My 25,000-word Week: #ROW80

Seriously, did you read that title? It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? I am pinching myself. Ouch.

I am HIGHLY MOTIVATED to complete the first draft of this young adult novel. On top of that, I’ve had a short story idea kicking around for a while, for which I’d written a couple of chapters. The rest of the plot came to me, and I finished that first draft by writing 4,488 words on it this week. Along with the 21,199 words on the YA project, I managed to write 25,687 words from Sunday through Friday.
I’m taking the weekend off.
I’d love to share how I managed to accomplish this astounding goal, but I wouldn’t recommend this pace as the usual. What had to give?

• My house is a bunch of clutter and dirt. I just found my son’s report card from last week on my desk. I had signed it but forgotten to return it to him to take to school. Who knows what else is sitting around here that has fallen through the cracks?
• I missed two of my older son’s baseball games that I would have normally attended. *sigh*
• I sat at a coffee shop/restaurant two days for several hours tapping out words and spending money on food and drinks to keep me going.
• My husband haven’t had much time to spend together.
• I’ve been a little on the cranky side by evening.
• I’ve tried to check in on the blogosphere when I can, but I currently have 81 blog posts in my RSS feed to get through. If I haven’t visited you, I’m sorry.
• I haven’t tweeted or Facebooked much at all.
• I am way behind already in the Tiffany Lawson-Inman course on YA writing which started just over a week ago.
• My personal reading has taken a steep dive. And I miss it.

However, I have only a few chapters left before I can declare SHARING HUNTER, First Draft, to be officially done. So I’m excited about that!
Here’s the rest of my ROW80 report:

• Log 5,000 words per week on young adult novel, SHARING HUNTER. This should result in a completed first draft. 25,687. Oh my gosh.
• If first draft is finished, edit once through SHARING HUNTER. Waiting on #1.
• Work on pitch and synopsis for DFW Writers’ Conference (taking place May 19-20). MUST DO THIS WEEK.
• If I get all of that done, edit through THE YEAR OF FIRSTS, my middle grade novel which is in second draft form and has been gathering dust for a few months. Waiting on 3 tasks above.
• Read one writing craft book. My choice this round is Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Took a break from this goal until after the DFW Writers’ Conference.
• Read through March/April issue of The Writer’s Digest. Why can’t I get to this goal?!
• Take course from Tiffany Inman Lawson on 77 Secrets to Writing YA Fiction that Sells from the Margie Lawson Writers Academy. Catching up on first assignment and then onto the second lecture.
• Read 10 books keeping to my At-Least-3 Reading Challenge for 2012. On track. I have read four books so far: The Killer Inside Me; Getting Rid of Bradley; Graceling; and The Man Who Was Thursday. I have started THE HEART-SHAPED BOX by Joe Hill, which has me shivering at times already. Gee thanks, Catie, for that recommendation. 😉
• Post ROW80 updates on Sundays. Done.
• Exercise three times a week — length of time to be determined. Thanks to an extra class, I went to Zumba three times last week, so I met this goal.

I’m exhausted just reading this post. I think I need to go sleep.
How are y’all doing with your ROW80 goals? Encourage and inspire my fellow ROW writers HERE.