NaNoWriMo Up

How did your National Novel Writing go? 50,000? 30,000? Notes for next year? Whatever you did, you were a winner if you wrote more than you would have on your own? This global initiative is proof that together writers can push each other to be more productive.

NaNoWriMo has all the elements of a good writing community - measurable goals, an enthusiastic group of supporters cheering each other on, and T-shirts to mark the occasion. According to the official site, more than 28,000 people recorded 50,000+ words each for a total of 2.6 billion words. That is something to celebrate.

I was lucky enough to spend the evening last night with a class of 29 very diverse authors who spent five Monday nights together fueled by cookies, agent visits and a shared sense of purpose. For three hours straight the type, type, typing built until half a dozen announced they had made the 50,000 word goal. Others beat their own personal goals and all came away with a sense of having done something they had only considered in a vague way before.

If you participated, take a moment to congratulate yourself and take a deep breath. You can always go back and edit and fine tune later. The important thing is that you captured your dream.

If you missed this year, now is the time to start collecting folders of ideas about scenes, characters, plot twists and titles so you will be ready come 11.1.11. It will be here before you know it.

Team NaNoWriMo

We talk a lot here about the additional power a MasterMind Writing Group can bring to your work. National Novel Writing Month (affectionately known as NaNoWriMo) multiplies that forward momentum by tens of thousands of people all focused on the same goal, pushing out a book in the month of November.

Think about it. What looks to the naked eye like a lone writer tapping away at a keyboard is actually one point of light in a national movement to celebrate literary abandon. This movement is supported by hundreds of web sites, Twitter # groups, local classes and events. Whether you are a young writer, script writer, veteran or first-time writer, resources are available to encourage and celebrate your efforts. If you ever needed an excuse to make your dreams come true, NaNoWriMo is it.

How are you celebrating this life-changing event? Share your progress and tips here and remember - you never write alone.

Yours in Writing,

Promptmasters

Jennifer Sander

JT Long

My Writing Group Addiction Confession

I have a confession to make. I run a couple of writers' groups, attend a few others regularly and have had the pleasure of moderating some fascinating panel discussions in the last few months. I do it because I am passionate about supporting and educating writers so we can all grow. But I can't deny the boost my involvement gives me personally.

Every time I come away from one of these events I am inspired and, often, one step closer to a new opportunity.

This was definitely the case on Tuesday night. As chair of the Sacramento Press Club Seminars Committee, I had the pleasure of meeting Sacramento Bee Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marjie Lundstrom. She was a joy - engaging, candid, authentic - and probably wouldn't approve of all the adjectives I am using to tell you how great she was. She would say, "Show me."

So instead, I will share a metaphor she used to explain the structure of an effective story. Imagine a necklace. The pearls are the details that shine in the readers eyes. The humble string is the organizational structure that runs through the story giving it shape. Without the string, it isn't a necklace. It's a pile of little white balls.

You can be assured that I will take the time from now on to consider my structure before piling a bunch of details on the page and hoping the reader doesn't trip on them looking for the closure.

In addition to getting to meet this superstar, I also met a number of other word jewelers who took time out of their busy schedules to attend. Once again, I left inspired.

I have to admit, writer group mania is not an addiction I am going to try to kick anytime soon.

Yours in Writing

Promptmasters

Jennifer Sander

JT Long

On Writing: What Stephen King can Teach You About Getting Started

I just finished Stephen King's "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft". I have been told many times over the years that this was a must-read, even if I wasn't "into that type of writing." It was an interesting mix of personal story and practical advice (Second Draft = First Draft - 10%). The author of the graphic "Carrie", "The Shining" and "The Dead Zone" saves the best for last, however.

On page 269, as he describes his struggle to begin writing again after a car vs. pedestrian accident where he was the pedestrian, he wrote some of the truest words yet. "The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better."

That is the way it is with writing. It is easy to find a million other things to do than sit down and pound out your deepest secrets. But once you start, it not only gets better, it becomes painful to stop.

He continues: "I feel that buzz of happiness, that sense of having found the right words and put them in a line. It's like lifting off in an airplane: You're on the ground, on the ground, on the ground... and then you're up, riding on a magical cushion of air and prince of all you survey. It's what I was made to do." Let me repeat that last line. "It's what I was made to do."

That is why we write, isn't it? It's not for money or fame or free coffee. It's because it's what we do.

I would like to thank Stephen (he says everyone calls you by your first name during an emergency) for sharing this insight and inspiring a whole new generation of writers in all genres.

Now it's your turn. How do you get off the ground? What gets your writing started?

Yours in Writing,

Promptmaster

Jennifer Sander

JT Long

Writing Goal Check-Up

It has been six months since you made your 2010 writing resolutions. Have you allowed your MasterMind Writer's Group to hold you accountable? Have you written those proposals? Consistently blogged? Finished that Great American Novel? Have you celebrated appropriately?

I know life can get in the way. Kids, dogs, editors can be very demanding. But you have to make your self-imposed deadlines a priority if you are going to reach your publishing dreams.

Let's take this summer break as an opportunity to renew your commitment to writing like you have never written before. Answer the following questions honestly and publicly so you will be more inclined to make the answers stick.

• Was my 2010 goal practical?
• What adjustments do I need to make to ensure that I will be successful?
• Am I using all of my network's resources to meet my goal?
• Am I scheduling time in my week to pursue my dreams?
• How will I celebrate when I cross the publishing line?

The good news is that there is still another six months left to reach all of your goals and more. But you will only be successful if you commit to yourself and your support network.

Another Day Another Book Launch

2010 has been a great year for my writing group. It seems every month another member is planning a book launch.

First we hailed Judith Horstman's second book for Scientific American, Brave New Brain. It received great traction because it was such a timely topic and a fun read. Then Jennifer Sander and her co-author Paula Munier burned up the book shelves with Hot Flash Haiku. Again, it was perfect timing as an ideal Mother's Day gift. Verna Dreisbach was next out of the gate with Why We Ride: Women Writers on the Horses in Their Lives. It is getting great reviews and, I hear, going into a second printing. Now our own Dawn Lairimore has released her kick-ass princess young adult novel Ivy's Ever After. I love the book and the launch page. I know of two others about to be released, one is a mystery romance and the other a travel book.

Although the subjects vary widely, the support each member has received from the group at the launch parties, on their web sites and in their personal networks has been universally powerful. Mastermind groups share in the journey and the celebration at the end.

So, why were so many of our members able to cross the finish line at once? It is the result of a number of things.

• Momentum: The energy and excitement of each launch encourages the rest of the group to pursue their dreams. This is not competition, this is all boats rising in the tide of publishing.
• Collective Resources: The more published writers we have in the group, the more agents, publishers and strategies can be shared at each meeting.
• Magnetic Power: The more successful our group is, the more it attracts other successful authors and empowers the first two items.

Powerful isn't it? Well, time to go get ready for the next launch. Please take a moment before your next book bash and share with me your group's success secrets.

Yours in Publishing,

Promptmasters

Jennifer Sander

JT Long

Informal MasterMind Writing Groups Add Liquidity to Publishing Plans

Not all writing groups have to be formal sessions where everyone sits down and accounts for each word written since the last meeting. Those moments of truth can be very valuable, but a less formal event call also get the creative juices flowing.

In addition to my MasterMind Group, I also participate in Writers Who Wine an informal monthly gathering of writers at all stages of their career. We meet at a nice bar, have a drink and talk about the biz of putting words together.

I meet the most interesting people and leave inspired to find new ways to express myself - and make money in my chosen field. 

We started our group on Facebook with a core group of writing friends and invited anyone in the Sacramento area who wanted to chat about writing to join us. We now have 119 members signed up to receive invitations and usually about 20 show up. I always meet someone new and have twice secured paying writing gigs from the contacts made there. I know writers who are now teaching classes, have been published in the local paper and featured in online stories because of the events.

The bottom line is, don't whine about finding opportunities. Take the initiative. Gather a group of people together in whatever setting, format and venue suits you. You could be the Creative Cookies who share recipes and write cookbooks. You could found the Java Journalists and take turns making presentations in a coffee shop. The idea is to share the inspiration, contacts and joy that comes from interacting with your fellow writers. 

How do you stay connected?

Yours in Writing,

Promptmasters

JT Long

Jennifer Sander