Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to follow your dream. We’ll be right beside you, prodding and poking and pushing you towards the finish line.
First, if you haven’t already done so, sign up at the official NaNoWriMo site. This is important, especially if you want to claim your win at the end. You can add information about your novel, select a home region, buddy up with other Wrimos, read about the trials of other newbies in the forums, and get some great advice from experienced writers. What’s not to like?
Virtual Writers also offers a veritable calendar of delights that includes word wars, write-ins and inspirational workshops from successful authors. Be sure to join our Second Life® group Milk Wood Wrimos for event reminders and follow us on Twitter for daily tips – you’ll find lots of great links under the hashtag #virtualwrimos.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit our sim in Second Life® then make some time this November. You’ll find an incredibly diverse and active community of writers and the level of support is second to none.
Our Second Life® NaNoWriMo word meter will be up and working on the 1st at our virtual writers’ camp. You will need to join the Milk Wood Wrimos group in order to obtain our participant badge. Don’t forget to pick up the free gift bag for virtual Wrimos at the writers’ camp. It’s packed full of resources and special goodies for writers. Plus, you’ll find our all important event schedule. Be sure to add the write-in dates and workshops to your calendar so you don’t miss anything.
If you find you’re a bit stuck, then grab a quick writing prompt, tie up your inner editor (and throw him in the closet!) and write for 15 minutes to loosen up. Don’t worry if it doesn’t read well or there are a ton of typos, just think of it as a creative stretch before the main marathon run. You never know, you might wind up using some of it for your novel.
For today, let’s concentrate on writing that first sentence, that first paragraph, that first page, and maybe that first chapter. Don’t worry about all the rest, just yet.
If this is your first time and you’re not sure what to expect, check out The Five Firsts of NaNoWriMo from the WordNerds.
Write-Ins
Monday – Sunday (throughout November): 8-9am Pacific Time/11am-12 noon Eastern Time/4-5pm GMT – NaNoWriMo Write-In with Zoetrope Ocelot http://ow.ly/eVHO3
Saturday (throughout November): 1-2pm Pacific Time/4-5pm Eastern Time/9-10pm GMT – NaNoWriMo Write-in with Harriet Gausman http://ow.ly/eVHO3
Sunday (throughout November): 1-2pm Pacific Time/4-5pm Eastern Time/9-10pm GMT – NaNoWriMo Write-in with Harriet Gausman http://ow.ly/eVHO3
Writers’ Dash & 500 Word Snatch
We also have a twice-daily Writers’ Dash running every Monday-Friday at 6am & 6pm (Pacific Time) with Doyle Slen, and a 500 Word Snatch with Lizzie Gudkov on Monday-Friday at 2am and Saturday at 12 noon (Pacific Time). These are often used by Wrimos to work on their novels. http://ow.ly/eVHO3
