While last month’s weekend getaway proved to be a very fruitful for writing, this month’s Spring Break trip with my kids did not turn out as well writing-wise. But, you know what? That’s okay. These kids are only getting older and it’s important to enjoy these times as much as possible. I can do more writing in April. (Gotta get it in before summer break starts! 😉 )
Your turn!
Tell us your progress. Did you complete a draft and/or revision in March? Let us know in the Rafflecopter and in the comments. Our prize comes from this month’s Featured Author Rosie J. Pova. You could win a picture book manuscript critique from Rosie!
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 Manuscript Critique from Rosie J. Pova” at the top.
- Click on the “Comment on Rosie’s post” button. Commenting on Rosie’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.
- Click on the “Wrote a PB Draft” button. This will ask if you completed a PB draft in March. If you did, click ENTER, if not, move on to the next step.
- Click on the last “Revised a PB Draft” button. This will ask if you revised a PB in March. If you did, click ENTER. If not, move on to the next step.
- That’s it! Rafflecopter will track your points.
You have until midnight Eastern on April 2nd to enter your results. (Due to Spring Break, this is going up a little late, so we’re giving you an extra day to check in.) Rafflecopter will draw a winner and it will be announced on the blog on April 3rd.
(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
51 Responses
I wrote a March draft and did a couple of revisions.
I had a busy March. I attended the Writing Barn in Austin, TX and came away so inspired that I wrote 4 new manuscripts, revised 4 old manuscripts, subbed twice, and critiqued fellow 12x12er’s work. Now if only I can keep this pace up! 🙂
J.D. Silverwood, Wow! Congrats! The Writing barn in Austin,TX is on my professional goal list! How awesome! Keep going!
I am so thrilled to have finished my March manuscript. It’s gone through one critique group
and I’m revising it to get ready it to submit to my agent.
Thanks for keeping me up to speed.
Rina
Crazy March! It really did come in like a lion! Playing catch up after missing a few weeks to pneumonia. I feel so happy now to finish the writing part of another picture book! On to the next!
Scraping in under the wire – I spent most of the month revising a manuscript, but managed to write a first draft for a new story two days ago! Whew! And Hooray!
I am so thrilled with the progress I’ve made in writing, learning, networking, querying… 12×12 has been so instrumental to my success. I’m in love!,
Wondering if after all these years I should keep trying but quitting isn’t attractive to me.
I reworked a manuscript, changing and enhancing (I hope) the ending!
Woo hoo! Wrote a manuscript and revised a different manuscript! Thanks for the great support.
Check-in complete! Helping myself to some well-earned peanut butter & chocolate for somehow, someway, achieving this month’s goals!
It was a busy month. But, it was a great PB month. Thanks to Rosie for being so visible and generous!
Yes, I got important research done for a manuscript, and I wrote a new draft. My spring break didn’t happen, so I planted a lot of seeds.
March was a crazy month for me as my writing just puttered along in between medical problems that cropped up big time and resulted in my taking the ambulance to the ER late Friday evening, being admitted, and finally coming home Tuesday afternoon only to go back again last evening and came home at around 12:30 today… however, I did manage to add a new rough draft to my list as well as revise 2 of my old PiBoIdMo picture book manuscripts
Thanks Kelli and Rosie. I find that the 12 x12 website has been the most helpful to me in terms of getting feedback, asking questions as well looking through the abundance of resources. I am on the website all the time to help me learn as a new PB writer.
March was chock full of writing stuff! #50PreciousWords had me reading 251 incredible stories. I wrote a 50-word story for it myself. But I’m not counting that one – because I wrote another nonfiction pb story that I am absolutely in love with. I’ve already gotten critique feedback and will be revising this weekend. I submitted a pb ms to the SCBWI Work in Progress Grant…and worked hard on revising that to get it where I hope it needed to be…plus my agent is sending something out on submission and I had to write a pitch for it. Sometimes writing the pitch is harder than writing the story. 😉 And the #50PreciousWordsforKids Writing Challenge will kick off early in May to coincide with Children’s Book Week. Lots going on…all of it good!
Jumping in here to say thank you again for the lovely, positive 50 words challenge! It was really fun to participate in and I very much enjoyed reading the winning stories. And a big high five for everything else you’ve also accomplished this month!
I am excited about writing picture books. I am also new to the group.
After many years away from writing I finally managed to write a draft for a pb which, although I liked the story idea, was dissatisfied with how it turned out which left me discouraged, so left it for a couple of weeks! Not to be defeated I have just done some revision which, I feel, has much improved it, but still needs more revision ……………
March was a crazy month, lots of great things happening! I wrote out a few ideas and continued revising a project in progress, yay!
Yay! I got my March draft done (it needs lots of work!) and did a major overhaul revision on an old story. So excited that I am keeping up so far 🙂
Thanks to a great critique group, I rewrote a pb story with a better ending and submitted it! 12×12 has given me opportunities and courage! Thanks to all who share their experiences.
I revised a pb ms and I wrote out two new drafts!
No new story this month, but lots of revisions!
This year has started out terrific…I have just submitted my first manuscript to publishers and I wrote a new manuscript this month. Cheers to everyone ! It is so encouraging to see your comments !
A contest spurred me on to write a new story.
A critique group keeps me revisiting my work and hopefully making it worthy.
I’ve had a bit of a rotten trot to the start of the year with a bad back. Unable to sit! I don’t want to ‘moz myself’ as we say In Oz but I may be turning the corner. No writing but lots of ideas.
I’ a juggler. I write in multiple kidlit genres so part of my struggle is to know where to put my focus and when. I’ve been a bit heavy on a YA project and just had a breakthrough with my chapter book. But one of my PB’s is with my agent and I had a brand new PB idea that is just starting to percolate. I now need to find time to go back and work on ROB OUT a little more. Overall, really happy with the growth I’m making. <3
I revised one manuscript and came up with three new storylines to start in April. So grateful to be part of this community to inspire and spur me on. Happy writing to you all!
I revised a story that I started last April. It’s been good to step away from it. I have a new slant to follow now!
Call it March Madness if you will, but I wrote a new PB draft AND revised two “old” drafts. Now I’m feeling like an April fool and hoping that my March mojo continues. Thanks Julie and all the 12×12 peeps for getting and keeping me going.
Wrote new stories. Edited my stories and others’. Attended a Highlights Foundation workshop and an SCBWI event. Grateful to have realized how much I love writing.
March had a dash of madness! Yet I managed to come up with 10 ideas and 1 manuscript, that I will be taking to my critique group. I figured how to upload manuscripts for critique on the forum, which I did, then I managed to figure out how to thank the nice people who invested time and thinking power to critique my story, and, finally, I gave my words of wisdom to other fellow writers. My goal for April is to complete 2 manuscripts!
March has. Been a month of highs and lows for me. My mother died on March 2nd and a friend of mine, Caroline, had major cancer surgery. I stayed with her at night for this past month (she had a health care worker during the day and a visiting nurse, but since she’s my best friend I volunteered to be with her at night). Her situation has deteriorated and she just went into hospice care. Those are the lows, and they’ve been pretty big lows for me. A high, of course, was that I signed a contract this month with Eerdmans for a picture book. I was sorry that I couldn’t share that news with my mom, but I did get to celebrate with my best friend and fellow writer before she went into hospice.
I spent 10 hours a day caring for my 4-year-old granddaughter and 12 hours a day with my sick friend. That left me two hours a day. I didn’t get as much writing done this month as I would have liked. In fact, we cancelled our weekly critique group since half of the group (me and Caroline) couldn’t come. But I did manage to write one new picture book, work on two others that still aren’t jelling yet, and revise one that my online 12×12 group critiqued.
I haven’t been as active on 12×12 boards as I’d liked, but I’ve tried hard to keep up. I love this group!
So sorry to hear about your deep loss and difficult month. Children are a great light to focus on – and writing. Good for you for being present in all you had going on. Sending good vibes and prayers your way.
Thank you, Erin. I love watching my granddaughter during the day! She helps me focus on other things — she’s so joyful and full of life and energy. And she and her older sister have been the source of inspiration for several of my manuscripts.
I’m sorry for your loss, and the news of your friend’s illness. Also congratulations on your contract. What a stressful month- I hope you get a chance to take of yourself too.
Thank you, Yvonne. Now that my friend has gone into hospice, I’m no longer spending the night with her, so I will have more time to write. And writing always, always, always makes me feel better. (So why do I have days when I’d rather clean the toilets than write?)
Revision road has been long, but I think I’ve needed the time to reflect on this one. I did write 2 new MS! Now to priorotize and get to the critique point. Also ready to get in the agent query Jungle. (Insert Tarzan call here).
I have 2.5 rough drafts from March and am revising one from February that won’t get out of my head- I guess that’s a good sign! My 19month old had surgery this month so I’m actually amazed that I got anything done.
Busy March – but not with writing. Wrote up a short story of a memory from childhood that I hope some may be able to relate to, and edited an older manuscript as well!
Thanks! It has been a productive month!
I’m excited that I’m keeping up monthly with new PB manuscripts! I already have 2 spinning around in my head for April. This group is great incentive! Thanks!!
One draft accomplished for March!
This has been a busy month. I was able to do another revision, write my query letter, and do a few submissions! Goal for next month is to take some ideas to first drafts! Let’s see if I can make it happen.
March was a good writing month. A SFDraft….really S-ty. Forever revising old manuscripts. here it is April 2nd and a new line for an old story popped up this morning! Yay!
March was a good month for revising! Managed to write a decent new first draft too. :3
I’m really feeling the momentum of 12×12 now – I’m thinking about writing every day, and I feel the (good) peer pressure to keep making new things each month/week/day. It’s all leading to more productivity, which means better odds of being in my writing chair and studio when inspiration hits. Thank you!
I wrote an new PB draft and came up with a few new storylines to work on this month. I am still learning about all the great opportunities and support with 12 x 12 and looking to increase my involvement this month. 🙂
I wrote an new PB draft and came up with a few new storylines to work on this month. I am still learning about all the great opportunities and support with 12 x 12 and looking to increase my involvement this month. 🙂