Wednesday, March 7, 2018

March #IWSG: March Madness (aka editing like crazy) Month



First Wed of Every Month







OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question: How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal / finish a story?
Co-Hosts:



Happy March Madness! 

I'm super excited to co-host today! My CP is a drill sergeant. Just kidding. But she keeps me moving on my WIP. When I finish two chapters and send them to her, I critique hers and get ready to send a few more. We go back and forth until we get through the entire manuscript this way. Then we will exchange the whole manuscript for a final walk-through. Along the way, I take breaks. Sometimes I hang out with this guy Oliver. And, yes, that is a kitty bow tie.






But mostly, after a long week of editing or writing, I take my youngest downtown to get ice cream while I get a coffee drink. Then we snoop around, checking out the local museums and attractions. One place she loves to visit is the Hannibal History Museum. They sponsor the local Steampunk festival each year. In the back room, they have about twenty dioramas. Each one displays a scene from Mark Twain's book Tom Sawyer. It's a frightening experience especially with the lights turned low. And when you press a button, you hear a lady's voice reading from the book. Not creepy at all.  





When I finish editing a manuscript, I clean my entire house. Yay me. How about you? How do you celebrate each step along the way? 

P.S. I apologize to my WordPress friends. In order for my avatar with a link to my blog to show up in your comment feed, do I need to create a Wordpress/Gravatar account? Not sure why it won't show up like on other blogs. Is there any other way to do this without having to get a WordPress account? Any thoughts? 

82 comments:

  1. Cleaning and celebrating are very different things to me! Still, if it works for you, that's just fine.

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  2. Love how you celebrate with ice cream and coffee with your child.Sounds like such a fun way to celebrate.

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  3. It might take me two months to clean my house properly, but I'm tempted to tackle it someday. I love those dioramas!

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    1. I am surprised at how many people love the dioramas!

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  4. Hi Jennifer, I like the way you celebrate with ice-cream, but I don't ever dare to clean my house or room, because if I clean I won't have the time to write. (though I do clean but its not an intense cleaning)

    Thanks for co-hosting today.

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  5. I love dioramas! I need to come visit your city and this museum. You have a great partnership for critiques. I envy that.
    Thanks for co-hosting IWSG this month!
    Mary at Play off the Page

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    1. I scored big time with my CP! Hannibal is a wonderful place to visit.

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  6. And, cute kitty. I featured my cat today, too!

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    1. AW! Thanks! He has a brother too. Cute times two.

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  7. My daughter and I love miniatures and dioramas. That sounds like a great place for a celebratory day. I should try to incorporate house cleaning into my procedure when I’ve accomplished a goal. That’s so productive!

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    1. But then I end up thinking about plot holes and how to fix them.

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  8. Your crit partnership sounds so nicely organised!
    By the way, if you ever need a really big celebration and you're place is too clean... just call ;)

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  9. Cleaning sounds like a good way to celebrate. And awww, what a cute kitty!

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  10. Yes, you and your critique partner are very organized.
    I wouldn't want to be in the museum after hours.
    Thanks for co-hosting today!

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  11. Ice cream is a great way to celebrate...so is cleaning! Doing anything that's not writing related helps me.

    Love the kitty bow tie!!!

    Thanks for co-hosting today :)
    - Jen

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  12. Great post for March #IWSG! Love the kitty and the images of the museum.

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  13. Love the dioramas and I can't think of a much better way to celebrate than with ice cream - except maybe going to a warm beach!

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    1. Forget the cleaning. The beach and ice cream will do!

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  14. The kitty is so cute! Cleaning is probably a more productive way to celebrate finishing a book. :)

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    1. Thanks! Who am I kidding? I'm actually cleaning all the time.

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  15. What a wonderful way to get through the editing of your book. Good to hear it works!

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    1. I enjoy editing more than writing the rough draft. Weird, I know.

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  16. What a blast! Especially the ice cream...at least in the warmer months. I can't think about that just yet. It's a bit too cold. 😂 Thank you for co-hosting!

    Elsie

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    1. We keep fluctuating from 60s to snow. UGH. The joys of spring.

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  17. Ice cream. What a great way to celebrate. Thanks for co-hosting this month.

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  18. Oh I love Oliver and his kitty bow tie! Sadly, if house cleaning depended upon me "finishing" something, I'd live in a hovel. It's more of a procrastination tool for me. As for the Wordpress/Blogspot thing, I finally caved and set up a Blogger account for the same reason. Such a PITA.

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    1. Thanks! He loves to pose for pictures. I'll have to check it out!

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  19. I tend to clean house as a way to procrastinate with my writing more than celebrate my writing accomplishments. I do like the idea of getting ice cream with the kiddos, though. I'm sure my kiddos would strongly agree. Thanks for the post. Pardon my ignorance, but what is a CP?

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    1. Critique Partner:) I tend to clean more than I let on!

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  20. If I ever finished thoroughly cleaning our house maybe I'd celebrate by going to my computer and finishing something--or starting it.

    Someday I hope to visit Hannibal. I was there when I was a kid, but I'd like to revisit and take my wife. She loves seeing the Mississippi River though it kind of scares her.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    1. That is awesome! Yes, bring your wife. This place is a great get-a-way.

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  21. The outing and coffee drink sound like fun - definitely my kind of celebration. That, or a nap. :)

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  22. Mmmm, ice cream. Oh wow, love that kitty bowtie! Must get one for my cat. :) I usually clean the house when I'm having trouble with my writing. Thanks for co-hosting today.

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    1. I confess, so do I! It clears the head and the words always start to flow.

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  23. It’s great that you have a CP you can work so closely with. Taking breaks to live while editing is important. It’ll stop us from burning out from exhaustion and give us fresh eyes (and a fresh mind). Doing something fun is a plus after such a grueling task.

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  24. Clean your house? That would take me a month. Maybe it's a good thing I haven't finished my book yet. Thanks for co-hosting this month's IWSG.

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  25. Ice cream, ice cream almost as good as chocolate. Happy IWSG Day.

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  26. For me, cleaning my house not equate with finishing a writing goal. Hmm.. now ice cream, for sure!! Hey, we were in Hannibal, MO in August. I love that place and sitting by the mighty Mississippi. (Mark Twain is the writer I would like to be when I grow up.)Thanks for co hosting. JQ Rose

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    1. Awesome!! Mark Twain Land, as I call this place, is an awesome experience.

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  27. Aha! My house definitely needs to be cleaned by the time I finish a project. I need to start thinking of it as celebrating. Thank you for hosting!

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  28. Like the cat with the bow tie. A couple of writers have said they like to celebrate with cleaning the house. Wouldn't be my first choice ;) I'm probably more with the eat good food and drink good wine group.If I finished a short story and had it published I would maybe set off a few fireworks. I am not sure how to get onto WordPress without signing up. Several writers are on Google and it does take a bit of work to follow and comment on them.

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  29. A day out with ice cream and tour sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate. My furry friends provide some small celebrations for me, too. :)
    Happy writing!

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  30. I think you are the first one to celebrate "productively". I would hire a cleaning lady as part of the celebration. But, it might have been a joke.

    Taking time off with your loved ones - animals, kids or spouse - is a good way to celebrate! I don't celebrate steps along the way (unless you count those endless doggy cuddles and walks), only at the end of the way. Looking forward to that day, hopefully at some point in 2018. Thanks for co-hosting!

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  31. Clean the house, huh? What a way to celebrate! Haha! I save that for the weekends when I try not to write! I love the idea of visiting a museum with a loved one. My kids are both grown and gone, but I love doing things with my husband. Thanks for dropping by my blog...

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  32. I don't think I'd celebrate by cleaning, unless I really needed to clean after spending all my time writing, but that never happens. Usually I use cleaning as an excuse NOT to write.
    Thanks for co-hosting!

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  33. I work similarly with my critique partner, swapping one or two chapters at a time. Very motivating! The only time I clean is before I have guests. ;-)

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  34. I didn't mention that in my post, but I clean when I finish also. Usually, I rearrange my office.

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  35. Ice cream with a kid - the best way to celebrate anything. Cleaning house - not so much.

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  36. Thanks for co-hosting today, Jennifer! I usually have to clean up my house after finishing a writing project ~ LOL I love your idea of celebrating with ice cream ~ I'd choose chocolate, of course!

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  37. Sounds like a great way to enjoy a day. I keep things clean so usually I don't have to do that part lol unless the cat decides to mess stuff up. He'd mess me up if I put that bowtie on him.

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  38. Did it eat my comment? Geez, you really are cleaning house.

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  39. My sons would love to celebrate with ice cream. Great that your CP keeps you on your toes. But cleaning the whole house is not for me. Thanks for co-hosting today!

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  40. I actually created an account for Wordpress just for commenting. I kind of like it.

    The last time I finished a novel... I can't remember how I celebrated. Although, it doesn't really count as it still needed a couple more editing passes...

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  41. Thanks for co-hosting. I love the museum. I mean exhibits like that are creepy but in an amusing way (or at least they are to me).
    As for Wordpress, you will have to create a Gravatar account for your picture and information to show up, but it is fairly painless. The site has to pull the image and information from somewhere. Upside of Blogger is that it is a Google product so if you use gmail, Blogger, Chrome, or Google+ it can pull the information from that. Since Wordpress is a different company they needed to use a different solution.

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  42. Question: what do you do to celebrate after cleaning??

    Thanks for co-hosting!

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  43. That sounds like fun! And creepy. Mwahahahaha.

    As far as I know about gravatar, it's based on email address, but maybe you need to sign up with a Wordpress account.

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  44. Clean your house? Wow I hadn't thought of that! Maybe I'll make my kids clean my house. LOL! Thanks for hosting. I love your cat. :)

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  45. I love Oliver's bow tie! The outings with your little one sound wonderful. I usually jump right in to another project (like house cleaning). It's good to know I'm not alone in that, according to comments I've seen ;-) I'm already thinking of strawberry ice cream and it's not even near lunch time!

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  46. I'm too neurotic to celebrate. I never feel like I get enough done. I do celebrate ice cream by eating ice cream once a week. ;) Thanks for co-hosting!

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  47. Thanks for co-hosting this month. Never thought of cleaning as a celebration, but to each his own. The coffe is more my speed, but if I'm being honest, I'd totally go for the ice cream.

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  48. My sons would love to celebrate with ice cream. Great that your CP keeps you on your toes. But cleaning the whole house is not for me. Thanks for co-hosting!

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  49. I celebrate each mile stone differently, but yes, cleaning does enter that. I think its in preparation for editing and revising; I'm already in the mood to throw things away, lol.

    I'd love the visit the Tom Sawyer dioramas!

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  50. Cleaning...a necessary evil, Jennifer. [I said "necessary"; I said "necessary."] But I use it as an excuse at times, too.

    I’m just starting this critique partnering thing this month. Wish me luck! All the best to you, my dear, and thanks for co-hosting this month!
    http://victoriamarielees.blogspot.com

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  51. Aww, pretty kitty all dressed up! Ice cream, coffee and a museum sound awesome too. Thanks for co-hosting, Jennifer!

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  52. I don't consider it celebrating, but I also go on a cleaning binge. I just did that once I had my files ready to go for my book release. Boy had my house fallen on untidy times.

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  53. Such an adorable cat! My house could use a good clean - never occurred to me to do that to celebrate :-)

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  54. Hello, this weekend is good for me, since this time i am reading this enormous informative article here at my home. hire editor for book,

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February #IWSG: Just Do It

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