We’re well into June now, but we’re still feeling the results of the YA Buccaneers Spring Writing Bootcamp! We toned our fingers, tightened our thoughts and built up stamina to make it to the end. We are Bootcamp Survivors!!
Team Denali was such a great mix of people, and I loved getting to know each one over the course of three months. While everyone had different goals, we all began this program with one thought…..to accomplish something! It was tough. Life intervened. But I think I can speak for most of the group and say we all enjoyed it, whether we made our goals or not.
When I began, I wanted to finish my manuscript revisions and get the book out to my CPs (of Awesome). It took me a little longer than I thought, but I managed to get there and get my book to my agent as well. I found the final month a bit more difficult as work deadlines piled up, but I was still happy to keep going. My teammates were such an inspiration, too. Whenever I had a day that felt like I couldn’t accomplish anything, they were there, cheering me on. Thanks, girls!
At the end of bootcamp, I asked my teammates what their thoughts were on doing such an intensive writing program, and I think you’ll agree, they all got something out of it.
Amy said:
The best thing about the Spring Writing Bootcamp was the check-ins. They held me accountable each and every week.
Sonja also had some thoughts:
I really enjoyed the bootcamp! I would definitely do it again. Having this community of writers is incredibly helpful, and I liked the framework of goal setting and check-ins. Thanks so much for all the support and encouragement!
Katrina summed it up perfectly!
The best thing I got out of the bootcamp was the ability to be a part of a team and share my goals and accomplishments. It was great to know that we were all working toward our goals these past few months, sprinting together, cheering together, and, at times, commiserating together over the setbacks. Similar to exercising with a friend, writing with others made it easier to write and made me more accountable. Writing is such a long, solitary effort. We sometimes don’t get any return on the time investment unless or until an agent or publisher shows interest in our work. With bootcamp, we didn’t go through this alone and we had critique partners or beta readers available to give us encouragement as we “walked the plank” or timidly shared our first few pages.
And Cynthia chose a tough time to begin the program, but she kept up as much as she could:
I was probably a little crazy to put myself in the bootcamp while I was going through a move. While I didn’t finish everything I’d aspired to do in the beginning, I did make some progress in some areas. When it comes to my writing, it’s all about the baby steps.
Aren’t these quotes great? Thank you to my team for taking the time to participate, for sharing your work, and for stopping by with your progress on a regular basis! We’re all winners!
