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12 x 12 May 2022 Check-In!

I had every intention of writing a new draft this month. Then the tragic event in Uvalde happened – on my birthday no less – and I found I just couldn’t write. I wish I was the kind of person who wrote through tragedy, but I seem to be more of the “shut down” type. However, I DO realize that our work is more important than it ever has been. Kids need so many kinds of stories. We know they both inspire and save lives. So another month begins, and I once again have every intention of writing a new draft this month.

I DID revise a manuscript, AND I sent it to my agent, AND I got feedback from her already. So that’s progress. Now it’s your turn…

Tell us YOUR progress. Did you complete a draft and/or revision in May? Let us know in the Rafflecopter and in the comments. May Featured Author Jenny Lacika is offering a picture book critique as a prize to our May check-in winner. Thank you, Jenny!

Here’s what you need to do to check in for a chance to win:

  1. See the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post.
  2. Click on the “Comment on Jenny’s post” button. Commenting on Jenny’s post is mandatory for this giveaway and you can enter the Rafflecopter even if you didn’t write a draft this month. Click ENTER.
  3. If you haven’t commented on Jenny’s post yet, go to the post here to comment. Then come back to this post to enter the Rafflecopter.  (Commenting won’t enter you in the drawing automatically, you must enter the Rafflecopter by following step 2.)
  4. Click on the “Wrote a PB Draft” button. This will ask if you completed a PB draft in May. If you did, click ENTER, if not, click cancel and move on to the next step.
  5. Click on the last “Revised a PB Draft” button. This will ask if you revised a PB in May.  If you did, click ENTER. If not, click cancel.
  6. That’s it! There is no overall submit button or email confirmation. Rafflecopter will track your points. (The top of the Rafflecopter will say X/3 with X being the number of entries you currently have in the drawing.)

Here’s a video tutorial on the forum to walk you through these steps as well. Click here for the monthly check-in tutorial.

You have until midnight Eastern on June 5th to enter your results. Rafflecopter will draw a winner and it will be announced on the blog on June 6th.

Remember, badges are not awarded automatically and must be requested in the forum. If you haven’t requested your May 2022 badges yet, you may do so HERE. Not sure how to request a badge? Check out this tutorial.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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20 Responses

  1. Yea! I wrote a new story and revised a different one. So hard for me to tell if they have any value except that I enjoyed doing it!

  2. Even though my computer is still acting up, I took one of my Storystorm ideas and wrote a rough draft about Spring and a battle with the North Wind. I then revised 2 more of my old poems and turned them into PBs.

  3. It has really been a rough month emotionally. There have been shootings before and it has always been difficult to handle, but this one for some reason really got to me. For days I have been crying and trying to distract myself with writing or reading. I think with the war in Europe, the shooting and the banning of books campaign all combined it was a bit too much to handle… I did manage to finish a draft and do a major revision on an older one after a critique, so not a total loss. I can only hope that we all keep writing and somehow make a difference for the future generations.

  4. I wrote a new story and also revised several manuscripts. Luckily I did those early in the month, because I haven’t been able to concentrate this past week due to the recent shootings. I’m hoping to bring a renewed sense of purpose to writing in June by thinking about the ways that books positively impact and support children emotionally and socially.

  5. I wanted to enter a contest with a determined background so it gave me a challenge to rise above. I worked on revisions and revisions before I was ready to sent it off. With all there is going on in my life right now, I congratulate myself daily if I open my computer lid.

  6. After a tough almost 2 months of being blocked (couldn’t even manage a #kidlitartpostcard for May) I finally crashed through with a, very rough, new first draft on May 30th! Here’s to refusing to accept creative blockage.

  7. I wrote a new draft (not quite on a moving box, but almost!) and revised an old MS.

  8. May was very busy with revisions after Children’s Book Insider put out Natascha Biebow’s self-edit checklist and I delved into multiple manuscripts that I have that need work thanks to a critique group and partners.

  9. Thanks for the opportunity! Accomplished a new PB draft and a quick revision. (And although I know it doesn’t count, I managed to revise a chapter book I wrote as well!) 😁

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Interested in Joining the 12x12 Challenge?

Financial Need Scholarship Guidelines

All applications will be accepted via email only between November 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023 at kelli@juliehedlund.com.

Subject line of the email:

  1. 12 x 12 Financial Need Scholarship
 

Please include the following in the body of the email:

  1. An autobiographical statement and career summary in 250 words or fewer.
  2. A short statement describing the nature of the financial need/circumstances in 250 words or fewer.
  3. A sample query letter for the manuscript you are submitting with your application.
  4. Pitches for two additional completed picture books.
 

 Attached to the email:

  1.  The full text of one picture book manuscript, attached as a Word document named as FIN_YourFirstName_YourLastName_Title_of_Manuscript.doc (or docx).