July 25 was National Clean Up Your Writing Files Day! The main goal of this event was:
- To go through those old files and find the articles, stories, book outlines, etc. that you started and never got around to finishing. Weed through them, find the ones you want to finish, revise, or polish and the DO SOMETHING with them! Either publish them, post them on your website, enter them in contests, submit them to editors, agents, etc.
Side benefits might be:
- Get some inspiration for future articles, stories, ideas, etc.
- Find an outlet for some of your work that otherwise would just get dusty on the shelf.
- Get a feeling of accomplishment, closure, or satisfaction because something was completed.
Here is how it worked:
If you entered a contest, submitted your work for publication, or posted it on your website, leave a comment on this page with the information, including links, title of work, synopsis, or whatever you think will help the rest of us encourage you.
If you did not enter a contest or submit your work for publication and you want a page all of your own on this website, send me the article, essay, story, etc. as an attachment (doc., docx., text, .rtf) along with your picture and a short bio (including links to your website, email or any contact information you wish to share). I will create a separate page for you and your work, send you the link so you can promote it and I will promote it on FaceBook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Here is my email address: janiewrites1@gmail.com.
Check out the following links for some of the work done on this day:
Sheila Embry
Deb Owens
Janie Sullivan
The next Clean Out Your Files day will be July 25, 2013!
Center for Writing Excellence 
Check out this link: http://janiewrites.com/national-clean-up-day/deborah-owen-letters/ to read the story Deb Owen submitted to National Clean Out Your Files Day.
I guess the livin’ is too easy in summertime. Maybe the next deadline should be in, say, January. Nothing going on then.
Didn’t anybody else reply? Well, I suppose if you inspired even one person (me) you were successful. I have broken through the blahs and exercised my writing talent, thanks to your prodding.
I did get a response from Deb Owen and will post it later. She send in an article. So two of you – three if you count me.
I wrote a big long list of accomplishments. What happened to it?!
It is on the home page. I will go get it and paste it here for you
Here it is Pat:
July 25, 2012 at 10:27 am Pat says:
Gee, I don’t see a slew of comments on wonderful progress in the file-cleaning operation. Wonder why? I myself was wondering, “who agreed to this stupid deadline?” when I realized it was me! And I have actually made some progress. (1) I have almost finished writing a 4000 word article for Wild West Magazine on the King Ranch in Texas, after getting a go-ahead from a query. (2) I entered a contest with a short story about a dentist who identified a bank robber by his teeth. Wish I had put a Batman mask on the robber instead of just any old mask; it would be so appropriate. (3) I joined an online group that publishes names of agents and publishers who are looking for MSS. (4) I volunteered to help a group that advises cancer patients who are writing stories about their experiences. Well, I am a new volunteer so I’m not exactly sure what they do, but I wrote a 500-word article for them on formatting. All in all, I’m glad I signed this agreement. It lit a fire under me that needed to be lit. (Or should that be “lighted”?)
I will start: I rummaged around in my “writing ideas” folder and found a story I started some time ago called “Emma Sue.” About that same time I found the Spring Flash Fiction contest at WOW (http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php). It was an open prompt contest, so I revised and finished “Emma Sue” and changed the name to “Emma Sue’s Angels” and submitted it. They have not finished judging yet, so who knows? But if I win, I will let all of you know. Wish me luck!