If you haven’t caught the buzz yet, ROW80 is a writing support system that’s an alternative to NaNoWriMo, FastDraft, the First Draft in 30 Days method, and all the other “vomit the words on the paper and clean it up later” systems.

ROW80 is a team of writers who set their own goals, keeping in mind they have lives and families. Goals can be as small or as lofty as one desires. My goal is 100 words a day, in any form. See? Small and very achievable. I’ve had this goal for some time now, and always manage to exceed it. It keeps just enough pressure on me to write, but not so much that I get stressed out.

In addition to my 100 words a day in any genre goal, these are other personal goals I’ve set:

• Edit two pages of my WIP each day.
• Comment on at least three blogs each week.
• Exercise every day. I do a different routine each day, some days cardio, some days yoga, some days strength.

I’ll be posting my progress every Wednesday and Sunday, right here on this page, thanks to the brilliant idea of ROWer and fellow teacherwriter Bridgette Booth.

If you want to join in the fun, drop by the ROW80 blog to find out all the details. The first ROW80 of 2012 begins January 2.

Sunday, February 12, #ROW80 Check in

After doing all that editing, I ended up with eye strain, so I’ve been taking it easy the last few days to let my eyes recover.

• Editing and writing: I printed out the hard copy of my manuscript, and I’m working on the second round of edits, little by little.
• Workouts: I did my regular workouts and on Thursday, had a special treat. We had two Army Sergeants and a Deputy Sheriff work out with our fifth grade class. They made the kids do shuttle runs, jumping jacks, push ups, and run a mile. The kids were totally motivated, even when the sergeants called them “momsies.” Too cute!
• Blog comments: Definitely spot on there, even with the eye strain.

I hope you’re having a great week! Check out the blog hop linky list to see what everyone else is doing.

Wednesday, February 8, #ROW80 Check in Editing Complete!

Hi everyone! I hope your week has gone swimmingly well. If you don’t swim, just put in a different adjective.

This week I was under a tight deadline to finish a first round of edits. I was so deep into the edits I didn’t even post a check in on Sunday. I realized my omission on Monday. Oopsie! But believe me when I say I was working hard.

• Writing: Because I’m editing, I’m not adding too many words. My daily average for the year is 363, well above my goal of 100.
• Workouts: Yep. Still happening. In fact, I’m getting stronger. In boot camp last night, I actually came in first place in one sprint, something that’s never happened to me before in my life!
• Blogs: I commented on thirteen blogs, visited countless others. I’ve made some fab new friends this round, too.

Thanks everyone for visiting! Here’s the blog hop linky to visit everyone else!

Wednesday, February 1, #ROW80 Check in What to Name the Car?

Here we are, already in February. The month of January vaporized before my eyes. I did alright on the goals the last few days, but it wasn’t perfect. Writing: I did write at least 100 words a day. My monthly average is 257 per day. Mind you, I’m editing, not creating, right now.

Blogs: I commented on 17 blogs. I had to slow down a bit, so I could get my own work done.

Workouts: I didn’t work out last night. (insert frownie face) Instead, I took a much needed nap.

It was fun to discover I received the Irresistibly Sweet Blog award this week.

My DD still hasn’t come up with a name for her Dodge Challenger. Any ideas for names? Her last car, a Charger, was named Jezebel.

Here’s the linky list to cheer other ROWers on about their goals.

Sunday, January 29, #ROW80 Check in A Bit Late, But I’m Here!

As if last week wasn’t enough, it gets better. I won’t go into details here, but our lives are getting crazier by the day around here.

Fun stuff: We went car shopping with my daughter and she bought a new Dodge Challenger. What a fabulous car!

I went to my writing group’s Saturday meeting and had a great time with my fellow wordsmiths.

Not so fun stuff: Today is full of laundry and errands and now, finally writing.

Goals: This week I’ve managed to keep up with the editing, adding more than my goal of 100 words each day. That’s good, since editing often results in a negative word balance. I worked out three days, but missed today. Does housework count? No, I didn’t think so. I’ve commented on 27 blogs since the last check in, but what I really enjoy is chatting on Twitter.

How have you done? Here’s the linky list where we all check in. See you on your blog. Thank you to everyone leaving comments. It’s very encouraging.

Wednesday, January 25, #ROW80 Check in Tired but Still Going!

Bless the person who discovered how coffee can keep us awake and how to brew it. Coffee has been my friend this week. We’ve been slammed at work, which means I’m up late at night, doing things for school just to keep my head above water. Which means not much writing got done. 200 words to be exact. I commented on 31 blogs, and worked out every day, but when I should have been writing, I was grading, writing progress report cards, and working a new project our administration decided must be done immediately. But the weekend is coming, and I’ll have blissful writing time then.

On the blog front, I posted Sunday about receiving a Fascination Award. You can still comment and enter to win. I also won another fun award from a fellow blogger, which I’ll post about next week. Then I interviewed author Lea Nolan from my YARWA group. She told one of the funniest stories about a boy’s underwear I’ve ever heard. So there are plenty of fun things going on too.

How are you doing? Here’s the linky list to check in with everyone and cheer them on.

Sunday, January 22, #ROW80 Check in Edits Away!

It’s Sunday, and I’m a bit late posting this because I’ve been slaving over edits. I’m under a deadline, so I’m working like mad trying to get to the point I should be at. Good news! I completed 13,000 words of edits, about 23 pages single spaced. In that process, I added 2,098 words to my manuscript. That’s fine, since I tend to write sparsely in the first draft, and then add the details later. I also commented on 42 blogs. But alas, I didn’t get to exercise every day. I missed two days.

On a happy note, my blog was nominated for the Fascination Award 2011. To celebrate, I’m giving away a $50 gift certificate and a $10 gift certificate. Click over to this celebration post to find out how you can be entered into the drawing!

Here’s the linky list for all the other ROWers. I’m off to do more blog commenting!

Wednesday, January 18, #ROW80 Check in…Back in the Groove

Yes! I tallied up my numbers today, and I’m groovin’ again. I’ve written 3,805 words, more than the 100 per day that is my goal. I’ve commented on 24 blogs, and I’ve met some interesting people along the way. You know who you are! I’ve reached out and made new connections, which is always exciting and fun. I exercised every day. I’m doing boot camp on Tuesday and Thursday, then yoga or dance on the other days. I even stayed away from sweets today! Maybe this holiday weight will start to come down. (I gained about five pounds in December.) Best of all, I really cracked down on editing my first chapter of my latest novel. The first chapter is always the hardest one for me to write, and I often save it for last. I think I’ve got it where I want it now. So yes, I did my editing too. I’m so stoked for these past few days. Things have gone well. How about you?

Don’t forget to check in at the linky links to see how everyone else is faring.

Latest TeacherWriter post: Put on Your Best Social Media Party Face

Sunday, January 15, #ROW80 Check in…Still ROWing!

It’s been a crazy busy week. I use that term often, but I promise, I’m not exaggerating. I must say about this week, “I get knocked down, but I get up again!”

I didn’t get any editing done. However, I did get some writing done. I stayed current on exercising every day, yes! I think that the exercise helped me maintain my sanity and got me through a cold and another infection.

I also started learning Italian. I’m proud to announce that I can say I want to eat, I want a glass of wine, and I can ask, “My place or yours?” Haha!

These next few days will be better. The full moon is past and my life is falling back into a normal routine. So even though I didn’t get much done last week, I’m still ROWing! How about you?

Here’s the linky list to check in and check with the other ROWers.

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Wednesday, January 11, #ROW80 Check in

Amidst much chaos this week, I suddenly realized, “OMG, it’s Wednesday!” thanks to Mark Wilcox, @tbturbine. We were chatting on Twitter, and he mentioned he was putting up a picture his new book cover in his Wednesday check in post. Which he did. It’s pretty scary, with devil eyes in an alarm clock. I decided to get rid of my old digital clock after looking at that.

I did get to write each day, and my biggest day was Monday, in which I wrote 476 words and edited an entire scene. I know, it doesn’t sound like much, but I’m squeezing this into my day in 15 minute increments, here and there.

I also stayed on the exercise routine, and even got my DH to join me last night.

So there we are, ready to move in to the rest of the week. How are you all doing?

Here’s the latest linky list with other ROWers blog posts! They’re fun to read and comment on!

Sunday, January 8 #ROW80 Check in

Yes, it’s already Sunday. I’ve had a hectic and busy week, complete with distractions from family and work and a lovely cold someone decided to share with me. But then, who doesn’t have weeks like that? So my goals aren’t stellar, but I’m still working along.

• Write 100 words a day: Yes, I did, except on Wednesday, when I was totally sideswiped sidetracked by life.
• Editing: I didn’t finish two pages a day, but I did some editing every day.
• Blog comments: I’m keeping up in this area. It’s also one of my procrastination tactics, so I have to keep a close eye on this one and not overdo it.
• Exercise: I did it! I did exercise every day, even when my cold was giving me the smack down.

Thanks to all the support from ROWers, I’m able to keep mostly on track. I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone’s doing, so I’ll just say goodbye here and say hello on your blogs.

Click the linky list (yes, it’s a blog hop!) to see all the ROWers.

Ciao for now!

Wednesday, January 4 #ROW80 Check in

Here we are, ready for our first check in. I don’t know about you, but I’m still pumped. Of course, I’m also on winter break from my day job. That makes for a bit more energy in my day.

• Write 100 words a day: Yep. Monday 1094, Tuesday 353
• Editing: Double yep. Edited one scene each day, approximately 2-3 pages.
• Blog comments: Triple yep. In fact, I’m going to have to limit myself on blog comments. I’m giving new meaning to the word chatty.
• Exercise: Quad yep. I’ve got the sore muscles to prove it. Funny how a couple of weeks off from exercising, and you almost feel like you’re back at square one when you start again. I signed up my DH and I  for a boot camp fitness class twice a week, so that will help keep us both on track.

That’s it! Here’s the linky list where everyone is checking in. I hope to read a bunch of good news from fellow ROWers. See you on Sunday!