Category: NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo, Wendy Speaks

Last Minute To-Dos for Self Publishing Authors Participating in NanoWriMo

There are only a few more days until NanoWriMo begins. To help you prepare, I’ve prepared a last minute to-do list for all self-publishing authors participating in NanoWriMo. Check it out below.

  • Read a few pep talks, which are available on the NanoWriMo website. They are sure to give you the motivation you need to succeed.
  • Add a web badge to your website. Not only will you help promote the event, but it is a fun way to let everyone know that you are taking the challenge.
  • Get inspired. Spend some time before the writing begins listening to music, watching strangers, drinking coffee, reading books, or doing any other activity that gets your creative juices flowing.
  • Relax. The next month is going to be hectic, so prepare your mind and body by practicing relaxation techniques such as exercising or meditation.
  • Remind your friends and family. You will need they their support during this process, so remind them of your goals and writing schedule.
  • Have fun. NanoWriMo is a fun process, so just enjoy it.

Good luck to all of the self-publishing authors who are participating in NanoWriMo. I can’t wait to see your books in print!

I’d love to know, what is on your last minute to-do list?

ABOUT WENDY STETINA: Wendy Stetina is a sales and marketing professional with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industry. Wendy works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; and together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction, or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Wendy Stetina can put you on the right path.
NaNoWriMo, Social Media Marketing, Wendy Speaks

5 Online Tasks for Self Publishing Authors to Complete Before NanoWriMo

There is a little more than a week until NanoWriMo begins! If you’re like many self publishing authors, you’ve been spending the month of October preparing for the challenge. You’ve probably started brainstorming and outline and cleaning off your desk, but there are a few online tasks that you should complete before the official beginning of NanoWriMo. Here is your to-do list.

1) Make sure you are registered.

Before you start all the fun tasks below, make sure you are registered for the event. You can do so by visiting NanoWriMo.org. This will ensure that you have access to all the benefits and resources the challenge has to offer.

2) Create social media pages.

Social media is a great way to market yourself and your book, and many readers, agents, and publishers expect you to take advantage of this marketing tool. You could create social media pages for yourself, your book, or your characters. Be creative, and have fun with social media. This is also a great time to start a blog.

3) Connect with other authors.

Of the greatest benefits of  NanoWriMo is the opportunity to connect with other authors. They can encourage and support you during this project. You can connect with authors by visiting the NanoWriMo website as well as by searching social media sites for people who are participating.

4) Download some music.

Music is a great way to become inspired. Download a few songs that you can listen to when you need some inspiration. Listen to songs that your characters would be interested, or search for music that reminds you of your setting or plot.

5) Play on Pinterest.

Pinterest is a great way to find inspiration as well as promote your book. Create boards for your characters, setting, or plot. Be creative, and have fun with this. What outfits would your character wear? What food would your character eat?

I’d love to know, what are you doing to prepare for NanoWriMo?

ABOUT WENDY STETINA: Wendy Stetina is a sales and marketing professional with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industry. Wendy works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; and together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction, or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Wendy Stetina can put you on the right path.
Elise Speaks, NaNoWriMo

How NaNoWriMo Can Explode Your Writing Career – Yes, Really!

National Novel Writing Month, shortened to the kitschy NaNoWriMo (nan-no-RYE-moe), is an annual, Internet-based creative writing project that challenges writers to pen a whopping 50,000 words in the month of November. Though it started in 1999 with fewer than two dozen participants, it’s estimated that more than 200,000 speed-writers tackled the challenge in 2010.

NaNoWriMo can kick-start a newbie’s writing efforts, or helped experienced authors loosen up and try freestyle for a while. Many NaNoWriMo participants have even gone on to have their projects published! At the very least, the project is a great writing exercise – and an chance to promote yourself as an author or your future book. In the true spirit of this virtual writing challenge, use the Web to turn NaNoWriMo into a prime marketing opportunity.

  • Start by crowing about your plans. If you don’t already have one, build a blog page on WordPress or another free blog site. Give readers daily reports on what work you’re doing to prepare for NaNoWriMo. Perhaps you’re reading Moby Dick for inspiration, attended writers’ conference, or you’ve bought a new thesaurus. Bring your audience along with you and get them excited about your adventure. Duplicate your efforts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and any other social media platform you wish.
  • Solicit feedback. Engage your readers in the process by sharing potential plot points and asking them for their ideas. People love the be involved in the creative process, and you may be surprised what scintillating characters and plot twists could spin out of these virtual brainstorming sessions.
  • Poll your potential audience. Ask your friends and readers to answer simple, multiple-choice questions: Should my protagonist be male or female? Which name do you prefer for the main character? Should the hero get the girl – yes or no? It’s a quick way to get people invested in your success and to gather a general consensus when you’re not sure which path to take.
  • Choose cover art. This could be as simple as changing your Facebook photo for the duration of the NaNoWriMo challenge or as involved as designing a prospective book cover. The idea is to associate an image with your project that will set a tone, create an image, inspire you and engage your readers.

Once November 1 rolls around – and, trust me, it will sneak right up on you – it’s time to hunker down for real. To successfully complete the NaNoWriMo challenge, you’ll have to write consistently most days from November 1 through November 30. You’ll need to average 1,667 words per day to meet the 50K quota, more if you take any days off. That means at least a couple solid hours of writing most days. (And leave a little extra writing time to update your blog or Twitter followers and post progress reports on Facebook.) The trick is not to get caught up in achieving perfection in a few short weeks; the goal is a lot of words in a short time, so focus on quantity in November — you can sort out the quality later.

I highly recommend joining a regional group so you can communicate with other participants, listen to ideas, share writing tips and gather suggestions from others. Many past NaNoWriMo authors have valuable advice that can help you make the most of the NaNoWriMo experience.

Now get writing!

Elise Connors ABOUT ELISE L. CONNORS:
Elise works as the Manager of Author Support of Outskirts Press.  She also contributes to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com.Elise and a group of talented book marketing experts assist self-publishing authors and professionals who are interested in getting the best possible exposure for their book.
Kelly Speaks, NaNoWriMo

8 Reasons Not to Participate in NanoWriMo

Lately, there is a lot of buzz in the writing community about NanoWriMo. Many writers are gearing up for the challenge, while others are still dragging their feet on signing up. Working with self-publishing authors, I hear many different excuses for why writers decide not to participate in NanoWriMo. Here are the top eight excuses I frequently hear and my response to each of them.

1.) You don’t feel inspired. Inspiration is a classic writing myth. Serious writers don’t wait until they feel inspired to write. They write every day, no matter what. You can create the inspiration to write by changing your daily habits; you shouldn’t wait for inspiration to strike.

2.) You’re scared. This should be a reason to participate, not an excuse not to. Tackling your fears is part of growing as a writer, and it can lead to unbelievable change.

3.) You don’t have any ideas. Everyone has ideas. You just have to take the time to find them. There are plenty of books and websites dedicated to helping writers generate ideas. Even if it seems corny, complete some writing exercises to get your juices flowing. Look for ideas in your everyday world: the newspaper, books, tv shows. Be sure to keep track of all your ideas in a notebook.

4.) It’s holiday season. Sure, November is known for kicking off the holiday season, but that doesn’t mean you have to put your dreams on hold. In fact, writing can be a great way to relieve some holiday stress.

5.) You’re anti-social and hate events. Many writers prefer being left alone when they are working on a book, but there are many benefits to participating in events such as NaNoWriMo. All of the information and support makes your task of writing easier. Plus, you can choose how much you interact with the other writers.

6.) You don’t believe it’s possible to accomplish. There are plenty of writers who don’t think it is possible to write a novel in 30 days, but the truth is the process works for many people. In fact, more than 90 published novels began as NaNoWriMo projects.

7.) You don’t have time. Writers always use this excuse, but the truth is, there is always time, if you make time.

8.) You have too many other responsibilities. We all have responsibilities besides writing, although many of us dream of a life where we have nothing else do except read, write, and drink coffee. The real problem is that many of us don’t know how to ask for help. You don’t have to do everything yourself. Learn to delegate and free up time to pursue your writing dreams.

So, what’s keeping you from participating in NaNoWriMo this year?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.
Kelly Speaks, NaNoWriMo

Top 5 NaNoWriMo Blog Posts Every Self Publishing Author Should Read

You may have noticed that we’ve been talking a lot about NaNoWriMo lately, but we aren’t the only ones buzzing about this exciting annual writing challenge. Here are five inspiring blog posts about NaNoWriMo that every self-publishing author should read:

  1. NaNoWriMo: Plot It or Pants It? : While I recently recommended spending the month before NaNoWriMo brainstorming and outlining your manuscript, there are many authors who struggle to decide if planning is the best approach for them. In this post, the blogger talks about her prior experiences with NaNoWriMo as well as her plans for this year. It is always helpful to hear about other authors’ writing experiences and preferences.
  2. NaNoWriMo by Insane and Uncontrolled: As an author who has participated in NaNoWriMo before, this blogger offers great insight on some of the do’s and don’ts of NaNoWriMo. My favorite tip is to buddy up. It really is important to have people who will support you during this process.
  3. “We’re going to do WHAT?”: How NaNoWriMo Has Changed the Lives of Over 700 of My Students: When most people think of NaNoWriMo, they think of adults trying to finish the books that have been playing in their heads for months or years, but adults aren’t the only people participating in NaNoWriMo. This great post tells the story of over 700 high school students who took part in the challenge.
  4. How NanoWriMo Inspired Me to Start Writing Again: Although this blogger has decided not to participate in NanoWriMo, she shares how the challenge has inspired her to set a different writing goal. If you decide not to commit to the NanoWriMo program, you can still find ways to complete your manuscript.
  5. 90+ Published Novels Began as NaNoWriMo Projects: Just the title of this blog post would entice writers to head over to the NaNoWriMo website to sign up. The proof is in the numbers. Previous participates have been successful, and so can you. All you have to do is try.

Have you recently found (or written) a great blog post about NaNoWriMo? Share it below.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.