CONNECT with Other #MFRWauthors for #NaNoWriMo!

Are You NaNo-ing?
November is National Novel Writing Month, also known as #NaNoWriMo. It happens each November and many authors, both old and new, find it motivational.

It pushes authors to increase their word count higher for the month - and typically spurs on higher word counts for a few months afterwards too.

You can SIGN UP here. You should set up a profile and bookmark it because this is where you will go each day or so to update your writing stats.

You'll also earn badges and be able to see your writing progress, along with connecting with other authors.

Let's CONNECT with other MFRW Authors!
1. After you register, come back HERE and put your NaNo Link in a comment.
2. Scroll through comments and follow others.
3. You can also find NaNoWriMo on these social media sites:

• On Facebook: @NaNoWriMo
• On Twitter: @NaNoWriMo
• On Tumblr: @NaNoWriMo
• On Instagram: @NaNoWriMo
• On Pinterest: @NaNoWriMo

#MFRWauthor @VictoriaPinder owes thanks to #NaNoWriMo

MFRW Author Victoria Pinder talks about her NaNo Experience.

It probably kickstarted my change of career to take the craft more seriously. I owe my thanks to Nanowrimo in helping me take the control back. I finished the first three book series, and I couldn’t sell them. I had more than three hundred rejections. I had no idea what to do. No one wanted what I thought was my masterpiece. I was disheartened.

Then someone told me November is Nanowrimo. It perked me up. I had already written a few books, so I had confidence in my ability to write a book. Nanowrimo is like writing on crack though. It’s fast paced. Intense. And I have done it every year, except last. The now husband asked me to marry him in October and wedding thoughts took over my life. The wedding is over now. He’s been warned already. This month, Nanowrimo, is the goal again.

Since completing Nanowrimo, I self published one book, Mything You. Empowered I charged ahead with my writing and I sold five more novels to publishers since. Now I have an agent. She wants changes in the book and sequel. I’m currently writing this.

None of this would be possible.

To me, the best part of Nanowrimo is that I’ve sold a book I wrote during the pressure to a publishing house. Chaperoning Paris was the story that I had to dig deep with. The characters had flaws and issues I’ve never experienced, but my heart could empathize. It was my first Nanowrimo book. I wrote the first draft in the month. I was so happy. I also had no idea how awful of a writer that made me.

I fixed it numerous times. I sold it to my publisher and they had a major storyline change for me as well. It was a lot of work, but it was a work of love.

A lot of the editing for the publishing house was done as I was planning that wedding last year. My mind was on a million things, but despite the pressures, I realized I can succeed. It’s what I love about the insanity of writing that much in a month. Victory tastes sweet at the end of the road. It’s a controllable goal that can be met. I’ve done it. Anyone with desire and commitment can too.

So if someone is out to conquer Nanowrimo, you can. I have. And if you live in Miami, perhaps I’ll see you at one of the events.

About The Author

Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston then moved to Miami. Eventually, found that writing is her passion.

She always wrote stories to entertain herself. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, but when she sat down to see what she enjoyed doing, writing became obvious.

The Zoastra Affair, Chaperoning Paris, Borrowing the Doctor, and Electing Love, Mything the Throne and Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush will be published in 2014.

Now she is represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. Also she’s the Vice President for the Florida Romance Writers. Her website is www.victoriapinder.com.

An #MFRWauthor's #NaNoWriMo Experience: Flossie Benton Rogers @FrostFrye

Flossie Benton Rogers talks about her NaNo Experience.

NaNoWriMo 2010 resulted in my first published novel, Wytchfae Runes, and jump started my post-retirement career. By that time I had personally participated in NaNo for five years. I wrote like a demon each November and put the manuscripts away and never looked at them again. Library work kept me busy.

During this time I also handled local NaNo events. As director of a county library system, in 2005 we organized an annual NaNo program for budding writers. Local authors offered presentations before, during, and after November. Loretta C. Rogers was one of those who gave unselfishly to help others put pen to paper. She inspired me with her knowledge and experience, and I began to believe that I, too, could be an author.

Like many people, becoming a published author had been my lifelong dream. I wrote my first fairy tale at age eight. With a passion for fairy stories and later, mythology, I wrote all my life but with the misconception that published authors were from some higher plane I could never reach.

Thank heaven my husband never let me forget my dream and periodically reminded me of it. When I retired from the library in 2011, he urged me to spend my time writing. Instead of putting away my 2010 NaNo manuscript, I set about the Herculean task of turning it into a publishable novel. With my husband’s support and Loretta’s critique help and encouragement, I made a commitment to become a published author. A pitch at a writer’s conference and a series contract from Secret Cravings Publishing were the other alchemical ingredients. Being a published author was a whole new world, and I loved every minute of it. Now on book number seven, I still do.

Lord of Fire – Wytchfae 5

Paranormal Romance

When demon hunter Garnet McAnnaencounters a mysterious warrior known as The Hawk, can she cope with the soul scorching flame he ignites within her?

Connect with Flossie

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Pinterest  |  LinkedIn  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon

#MFRWorg ASKS: Are You a #NaNoWriMo Newbie? @MaeClair1 #MFRWauthor

Are you a NaNo Newbie?

I was last year. A close friend of mine faithfully tackled NaNo every year but I resisted tossing my pen into the ring. The timing was always wrong, I was too busy working on a WIP, or had some other excuse in the pipeline. Then last year I decided NaNoWriMo was something I should experience at least once in my lifetime. A rite of passage.

So in September, I started thinking about my project and pre-planning. My normal style is to wing scenes as I go, something that I knew wouldn’t fly if I wanted to churn out 50,000 words in November. I also have a regimental habit of editing as I write, making sure everything is polished before moving ahead. NaNo is the exact opposite of that—plan before you start, then write like a warp-drive engine.

Could I do it?

As an A-type personality , I hate to fail. I planned my story, devised intricate character worksheets, sketched out my town, and outlined the first four chapters of my novel scene-by-scene. I didn’t have the whole book plotted, but had a good hand on the story and was pleased with my pre-prep. I even took the time to write and schedule all of my regular weekly blog posts for November so I wouldn’t be distracted.

November 1st rolled around and I burst out of the starting gate with a rush of exhilaration. The excitement was overwhelming, everyone racing along with me. Mid-month rolled around and I settled into a steadier gait, my eye on endurance and hanging in there for the long haul. By the closing week, I was exhausted, wondering if I would last, certain I would never attempt such creative madness again.

The result?

I walked away with a 50,500 word rough draft of a novel that was far was from finished, but taught me the value of plotting and put me further ahead as a writer than I’ve ever been in 30 days. I’ve since added an additional 8,000 words on my goal toward 20,000 more. The book is shaping up to be the best I’ve ever written and will likely be ready for submission early 2015 if not before.

So am I doing NaNo again this year? You betcha.

Like last year, I’ve already picked my project, lined up my characters and plotted as much as I can, including the first four chapters, scene-by-scene. It worked for me last year, so I’m hoping the formula proves true again this year. Most importantly, I know that when November 1st rolls around, I need to write like a steam locomotive, focused on accomplishing the goal of 50K. Turn off the editor, turn off the polisher, and know that a host of other writers are sloughing through those same trenches with me.

I’m no longer a newbie, but feel every bit as giddy as I did when attempting NaNo for the first time. I hope you’ll join me and experience the madness!

About The Author

Mae Clair opened a Pandora’s Box of characters when she was a child and never looked back. Her father, an artist who tinkered with writing, encouraged her to create make-believe worlds by spinning tales of far-off places on summer nights beneath the stars.

Mae loves creating character-driven fiction in settings that vary from contemporary to mythical. Wherever her pen takes her, she flavors her stories with mystery and romance. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and is passionate about cryptozoology, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail and cats.

Discover more about Mae on her website and blog at MaeClair.net

You can find Mae Clair at the following haunts:
Twitter  |  Google+  |  Facebook Author Page  |  Amazon Author Page  |  Goodreads

#MFRWauthor shares her #NaNoWriMo Experience @RitaBayAuthor

I’ll keep this short because I’m already gearing up for NaNoWriMo—National Novel Writing Month. Every year in November, hundreds of thousands of writers—more than 645,000 in 2013—unite to write. Starting at midnight on November 1st, participants write feverishly until midnight on December 1st to churn out those fifty thousand words in thirty days.

I can’t recommend NaNo enough as a writing tool to get started and keep going. There’s a built-in support system of staff, famous guest author cheerleaders, and writer friends you’ve signed up with or found online. For writers near one of the participating communities, there are kick-off parties and write-ins throughout the month. Cost? Nothing, unless the writer makes a tax-deductible donation to NaNo. (I always donate because I don’t expect something for nothing AND I get a cute little crown on my author page.)

Participants create their own author pages with bios, buddies, blurbs, and word-count tracking. I also record my word count in an Excel spreadsheet to track how many words I have left to write for the day and how far ahead (or behind) I am for my November goal. My NaNoWriMo spreadsheet for 2014 version is available from my website (ritabay.com) on the Freebie page under Author Freebies.

I’ve participated in NaNo since 2009, though as Rita Bay since 2012 when I was first published and

switched to my pen name. As a compulsive edit-as-I-write author, fifty thousand words is a difficult challenge but doable.

In October I schedule my November webpage blogs, write and submit my guest posts, and put my house in order, including a bit of cook and freeze.

Although I’ve only met the 50,000 word goal twice, I’ve ended the month with a published book every year. My NaNo pubbed books include:

• His Desire (NaNoWriMo, 2009), a Regency Historical from Siren BookStrand (2012)
• Into the Lyon's Den (2010), a Shapeshifter Romance, Champagne Books (2012)
• Finding Eve (2011), the sequel to Into the Lyons' Den, Champagne (2013)
• Search & Rescue (2012), a Contemporary Military Romance, Secret Cravings (2013)
• Duchess in Waiting (2013), a Regency Historical, Siren Publishing (2014)

Since I plan to complete two historical novellas this year, my goal is about 60,000 words. If you’re considering signing up for NaNo this year, check out this link: http://nanowrimo.org/about. If you join, I’d love some more buddies at Rita Bay.

Rita’s Bio
Rita Bay happily writes sizzling contemporary stories (Secret Cravings & Liquid Silver Books), historical romance sagas (Siren & BookStrand), shapeshifter and vampire tales, and humorous mythology-based erotic romps (Champagne Book Group). Her stories are set near her home in Atlanta, along the Gulf Coast, and in picturesque locales across Europe. Her webpage/blog (http://ritabay.com) offers more info about Rita and her stories, as well as risqué, macabre, and extraordinary posts about the history and culture of Western Europe and the United States.

RITA BAY’S LINKS

WEBPAGE & BLOG / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / AMAZON

#MFRWauthors Participate in #NaNoWriMo... Are You?

Are You NaNo-ing?

November is National Novel Writing Month. You'll see it referenced on Twitter as #NaNoWriMo and lots of authors will be talking about it over the next few months. National Novel Writing Month is a 501c3 nonprofit (formerly known as the Office of Letters and Light) that believes everyone's story matters so each November, they host this huge writing event. Many authors find it motivational. For me, it's a challenge that pushes my word count higher for the month. While I can average 30,000 words/ month, I've written 50,000 words during the past two Novembers. The program can work!

National Novel Writing Month organizes events where children and adults find the inspiration, encouragement, and structure they need to achieve their creative potential. Our programs are web-enabled challenges with vibrant real-world components, designed to foster self-expression while building community on local and global levels.

In 2013, 310,095 people participated in NaNoWriMo.

NOW is the time to sign up. You can do that here. You will definitely want to set up a profile and bookmark it because this is where you will go each day or so to update your writing stats. You'll also earn badges - they're like smiley stickers teachers used to give you in elementary school. NaNo is all about the fun!

THEN spend the next few weeks preparing...

• Connect with participating authors. You can do this on the NaNo website.
• Participate in the NaNo forums on their website. Gather good ideas!
• Blog about your goal. Tell others to gain support and serve as motivation.
• Insert a NaNo word count widget on your blog.
• Plan out your story so not to waste time later when you should be writing.
• Let your family know your writing schedule for November. It will alter your normal schedule and you'll need their support/ cooperation.

CONNECT with other MFRW Authors who are participating. After you register, leave your username in the comments field below and go find the others on the NaNo website. Let's be buddies! Look for me - I'm registered as PalomaBeck.

Great News!
There's some fabulous NaNo sponsors this year. Here's my two favorites.

Two free paperback copies of a finished book for NaNoWriMo winners.

CreateSpace is proud to support Wrimos. We invite you to explore easy and rewarding independent publishing, take advantage of free tools, or choose from our everyday low priced professional services. In addition, NaNoWriMo winners can get two free paperback copies of their finished book.

50% off Scrivener for all NaNoWriMo winners, and 20% off for all participants

Scrivener is an award-winning word processor and project management tool for the Mac and Windows that has been enthusiastically adopted by best-selling novelists and novices alike.

As a NaNoWriMo 2014 winner, you will be eligible for a 50% discount on Scrivener’s regular license on either the Mac or Windows platform. For those who participate and don’t make their 50,000 words, use the code NANOWRIMO for 20% off until December 31, 2015. A special NaNoWriMo extended trial version is available now.