Ah, May. The time for sun and flowers. Unless you live in Colorado, in which case you’ve been soaked in rain ALL month! I’m NOT going to blame the weather for the fact that I did not write a new draft, no matter how badly I wanted to. No, it’s because my head and heart have been completely absorbed by final revisions to my picture book biography.
After Jane Yolen warned us in the May webinar to be sure projects don’t “bleed” into each other, I realized I just had to stick with this one until it was finished. So my goal is to write two or three new drafts in June, because I am ready for some NEW blood in the form of shiny first draft manuscripts. 🙂
Now tell us your progress. Did you complete a draft and/or revision in May? Let us know in the comments and in the Rafflecopter. This month, two lucky winners will get a critique from our Featured Author Stacy McAnulty! Good luck to YOU!
Here is what you need to do to check in for a chance to win a critique from Stacy McAnulty:
- See the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post that says “Picture Book Critique from Stacy McAnulty” at the top.
- Click on the “Comment on Stacy’s Blog Post” button. It will reveal the task, which is to comment on Stacy’s blog post. If you haven’t comment yet, you can click HERE and comment. Commenting on Stacy’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.
- Click on the “Wrote a PB Manuscript” button. This will ask if you completed a PB draft in May. 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 May. If you did, click ENTER. If not, move on to the next step.
- Submit your entry. Rafflecopter will track your points.
You have until midnight Eastern on June 1st to enter your results. Rafflecopter will draw a winner and I’ll announce it on the blog on June 2nd.
Shine some light on those ideas and get them in to a draft in June!
52 Responses
I did get a MS and revision done this month – and I’ve been pretty focused on it (that’s kinda unusual). I plan to actually work on even more revisions to this one, cuz it’s got my passion and enthusiasm! Thanks so much, Julie and Stacy, for the motivation to stick to it!
May has proven to be my most prolific month of the year so far! I wrote three new picture books and did major revisions on two others. I hope I can keep the momentum going!
You rock, Kirsten! 🙂
Go, go, go! Good for you!
I’m proud that I got more than one manuscript written this month and one revision done.
I’m finding the structure of 12 x 12 so helpful. It’s fun to have several stories going at once. I wanted to get better at revision—I tend to be too fond of passages that I’ve spent a lot of time on in my MG drafts. I’m definitely making progress on this front. Feels good to look forward to revising now.
It’s been a busy but good month for me. I managed to write a new PB and edit one I wrote in March, ready for my crit group to see. I also got to hold my latest published book for the first time. The launch date is officially today which is very exciting 🙂 I may have to treat myself to dinner out tonight to celebrate!
I got it all accomplished. Hooray for your pb biography, Julie. Those are such an accomplishment with all the research!
I wrote 7 new manuscripts as part of Napibowriwee! And revised after 12×12 critique!
Fantastic!
Well, nothing new this month, but I did revise a manuscript. And I have high hopes for a couple new manuscripts in June!
It’s always heartening to read about someone’s path. All cheerleading is welcome. Thanks!
I wrote a new ms and revised two. it has been a busy month, but I have managed to get my BIC! Thank you, Stacy, for the inspiration to keep up the pace.
I wrote a manuscript and revised another one. Funny but 3/4 of this month slipped by without me doing a doggone thing in the way of pb writing. I just had too many things going on. But thanks to your posts and the constant encouragement of the 12×12 community on FB, I jumped into full gear and got a draft done, wrote a query letter for a separate project, and also revised an early chapter book I’m working on. Thank you!
This month was great. Writing and revising and beyond PB I completed a rough draft for an early chapter book. Very productive month!
This month was a pretty good one for me as I wrote 3 PB drafts and revised 2 existing PiBoIdMo manuscripts as well as an older chapter book manuscript
This month was a great month for me as I revised one pb manuscript and have written another.
Check, check, check!
Because of the WOW retreat, I’ve actually revised several manuscripts, even resurrecting one of my favorites and putting a new spin on it for critique with Denise Fleming.
Thanks for keeping us on track, Julie!
I wrote a new one and revised one this month! LOVED Stacy’s featured author post!
This is the first month of 12×12 that I haven’t written a new manuscript, but I did revise two others.
This is the first month I’ve completed a draft and a revision, and I’m a little confused about the Rafflecopter. Performed steps 1 through 4, but do not see how to “submit” my entry per step 5 … anyone? Is there a hidden submit button?
May was a wash, picture book ms-wise because of my daughter graduating from college, two weeks of renovations on our house, two weddings and a super nasty cold. But I did manage a half draft. Feeling the push to do better in June.
May is always crazy – for everyone I know! But I got ‘er done: 1 new ms, 2 revisions, LOTS of illustration revisions too!
1 new story (which I revised and then revised again) plus revisions on 5 other stories. Yep, lots got done in May!
I had a super productive month~ a new PB, the beginning of a non-fiction PB, and three revisions!
Well said. The Wonderful Month of May!
1 drafted. 1 revised.
(BTW, I really enjoy seeing everyone’s progress on here each month.)
Wrote a new manuscript this month, inspired by our family’s new puppy, and kept on revising existing ones.
No new mss this month but a solid revision in an existing one… almost ready for sharing!
Got one written and a few revised. Not too happy with the new one, but you never know what it will become months down the line!
Worked on a revision, but nothing new.
No new picture book but I did revise two. One from earlier this year and one old old one that I’ve been working on for two years. And I met a children’s publisher who wanted to see them so fingers crossed!
I agree with all of Stacy’s points and want to add – have faith in your writing and your manuscript. Persevere and you can find yourself with a publishing contract.
I’m on track so far — one MS written each month and at least one revised per month. I feel like I’ve revised my January MS a dozen times since then, but I think it’s only been four times and it still needs more work, but it’s getting there (I hope!).
Happy end of the month and start of the new!’ My plan was to work on two – threeee drafts but I only wrote one and revised an existing manuscript. I find I learn more which has been pushing me to make that first one better. Here’s to June where I will write some new material and step away from my completed manuscript.
wrote down ideas for new book… continued editing two others.
May I managed to achieve a lot. However, trying to work out my storyline for my June draft is proving much much, much!() more difficult already!
No new draft but two revisions.
The ms I wrote this month was terrible, horrible, no good, very bad! BUT, I always try to remember: the worst thing you write is better than the best thing you didn’t write. Looking forward to June.
I think that maybe quitting is much harder when it is the important stuff you’re trying to (or not) quit — so on some level you must have had a sense that you were SUPPOSED to be writing! Thanks for sharing your story — and congrats on all the successes!
whoops — just commented in the wrong place! 🙂
In any case: May was a crazy month with non-writing doings, but I got a lot done in the first half — one new MS that I really like…
Every month I check in I am amazed at what I have accomplished. This is such a rewarding part of the process and I would not be here without crit group deadlines! I drafted three new stories this month and revised one. I hope I can turn June into the month of revision.
1 new picture book ms, and a whole lotta revising!
May was absolutely so full of activities that I didn’t get a draft or revision accomplished. But watch out June as I try to compensate for the lack of time and energy to write!
One new manuscript, a couple of revisions and an idea for nex month, 12×12 is really keeping me motivated.
I revised two…count ’em, two. Manuscripts. Whoopeeee!
Wrote two new MS and editing and revising almost every day/every week. It’s a full time job! Oh, and a completed query letter too.
I got two manuscripts revised.
Did some writing, but mostly re-did my portfolio for the NJ SCBWI conference in a couple of weeks.
Great post. Inspirational.
Two drafts & a revision in May – a very busy month with reunion and two graduation ceremonies at the Academy where I now reside, plus a trip to collect son’s stuff from college (in another country). Whew! Hope I can keep up the momentum in the quieter months ahead.
I did get a manuscript written this month but I was unfortunatley away from a computer during the entire time the copter was active. Oh well. This is my life with toddlers. 🙂