DL Hammons over at Crusing Altitude 2.0 and I are happy to bring you a blogfest that's intended to spotlight your [W]ork [I]n [P]rogress. Our idea is to provide a forum on Friday, May 31st to allow anyone interested to give the blogosphere an avant-goût of your most recent WIP. We'll provide a few prompts to answer in your own post and give you an opportunity to solicite CP's (partners who exchange material for detailed critique--usually chapter by chapter) or Beta Readers (test readers who read the entire manuscripts and offer broad opinions) if interested.
Here are prompts we'd like you to include:
WIP Title
Word Count (current and projected)
Genre
How long you've been working on manuscript
Elevator pitch line(if you came across an agent in an elevator, what couple of lines would you use to summarize your book)
Brief synopsis (250 words or less)
Are you looking for a CP
Are you looking for a Beta
Grab the badge up top, sign up on the linky tool below, and mark your calendar for May 31st while I channel a little Devo for you--and let's Wip It . . . Wip it Good . . . Wip it Real Good!
This is my second year participating in the A-Z Challenge. I had such a blast last year that not only am I back for more, but I'm also part of the Ninja Minions team who will be helping Alex J. Cavanaugh, one of the many awesome co-hosts this year. Anyway, I'd like to give you some reasons why you should join the A-Z challenge (if you haven't already). But I'd also like to share some of the mistakes I made last year so hopefully you can avoid them and make your own. :P For those who may not know, the A-Z Challenge is the brainchild of blogger/writer Arlee Bird at Tossing it Out. It is a yearly blogging challenge where participants commit to posting six days a week during the month of April (Sunday's are off days). Participants are free to blog about what ever they choose however, there is one rule to follow. During the challenge, each day will correspond to a different letter in the alphabet starting with A on April 1st, all the way to Z on April 30th. Topics posted need only to begin with the corresponding letter. For more information and where to sign up, go to the official A-Z webpage HERE.
Why you should join the A-Z Challenge:
Build your platform and fan base. This is particularly important for people like writers, artists, performers, etc.
Get/maintain a certain amount of exposure. Important for new bloggers but also for those who have been around a few years.
Networking. Via the challenge you will meet other bloggers in your area of interest. Remember, the people you meet today, could very well be the people you network with tomorrow.
Personal challenge. It's not always easy posting six days a week, but in the end, it's a great feeling knowing you can do it.
The challenge sparks new ideas and gets your creative mind into high gear. Several writers have gone on to publish their A-Z posts into book form.
Visiting other blogs will give you ideas on how to improve your own site and blog design.
Meet people, build/strengthen friendships. This is by far the best part of the challenge in my opinion. Last year during A-Z I met people from all over the world, several of which I now consider to be my good friends. There's something special and enriching about having the power to exchange dialogue with people in different countries and foraging real friendships.
What to Expect:
Late nights, red eyes. It's a given. :P
Followers. During the challenge you will get an influx of visitors and new followers to your blog. :D Don't hesitate to follow back blogs that fit your general interest.
Comments. This can be quite simple. When someone takes the time to leave you a comment, return the courtesy by commenting on their blog. You also have the option of e-mailing them (if they're not a noreply-commenter), but remember, the idea behind this blog challenge is not only daily posting, it's also visiting other blog sites.
Captcha. Please consider disabling word verification if you have it turned on, or at least turn it off during the challenge. Word verification is a pain in the rear when you're trying to comment on lots of blogs. It slows down the whole commenting process when you're having to retype the screwed up letters and out of focus numbers three times because you can't, for the life of you, make them out. If you don't know how to disable word verification, Mina Lobo at Some Dark Romantic has a step by step pictorial tutorial on how to do it HERE.
May downtime. There tends to be a slight dip in blogging activity in May after the challenge. Many bloggers are exhausted and need time to recharge. But things usually pick right back up in June and July.
How to Survive:drink lots of caffeine :P
START NOW. Especially new bloggers, start writing your posts today! Last year I had nothing prewritten and having to write my posts on the fly was CRAZY. Not impossible mind you, but not the easiest way to do things. Anyway, I learned my lesson and have already pre-written about a dozen posts, which is great because it frees up time for me to visit other blogs.
Have a theme. Of course you don't have to have a theme. Some people are great at writing random posts on the fly. But if you're not one of those people, then think of a theme and stick to it. Having a theme last year is about the only thing I did right. It kept me from wasting even more time trying to figure out what the hell to write that day.
Keep posts SHORT. Last year, my blog posts averaged 420 words and in my opinion, that's too long. Some were even over 700 words. Remember, not only will you have to write these posts, but the thousand + people signed up will be visiting and commenting on blogs. If your posts are too long, say over 250 words, many people will end up skimming them. Best to keep posts short and sweet.
Don't play hard to find. Make sure the link to your blog site is available in your profile. Some people even add their blog address at the end of their comments to make them easier to find.
Be nice. If you can't be nice, move onto another blog. The comment box is not the place to be an asshat.
And last but not least: HAVE FUN! Think of this as a month long block party packed with talented, creative, kindhearted, and knowledgeable folks all just wanting to hang out and meet other bloggers like yourself.
Now for those of you who have already signed up for the A-Z Challenge, *chest bump :P* Mina Lobo at Some Dark Romantic is co-hosting a special bloghop called The Big Reveal. On March 31st, people signed up will reveal their theme for the A-Z Challenge. So go check it out if you've got an A-Z theme brewing. (;
DL Hammons from Cruising Altitude (which you should seriously go check out if you haven't already) is hosting another round of WRiTE CLUB! I wasn't around last year for the first one but from what I've read, it sounds AWESOME! A quick breakdown of the writing competition: Beginning July 30th, weekly bouts will be held to determine winners for the play-offs and undisputed champion. Over the course of 12 weeks, your ANONYMOUS 500 word writing sample will go head to head with other entries in the ultimate writing championship. Anyone can take part and can submit entries from any genre. For the complete set of rules and guidelines go HERE.
Here are DL Hammons tenets (ring any bells?) copied from his blog post:
1st RULE: You MUST talk about WRiTE CLUB - Spread the word far and wide so we can involve as many writers as possible. Display the WRiTE CLUB banner prominently on your own blog. Write a post about it. Tweet it. Mention it on Facebook. Encourage people to submit or vote.
2nd RULE: You DO NOT talk about WRiTE CLUB – Once the competition begins you are not allowed to solicit votes. All of the writing entries are anonymous, and we want it to stay that way.
3rd RULE: If someone taps out, WRiTING is over - Tapping out means a WRiTER can decide at any time during the 12 week competition to withdraw their name from the pool.
4th RULE: Only two people to a WRiTE - This is a head-to head competition, no ganging up allowed.
5th RULE: One WRiTE per week - No matter how many submissions I receive, there will only be one WRiTE per week.
6th RULE: No shirts, no shoes - Come on, tell me you didn't giggle at that one.
7th RULE:WRiTES will go on until Oct5th - On that date the 12 winners will be matched up against one another on daily posts until the ultimate WRiTER is chosen.
8th RULE: If this is your first week at WRiTE CLUB, you HAVE to WRiTE - Each week newsubmissions will be placed in a "newby" pool from which one half of the WRiTE will be made up. The other WRiTER will come from the existing pool. If there are no "newbies", both WRiTERS will come from the existing pool less the previous winners.
Do you have a writer's warrior spirit? Curious to see how your writing measures up? Then what are you waiting for, go sign up!
And Welcome to WRiTE CLUB.
just a little something to get you in the mood... (;
