T minus 24 and counting until SPEEDBO

Are you ready?? SpeedBo starts TOMORROW!!

Audra here. Over the past couple of weeks, terrific bits and pieces of information and encouragement have been posted here in Seekerville to help you prepare for SpeedBo. Everything from scheduling time, to preparing your psyche, to delicious recipes and much more!

I’m so excited, I’m giddy, LOL!

Before we launch into our month of frenzied writing, I’d like to visit and re-visit a couple of hints for success. Remember, this is not a competition. It’s a time to write and stretch and maybe – just maybe – finish the rough draft of a novel. You can smile and pat yourself on the back for simply joining the marathon with us. We’ll watch your smile grow with every self-proclaimed milestone you reach : )

Here are just a few last reminders for a successful SpeedBo:

Talk to your family. Get them on board.


I don’t know about you, but if I want to get anything done around here, I need the cooperation of my family. Even though both my kids are in college, my husband can be just as big a pester-er as my kids and their friends combined.
 
First, we had a chat about how much I will accomplish over this month:

• Writer encouragement from me and to me
• How much closer I’ll be to finishing another novel
• How great it feels to type the words The End on a rough draft

Second, we talked about how much it would help if he:

• Answered the phone in the evening and took messages for me
• Considered salads a staple for our evening meal
• Planned play dates with his friends on Saturdays

He needs to accept ownership of SpeedBo just as much as I do. My success is his success. Of course, bribery always works, too. My husband LOVES making hunting calls so I ordered some exotic wood for him…

If you get your family and important others involved, they won’t feel left out.

Grab your favorite novel.

I have all my RITA judging behind me now. A labor of love, but a labor nonetheless. There is such a big difference between reading authors you love and drool over, and reading a panel of books within your sort of preference, but not really. Does that make sense? Anyway, I write best when I have books written by authors I am in awe over on my nightstand. Even though I rarely read books within my genre while I’m writing, the authors I’m reading for entertainment distract me enough from my manuscript that my mind seems to work out problems I’ve encountered.

• In reading romantic suspense, my mind will realize my last scene was pretty boring, I better work it up a notch
• In reading historical romance, I’ll realize I’ve been pretty short on adjectives and lovely prose and better slip some “pretty” in places.
• In reading my daily devotions, I feel either emboldened or humbled while taking to heart what God wants for my life.

Make note of all these revelations in a journal or notepad or in the sidebar of your manuscript, but don’t make the change now. Don’t stop the momentum of your fingers flying over the keys. Incorporate any nuggets you pick up along the way and fill in the blanks when you go back over your manuscript.

Tools of the trade.


By now, I’m sure you’ve collected all the reference books on various relevant topics and bookmarked all the sites on your computer, ready to find just the right details when you get stuck. Tuck all of that away in a closet or drawer for this month. What we’re after during SpeedBo is stream of consciousness writing. Whatever comes to mind, write it down. This is all about getting a vast quantity of words in the general format of a novel in a file on your computer. I don’t know about you, but the rough draft is always the hardest for me. Making it as painless as possible and getting through it as quick as possible leaves me with a whole lot of pages to revise, and I LOVE revising, shaping, molding and polishing. Just love it.

Food: Yours, Mine, Ours


May I please direct you back to Monday’s post where Missy Tippens and friends offered ideas galore on the topic of “what’s for dinner?” Stop by Yankee Belle Café, too. Lovely, delicious ideas and solutions for feeding the masses. Personally, my favorite cookbook offers fast meals using only 3-4-5 ingredients. Someday, I’ll learn to cook with spices, but I don’t see that happening any time soon, LOL!!

Stay focused!


Ha! Yeah, I know, odd directive from the ADD queen of Seekerville, LOL! But taking a page from Weight Watcher meetings, try preparing little reminders to keep you on track toward your ultimate goal. Not many of us have the luxury of focusing on our writing all day, so a few helpful nudges to keep writing--keep stretching--are always helpful.

• Tell the world you’re participating in SpeedBo by including a word count widget on your blog or website (or wherever else on the internet you can display a widget). Set your goal and watch the words add up as you keeping typing through the month. Writertopia offers a couple of great widgets to get you started. By entering your daily word count you’ll be keeping yourself accountable and giving yourself an opportunity to get excited over your progress!!
• Carry a notebook with you. You may be doing this already, but especially this month, take time to write down all those little plot/conflict/romance nuggets that tumble into your mind when you least expect them. Make an effort to write them down so you don’t plop down in front of your computer whenever your designated writing time rolls around and try to recall that awesome thought you had at the dentist’s office or while grocery shopping.
• Check in here or in the Seeker village and tell us of your progress!! We’re here for you and want you to succeed!!

Here's your last chance to share tips and ideas for a successful SpeedBo. We still have until midnight to rush to the office supply store or grocery to grab any supplies we hadn't thought of before.

In the immortal words of Home Depot: You can do it. We can help!

As an incentive to get you on your way, leave a comment and you might find yourself the recipient of a $15.00 Amazon gift certificate!

Get ready…
Get set…

GO SPEEDBO!!!!!