Camp NaNoWriMo

As any writer who is serious about their work knows, it isn't necessary to wait until November to have  a month of writing madness. You can it any time (or all the time) commit to any sane or insane writing schedule you like and pound out your next great work in a month (or for the really ambitious, there is Fast Draft! 5000 words a day and finished draft in 2 weeks. Yikes!)

Honestly, my writing system doesn't work very well for a NaNoWriMo or FastDraft, by the time I've got a 50,000 word draft, I've written at least 3 times that many words. But I love a challenge, work better under a deadline, and really like having other writers to cheer me on and that I can cheer on.

So I signed up for the August session of Camp NaNoWriMo. I'm about done with the prep work for Mongolian Steampunk and ready to get to some serious writing. With luck and some hard work, I'll have a solid start on it by the end of the month (even if I don't make the 50,000 word goal). I'll be posting updates from time to time on my progress.

Wish me luck!

Edit: I'll be using NaNoWriMo to expand My Mistress, instead of Mongolian Steampunk  - some research turned up a few major/minor issues in my world building that require going back to drawing board. So I'll be trying to get a finished first draft (expansion 4 at least) for My Mistress by the end of the month instead.

Virtual Writer's World

Short post today, but I wanted to take a minute to share some info on the Virtual Writer's World. 

Virtual Writer's World is an online writer's community that helps writers connect and grow over social media and other online outlets. They are active on Twitter, Facebook and Second Life, running daily writing activities like the the Writer's Dash, Word Scrimage, Open Mics and workshops. They host small writers competitions (vote on June's Competitive Dash) and publish a small ezine writers can submit fiction, poetry and non-fiction for.

Writing can be a solitary activity, and just taking part in the twice daily Writer's Dash, sharing the results and discussing writing with other writers, has made a huge difference in my focus and commitment to my writing.

If you are looking for a way to connect with other writers, I highly suggest you check them out.