The Ink Paper Pen Writing group explain why they’ve taken the NaNoWriMo plunge

Curious about who exactly does NaNoWriMo, and why they do? We asked Ink Paper Pen writing group to share why they chose to do the 50,000 words of fiction in November challenge. Gillian, Lillie, Janelle, Sif and Louise explain why they’re doing it and what they’re hoping for. We’ll hear from these writers again after November, to report back on how they went and what they learned.

Gillian:

We formed Write on Wednesdays, an online writing challenge, via the blog Ink Paper Pen earlier in 2011. Our main aim is to help each other establish regular writing habits. If you want to be a writer, you have to write! Each week we “get together” for weekly creative writing exercises. The moral support of the group has provided great motivation for us so far . Some of us have even decided to step our writing up a notch this November by joining in with NaNoWriMo. Our goals and expectations for NaNoWriMo differ but we hope that together we can push each other a little further down the NaNoWriMo path. We plan to motivate each other by posting regular word count updates via Ink Paper Pen on Twitter. Feel free to join us!

Lillie says:

This will be my first year of NaNoWriMo. I’m feeling a mix of anticipation, anxiety and excitement. I have been dragging my feet on an idea for a few months now, and I know this is just the thing to get me into gear. I’ve been plotting like mad to prepare. I have a thorough outline and profiles on almost all of my characters. As a shameful procrastinator, the detailed preparation is new for me. My biggest challenge will be time, so I have made a daily writing schedule. I’ve also prepared my family and friends by telling them I will be chained to my desk for the whole of November! A few weeks ago, I started a weekly writing prompt on my blog called Five Sentence Fiction. I hope that I will avoid writers’ block with the help of the awesome writers who participate in Write on Wednesday and Five Sentence Fiction.

Janelle says:

I’m hoping that signing up for NaNoWriMo this year will act as the motivator I need to write more regularly. The weekly Write on Wednesdays group gets me writing, but I think NaNoWriMo will help me focus on my own writing project. I’m not too concerned if I don’t make the 50,000 word mark. I’m a little time-poor (who isn’t?!). I’ll be happy if I have the first few chapters of a novel drafted by the end of November and a good idea of where I think the story could go. I am starting NaNoWriMo with nothing more than an idea or two, so I’m planning to at least come up with a character map before November starts!

Sif says:

I’ve been hearing about NaNoWriMo for a couple of years now, but finally decided to join in this year. I’m very hopeful of actually writing 50 000 words in November and have planned to write to a word count each day to achieve that goal. I will only edit content ‘on the go’ and will leave copy editing until NaNoWriMo has finished because I’d like to get this novel out of my head in the first instance. My biggest challenge will be fitting in writing time around raising four active young boys.

Louise:

This is my second year of attempting NaNoWriMo. Last year, I was spectacularly under prepared. I started late, and did no pre-work. This year, I am wiser to the challenge. I have started my preparation. If you can call staring into the middle distance and hoping a story arc whacks you over the head, preparation. This year I have themes. This year I will start on the first day. This year I will write every day. This year I have developed some characters and some ideas. I am attempting NaNoWriMo to test myself. To challenge my writing. It is more about writing process and the discipline than it is about writing a novel as such. All of these little preparations are a big improvement on last year. Last year I didn’t start until the first week was almost over. I had no characters. I did not write every day. And I only wrote a pathetic number of words. I have high hopes this time. I am better prepared. I have a child who reliably sleeps through the night. I have a day off a week. I have a couple of story ideas. I’ve made some notes. I am participating in this grand writing collective frenzy for one reason; to test myself. To see if I can do it. To see if I have enough story writing in me to write something sustained. 50 000 words. It is a tough ask. It is 1 667 words a day. Each and every day for a month.

Good luck guys! We’re looking forward to seeing how you go. If you’re doing NaNoWriMo and want to guest blog about it, send me an email on rose[at]spindriftmedia.com.au