Oh No! NaNoWriMo … No Mo

Is NaNoWriMo for you?The other day a very close friend of mine asked me if I’ve heard of NaNoWriMo. In the writing circles, it’s inescapable to avoid NaNoWriMo during this time of the year. Outside of the writing circles, it’s an unknown.

I responded with a “Yep, heard of it, even did it one year. But, it’s not for me.” Continue reading “Oh No! NaNoWriMo … No Mo”

Camp NaNoWriMo: Summer Camp for Writers

camp_nano_logoBy now, I trust you’ve heard of National Novel Writing Month, a.k.a. NaNoWriMo – that self-imposed challenge to write 50,000 words in the 30 days of November.

The folks at the Office of Letters and Light have come up with another way to drag you away from friends and family for a month. They call it Camp NaNoWriMo, and they run it twice a year, in April and July.

Like the regular NaNoWriMo, Camp NaNo gives you a framework to formally declare your intention to pound out a manuscript in a foreshortened period of time. And it gives you access to a network of writing friends to socialize with, lean on, and complain to.

But there are some differences to the Camp NaNo experience. If you’ve balked at doing the regular NaNo, you may find Camp NaNo is a better fit for you. Here’s why. Continue reading “Camp NaNoWriMo: Summer Camp for Writers”

NaNo or NoWay?

November means National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo or NaNo). You will notice a sharp decline in posted pictures of kittens and puppies, and see an increase of posts that say nothing more than “1400 words today! Woot!”

This is because a lot of writers are concentrating all their energy into this annual effort to crank out a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

I am not and have not been a participant in NaNo, but there are authors on staff here who are regular participants. There are others who do not see the point, or even think NaNo is actually a blight on humanity. NaNo seems to be one of those love it or hate it things. Continue reading “NaNo or NoWay?”

NaBooWriMo Challenge Update

You see, I’m pretty certain most of you thought I couldn’t pull it off. “How can that crazy broad possibly come out with three books in one month?” you might have asked. Hopefully you didn’t answer yourself. If you did, you may want to seek some counseling.

I have to say, there was a point last week when I realized the month was more than half over – and I got a little nervous that I was not going to be able to meet Ms. Laurie Boris’s double-dog-dare to produce three books during November 2012. I’m a ridiculously competitive person, and the thought of not being able to get those three books done instilled near-panic in me. Sure, everyone else would have said, “You got two books published, that’s awesome!” But that’s not good enough. Not for me. Continue reading “NaBooWriMo Challenge Update”