After landing in Baltimore yesterday afternoon, and waiting approximately forever for my bag, Roseanna and I hunkered down at our cabin to crank out a few thousand words before bed. Our Internet connection is a bit spotty (probably for the best) so pictures of our very hard chairs will have to wait for tomorrow.
I'm looking forward to a good day of writing tomorrow and hope you have a productive day of warring!
Not sure what a word war is? Here's how it works:
What it is: A word war is when you and another writer (or in this case, lots of other writers!) compete to see who can write the most words in a designated period of time.
This word war began Wednesday and will end Monday night. It's a come-and-go, write-when-you-can style of war, so it's never too late to join!
The goal is to buckle down and focus on our manuscripts whenever we can, make good use of our writing time, and encourage each other as we do. Hopefully you'll be meeting new writers and deepening friendships as the war goes on!
Here's how you can connect with each other:
1. In the comments section of the blog. Something as simple as "Just wrote 1,000 words in the last hour!" is fine. Or you can challenge each other to word wars. There is strength in being able to encourage each other and in knowing that others are hard at work too.
2. On Twitter, using the hashtag #GTWwordwar, or on the Go Teen Writers Community Facebook Group. (This is a closed group, so if you're not a member, you can apply to join by clicking here.)
Happy writing!
I got roughly 2k down yesterday. I'm afraid I won't be able to write much today, but I'll try my beast :(
ReplyDeleteWow, that's great. Good for you!
DeleteI have to go back to work today, so I doubt I'll get much writing done...
ReplyDeleteI can still hope, though, right?
See y'all around 1:00 (my time) if I can!
Written 667 words so far this morning, hoping to reach 6k today :). ~Savannah
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
DeleteHow did you do?
DeleteIf anyone wants to war today, I should be here for most of the morning/afternoon!
ReplyDeleteIf anyone wants to war today, I should be here for most of the morning/afternoon!
ReplyDeleteI'm in for a war:) I am typing my handwritten chapters onto the computer and need something to push me to keep going.
DeleteHey Megan are you still there? Cause I'm up for a war :)
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DeleteSounds great! (if i dont comment immediately its because of my evil internet connection lol!)
DeleteHaha sounds good! I feel your pain-I somehow just deleted my comment!
DeleteI got 289, with my last line: "How old was he, four?"
Delete123 words. Last sentence: The overly salted soups highlight was some slimy meat.
DeleteNice job!
DeleteGood job, I love your last sentence! Do you want to do :30-40?
Deletego!
DeleteHope you don't mind if I join :). ~Savannah
DeleteMay I join in on the next one?
Delete115 words. last sentence: "Who wants a home-cooked meal tonight?"
DeleteI finished with 101 words, and my last sentence was: Swirling gently, it revealed an elf boy with tousled brown hair and sparkling eyes. ~Savannah
DeleteOf course, the more the merrier!
DeleteYou guys can join:)
Delete152 words, with my last line: "In his experience, this usually meant she had been sleeping."
DeleteDo y'all want to do :45-55?
DeleteLove your last sentence Savannah!
DeleteThanks Megan :). I would join in the next war, but I have to go. See y'all later :). ~Savannah
DeleteGood job! :45-:55 works:)
DeleteSure!
DeleteI got 176, with my last line: "Sure, they had all been friends at one point, but it hadn’t been like that for several months."
Delete99 words. Last sentence: He shook their hands warmly.
DeleteGreat job guys! I have to go:( Keep up all the good writing!
DeleteHey guys! I probably can't stay for long, but f anyone is still word warring, i'm willing to join.
Delete~K.A.C.
Hi K.A.C.! Do you want to do :05-:15
DeleteIs it too late to join? -Miriam
DeleteNo, Miriam, you can join:)
DeleteOkay thanks! :) -Miriam
DeleteHey! May I join on the next one as well? Sorry for the interruptions, I don't mind waiting a few rounds :) - Jess
DeleteSure, Jess!
DeleteThanks! - Jess
DeleteI got 189, with my last line: "Too many people depended on him."
DeleteDo y'all want to do :20-:30?
I got 315 words. My last sentences were: "we're friends, Raven. I'm not going to let you do this alone."
Delete~K.A.C.
Great word count! (and all of these snippets are making me really intrigued...) I'll start at :20! - Jess
Delete383 words from that other word war, the one my naughty internet wouldn't let me reply to...
DeleteI got 116 that time. My last sentence was: Annie stood frozen in the corner of the room, her hand still on the light switch. -Miriam
Delete123 words.
DeleteLast sentence: They chatted quietly, seeming very much in love.
I just got 268, with my last line: "The shirt was faded beyond belief and had a picture of a dinosaur on it."
DeleteI got 311 words. My last sentence was: and with that, she left. I have to go now. Good luck to everyone else warring right now.
Delete~K.A.C.
195 words. Last sentence: “Yes, yes, Mum, I looked both ways. And I remembered to shut the door. And I’m wearing this –” I pluck at my jumper, which looks brown instead of red in this light – “which is really warm, AND look: my proper boots.” (It's hard to read without italics. And writing as an energetic ten-year-old has the annoying effect of making my writing more rambly than I'd like.) - Jess
DeleteGreat job everyone! I have to go too, but I'll be back later today!
DeleteAnyone still around fof another word war, say :50-:00?
DeleteSure. I can do :50-00 -Miriam
Delete367 words for me.
DeleteLast sentence: She could still feel his eyes boring into her.
Another from :05-:15?
I wrote got 266 words, and the last sentence was: The truth was, it was happening, and I'd never been one to deny the truth. -Miriam
DeleteMind if I join? ~Savannah
DeleteI can't do the next one, but thanks everyone! All your stories look really good and I hope you keep being productive! - Jess
DeleteSure, Savannah!
DeleteSure, Savannah!
DeleteI have to go for a little bit, but I'll be back soon. Great job so far everyone! -Miriam
DeleteWrote 226 words, with my last sentence being: “Exactly what I said,” Dakota stared at the Whisper queen, “It’s open, I saw if for myself.” ~Savannah
DeleteWhoops, that's supposed to say 'it' not 'if' :). My mistake! ~Savannah
DeleteOof! My internet is FINALLY letting me reply. I got 354 words, with the final sentence of: "How will we escape my shadows?"
DeleteMaybe I had better stop word-warring while I'm ahead...
Just finished another 1004 words :). ~Savannah
ReplyDeleteExciting to see another word war taking place!!
ReplyDeleteYesterday I wrote 422 words; so far today I've written 378. :) I have been suffering a writing drought lately, so I'm glad to make even a small bit of progress. :)
All you writers out there are doing a splendid job!! Keep it up!!!
~Whitney
800 words in all? That's great, Whitney! ~Savannah
DeleteI'm with you, Whitney. I've been in a writing drought for quite a while, and I'm finally starting to get some words down again. Small numbers compared to everyone else, but exciting for me. :)
DeleteWe can do it! Overcome the drought!
1,228 words so far today.
ReplyDeleteThat puts me at 11,346 words since Wednesday morning. It took me a month to write 10k last time.
Word wars are some SERIOUS motivation! I want to get at least 20k done before this war's over!
11,346 words?! That's amazing! Good job, DeVall Girls! Good luck with getting to 20k words! ~Savannah
DeleteKeep up the outstanding work! You can do it!
DeleteHowdy! :) I'm new to this word war thing, but if anyone is still doing it, I'd love to join! :)
ReplyDeleteWoah! People are quiet again...
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking out a few things in this short story, but if anyone's okay warring with my stream-of-conscious writing, I'm around! :)
Small writerly side note: I think I have a problem. In the past month I have acquired five or six notebooks and have finished zero. Hehe...
Do you want to go for twenty minutes? :)
DeleteOoh. Well, that would be interesting...I hardly think the free-write will take that long, but maybe I'll move into actually writing. Sure. On the hour, then?
DeleteSure!! :) :)
DeleteI'll join in. I have to work off the thousands of gummi worms i just basicly inhaled.
Delete~K.A.C.
663 words of almost complete nonsense, haha. I don't think that helped. I'm just going to dive back into writing the actual story, because at least that forces me to keep the story moving forward.
Delete@K.A.C. Hahaha! :) If I had thousands of gummi worms, they would be gone too. :)
Delete@Amanda. Hey, they're WORDS ON THE PAGE!! :) Good job!
I got a bit of a head start. ;) Did more of thirty minutes than twenty. :) So my final count was 1,282. Last sentence was: "He had told her that the only faith they held was in themselves."
Y'all want to go for twenty-thirty minutes again?
Do you mind if I join?
DeleteNot at all!! :) Love to have more people!! :P
DeleteSo how about we write from 3:30 to 4:00??
OK, I guess I'll join you guys too, if that's all right with you? Probably twenty minutes is all I can pull off right now.
DeleteI got less than 200 words. I joined halfway and hit a wall in my story. I'd love to go another 20 min. though.
Delete~K.A.C.
Sounds good! I might not be able to stick around until :00, so mine might be ten minutes shorter, but I'll try.
DeleteCan I join as well? -Miriam
DeleteJoining in! (AKA Getting Off Pinterest Now. ;)
DeleteAbsolutely!! :)
DeleteHave to stop at :45--got 245 words.
DeleteHave to stop--137. Thanks for warring, folks!
DeleteGreat job, y'all! :) Had a pleasure warring with you! :)
DeleteMy last count was 828 words.
For anyone who wants to continue warring, I'm going for another thirty minutes! :)
I got 1,170 words written. I have to go now for a little bit. -Miriam
DeleteI got 681 words. I wasn't sure what i was doing this past chapter, but the characters kinda led the way. It will still need major revisions.
DeleteLast sentence: without drawing any attention, Raven crept downstairs to not only meet her husband, but her future as well. I'm still up for a word war, but i probably won't start for 5 min. So i can set up a new page and get everything organized.
~K.A.C.
Thanks for warring, everyone! I'm going to be gone for a couple hours now, but can probably war again in about three and a half hours (maybe around 7:40 according to the time on here, which I think is an hour behind my time) if anyone's around then.
DeleteWay to go, y'all!! :)
DeleteHeehee. My word count is getting slower and slower!! :) Last one was 598. Last sentence was: "Some fingers had more than one string."
I might take a break. Not sure how long it'll last or when/if I'll come back. But thanks for warring with me, y'all! :) I might be back in five minutes to keep warring...then again, maybe not... ;)
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ReplyDeleteI'm around for the next half hour, if anyone's up for a war.
ReplyDeleteYou can join our war! :) :)
DeleteAnyone around for a quick war? I'm trying to practice writing action scenes and need something to get me started.
ReplyDeleteYup!! :) At 4:00 I'm going for another thirty minutes! :) You can join me!! :)
DeleteUgh...guys, I'm at that point where I've lost all motivation to keep going on my manuscript. It's my first book to ever get his far (I've never finished a manuscript before) and I just want to get to the end, even if the novel sucks. I'm pantsing it, so it's even worse. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteAh... think of your best character in the entire novel and write the rest of it for them?
DeleteTrust me, i am the queen of unfinished projects. I'm almost 75% through my current WIP and am flipping out because i've never gotten that far before.
DeleteSometimes, you just need to step away and let it sit for a few hours. When you come back and read through the page, usually you can continue. I'm a complete plotter, so i don't really know that much about pantsing. But somethines, if you just let your characters talk and act, they will take you somewhere. This happened in the last chapter i was working on.
~K.A.C.
Ugh, I hate that situation. You could try taking a break--just don't leave it for too long or you'll never go back to it. Try doing a few scenes in a POV that you haven't used yet--I find that doing that can help me through a writing slump. Maybe bringing in a new character could help, too, if you need a twist. And most important--keep writing, no matter what.
DeleteWell, I'm not anything near an expert on this...but this is my two cents.
DeleteI'm 65,500 words through my estimated 150,000 word novel...which is a rather daunting number. ;) It's the biggest project I've ever attempted and it's my second summer working on it. With this novel, I've often had to take breaks for months at a time, writing only short works for contests and such. But then I have to buckle down and write pretty seriously for several weeks.
If you're out of motivation, perhaps taking a little break and writing a few short stories or flash fiction for contests might help you get more excited about writing?
That's about all I can think of. :( Sorry I can't be more help!
Thanks, everyone...Unfortunately, taking breaks has done no good for me. It's far too late for another character, and POVs do no good. I think I need to understand that this simply happens when you dive in with no plot, and just power through. I'm close to the end...sort of.
DeleteWow, this is gonna be a short book.
I have a lot off ideas I want to try out, and I think simply the idea of finishing is enough to creep me along slowly. At worst I'll finish the book in a couple month. At worst, I'll finish it...NEVER. I guess this isn't one of those projects where your fingers fly over the keyboard. Thanks again :).
Another idea, you could try plotting a few things. I used to be a pantser, but I've started plotting and I think it's helping. Even just a vague list of things that are going to happen (they go to ____, stuff happens, then they ____, etc.) might help give you direction. If you're visual like me, you could try making a storyboard out of notecards.
DeleteThanks Katie!
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ReplyDeleteI haven't written much today but I'm free for word wars if anyone wants to join me! Also, a random question: how do you know when to really start the plot going? I'm at 35 pages and my plot has been building but I feel like the "adventure part" of it is ready to happen. Is that too early to start the character off on her adventure? I know it is a personal kind of thing, but what do you guys think?
ReplyDeleteI think it's never to early to start the action. If you wait much longer, you're going to lose a lot of readers early on. I personally spend very little time building before I get the plot rolling, but if those first pages really hook the reader, waiting for a while can definitely work. Obviously you want to keep the pacing pretty realistic, though, so keep an eye on that--depending on your story, you might need more time. Whatever seems best to you--that should always be your deciding factor.
DeleteCan't war now, unfortunately. Maybe in two hours, if you're still around then.
I would say that it's maybe better to have the action start soonish...to avoid having the reader feel like the beginning is too slow. And if you feel like the adventure is ready to start, go for it! You can always tweak the timing in editing :)
DeleteThank you! Ellie, I hope to war with you soon. Katie, do you want to war now? And this really helped - I asked my younger sister who isn't a writer and she said it was probably too soon but this makes me feel a lot more confident. thank you again!
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DeleteYou're welcome! Sure! Maybe :50 to :00?
DeleteSounds good to me!
Deleteso sorry I have to leave for dinner! hopefully I'll war with you soon!
DeleteYou're fine! Talk to you later :)
DeleteDoes anyone want to word war with me?
ReplyDeleteI can probably do one for ten minutes right now, and then I can probably war after but not until :30 or so. :55 to :05?
Deletethat sounds great, Ellie!
DeleteI wrote 402 words. My last sentence was: My heartbeat picks up and I can feel every second of it pumping away in my chest, like a ticker for how long I have to respond to her question.
DeleteI wrote 298. Last sentence: "You just have to accept that things are going to happen that are out of your control.”
DeleteI have to go for a few minutes now, but I can definitely come back for another war after. Maybe we could do :35-:45 if that works for you?
Sure! Great job!
DeleteOkay, I'm back.
DeleteI only wrote 149 words. I was preoccupied for part of the time and working on just figuring out where my story is going another part of the time. My last sentence is: And teachers might want to speak to me.
DeleteYeah, I'm kind of struggling too. I'm trying to rework the plot, so mostly I'm writing random paragraphs that may or may not have any real purpose. 152 words this time around. Last sentence: "Whatever it was, it didn't look good."
DeleteNice job! Do you want to do another?
DeleteAbsolutely! :55-:05?
DeleteSorry I didn't write back - but yes!
DeleteI wrote 404 words. My last sentence was: How is it that I knew what he was doing without him saying anything and yet I couldn’t remember my own names?
DeleteHow did you do?
Thanks for letting me hop in! I got 467 my last sentence was: “There is a reason I just handed you two weapons.” Tony smirked.
DeleteGreat job, Melody! I have to go but this was fun!
DeleteGreat job! I managed 217 this time. Last (random) sentence: "You're not normal, why should the sky have to be?"
DeleteOkay, so my characters are weird. Want to go again?
Sure! What times?
Delete@Melody--How's :15-:25?
Delete@Laurel--thanks for the wars! Night!
Sure thing!
DeleteMind if I join you? -Miriam
Delete@Miriam--the more the merrier!
DeleteI got 515, my last sentence: “It is nothing.” He chocked out, “keep going!”
DeleteI wrote 321 words. My last sentence was: She shook her head furiously and ran in the direction Douglas and Ruthie had gone. -Miriam
DeleteGreat job, both of you! I got 239, ending with: It gazed at us for a moment, then, apparently deciding we weren’t much of a threat, lowered its head and continued feeding.
DeleteI am going to have go for now. I was fun waring with you guys!
DeleteYou guys up for another?
DeleteCommenting process takes WAY too long here, which is why my answers seem to be in the wrong order half the time . . . anyway, thanks for warring, Melody! Good night!
DeleteI have to go now too, but I'll be back tomorrow! Great job everyone. -Miriam
DeleteWord war anyone?
ReplyDeleteI might do another with Ellie right above if you would like to join us.
DeleteYep, we're on for another if you'd like to jump in!
DeleteAnyone still around for one last war?
ReplyDelete685 words!
ReplyDelete