. None worked. Ugh! Finally, yesterday, an idea popped into my head while doing chores. Still needs some work, but the story feels whole now. Yay! Finally watched the John Rocco video. Amazing! Looking forward to May…

  12. Kelli,

    “Funkitude” is the best new word I’ve heard this year! Even elves can have that state?

    1. Hey, happy bityadhr!! Dinner at Olive Garden sounds like a FABULOUS way to celebrate — and $50 should get you plenty of delicious food! How great of a present from your mom!

  13. Funkitude Shmunkitude, your mojo is only bubbling away under the surface Julie, I have complete faith that it will come back in full force! 🙂

  14. well, it definitely still needs work, but I wrote a draft and revised another. 12×12 is making me feel very productive!

  15. I did complete a draft this month! The MC is a character that has been with me since I was in elementary school (and believe me, that was a long, long time ago!), and I finally made progress. I’ve written adventures for the character off and on over the years, but I’ve been a lot more focused since I became a part of 12×12. Also completed several revisions of earlier drafts. I was pleased with most of them, but one draft got out of hand and I revised it until it was almost unrecognizable! 🙁 Oh well, back to the drawing board.

  16. I’ve tried for a couple of years to find a plot for a title idea I had (and loved) and this month I finally wrote a rough draft for it. I also did several revisions. Life has been very challenging these last two months, and without the 12 x 12 challenge I doubt I would have written anything at all. Thanks for all the motivation!!

  17. April has been a busy month. 2 PB drafts and more revisions than I can remember. Another draft swirling around in my head. Creativity is a wonderful thing!

  18. Even though this month has been another slow one for me. I did manage to write a PB draft and revised 2 of my PiBoIdMo manuscripts

  19. I’m stoked about my output this month. I made great revisions to two stories and drafted a new NF while still wearing all the many, many hats that want on top of my head.

  20. Finally wrote a draft! Woo hoo! First “complete” draft of 2015! Hope springs eternal!

  21. John, nice blog spot article. I wrote a new draft and revised three others. It was a good month.

  22. “It’s a crapshoot!” — true words of wisdom there. It’s always so interesting to hear the becoming-a-writer saga from an illustrator’s perspective. Thanks for the opportunity to learn from someone else’s journey. (And now I have a few more PBs to look up in the library!)

  23. This is the first month that I haven’t completed at least one picture book revision, but I did write a brand new one. And I’ve been revising a YA fantasy all month.

  24. Sadly, this has been an extremely busy month for me. I only have an outline. No draft, no revision. But I did get staffed on a project so hey… I have work! That’s something 🙂
    Hopefully I will achieve more next month.

  25. Thanks to attending a SCBWI conference here in WA, I was inspired to write two new drafts and revise three! Makes me wish I could attend a conference every month 🙂

  26. This was a great month for me in regards to writing. What an exciting offer from John Rocco – his interview was uplifting.

  27. I finished a draft, revised the draft I finished last month and came up with three new ideas for picture books. Hopefully, I can keep this momentum going.

    1. Please let me know if yo&7#821u;re looking for a article writer for your site. You have some really good posts and I believe I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d absolutely love to write some articles for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine.Please shoot me an e-mail if interested. Manythanks!

  28. Stories that I had written about my childhood, I am rewriting as picture books, and other ideas come to mid as well. Altogether there are about 20 stories and ideas. They will keep me busy for a long time. I hope they will sparkle and sell.

  29. Drat–Oops! April has 30 days only! Missed my first check in.
    Presently I am axing a manuscript to the bone to see if I can show all via illustrations and absolutely simplest dialogue [rather than 600 words]. This drastic action will make it more marketable to its intended age reader, won’t it?

    If I were not also an artist, however, don’t know how one could portray the story. I hear advice both ways, to describe art or not to suggest art at all. Also, “a newbie writer is usually paired with a better-known artist.” Should I skip all this work of illustrations?

    Oh, well. Need to get happily ‘finished,’ then cross all those other bridges….

  30. In April I revised a MS I wrote in March and I wrote a new MS.
    I really want to start a new story, but haven’t had any new ideas.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to our Newsletter for Free Resources

Interested in Joining the 12x12 Challenge?

Financial Need Scholarship Guidelines

All applications will be accepted via email only between November 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023 at kelli@juliehedlund.com.

Subject line of the email:

  1. 12 x 12 Financial Need Scholarship
 

Please include the following in the body of the email:

  1. An autobiographical statement and career summary in 250 words or fewer.
  2. A short statement describing the nature of the financial need/circumstances in 250 words or fewer.
  3. A sample query letter for the manuscript you are submitting with your application.
  4. Pitches for two additional completed picture books.
 

 Attached to the email:

  1.  The full text of one picture book manuscript, attached as a Word document named as FIN_YourFirstName_YourLastName_Title_of_Manuscript.doc (or docx).