2018 NAPIBOWRIWEE DAY SEVEN – OUR FINAL DAY!

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WELCOME TO DAY SEVEN OF THE 2018 NATIONAL PICTURE BOOK WRITING WEEK EVENT!

I can’t believe we are almost done with our Tenth Annual NAPIBOWRIWEE!!!!! How is everyone feeling? I am so proud of your hard work and participation this year. Hang in there… you have just 24 more hours to go and then you can sleep and take a break!!!!!! 🙂

I want to remind people that even though this writing event is just for fun and to encourage people to learn how to write on a daily basis and use these picture book drafts as writing exercises… sometimes, you never know. That ONE book you wrote for NAPIBOWRIWEE could end up selling. Remember, I used NAPIBOWRIWEE to write the rough draft of what would eventually become my third published picture book with Lee & Low Books – TWENTY-TWO CENTS: THE MUHAMMAD YUNUS STORY. So remember, today’s NAPIBOWRIWEE very rough first draft could end up on a bookshelf one day as a real published book! The whole point of this week was to just GET THESE DRAFTS DONE. The REAL writing is now in the revising… so for the rest of 2018, you will have at least 7 rough drafts to choose from and revise to perfection! Fingers crossed for all of you! 🙂

Day 5 and Day 6 were over the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). So I was able to get a little bit more writing done than usual. I also bought my first “smart” notebook from the Moleskine store. (I love Moleskine notebooks!)

I use Evernote as a way to keep track of my schedules and writing ideas/notes. I had seen a video about how you could get a specially designed Moleskine notebook that you could upload digitally to the Evernote app. It has these little stickers you put on the page and then when you take a picture and upload it onto Evernote, you can actually “search” and “tag” your own handwritten notes. It’s pretty cool. Go here for more details: https://evernote.com/moleskine

So I had fun writing my Day 5 and Day 6 picture books in this notebook!

On this last day of NAPIBOWRIWEE, I am curious… what writing software or hardware do you use? I’ve asked this question before, and every year, the answers sometimes change depending on the advances in technology.

For me, I use the following: Classic Microsoft Word, Final Draft (for my scripts), Scrivener, Evernote, OmmWriter, and the Index Card app for my iPad.

I also love writing longhand and I have my own “whiteboard” which are my three closet doors in my office that use frosted glass so I can use a dry-erase marker to jot ideas on my doors!

So for Day 6, I had fun social event to attend on Sunday afternoon. I met my friends from a show I used to write for called DEFIANCE on SyFy. We are all sci fi geeks and wanted to try out this fun virtual reality adventure game called THE VOID – STAR WARS “SECRETS OF THE EMPIRE.” (You can find out more here: https://www.thevoid.com/locations/glendale) For this game, they made you wear a heavy backpack that had a computer in it that linked you to a virtual reality headgear set. It was INCREDIBLE – you were turned into a Rebel-disguised-as-a-Stormtrooper and had to sneak into the Empire to help save the Rebel Cause. Talk about a head trip! The special effects were amazing. I would raise my hand up in front of my eyes and my hand/arm were completely covered in a Stormtrooper uniform! (If you are curious to see what it looks like, go here: https://youtu.be/xbrIJdu6Gn0)

So when I got home, I realized… hey, I work in Hollywood. Why not do a fun children’s picture book about how a movie is made? And every year for NAPIBOWRIWEE, I try to do at least one ALPHABET book because when I get burned out on writing 7 picture books in 7 days, an alphabet book is always at least a structured book that you can focus more on thinking of 26 words to tell a story. It’s more like solving a puzzle. So I researched some movie glossary term dictionaries and went through my own screenwriting books to put together a list of 26 words corresponding to the alphabet that shows how a movie is made from start to finish!

And now… for my final 2018 NAPIBOWRIWEE post for Day 7, here is a very special “Greatest Hits” Flashback Post to celebrate our TENTH ANNIVERSARY! Are you ready for the BIG SURPRISE?

It’s the VERY FIRST NAPIBOWRIWEE POST FROM MAY 1, 2009!!!!!!

When I first started NAPIBOWRIWEE, it was hosted on my website https://paulayoo.com So for anything that far back, I only have screenshots available of the original blogs from 2009 to 2010. (2011 to 2015 are archived on my regular author website and the rest from 2016 to present are here!)

My original website has been redesigned, so I can only provide you with screenshots of the original blog. It features our first Guest Author Q&A with veteran children’s book author ANN WHITFORD PAUL! Fun trivia – I wrote for the show THE WEST WING on NBC starring her brother, Bradley Whitford! What a small world! I knew Ann first when I met her at an SCBWI (Society of Children Book Writers & Illustrators) conference years ago. So when I worked as a staff writer on Season 4 of The West Wing, I bragged to Bradley Whitford that I knew his amazing sister! 🙂 What a talented family, huh?

So here we go with today’s last Blast from the Past!

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NAPIBOWRIWEE FLASHBACK POST FROM MAY 1, 2009 — THE VERY FIRST NAPIBOWRIWEE BLOG!

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Wow! Can you believe I posted that in 2009? How time flies! 🙂 Thank you to Ann Whitford Paul for your writing wisdom!

Now, as we return to the year 2018 and wrap up our NAPIBOWRIWEE experience, here are some Nuts & Bolts about what will happen in the next couple of days…

NUTS & BOLTS ABOUT THE END OF 2018 NAPIBOWRIWEE:

1. CONTEST ALERT: Today is your last day to post comments if you haven’t already to be included in the contest drawing where I will randomly select names from a hat. The winners will receive autographed copies of everyone’s books (including mine!) along with fun souvenirs from our store!

2. CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: The contest announcement of winners will happen on MAY 8, 2018 at 9:00 AM EST (6:00 AM PST). Stay tuned! Please come back here tomorrow to find out if you won! I will then make arrangements to contact winners to arrange prize delivery!

3. May 9, 2018: I will post a blog with information about NEXT YEAR’S NAPIBOWRIWEE event for 2019! So please come back for that, too! I will be closing the blog for comments at a certain date this year as well (to prevent spammers from taking over my website LOL) but I will announce how long you can post comments until then.

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Well, I know it’s our last day to try and cram in our 7 picture books in 7 days, so let’s not waste any more time. Please post in the comments section about your Day 7 experience and for fun, please tell me what writing software and/or longhand hardware that you use to write! Remember, I will be including everyone who commented in our contest where winners will receive autographed books from me and our guest authors and also souvenirs from our store!

Until the big contest announcement… HAPPY WRITING! WRITE LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

xoxo

Sincerely,

Paula 🙂

NaPiBoWriWee , , , ,

65 Comments »

  1. Holy magoo. I totally slacked off all weekend (and by slacked off I mean hung out with the old ball and chain and our four little kids) and got NOOOOO writing done. I have two half stories from earlier in the NaPiBoWriWee, so maybe if I can finish those and then churn out one new draft all before midnight…..I’ll meet the challenge! But I doubt it. Either way, this has been a WONDERFUL week for me, creatively-speaking. I will definitely be back next year! Thanks, Paula! And thanks to all the kidlit professionals who blogged!

    • Hi Katie! LOL you didn’t slack, you had a fun family weekend 🙂 I hope maybe that it inspired your subconscious to create new books later! I’m glad you got some writing done and that it was creatively fun. Yes please we can’t wait to see you next year and keep us posted on your writing! 🙂

  2. Well, I won’t be an official “winner.” Things happened and writing stopped after the 2nd day. But I have a concept I’m working on so if I finish today, I’ll have 3 drafts done which is 3 more than I had a week ago so that is a “WIN” in my book.

    Thanks for the push this week, Paula. I use longhand for most first drafts, then type into Pages on my Mac. I use Evernote for research notes, idea lists, or anything that I want to save related to writing. . . .

    Thanks again! The blog posts were inspirational and it was a fun week!

    • You wrote 3 drafts which is better than ZERO, Debra, so you are a winner in my book! That’s so cool you use Evernote the EXACT same way as I do! Anyway keep writing and keep us posted on your progress! Congrats again!!! 🙂

  3. Paula, Thanks for letting us hang out with you this week and saving the Rebel Cause! May the force always be with you.

    I wish that I could recite poems during my morning walks, like Ann. But my morning walks include my two crazy dogs. And I’m usually muttering stuff like – “No. That’s a dried up worm. Even birds don’t like them.” – OR- “You’re not a lawn mower. Stop it. I feed you.”

    I’ve written five rough first drafts and a poem that I’m counting as a first draft. And I have a plan of action for today. So I’m ready to take on the Empire!

    • Manju may the force be with you! Good luck and congrats on getting those five drafts and a poem done! Wow! 🙂

  4. Paula, Thank you so much for your encouragement and inspiration. I managed to create 6.5 new picture books this week (#7 will be done by this eve!). I am so excited about the ideas that came out of this exercise, and I look forward to going back to revise these initial first drafts. Doing this challenge freed me up to embrace crazy concepts because there were no stakes, just to put my “derrier in chair” (quoting Dian Curtis Regan) and play. Count me in for next year, too!

    • Hi Laya! 6.5 books? That’s fantastic! Hope you can finish #7 tonight! I’m really happy you had fun doing our challenge and can’t wait to see you again next year! 🙂

  6. How y’all did 7 manuscripts in this short a time BOGGLES my mind!
    I have three rough drafts complete:
    Harriet Hen’s Egg
    Rattlin’ Bog
    Different Kind of Princess
    I have three that have good beginnings and endings but am still working on the “ugly” middle:
    If I Had A Haunted House
    Veronica Scary
    Untitled (Things Change)
    I also have the Exotic Animal ABC book partially outlined where the animals are grouped together in patterns (which looks really amazing visually)
    ……and that’s it…It was the best I could do with the time I had. Thank you to everyone!

    • Rebecca, I love the titles of your books so far and what a great idea with the visual patterns for the animal book. Wow! This is fantastic work and you should be proud of yourself! I am! 🙂 xo

  7. Thanks, Paula! I managed three new drafts and I hope to write at least one more today. I was a slacker over the weekend! I generally draft in long hand and then type up the story to make revisions. Thank you for another great year of napibowriwee!

    • Congrats Gregory! I’m glad you like at least one of your 7 drafts! Keep us posted on what happens next! 🙂

  9. Finished my seventh this morning at the park. What a pleasant way to finish up. Thank you a million times over, Paula. Without this challenge I wouldn’t have these seven (plus the notes for one more) lovely little possibilities sitting on my computer. I can’t wait to sort them out and share them with my critique groups.

    • Wow David, congrats! I love the image of you writing at the park. Good luck with your revisions and please keep us posted on how your books turn out! 🙂

  10. Thank you, Paula! This is my first year so I’m so glad I discovered this, and appreciate the flashbacks!

    I did manage a draft a day, but two of them were total redos of ideas I’ve written before that weren’t quite working. That may be cheating, so I’m going to try to do one more before I collapse. 🙂

    I might collapse for a long time, though! Phew!

    • Hi LIsa! Congrats and that’s okay to “cheat” because there are no real rules. It’s about encouraging people to write every single day and if it helped you to take time to revise because you were inspired, then that’s great! 🙂 Glad u r getting a lot out of this event! 🙂

  11. Holy cow, what a fast week! Thank you Paula. This challenge always gets my creative juices flowing. I start out thinking I’ll never finish 7 drafts but then, by the end, I am thrilled with the ones I have been able to complete. They may be rough but there is enough to work with in the days/months to come. This has been awesome. The tips are always helpful, too.
    I saw that you are trying out a moleskin journal. That kind is my favorite. I am somewhat old school as I write the bare bones in my journal then use Word when I’m ready to do a complete draft. It’s simple and works for me!

    • Jane, congrats on having fun and being able to get some stories done this week! And yes, I too will hand write before I go to Word or any computer software! We are similar that way! 🙂

  12. Wow! This is always a fantastic week of creativity, learning, stepping outside my comfort zone, quieting my inner critic, and writing! Thank you!

    I am on a mission to finish (and begin) my 7th draft today. We shall see if I can do it! One of the PBs I wrote two years ago during NAPIBOWRIWEE is the manuscript that grabbed my agent so YAY! Of course, the 100 something revision is what grabbed my agent, but the first draft was a result of this terrific challenge! And…. I am about to go out on submission with a manuscript that was born during this challenge last year. So… HURRAY!

    Happy writing to all and Paula– thank you so much for all of your hard work, and encouragement!

      • Lauren – Oh yes I’ve used Google Docs too. I prefer DropBox tho cuz it syncs with my Final Draft, Word and Scrivener apps.

    • Lauren that is amazing your PB from a few years ago got an agent!!!!! Wow, please keep us posted on the submission… I want NAPIBOWRIWEE success stories!!!!!

  13. I had a rough weekend, but I wrote another draft today for a grand total of five. That’s five more than I had before I began this challenge! As for writing tools, I toggle between longhand and the computer. I like to use pens in various colours, but I also have been known to use crayons or pencil crayons. On the computer I use Pages or TextEdit. The Star Wars experience looks awesome. I hope it comes to a location near to us soon. Thanks so much for hosting another awesome challenge!

    • Five is fantastic, Linda! Like I say, as long as you can write at least ONE book this week and/or at least write every single day for 7 days straight, you are a winner in my book! 🙂 That’s fascinating you use crayons and colors when you handwrite. That’s cool! I need to try Pages, I have heard good things about it. Thanks for the rec!

  14. Without a doubt my most productive week this year! 7 stories in 7 days and a series ready to plug them in. Thank you thank you once again for hosting this event!

    • Congrats Robin, I am so glad you had such a productive week and hope it was also fun! 🙂

  15. Today was an in-town “doing stuff” day so I’ve only got the story half-way drafted so far but I have about 4 more hours before bed so I am off to work on that after commenting.

    You are so organized Paula! I don’t think I could find any blog posts I made in 2009. 😀 That VR game looks really cool. And what fun that you met Ann Whitford Paul and got her to do the first NaPiBoWriWee post because her Writing Picture Books is the bible of how-to on PBs.

    Thanks for another year of this challenge! I don’t know what it is, but the drafts I did this year are far better than any of the ones I’ve done in the previous years. Practice makes pretty good, I guess. 😉

  16. I just finished my 7th PB draft! I really like 2 of them, and hopefully I can make something of one or two more. I write long hand in notebooks with a Papermate Profile pen for the first several drafts. I enter my stories in Word to submit to my critique group and for revisions after that.

    This is my second NaPiBoWriWee, and I find them a great way to turn my StoryStorm ideas into manuscripts. Thanks, Paula and bloggers for the encouragement! And thanks for your work to make this a great writing event! I’m already looking forward to next year!

    • WOW! Congrats on getting 7 done! I can’t believe it’s only your second NAPIBOWRIWEE. You are already a veteran expert! 🙂

  17. This was my first NaPiBoWriWee, and thankfully, I was able to finish all 7 PB drafts! Thank you to Paula and the guest authors for all the support and encouragement along the way.

    • Welcome Donna and so glad you had a successful first time at our fun NAPIBOWRIWEE event! If you are curious, check out the archives for other great Guest Author Q&As for future inspiration. So happy you joined us! 🙂

  18. Hi Paula,
    Today was an extra busy day for me, but I managed to write my draft on my phone. The theme I chose is an important issue I’m trying to tackle with my children, so I really hope I can make it shine.
    The idea of an alphabet book about the process of filming sounds super interesting and unique. I’d buy that book!
    Thank you for this challenge!

    • Joana you wrote your story on a phone? THAT IS AMAZING! Wow! So proud that you did not give up and rocked it to the final day! 🙂

  19. Finished # 7. Woo hoo! it’s a very rough draft but it’s a story I’ll want to re-visit. ? Thanks Paula for this amazing writing challenge. I’m inspired by you and everyone’s creative journey ! I usually write in a spiral notebook. I use pen and colored pencils – sometimes I doodle when I get stuck. happy writing ( and re-writing) ! looking forward to next year. ?

  20. Paula, thanks so much for hosting this! NaPiBoWriWee always inspires so many ideas! I’ve enjoyed this event since 2010 and I’m already looking forward to NaPiBoWriWee 2019! This year, not all of my seven drafts are complete, but some of them are! And whether complete or not, I was able to put vague ideas into some sort of shape. Thank you!

    I write on a Chromebook when I’m writing at coffee shops, and on a desktop when I’m at home. Sometimes I write by hand in a notebook, too. I like to use “Written Kitten” for inspiration (if you go to http://writtenkitten.net, you can get a cute picture of a kitten every time you write a certain number of words). I also keep an idea-a-day journal, where I jot down an idea everyday. Some are for kids’ books, some for adult essays, some for poems. I got the idea from someone in my critique group.

    Thanks so much, Paula!!!

    • Hugs Diane and I’m so glad you are a veteran participant who gets a lot out of my humble little fun event! I have heard good things about Chromebooks! And Written Kitten? OMG I checked it out – it is ADORABLE! Thank you for that fun site!

  22. Thanks for hosting another great week of writing picture books! I didn’t complete a draft today, but I got the beginning and some notes. So my total is 6 drafts, plus 1 partial draft. Woo-Hoo!

  23. Spent the day with 130 first graders; didn’t do any more writing (and it’s definitely not happening tonight — another school visit tomorrow, so I need to sleep!) but I did *read one of my brand-new drafts* to one class today!! It’s based on an idea I got at the NESCBWI conference 2 weeks ago, which never would’ve occurred to me if I hadn’t just decided I was going to join this challenge. In 30+ years as a writer I’ve never done anything as speedy as that, reading a draft of a picture book to a group of kids just 16 days after I thought of the idea!

    My final output is four completed drafts (one is more of an outline), and three story ideas developed in notes. All of which is stuff I didn’t have one week ago.

    Deeply appreciative of all your work and enthusiasm in making this happen, Paula! (Definitely given you credit in the acknowledgements if one of these mss sells someday. 🙂

    —
    I write longhand, then transcribe into Pages on my iPad Pro. Coming soon: rough sketches 7 dummies made with an Apple Pencil in Procreate.

    • Oh I have heard about Procreate and that’s so cool you use that Anne! And OMG please let me know if one of your books sell – that would be a NAPIBOWRIWEE VICTORY! 🙂

  24. I got no writing done today, but I did completely catch up with these blog posts! And I’m so fired up from barely getting to write that I intend to extend this challenge for myself for everyday my writing fell short… which is 5 more days… starting tomorrow.
    So I finish this year’s challenge with TWO drafts, which, I know, still makes me a winner in Paula’s book!

    • Trisha – I love that you are continuing NAPIBOWRIWEE past May 7th. Yes, I do that too when I can’t complete my 7 picture books. This is so exciting because it means you are writing on a daily basis! YAY!!!! You ARE a winner! 🙂

  25. Well my youngest son and I were down for the count this weekend… despite my best efforts, I didn’t get any writing done with a stomach bug floating around. BUT, I did get four drafts finished before that happened and I’m definitely excited by them Thanks again for another great year, Paula! Thanks, also, for the throwback wisdom from AWP… she’s one of my favorites. Congrats to everyone for finishing!

    • Hi Jennifer P.! Yes, AWP Is amazing, right?!!!! I’m glad you got your four drafts done. That’s awesome!

  26. Whew — made it (sort of). I ended up with 6 first drafts. Each one has a little something something to it, but only one has me REALLY excited (it’s the one I’m calling The Kerri Kokias Story).
    I totally blew Saturday off, which felt great (I’m a rule follower, so not hitting the mark is always a good thing for me to let myself do), and then only got halfway through Sunday’s draft. So, today, I had to do 1.5 drafts.
    Down to the wire, it was. And the results are not the prettiest, but I’ll take them!
    Paula: thanks — again — for running this week. You chill attitude and your humor set such a good tone. (And thanks for the Whitford family trivia — who knew?!)
    See you all next year (and a few of you before then)!

    • Anna LOL “The Kerri Kokias Story” sounds like a Lifetime movie, too! 🙂 KIDDING! But that’s exciting that you got EXCITED for this book! And don’t worry if the result aren’t pretty – they WILL be pretty soon! 🙂 I feel the same way – I love my “ugly” little rough drafts. They are diamonds in the rough! xoxo

  27. I DID IT! Got all 7 manuscripts written, with revisions made to one (and two or three other half-baked, half-written manuscripts that got cast aside for others that were flowing better). SUCH a productive week!

    I don’t tend to use anything fancy when I write: just WORD on the laptop, and pen/paper, if I’m not at the computer. I keep to the classic standby materials, I guess!

    • Jennifer B! 7 picture books in 7 days! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! And you know what, it sounds like your classic set up of Word and pen and paper are the keys to your success! 🙂

  28. Paula, I had a lovely long note here and then our internet went out. Ugh! Need to finish up here before the clock strikes midnight in Michigan.

    My favorite writing tools? Lined paper, a fine point pen and a clipboard.

    • Oh no Susan I’m sorry your Internet went out! Glad u r back! And that’s great you use a clipboard! I use clipboards too when I sometimes want to do clustering or beat sheets, I’ll use a clipboard and yellow legal pads! Glad you had fun this week! Where in Michigan are you from again? I used to live in Detroit and wrote for The Detroit News back in 1993-95. I lived near Belle Isle! 🙂

  29. Wow! That 7 days went fast! Had to help my daughter move and that ate up my weekend, but those brainstorms were a-swirlin’! I do my writing in Word. And jot notes down in steno pads. If I don’t put it down on paper, it’s gone! Thanks so much for hosting this writing event to get our backsides in gear! Err, our writing brains and typing fingers going at top speed. Great week! ? Best wishes to all with the new rough drafts!

    • Congrats Angie and I’m so glad you got some work done. Hope the move with your daughter went smoothly! And I agree, writing stuff down, whether on computer or pencil/pad, that’s all that counts! 🙂

  30. WOW! I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW FAST THE TIME HAS FLOWN! Last night I was able to write my 6th PIC BOOK IN A ROW IN 6 DAYS!!! And most of them were written outside of my usual writing time, too! Last night I was going to write outside of my usual genre, but ended up writing a different story. However, tonight I am going back to my previous idea: writing a sci-based book. I think I found a way to make it fun and interesting for kids, as well as educational. SO EXCITED! I have done A LOT or research, so now is the time to get busy on the writing!

    As to my choice of writing devices: Like you, Paula, I gravitate to the old Microsoft Word. I used to write everything in a notebook, but the past few years I have found a way to be just as creative on the computer, and it’s a bit easier, too. I am IN LOVE with your new notebook, though, Paula! I KNOW WHAT I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS!!! THRILLING!!!

    Well, I am off to write my BOOK #7 IN 7 DAYS!!! The previous two years I took part in NAPIBOWRIWEE, I never completed all 7 books, so I am REALLY EXCITED!!! GOOD LUCK, EVERYBODY!!!!

    • Natalie, I’ve loved your comments! They were so fun and detailed! As a SyFy TV writer in the past, I definitely am excited for your sci-fi based book! And LOL yes try the Moleskine with Evernote. It’s bit pricey for a simple notebook (30 bucks) but I figured it was a business expense. 🙂 Congrats again!!!! I am excited you got so much progress done!

  31. What a wonderful event, Paula! And congrats on the 10-year anniversary! Lovely flashback to Ann Whitford Paul’s Q&A. I got through two drafts and one rough outline, but it was always energizing to read all these comments and witness the fantastic creative energy. I’m totally old school when it comes to writing tools — Microsoft Word, Google Docs and sometimes even a pen + notepad! Keep up the great writing, everyone!

    • Hugs thanks Helena for your kind words and for not only being our wise Guest Author but also even participating in this! See everyone, even published authors still find NAPIBOWRIWEE useful! 🙂 xo P.

  32. Thank you so much, Paula! xoxo Yay for all the writing you did this week. A PB about how movies are made is a fantastic idea.

    I’ve thought about trying some writing software, but only use Word at the moment.

    I normally complete 7 PBs during your challenge, but between a two day workshop with Lorin Oberweger (she’s such an amazing instructor), my daughter coming home from college, and other things eating away all my time, I managed to squeak in 5. I still feel like a winner because I’m really excited about running one of them through my critique group, and can’t wait to see if I can find gems in the rest of them.

    I also promise to write the last two in the near future. I’m concentrating on getting my MG ready to submit, and soon after that I’ll definitely finish plotting one of my favorite ideas and will figure out which other one to write, too.

    • Hugs Mindy! It’s always a pleasure to have you on board every year. Word is a classic and seems to be the industry standard! And you ONLY wrote 5 books? You underachiever! HAHAHAA I AM JUST TEASING YOU! 🙂 That’s still amazing you were able to do that AND with juggling family duties AND a workshoP! Wow! You rock! This workshop sounds amazing, tell me more about when u have time! And fingers crossed for the MG Submission, please keep us posted! xoxoox P.

  33. Woo hoo, I made it! The last couple of days I really had to dig to come up with something to write about; I guess I had used my favorite ideas first. Today’s draft was AWFUL: it wasn’t supposed to rhyme but it kept breaking into rhyme. But it’s done and it’s still technically May 7 in California so I say that I completed the challenge!

    • I forgot the question! The only software I use is Word. No fancy programs. But I do sometimes take notes about stories in a notebook.

      • Congrats Teresa, I’m so glad you had fun and that you successfully completed the full 7 in 7 challenge! WOO HOO!!!!! And you are in good company – the majority of us use Word and pen and pad. I still love my fancy apps like Scrivener etc. but at the end of the day, when it comes to the final version, I always go back to Word. 🙂