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12 x 12 January 2019 Check-In!

WE ARE ONE MONTH IN to 12 x 12 in 2019!! It always seems hard to believe, somehow. I fared well, both writing a new draft (and extremely rough, extremely sh*tty), and did a lot of revision. Two manuscripts went out on submission. That’s more than usually gets done for me in the height of 12 x 12 registration, that’s for sure!

Now, how about you?

Tell us your progress. Did you complete a draft and/or revision in January? Let us know in the Rafflecopter and in the comments. Our January Featured Author Viviane Elbee is giving away a signed copy of her debut picture book, TEACH YOUR GIRAFFE TO SKI!

Teach Your Giraffe to Ski by Viviane Elbee

What a great way to start the year! Thank you, Viviane!

Here is what you need to do to check in for a chance to win:

  1. See the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post that says “Signed Copy of TEACH YOUR GIRAFFE TO SKI” at the top.
  2. Click on the “Comment on Viviane’s post” button. Commenting on Viviane’s post is mandatory for this giveaway and you can enter the Rafflecopter even if you didn’t write a draft this month. You can comment on the post here.  Click ENTER.
  3. Click on the “Wrote a PB Draft” button. This will ask if you completed a PB draft in January. If you did, click ENTER, if not, move on to the next step.
  4. Click on the last “Revised a PB Draft” button. This will ask if you revised a PB in January. If you did, click ENTER. If not, move on to the next step.
  5. That’s it! Rafflecopter will track your points.

You have until midnight Eastern on February 4th to enter your results. Rafflecopter will draw a winner and it will be announced on the blog on February 5th.

(Remember, monthly draft and revision badges are awarded separately from your Rafflecopter entry. Watch this handy tutorial to find out how to get your badges. CLICK HERE.)

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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68 Responses

  1. I am so excited to be a part of this group! This January I received a request for a manuscript. I finished one new manuscript draft and was able to edit and polish two others. I love all the positive feedback from the forums and joined a critique group. Yay for January!

  2. This has been another crazy month for me… my writing and revising has been stuck in between new medical issues that seem to be cropping up like weeds, and trying to schedule tests and pre-op interviews… believe me, dealing with pre-surgery medical scheduling will drive you to drink!!

    I am once again a member of Tara Lazar’s Storystorm and finished with a total of 32 ideas (which is a low for me) and once again the majority (22) of them are nonfiction. I am excited by this new direction my writing is taking

    And, as of this morning, I have 14 rough drafts that I can’t wait to play around with as 6 of them have chapter book/middle grade possibilities. I also revised 2 of my old Storystorm manuscripts.

  3. A couple weeks ago I picked up Teach Your Giraffe To Ski from the library. How fun! Maybe I’ll win my own copy?! Congrats to you, Viviane.

  4. I am so excited! I wrote a hideously crappy first draft BUT I also revised a first draft from December in time to submit it to two competitions! All while doing a daily Instagram 100dayartchallenge! Whoot!

  5. Viviane, I’m a new member to 12×12 this month. I’m very encouraged by your story. There is an abundance of hope and positivity on this site. I’ve posted two manuscripts and already revised one of them. I’m super excited!

  6. This book just screams FUN! I’m new to 12×12, but this first month has already been wonderful. I wrote one new manuscript and revised another. Here’s to many more!

  7. I wrote my very first complete MS this month. First draft had some structural problems that I attended to in the 2nd. I was pretty happy with it until the other day when I realized to my horror that my new intro was incredibly close to that of one of my comp titles.

    Whoops!

    But thankfully I’ve hit upon a completely new approach that should actually be a lot more fun and keep me from anymore inadvertent plagiarism. 🙂

  8. I wrote a draft and re-vised another old draft in January! I am off to a good start, now to stay consistent!

  9. Viviane, What a wonderful, fun story! Thanks for all your insight. It was so helpful. I look forward to all your future stories.

  10. This was a busy stressful month due to not-12×12 related stuff by I did write a manuscript and revise one. The book about the giraffe looks fun!

  11. This looks like so much fun, Viviane! I love your title. Can’t wait to see the antics involved. Congratulations!

  12. I cannot wait to read this book, Viviane. It looks wonderful. I am really going to try to take advantage of everything that 12x12x has to offer this year! I wrote a spectacularly crappy rough draft for January, but I revised an old one that I’ve been working on. Good luck, everyone!

  13. Can’t wait to read that book, Viviane. It looks wonderful! I wrote a spectacularly crappy draft for January, but I also got some really good revisions done. Good luck to all, and congrats to Viviane!

  14. I “resemble” that giraffe, Viviane!

    I finished the first draft of the 4th book in my American HerStory Series! I was stuck for months and months on the perspective and suddenly VOILA’! My soul exploded and the story practically wrote itself! <3

  15. Congratulations, such a fun book! I found it at the library already. I wrote an awfully crappy first draft this month, and did several revisions.

  16. I was so much more productive during a busy/crazy month thanks to 12 x 12! I definitely wouldn’t have written a new draft this month without the motivation of your challenge. But after losing my sweet dog, I was inspired to write a PB that I hope will help children dealing with a similar loss. It’s so hard to lose a fur baby. I’m excited that the draft seems to have tons of potential…and I can’t wait to whip it into shape over the next few months or so.

    I also did major revisions on two PB this month.

    Thank you so much for all the inspiration and community that has helped me give my PBs the love they deserve. I write MG also, and often focus more on them, but I absolutely love PBs and being a 12 x 12 member made me decide to give them way more attention.

  17. Thanks for your inspirational post. This month, I revised a manuscript from the drawer, wrote one 500-word picture book, and outlined three others. I found I work best from 4 to 6 a.m.

  18. What a fabulous cover! As a non-skier who worked hard to make sure my kids learned to ski, I loved the cover. This has been a fabulous first month.

  19. I love the title and can’t wait to read. I revised a draft I started in January this month and have almost finished another. Off to a better start than 2017, my first year with 12 x 12!

  20. I’m off to a good start for 2019. I wrote a draft and revised in January. I’m looking forward to another year with 12×12!

  21. What an intense first month! I participated (and completed!) Storystorm and a horrible rough draft. Woo hoo!

  22. I got off to a great start this year by doing Storystorm. I have so many new ideas for possible stories. AND…

    I already used one of those to write my first draft of 2019. I will let it sit a little before going back to do my first revisions. In the meantime, I revised an old story.

    I hope February goes just as well.

  23. I got off to a good start this month. I wrote a new draft that I’m excited about and revised one as well. I’m also learning my way around 12 x 12 and am loving this opportunity. The book looks awesome and I’m going to look for it to read to my daughter.

  24. Your book looks awesome! Can’t wait to read it. I wrote a new PB and revised two others. I just returned from Florida SCBWI. I took a wonderful intensive with Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple.

  25. Thanks for the chance to win a book, but more thanks for the push to do a manuscript draft or a revision. I managed to do both for my first month in 12 x 12 . It’s an interesting process for me.

  26. How can we not fall in love with a giraffe learning to ski? As a Nordic ski patroller I appreciate when people take the time to learn the basics.

    I revised and submitted a manuscript for the Whispering Pines Writer’s Retreat I’ll be attending in early April. Looking forward to fleshing out Storystorm ideas the rest of this year.

  27. So great to be back with 12 x 12! Can’t wait to read “Teach Your Giraffe to Ski”. I’m extremely proud I wrote a new draft this month and worked on revisions for another. Now, to move onto drawing my dummy! Yay!

  28. Can’t wait to read “Teach Your Giraffe to Ski”. I’m extremely proud I wrote a new draft this month and worked on revisions for another. Now, to move onto drawing my dummy! Yay!

  29. What a fun book! Check-in: I wrote a new draft in January and revised two. I’m loving 12×12 so far!

  30. I thought I had missed the January check-in. I’m so glad I didn’t since I actually wrote a draft this month AND edited two other stories. Hoping to keep up the momentum through 2019!

  31. Inspiration struck and I pounded out a quick draft of a story about hats…was pleased that I was able to do something constructive in January despite a late entry to 12×12 and a 10-day trip to Italy, which in turn gave me a few ideas for stories.

  32. I had a productive January thanks to the excitement of starting 12×12. I made progress on a third draft, but I guess once I finish that one, it will be the first draft of February instead.
    I definitely need to check out Teach Your Giraffe to Ski to see if it has any tips to help humans tumble down the mountains!

  33. Love the Title and the artwork of “Teach Your Giraffe to Ski!” I sent a draft in during January and have already posted one for February so I’m surprising myself! 12×12 has given me the push I needed to focus more of my time to writing.

  34. This is my first year in 12×12, and I’m loving the accountability, resources, and community! Storystorm was the perfect way to kick things off and give me ideas for my rough draft and revisions to other manuscripts.

  35. This is my first 12 x 12 also and I can’t get over how lucky I feel to have signed up. I’m thrilled to have posted my January draft! The talent, camaraderie, and encouragement available here is so beyond what I had hoped for. And we still have 11 more to go!! Thank you all and congrats Viviane. Thank you for participating. Skiing, giraffes, and humor sounds like the perfect blend. I’m going to send a copy to a friend who I tried to teach to ski. We’re still friends, but she does’t ski!

  36. Congratulations on your debut! I wrote one draft and revised another in January. Looking forward to the rest of the year!

  37. I’m new to 12 X 12…this is my first post. For January I resurrected a manuscript from 2017 and revised. Also completed a screenplay for a short story published in an anthology. Busy month!!!

  38. Thanks for this inspiring post. This is year two, and I’ve drafted a new ms and revised a ms from last year.

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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).