17 Days to Speedbo 2013

March 1st is the starting date for our Second Annual Seekerville Speedbo. Speedbo is our version of the book-in-a-month challenge. Speed and Book. Get it?

Why March? March is one of the slowest, coldest, darkest months of the year. It also happens to be a month of waiting for the results of the Golden Heart and the RITA. Unlike the traditional November NaNoWriMo, there is less going on in March.

We think it's the perfect time to clear your desk and prepare to write.

 Last year we weren't quite prepared for the 100 + participants in Speedbo. This year we are. So when you sign up your name only will go on the Speedbo Wall of Fame and you'll get your own print out certificate and badge for your blog immediately. 

You can sign up starting Saturday, February 16th, through March 31st by sending an email to seekers at seekerville dot net with your personal goal listed. Sharing your goal is only for accountability. Seekerville will not be sharing your goal with anyone.

All participants who sign up by March 1st will be eligible to be entered in a drawing for a little extra incentive -one Speedbo Survival Pack to be given away for every 50 writers who sign up.  Remember you can still enter Speedbo  after it begins. It's YOUR CHALLENGE. Own it!


Speedbo Primer for Beginners:
 Like book-in-a-month, Speedbo in its purest form is a 31 day self-challenge where the writer puts aside the inner critic and produces manuscript pages with the ultimate goal of completing an entire book. No editing allowed.

Speedbo Guidelines:


Daily, weekly, monthly writing goals are maintained by the individual writer. You may share or not. Your choice.

Check in is not required, but only those who comment will be entered into the weekly drawings.  All the action is here on the Seekerville blog. One easy location. No fees required.
 
Don't rule out Speedbo because you can't write nonstop for 31 days.Consider doing the Speedbo that fits your lifestyle:

• Become a weekend warrior for five weekends.
• Give up evening television for a month to write. 
• Get a babysitter Saturday afternoons for a month so you can write. 
• Get up one hour earlier for a month so you can write. 
• Write during your lunch hour at work for a month.
• Writing, or revising? We don't care.
• Fiction,or  non-fiction? Your call.
• No rules Just write.

Whatever you do, stretch yourself. Get out of your comfort zone. 

We're very excited to have the following Speedbo guest bloggers in March:

• Gina Welborn
• Jordyn Redwood
• Alan Schleimer
• Regina Jennings
• Roseanna White
• Jane Choate
• Mia Ross
• Lenora Worth
• Kristen Etheridge

 Besides the satisfaction of a job well done we're also offering writing prizes just like last year. Each week (for five weeks)  you'll have the opportunity to win one of the following:

• First chapter critique -up to 20 pages
• First 5 pages critique
• One page synopsis critique
• Phone chat
• First page hook critique

And one reader will win a package of books each week for the five weeks of March. All prizes will be claimed after Speedbo, because in March we're writing-not mailing.


Additionally, the Yankee-Belle Cafe is gearing up to bring you easy recipes for the month of March. Of course, there's always pizza.

Speedbo Tools:

I've gathered some great tools to get you motivated and help you as you begin Speedbo. 

• If you haven't- join 1K1H on Facebook. A great  way to stay on track.#1K1HR is the challenge to write at least 1000 words in an hour! Post a comment a few minutes before you want to start and see if you find any takers. Even if you don't, report back your total so we can cheer with you later.

 

•  timeEdition - time management made easy - timeEdition is targeted at all users in a computer workplace who value detailed documentation of their working hours, whether they use it for customer billing or for monitoring the duration of individual projects.  (For Mac and Windows)

• TheDailyGrind-time management widget for Mac.  Designed to take up as little of your time as possible managing your time to better let you focus on getting your jobs done. No more scattered sticky notes, text documents, spreadsheets, or napkins. Just peace of mind and focus on the task at hand. (Thanks to Gwen Hernandez for this one.)

•  Joe's Goals Simple Goal Tracker. No download required.

•  Novel in 30 Days Worksheet Index -Downloadable PDF worksheets from Writers Digest

 

•  Need some written kick in the pants motivation? Check out this post from last year's Speedbo, called Sacred Writing Time.

 

Remember-  17 days until Speedbo. Go get your affairs in order. Life as you know it is about to end for THIRTY-ONE DAYS!


Today's Giveaway Goodies.

A print copy of my April release from Love Inspired, Mending the Doctor's Heart.








A 10 page critique to one commenter. Let me know you want this!

 

And to TWO commenters, a copy of 2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron. (for Kindle)