NaNoWriMo. Let's Do This - Wendy H. Jones

 

Well, my writing friends, and I use that word to encompass every writer as we are members of the most exhilarating club I know. One where we can put our feelings down on paper and bring joy to others. Although, the feelings down on paper part can be a tad worrying as I write crime books. However, let's leave that part aside and move swiftly on to the writing part. Today, 1st November, is the first day of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) which has now expanded to include any type of writing. I was surprised to see when I registered my project there were now drop-down boxes where you can choose the type of writing you are doing. Surprised in a pleasant way as it means anyone can now join in. Although, I suspect many people were anyway and so they should. 

I have signed up yet again. According to my profile this is my eighth year I have done NaNoWriMo. This means I have now been a full-time writer for eight years. I had written prior to this but would not have called myself a writer. This was mainly because I didn't consider myself a writer. According to my Amazon Author Page I now have twenty-seven books which either have my name on the front or in which I have written a short story or chapter. I am not saying this to say how amazing I am, I'm saying it to encourage you. When you type your first word into NaNoWriMo you never know where this will lead. It has also led to me publishing others as I had my first foray into publishing thirteen other authors in a writing anthology called Creativity Matters: Find Your Passion For Writing. 

Inside the pages the authors share their passion for writing in different genres and encourage others to try out those genres too. I was blown away by the passion they showed and was itching to try writing in those genres. This is what writing is all about, trying new things, pushing the boundaries, and exploring what we can do. And my journey started by typing one word and then, another and another until I had reached my daily word count total. The daily word count total is 1666 words which leads to the 50,000-word November total. If those figures scare you, shove your doubts to one side. This is a personal challenge. No one is policing it. If you don't meet the 50,000-word target then celebrate the fact that you have written more words than you thought you would during the month. You can add buddies who will support you and   cheer you on. You can be invited to groups and can share in the groups how you are doing and encourage each other along the way. You an do virtual write ins with others where you set a certain time that you will all write together. Some do it on zoom. Others just agree a time. You can also do word sprints. For example, in the group I have set up, a member may say, "Who wants to join me for a 20 minute word sprint in 10 minutes." All those who are available join in if they want to. You then write as fast as you can for the 20 minutes. This is a great way of moving your word count along. 

So, let NaNoWriMo commence. Its' exhilarating, it's fun, it's adventurous, but above all it's motivating. Let's see those word counts soar and support each other. I still have some spaces left in my group - Wendy's Writing Chums. If you would like to join pop your NaNo handle in the comments and I'll send you an invite. If you want to buddy up, I'm Wendy H. Jones, so send me a buddy request. Let's do this together. I'll be praying you all achieve what you want to achieve. All power to your pen or keyboard. Oh, and before I finish, tell us about what you are currently writing in the comments. We can cheer you on. 

About the Author

Wendy H Jones is the Amazon #1 international best-selling author of the award winning DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries. Her Young Adult Mystery, The Dagger’s Curse was a finalist in the Woman Alive Readers' Choice Award. She is also The President of the Scottish Association of Writers, an international public speaker, and runs conferences and workshops on writing, motivation and marketing. Wendy is the founder of Crime at the Castle, Scotland’s newest Crime Festival. She is the editor of a Lent Book, published by the Association of Christian Writers and also the editor of the Christmas Anthology from the same publisher. Her first children's book, Bertie the Buffalo, was released in December 2018. Motivation Matters: Revolutionise Your Writing One Creative Step at a Time, was released in May 2019. The Power of Why: Why 23 Women Took the Leap to Start Their Own Business was released on 29th June, 2020. Marketing Matters: Sell More Books was released on 31st July 2020. Bertie Goes to the Worldwide Games will be released on 5th May, 202,  and the third book in the Fergus and Flora Mysteries will be published in 2021. Her new author membership Authorpreneur Accelerator Academy launched in January 2021. Creativity Matters: Find Your Passion for Writing the third book in her Writing Matters Series was published in September 2021.

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