Rocking Writer, Tweet Tweet Tweet: Author Blog Challenge & ROW80 Update

Welcome to Day Three of my Winter Author Blog Challenge journey. Today's prompt...

Are you on Twitter? Perhaps more than any of the other social media platforms, Twitter has developed its own language. Tweets. Twitterverse. Retweet. Are you invested in the lingo? So how do you make a statement in 140 characters? Are you following more people or are more people following you? How do you decide whom to follow? Do you reciprocate and automatically follow back everyone who follows you? What kinds of things do you post? How often do you post? What advice do you have for those who are just getting started? 

Admitting I'm a dork is nothing new, so it should come as no shock that I can't think of Twitter without humming Rocking Writer (makes more sense than robin for me), Tweet Tweet Tweet.  Every time I go on Twitter this little ditty plays in my head.

When I first started on Twitter, which I did in May 2011 as part of the first blogathon I ever joined, I was lost. What would I tweet? Would anyone care?

I may not be hip with the lingo, but I like the format. It forces brevity and makes users rely on words... pictures aren't as easily shared on Twitter as they are on FB (unless I'm missing something). I'm more of a word girl than a picture girl, go figure.

Hating to hurt anyone's feelings, I initially followed EVERYONE who followed me. But I found this made my Twitter feed a mess of stuff I didn't want to read. So now I look into the people that follow me and follow back those I find interesting. As of today, I have 1088 followers and follow 1011. Clearly I find most people interesting!

My favorite part about Twitter are word sprints. My #ROW80 buddies do a #teamsprinty sprint weekdays at 2pmEST (or at least I hope they still do... I need to get back in the habbit). There's also #wordmongering (jump on and see who is writing). I LOVE these! And I just discovered #editmongering... hold me back!

For those just getting started, I would jump into these types of hashtags and get to know people. It'll make tweeting fun! Also, search for authors who have written books you love and see what their tweets are like. If you write a certain genre, follow authors in that genre. Now that I've started writing YA, I'm looking in to different YA authors and their followers.

Most of all, have fun with it, in 140 characters or less of course.

*****

Now for my Sunday A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) update (which is actually on Sunday this week because I have a guest post running tomorrow)...

Writing: Attended a writing conference this weekend. So stoked to get back to writing with a brain full of tips, strategies, and enthusiasm. I'll post more from the Pamlico Writer's Conference soon, but I had to share my wonderful news... 

I won first place in the YA writing contest!! *jumping up and down*

Editing: I'm applying my editor's comments and suggestions from the prologue and chapter 1 to the rest of the book. These edits will be sent on Friday, so no excuses!

Blogging: Posting every day until March 15 for the Winter Author Blog Challenge, and then back to my MWF schedule until the Blogging from A to Z Challenge starts April 1.

Reading: Lots lately! Check out Mom in Love with Fiction for reviews.

Speeding By: ROW80 Check In

What about A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) makes Sunday to Wednesday go by in such a flash?! Actually the whole round is scooting by too quickly.

I have a brief update since I'm posting daily for Blogathon (and other challenges) this month. Normally I'd include the ROW80 update in a post, but I've been trying to write posts ahead.

My Update

Writing: Only 516 words since Sunday. But to be fair, I spent six hours in a car on Tuesday (coming back from a quick trip to North Carolina to meet with friends, family, and clients). I hope to make Thursday and Friday #teamsprinty #row80 wordsprints this week.

Blogging: Like crazy. I will post one a day here in May. Mom in Love with Fiction may have to suffer a bit this month.

Editing: Back to it. I hope to spend an hour tomorrow and Friday focused on client editing.

Social Media: Some days it feels like I'll never get around to all the blogs I want to. But I'm trying. Honestly.

Reading: Can't. Keep. My. Eyes. Open. Lately.

Exercise: Still getting up at 5:30am two days a week to run plus one long run. I'm happy.

I hope my ROW80 friends are kicking it. Check out their awesomeness here.

Mirror Mirror: ROW80 Update

Tonight I took my baby girl to see Mirror Mirror. I am quite the fan of fairy tales, and love to see them retold. My daughters and I watch Once Upon a Time together, so I was really looking forward to another Snow White saga.

Seeing age old fairy tales revisited and different spins on classic tales gives me hope as a writer. I'm always worried that my ideas aren't original enough, and I don't want to do what's already been done.

What I have to remember is that no two people, much less authors, see life through the same lenses. Even if we came up with the same story, we bring to it our own experiences and emotions. Snow White is a basic tale, but look what it has spawned. In addition to the television show and Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman is slated to hit theaters on June 1, 2012.

I say bring on the fairy tales. I'm looking forward to all the interpretations, and I love the reminder that we all have a tale to tell.

FYI: I love Once Upon a Time, but I was only mildly entertained by Mirror Mirror.

My ROW80 Update

A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) is the writing challenge that knows you have a life. Participants set goals and check in on Sundays and Wednesdays for support and encouragement.

Writing: Thanks to another #teamsprinty #ROW80 wordsprint (Monday-Friday, 2:00-3:00pm EST), I logged 1,128 words since Wednesday's check in. Not stellar, but I'll take it!!

Editing: Sent off my first beta read comments. I haven't heard back yet, so I hope I didn't scare her away.

Blogging: A to Z ends tomorrow, and it's been a blast. In case you missed these... Writing Wanderlust = W, Xanthippe & Xenophon = X, and Yakety Yak = Y.

Social Media: Still in catch-up mode.

Reading: My head has been hitting the pillow hard the last few days, so I've slowed down.

Exercise:  Running going well, but food is not. I'm visiting my mother this weekend... need I explain further?

Hoping all my ROW80 friends, and anyone else trying to meet goals, are doing well!

When Will I Learn? = ROW80 Check In

What is it about knowing what will work that causes me to do the opposite? I know eating too much sugar makes me bloated and yucky, yet I crave it. I know I have to write to accumulate words, yet I let anything and everything distract me from it. Yes, let. As much as I'd like to pretend otherwise, it's a choice. A choice I make way too much these days.

It's so much easier to blame distractions (phone rings; email, FB, and Twitter announcements flash on my phone; stomach growls; kids come home; and on and on) than to focus.

Today, I forced myself to do a #ROW80 #teamsprinty word sprint. Yes, I must use the word forced. I tried a thousand times during the day to talk myself out of it, although I wasn't totally conscious of doing so. "I have so much to do," kept taking over my thoughts.

In the first thirty minutes of the sprint, I had 208 words. They came out slowly and painfully. I was set to give up, but I couldn't go out with a 208 thirty-minute check in. I may be pig-headed, but I'm no quitter. The second half whizzed by, and I had 822 more words to show for it. And, guess what? I kept writing for thirty minutes and added 671 words. An hour and a half of focus resulted in 1,701 words.

I've learned this lesson before, so back to my title... when will I learn? Why do I fight what I know to be true? I do this with more things than writing, and it's starting to tick me off. I'm going to be 40 in August, and it's high time I learn a lesson and log it permanently into my brain. Learning a lesson the first time is hard enough!

Wish me luck!

My ROW80 Update

Writing: See above. Now to make 2-3pm part of my magic writing time at least 3x a week. That's now part of my goals.

Blogging: A to Z is still cruising along (although it's also been one of my excuses not to work on the WIP). Since Sunday: Tripping over Transitions = T, Undone and Unsettled = U (thanks, Mom!), and Veracity = V.

Editing: I have signed on to be a beta reader for the first time. I'll include that here, because I don't know that I can differentiate between beta reading and editing. Can someone enlighten me? I can't help but to correct and offer suggestions. But, as a beta reader versus a hired editor, should I only give generalized impressions?

Social Media: I'm catching up, but refusing to let it be my excuse for not getting other things done.

Reading: Still going strong. I finished another book Monday, and reviewed it. Finally wrote my Ape House review for tomorrow (on Mom in Love with Fiction).

Exercise: Running is becoming a way of life for me, thanks to some wonderful running partners. I never thought I'd say that. Ever. I'm quite proud of myself. Sugar, however, loves to present itself as a reward. Still working on conquering that.

Check out some other A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) participants here.

Reinvesting in my Goals: ROW80 Check In

Catching up is not easy. Life keeps coming at you with no regard for all the items building on the to-do list. I have 500 emails in one account and 9 pages of emails in another. All things I either need to get to, or would like to.

My January was not kind. I took a five-day vacation with girlfriends, something I've never done before, but it put me way behind. No problem, I thought at the time, I'll catch up. Life laughed as each one of my kids got Strep throat (plus Mom and Dad!) and then my baby girl was diagnosed with Lyme's disease. Still, I believed. Life laughed again.

I need a couple of days where I can get things done and no new responsibilities come in the door. Wait, now you are all laughing.

After weeks of being behind, I felt lost in a sea of what to do next. It was draining. Usually I'm high energy, bouncing around from one thing to another. But the last couple of days, I sat there staring at blank paper trying to prioritize everything I needed to do. The paper stayed blank.

Until a client did me the biggest favor. She was honest and kind when she asked if I needed to pass on any additional work. What a beautiful kick in the butt. No, I did not want to pass. First of all, I love her work! But I also hate letting life (or anything) get the better of me. I immediately responded and prioritized.

Sometimes all the running can't get you caught up, but that doesn't mean you should stop. I'm back to a nice jog, and I'm feeling less breathless.

My ROW80 Update

A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) is "the writing challenge that knows you have a life." From the website: We are all different and we all have different demands on our time. Why should we all have the same goal? The simple answer is that we shouldn’t. If you want to be a writer, then you have to be able to roll with the punches and adapt to your changing circumstances. If that means changing your goals when your life blows up, so be it. ROW80 is the challenge that champions the marriage of writing and real life. (I had to include this because my mom asked me what the "Row-thingy" was.)

Writing: A lovely blogger (and my overfull brain is spacing on the name, but I'm SO thankful) suggested I reread my WIP to get back in the groove. I started that and am feeling it. I can't control the editor in me, but that will only make it better. I hope to get back to my test mile (500 words a day) soon. Joining #teamsprinty #ROW80 wordsprints (2pm EST) more regularly will help.

Blogging: Still daily. I need to back off and embrace other projects, but I can't seem to help myself. It feels wrong not to pop over and write a post. I've only posted once on Mom in Love with Fiction since Sunday, but I have a review in the works.

Social Media: I'm keeping up with it, but barely. I have to give it limited time right now, but I am keeping up with my ROW80 sponsor commitments.

Reading: At night as long as my eyes remain open. I may have to abandon The Book Thief for a bit to read a couple of books for reviews. I like The Book Thief, but it's not a fast read. I want to give it more than I have right now. Do you ever come upon books like that: a wonderful, deserving read that your brain just isn't quite ready for?

Editing: Rocked it today, over 30 pages edited total. Now I need to go back and make notes to send to one author and finish another project. I'm hoping my clients will forgive a rough January, especially when they see my commitment to kick it back into high gear.

Exercise: If only I could find a way to combine exercise and sleeping, I'd be golden! I did fit in a five mile walk (ran half of it) on Tuesday. Eating is horrible. I need to get it back under control. Why is fast food never healthy? My life needs fast right now.

I hope everyone is meeting their goals or reassessing them as necessary. Let me know how you are doing!