Monday, April 20.

4:00 a.m. (PDT) to midnight (PDT).

Twenty hours of writing support for your project in the Writers in the Storm community.

Join us.

Sign up on our Facebook page.

Here are some last minute preparation tips to get the most out of whatever part of the day you can spend writing with us:

1. Define your goal. Set a word count or a page count or a minute count. Maybe you just want to finish that problematic chapter.

2. Commit to a time segment to write. Make plans to turn off electronic distractions (cell phones, tablets, television) so you can give your writing your full attention.

3. Be current on electronic communications so that a brief (or not-so-brief) interruption won't cause any problems.

4. Communicate your commitment, and the time frame you'll be writing, with your family and friends. Engage their support to cover unexpected occurrences that could take you away from your writing.

5. Prepare the necessary equipment. That could mean clearing off your desk, charging your laptop, stacking reference materials within reach, making a playlist, gathering highlighters, pens, pencils, post-its or a timer. Whatever you need for optimal writing, get it ready so prep time doesn't detract from your writing time.

6. Prepare snacks, or meals, ahead. Be sure you have plenty of water and your favorite beverage. You'll want to stay well-hydrated for your best-functioning brain.

You may want to read Orly Konig-Lopez's DIY Writer's Retreat post for additional tips or Fae's post about Write Up a Storm.

What to expect during Write Up a Storm:

1. Writing sprints in fifty-minute stretches. We'll start at 4:oo a.m. PDT. At 4:50 we'll take a ten minute walk around, get hydrated, check-in-if-you-want-to break. The break is strictly limited to ten minutes, with no off-task electronic behavior other than a quick check-in or response to another participant on our Facebook event page if you want to. This will be the model for each of the twenty hours of the event. You're encouraged to check in before you start and at the end of your time.

2. Motivation. You're invited to post word count, page count, scene completion, and any goals you meet during our ten-minute breaks at the end of every hour or at the end of your writing time. You'll see others post their successes. We'll update totals for those who like to see quantified results.

3. Support. Before you sit down to write, you can check in and comment on the experience of others. And after you make your goal, you can share your experience to help others. Even if your life prevents you from committing to a writing stint, you can commit to check our Facebook page and comment on how others are doing throughout the day.

4. Satisfaction. You committed to something and you followed through. And you have "product" to show for it.

What additional tips can you share to help us all get ready for Monday?

And don't forget to join us at our Facebook page or here on the blog on April 23!

About Fae

Fae Rowen discovered the romance genre after years as a science fiction freak.  Writing futuristics and medieval paranormals, she jokes  that she can live anywhere but the present.  As a mathematician, she knows life’s a lot more fun when you get to define your world and its rules.

Punished, oh-no, that’s published as a co-author of a math textbook, she yearns to hear personal stories about finding love from those who read her books, rather than the horrors of calculus lessons gone wrong.  She is grateful for good friends who remind her to do the practical things in life like grocery shop, show up at the airport for a flight and pay bills.

A “hard” scientist who avoided writing classes like the plague, she now enjoys sharing her brain with characters who demand that their stories be told.  Amazing, gifted critique partners keep her on the straight and narrow. Feedback from readers keeps her fingers on the keyboard.

When she’s not hanging out at Writers in the Storm, you can visit Fae at http://faerowen.com  or www.facebook.com/fae.rowen.