Time to Sign Up for the April Book in a Month Challenge

We're halfway through March and it's time to start thinking about our April writing goals. What are you hoping to accomplish this spring? Are you going to keep working on your current project? Are you ready to start something new? Are you putting pen to paper for the first time and need someone to cheer you on? You've come to the right place.

Many of you are previous participants in my writing challenges. Some of you will be attending the LDStorymakers Writers Conference this weekend and are going to come home fired up and ready to go. Others are new to this site and aren't sure what to expect, so I'll tell you how we do things around here.

1. Leave a comment in the trail for this blog and tell me your name and what your goals are for April. Ideally, when doing a Book in a Month challenge, you are trying to get as much written as humanly possible. It's your project for that month. You're focusing on it like nothing else. However, this isn't always possible, and so some participants set the goal of writing for half hour a day. I encourage you to set a goal that will stretch you just a little bit but isn't so far out of reach that you feel hopeless. Only you can decide the goal that's best for you.

2. On your own blog, write a post about your goal and link it back to this blog. Tell your readers what you're doing -- they'll be a good support system for you as well. That is, if your readers are as good as mine are.

3. Between now and April 1st, think about what you'd like to accomplish, specifically. Make notes on ideas you have. Get your brain geared up so you are ready to go.

4. At 12:01 am on April 1st, you are free to start writing. Write as much as you can and don't stop until 12:00 midnight on the eve of April 30th. I do ask that you check in regularly and tell me what progress you made. I will post my progress daily and will give writing tips, encouragement, and will answer questions. At the end of the challenge, please check in with the total for the month so I can add them all together. And remember, we're writing, not editing. Don't let yourself get bogged down in making everything just perfect. Get the ideas out on the paper and don't be critical. We edit when we're done writing. If you backspace every thirty seconds, you won't get very far.

5. I encourage you to visit the blogs of the other participants and get to know each other. The more we cheer each other on, the more inclined we'll be to keep writing.

If you have any questions, leave them in this comment trail as well. Thanks for joining me -- we're going to have so much fun.