Life's a Beach and #ROW80

This photo of me was taken on Friday, and yes, that is the beach in the background! My best friend and I have an annual tradition of taking one day in the school year, dropping off our kids, and heading to Galveston for the day. We sit in camp chairs, read books, eat snacks, and chat. We also wade into the ocean, swim, jump waves, and chat. Then we go somewhere to change clothes, eat lunch, and chat. It’s a day I look forward to and enjoy every year. What a great tradition!
However, this relaxing mini-vacation will have to last me for a little while. I will be spending the next two weeks preparing for the DFW Writers’ Conference. My hope is to have a completed first draft of my young adult contemporary novel and be ready to pitch my cozy mystery. In order to accomplish those goals, I may need to cut back on blog reading and commenting, social media time, and reading other fiction. Trust me, I will catch up when I return from the conference.
In the meantime, here’s the report on my ROW80 goals:

• Log 5,000 words per week on young adult novel, SHARING HUNTER. This should result in a completed first draft. 4313 for the week. I didn’t quite make my goal, but I well exceeded it the last two weeks and chose to use some of my writing time to get ahead on blogging.
• 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 20-22). Starting to delve into this one 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. I read a few more chapters, but I will be taking 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. The class began a couple of days ago, and I’m excited.
• Read 10 books keeping to my At-Least-3 Reading Challenge for 2012. On track. Finishing THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY by G.K. Chesterton.
• Post ROW80 updates on Sundays. Done.
• Exercise three times a week — length of time to be determined. I went to Zumba on Tuesday and Thursday. Then I ran on the beach, about a mile or so, on Friday.

My word count was not nearly as good this week, but I spent Monday and Tuesday working on blog posts for three weeks in advance. Then on Wednesday, I steam-cleaned my carpet (which is beautiful). And then there was Friday with the day at the beach. So all in all, not a bad week!
How are my fellow writers doing with ROW80 or any other challenges, classes, or goals you have? Are you working toward any deadlines or just basking in your writing time? See the line-up of fabulous ROWers HERE.
And simply because I have the beach on my mind now, here’s a song from Blotto — a band I discovered from the cassette tape clearance bin at a record store when I was in college. My five-dollar find did not disappoint. Here’s I Want to Be a Lifeguard:
[youtube=http://youtu.be/CBRJ6jQfap0&w=450]