National Novel Writing Month Events

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Come Write In, NaNoWriMo, Room to Write, SDWI

From the November issue of The Writer’s Life.

During the month of November, San Diego Writers Ink is hosting free Come Write In/Room to Write events. Drop in to write your novel at any of the following times:

•   Mondays: 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
•   Tuesdays: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
•   Fridays: 9 a.m. to Noon

Both members and nonmembers are welcome at the Ink Spot (located at 2730 Historic Decatur Rd. #202) throughout National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

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NaNoWriMo Tips

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NaNoWriMo, tips

Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.

From the November issue of The Writer’s Life.

If you’re competing in NaNoWriMo this month, you should be about halfway through your book by now. (November 15th = 25,000 words) But if you haven’t hit the magic number yet, never fear! Here are three tips to help increase your word count:

1. Write out all contractions. Never write “don’t” or “won’t” when “do not” and “will not” each add an additional word to your total. Sure, it’s a cheap trick, but it boosts your daily totals when every word counts.
2. Try word sprints. What’s a sprint? Just like in the world of competitive running, word sprints involve timers and moving as quickly as you can. Set an alarm for 10 minutes and see how many words you can rack up. If you need even more encouragement, check Twitter or Facebook groups to find sprinting buddies. Race each other for the highest word count, and keep trying to outdo your writing pals throughout the day.
3. Name your chapters. Just like in the olden days, when authors like Charles Dickens were paid by the word, they often provided descriptive indicators about what was going to happen in each chapter. You can use this trick to boost your word count, too. Don’t be afraid to get wordy, like “Chapter the Third, In Which Our Hero Discovers An Empty Well, Falls Into Said Well, And Tries Desperately to Escape His Predicament.”

National Novel Writing Month

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NaNoWriMo, writing

National Novel Writing Month (also known as “NaNoWriMo”) takes place each November 1st-30th.

Participation is free, and those who manage to complete the first draft of an entire novel (defined by the organizers as 50,000 words) are eligible for writing-related prizes from contest sponsors. Past prizes have included discounts on Scrivener and other software that helps with the novel-writing process, publishing discounts from CreateSpace and Fast Pencil, and more.

Participants receive regular pep talks from published authors, badges to place on their websites and social media pages, and access to a word counter to make sure they stay on track with their writing throughout the month. Indeed, the contest’s rallying cry is “1,667 words or bust!” as this is the minimum amount you must write per day in order to hit 50K by November 30.

Perhaps the best reason to join the contest, however, is the community. Local Meetups and write-ins are regularly scheduled by organizers, and some San Diego writers even take a day-long train trip to LA and back for additional inspiration.

Will you be participating in NaNoWriMo this year? Let us know what your username is, so we can follow each other’s progress, and tell us what you plan to write!

To register, go to nanowrimo.org.

A Cheater’s Guide to NaNoWriMo

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cheater, NaNoWriMo

An excerpt from A Cheater’s Guide to NaNoWriMo* by Laura Roberts

From ButtonTapper.com

Why would anyone cheat at NaNoWriMo?

First, let’s talk about the definition of a cheater.

There are lots of reasons to play by the rules when it comes to NaNoWriMo, particularly if this is your first time.

But if you’ve tried to win in the past and have never quite made it – or have never quite gotten a fully formed first draft out of it – you might want to rethink your goals.

You see, NaNoWriMo is all about hitting an arbitrary word count (50,000 words) and calling it a finished manuscript. While that may work for some people, lots of us don’t usually write that way.

Writing to hit a word count can be fun, especially if it’s the first time you’ve ever tried writing anything as large as a novel. But if you’re on your second or third or tenth time out and just want to make it to 50K, well, it’s possible that this system doesn’t work for you.

Here’s where the concept of cheating comes in.

My definition of “winning” means that IF YOU FINISH WRITING THE BOOK YOU SET OUT TO WRITE, YOU’VE WON.

Notice I didn’t say “hit 50K.” Or “complete it by November 30.”

For me, what works about NaNoWriMo is that you’ve got a 30-day window to focus on your book. Maybe that’s a work of fiction, or maybe it’s a nonfictional manuscript like A Cheater’s Guide to NaNoWriMo. (Yes, I wrote this book for NaNoWriMo one year!) But whatever you choose to do, you’ve got 30 days to do it. And if your book doesn’t need to be 50,000 words, why would you want to force it?

In the end, the only person who can truly decide whether a book is “done” is its author. And if you finish your book, by your own merits – at whatever word count – by midnight on November 30th, then I consider you a winner.

You’ll be a cheater, by NaNoWriMo standards, but a real winner by any of the standards that matter.

*Reprinted with permission from Laura Roberts. For more about The Cheater’s Guide, check out ButtonTapper.com. For more about Laura Roberts, see Laura Roberts’ blog.

NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month

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motivation, NaNoWriMo

Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.

We are at the half way point of NaNoWriMo, the writing project supported by an international non-profit organization that promotes writing with a National Novel Writing Month each November. Participating writers take on the challenge of writing 50,000 words between November 1st and 30th. Guild members Amy Zajac and Sandra Yeaman will be participating this year. Way to go! If you are also taking part, let us know by adding a comment below this post.

The NaNoWriMo website provides resources and support for participants as well as donated prizes. The prizes are mainly assorted discounts on services such as programs for writing, publishing, and marketing your work. January and February are called the “Now What?” months and are used by authors for revisions and the publishing process. For more information go to: http://nanowrimo.org/how-it-works.

NaNo Week 1 Results

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motivation, NaNoWriMo

I, too, think NaNoWriMo should offer a badge for every 5,000 words, or at least every 10,000. Now that I’ve passed 25,000, I have to get all the way to 40,000 for my next badge. Yikes!

The Caffeinated Writer

So we made it through the first week. We’re now just about 25% of the way through the month! I find that exciting AND terrifying!

Exciting because we are all moving towards having a first draft of something. And maybe your draft is terrible so far. That’s okay, because mine is too! It’s legible, but lacking SO MUCH that would make it great. But you know what, that’s what December and on is for. Right now, just get it down.

It’s also terrifying because I caught myself at a stonewall. I’ve hit my slump already, and that’s never a good sign. It appears that once I reached my first climax (the one I already knew about), my will died off. My MC is attempting to hide a body right now, and I feel like I’m forcing it a little bit. Maybe it’s because there is no dialogue here (LOL). Then…

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NaNo Day 3 Update

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motivation, NaNoWriMo

Just saw this post from another nanowrimo who offers the option to reblog. Yay! Thanks, queenofblank.

The Caffeinated Writer

I’ve made it 3 days into NaNo 2015! Huzzah!

It’s hard to consider that it’s only the third day right now. I feel like I’ve been through most of the month already (although my word count doesn’t quite reflect that, so I’m glad I’m wrong). I guess that’s what happens though when you go from having a semi-plotted novel to becoming a complete pantser.

Changing my novel was the best idea I had. Writing this novel has been fun so far. There’s no stress to make it good. It’s a first draft – and at this moment, probably like 85% dialogue so you can definitely tell it’s a first draft.

I feel like the plot (whatever it may be) is moving along really well. What I do know is that she’s going to kill someone in self-defense. (But if you read my excerpt you already knew that.) 😉 But I…

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My NaNoWriMo Experience – Day 3

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NaNoWriMo

Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.

It’s November. That means it’s NaNoWriMo time. And this is my third year going for the 50,000 words written during the month to make me a winner. And this time I want to share what I have done differently and why I think I will “win” this year.

For my first NaNoWriMo experience, I thought I could build on some smaller writing samples I had done before, part of my 365 project of writing at least 500 words per day for a year. I had a plot – or at least pieces of a plot – in my head. I had scenes I thought I could string together. I even thought I had a credible conflict for my heroine to work out. But it turns out I hadn’t given enough thought to who my characters were, especially how they differed from the one character I knew inside and out – ME.

I managed to put 35,000 words on virtual paper that year, but I barely had enough for a short story (something I may have to work on after November).

For my second NaNoWriMo experience, I knew I needed to do more prep work. I didn’t wait until November 1 to begin (as I had the previous year). I started plotting in October, hoping to have an outline before NaNoWriMo began. But again, I let the characters and the plot get away from me, abandoning the effort before I had written more than 5000 words. Again, I had relied on my ability to create each character on the fly, deciding at the last minute what each would do in a specific situation.

This year, I did much more prep work. I took part in an on-line presentation by four published authors who shared their stories of how to overcome writers block. I took part in a live presentation with one of the San Diego Municipal Liaisons (ML for short) and learned some of the quirky fun bits about NaNoWriMo, such as what plot bunnies are; that plots, characters, and worlds can be adopted; and that November 8 is #NaNoSelfieDay. I read all the NaNoWriMo email messages.

But more importantly, I listened to each of the speakers at our SDW/EG, using something from each of their messages that I feel has better prepared me for NaNoWriMo or any writing challenge. For example, the speakers and presentations over the course of the past 12 months have provided me with inspiration in the following ways:

• Larry Edwards: How He Did It – Larry pointed out how important “platform” is. For this reason, I have expanded the posts on the Guild’s website to include two weekly series – Marketing Monday and Writing Tips Wednesday. And I watch how these posts affect the frequency of site visits. My goal is to increase the number of followers and subscribers as well as the number of “Likes” and Comments, all indicators of how substantial the platform is. Eventually, I’ll work on doing the same on my own blog.
• Richard Lederer: Monsters Unleashed – Richard’s love of language is infectious and keeps me motivated to inspire others to love language as well
• Kathi Diamant: The Art of Giving and Receiving Critiques – Kathi’s presentation resulted in my seeking out critique partners. The three of us meet twice a month which has resulted in great improvement in my writing.
• Judy Reeves: “First Paragraphs and What They Must Do” – As a result of Judy’s presentation, I try out multiple first paragraphs for everything I write. Starting over is no longer drudgery. I start over again and again, from different viewpoints, from different plot points, so I can compare them to find the most compelling.
• Bonnie ZoBell: Writing What Happens – Bonnie’s examples of where her stories come from have opened my eyes. For example, the inspiration for my NaNoWriMo novel came from observing a high school class in AP Environmental Studies as they conducted research in a local park.
• Donna Eckstein: Telling Your Story – Donna’s presentation made clear the importance events from childhood have on each character.
• Alan Russell: Ghostwriting – Alan’s presentation was a reminder that it is important to keep writing, even if the content isn’t always from my heart. What is important it to keep writing.
• Jefferson Parker: Writing a Hometown Story – This time, I’m not trying to write about some far away place, although I have lived in many. I am writing about my neighborhood – about the High School that is next to the park just around the corner from where I live. I have talked with people who walk their dogs in that park, with the maintenance crew who mow the lawn and empty the trash containers. I have done research and learned about the crash in 2006 of a small plane and helicopter right above the park. And if I get stuck, I go walking in that park, to remind myself of the sounds, the smells, and the sights in that park. In fact, I’m not only setting the novel literally in my neighborhood, I’m setting the novel to unfold during the month of November 2015.

My bottom line: Assuming I win the NaNoWriMo challenge to write 50,000 words this month, it will be largely because of what I gained from the presentations at our monthly meetings. I’ve already written 9,655 in just the first three days. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

Are you taking part in NaNoWriMo this year? If so, feel free to share your story, along the way or when the month is done. Send it to sandiegowriterseditorsguild@gmail.com.

 

NaNoWriMo Begins Today

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encouragement, NaNoWriMo

   by  OrganicXO 

 

Sign up for NaNoWriMo now if you haven’t already.

Guest Post – Happy NaNoWriMo!

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guest post, NaNoWriMo

Editor’s Note: SDW/EG member Amy Zajac is our guest blogger today. Other members are invited to submit posts about the writing, editing, publishing, or marketing process. Send them to sandiegowriterseditorsguild@gmail.com. 

Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.

My name is Amy Zajac and I’ve been a member of the San Diego Writers/Editors Guild since 2011. I’d like to tell you about my first experience with the National Novel Writing Month. (November)

In 2007, I belonged to a writer’s guild in Calhoun, Georgia, where I lived at the time, called the Writers Alliance of Georgia. At our September meeting, one of our more experienced writers told us about the National Novel Writing Month. www.nanowrimo.org

At that point in my writing experience, I had only written true stories about family and pets…so, initially, I tossed the idea to the side. “I don’t write fiction,” I thought. But the idea of making huge strides in such a short period of time kept popping into my thoughts. After all, over the years I had captured a few ideas for a story. I never thought I would take them anywhere though. It was just me dreaming. Could I really do something like this? A week later, my thoughts started to shift. At the next meeting a small diverse group, four of us to be specific, accepted the challenge! “We will write 50,000 words for our individual stories in November!” Whew…that was a major decision for me….but what to do now?

With my stomach twisted in knots, I tackled a plan to write my story. My plan needed to be different because I traveled out of town five days a week working as a consultant for a large computer implementation company. I woke up 20 minutes earlier than usual and spent 20 minutes writing before I started work. I wrote for 30 minutes of my hour lunches every day. I wrote two hours every evening after dinner. I wrote on the plane, to and from my client’s location and I spent 6 hours writing on Saturday and also on Sunday. I knew it was only a month, so pushing myself to the nth degree did have an end and I would be able to rest later.

I kept in touch with my fellow guild “challengee’s” and saw online that they were making their daily goals. I was glad…after all, we did this as a team effort. Seeing their regular progress pushed me on. I started to fall short though…and had to learn to just keep writing. I had difficulty writing on and on without making corrections. Corrections and edits could come later. I finally got that momentum going the second week. I began making my daily goals and ideas started flowing. It was great!

On the last day of November my total was 35,000 words. Yes, I fell short of the total planned for, but I was thrilled; I had a story. I continued with the writing allowing myself other projects in-between, publishing my mother’s memoir in 2012 and then completing my NaNoWriMo Writing from 2007 late in 2013. I followed my plan and I reached my goals, and it all started with the National Novel Writing Month.

Editor’s Note: Amy has published two books, Foredestined and It Started With Patton Teresa Leska’s Story: A Memoir, as well as being represented in anthologies from both the Writers Alliance of Georgia and the San Diego Writers/Editors Guild. For more information about Amy, check out her page on Author’s Den.