Hello everyone! After reading my late Featured Author post, you probably know more about the state of my writing life right now than you wanted to – LOL. BUT, I am pleased to report that I woke up this morning and wrote my April draft. It’s terrible, and I’m not sure it’s salvageable, but it’s written and right now that feels like a huge achievement. I didn’t revise any manuscripts this month, so I’ll be putting my focus on revisions in May.
I also want to thank you for your response to my post. I published the post and then went out last night. Imagine how I felt coming back to all of those gorgeous comments you left on Facebook and on the post itself. Go back and read the post and the comments if ever you feel you are alone in this journey. Thank you all for being my buoy over and over again.
Now tell us your progress. Did you complete a draft and/or revision in April? Let us know in the Rafflecopter and in the comments. This month’s winner will win a picture book critique from this month’s featured author–ME!
Here is what you need to do to check in for a chance to win:
- See the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post that says “A picture book critique from Julie Hedlund” at the top.
- Click on the “Comment on Julie’s Blog Post” button. It will reveal the task, which is to comment on Julie’s blog post. If you haven’t comment yet, you can click HERE and comment.
- Commenting on Julie’s Featured Author post and clicking enter in the Rafflecopter will get you one entry in this month’s drawing whether you completed a draft or not. When you click ENTER on that option in Rafflecopter, the next two options will open up.
- 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.
- 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.
- That’s it! Rafflecopter will track your points.
We’ve created a quick video to walk you through your monthly check-in. You can view it in the Video Tutorial section of the forum HERE.
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 your picture book ideas flow in to your manuscripts this month!
31 Responses
You have buoyed me with your post, Julie. Thank you for being a rock for us. Because of 12X12 I keep my BIC and write. I wrote my draft for April and revised two mss.
I’m so glad you finished your draft!
I wrote one and revised four this month. Thank you so much for providing motivation!
This month wasn’t the greatest as I had to ease back due to medical issues. I did manage to revise 2 picture books and added 2 new rough drafts from my PiBoIdMo list
Hope you feel better soon
Yay…so much fun…I’m at the Wild Midwest SCBWI conference in Chicago…just popping in to say yes, I wrote a ROUGH draft…and revised revised revised another.
I wrote a draft in just the nick of time, but I think it has potential. I also revised 2 manuscripts.
Yes I wrote a very rough draft and revised another.
Well I have not yet written a new manuscript this year, but since watching Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen’s fabulous 12X12 webinar, I am happy that I have been kickstarted into revising again.
I wrote a draft and revised another one. Yay!
This is definitely a supportive community!
I wrote two new drafts this month and revised two! Feeling very productive!
Loved your post this month! I’ve been struggling, but I did draft one PB and revise two PBs and draft queries for them in April. Woot woot!
April! I wrote a ms and revised thrEE, thanks to the Miranda Paul mentorship opportunity requirements! But I’m also fully aware I have yet to take advantage of the community by posting in Manuscript Makeover, which I said I wanted to do in (*gulp*) March. mmMMMaybe May? Brave face. Go.
Yes, be brave! Go! 🙂
One revision…that’s all I got in this month. Your post really resonated with me, Julie. I left a detailed comment there. Thanks for being open and honest. We all struggle at times. We just can’t stay stuck.
Wrote a new one..revised a new cleaned up another. Thanks for the encouragement!
I was feeling a bit panicky on April 14th when I hadn’t written my April draft yet and just couldn’t find a new idea. I scrolled through the list of ideas I keep on my phone and came across one that has been there for years. Lo and behold, I wrote the draft for it and that sprouted into two more ideas with the same character.
I revised my March draft today while my daughter was driving my husband and I to her rugby match-
they won and so did I-it is better than before. Yay!
I did indeed write a new book and revised two more. Today is the first day of NaPiBoWriWee so I am fast at work getting a story written for today that I came up with from PiBoIdMo. Hope everyone else is doing well with their goals as well.
Wishing you words that dance in your head,
Just keep a writing pad next to your bed. 🙂
Glad you are feeling a bit better, Julie. I revised this month … with my agent. So exciting. I have seen from you and others that it’s a long road to publication, but I’m excited to at least get the car started.
I didn’t finish a new draft this month, but I’m not going to let that stop me from finishing a new one in May. I revised several older manuscripts, spending a lot of time with one manuscript. Even if I didn’t get all the writing finished that I wanted to, I can follow Dora from Finding Nemo, “Just keep writing….just keep writing.”
Hooray for your new draft! ?
So I discovered a new way to write. I went for my walk and instead of thinking ‘must exercise, must exercise’ I decided to meander. You have to meander anyway in the bush because you never know if there will be a snake underfoot. I took my mobile phone with me just in case. Saying good morning to the kangaroos and the squawking parrots I found myself next to the dam where we had placed a long necked lizard we had found on the road. And then, in the bush silence, I spoke into the recorder in my mobile phone the rough outline of the story and already I could hear the poetry of the language I was using. (At least I thought it sounded like a rhythm). Fantastic imaginative fun!
I wrote a draft (and it’s pretty drafty) but spent a lot of time on revision this month!
Woohoo! Wrote a new draft and revised a Ton this month. Really starting to Love revision and how it can breathe new life into a story!
Thank you for your post, Julie. This is the first month I’ve missed a draft, (at least I revised two!) but I’m going to hang in there. Maybe I’ll write two drafts next month! It helped to hear your story. Thank you!
So Far, 12×12 is helping me produce more ideas and turn them into manuscripts than I could have imagined.
This has been a great month of motivation for me. My revisions have kept me going, but also inspired me to try harder to make a picture clear to all who read my story and in the end hopefully see my story as I know it in my mind.
Julie your blog reveals that you are willing to show your own vunerability .I am so sorry your health has affected your urge to write but so glad that you can write about who you are- a writer first and foremost. Julie, 12×12 has been an inspiration to me and I thank you expescially since I know now what you have been battling.Kelli was wise to let you tell all. I will persist I don’t think i’m a Picture Book writer but i have learned to appreciate those who are .writing each month has mad me find good ideas and the encouragement this wonderful group of writers gives is worth so much.Thank you. Blessings for better health.
Wrote one and am revising another!
Congratulations and happy writing.