  Contests & Activities
This week: To NaNo or Not to NaNo? Edited by: spidey  
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Welcome to the Contests & Activities Newsletter. I'm spidey , and I'm your Editor this week!
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To NaNo or Not to NaNo
Every year at this time, many of us struggle with the question: Should I participate in NaNoWriMo this year?
It can be a tough decision! Pledging to write 50,000 words in 30 days is no simple task! Here are some things to think about when making the decision:
 Time-consuming - Writing 50,000 words in one month means averaging 1,667 words per day. Some writers can get that out within an hour, but I think many will take at least a couple hours. It's a pretty big time commitment to put aside several hours per day to writing.
Quanity over quality - Personally, most of my writing for NaNoWriMo isn't my best. Good writing isn't necessarily the "point" of NaNo-writing. That isn't to say you won't come up with some great writing, but usually the focus is on getting out words as fast as possible. It takes a good editor to later decide what should and shouldn't be kept.
What social life? - Good luck trying to get to social events (or even household chores) when all your focus is on writing as fast as you can! 
Though there are some possible negatives to NaNoWriMo, I think most who have participated will agree that the pros far outweigh the cons!
 A whole book when you're done! When you're done, you'll have an entire book written (or most of a book. The majority of novels are well over 50,000 words). The point is, you'll have characters, basic plot, conflict, resolution, etc. all mapped out! Now all you'll have to do is start the next daunting task - Editing!
Camaraderie - You might not be as in touch with your family members and non-writer friends during NaNo, but what you will have is a rather large group (thousands and thousands world-wide) of writers going through it, too! That's a huge support system to keep you motivated!
Be a better writer - We all know one of the best ways to improve the skill of writing is to do more of it. NaNo is a great motivational tool to force you to write every day, to think about writing almost constantly for one month. Keep a notebook in each room of your house, because you never know when the next inspiration will strike during November!
Victory! It's a huge sense of accomplishment when you reach 50,000 words! Savor the feeling!
Personally, I've got a lot on my plate right now. I'm working part-time and taking online courses. I wasn't planning on participating in NaNoWriMo, but then Halloween happened. While pondering several costume ideas, a different kind of idea hit me, and I realized it could make for an interesting novel. Now I'm faced with the decision on whether or not to join in on the craziness... Looking at my list above, how can I resist? 
Keep on writing and Happy NaNo-ing!
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Link an item to advertise or for r/r and write a short piece with the given word.
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My last newsletter, ("Contests & Activities Newsletter (October 2, 2013)" ), discussed promotion Writing.Com.
You might go to the public reviews and click on Most Credited Reviewers click on any of the names and see if they have selected to do reviews. Then just ask. They can accept or refuse with no hurt feelings. You can scroll through the reviews (look at in depth ones, formats you like) and go back up to a year find names that reoccur and ask them until you get a good feeling for what people really think of your writing and where you need to change, fix or keep on writing. I do it all the time. 
~ Quick-Quill 
Great advice!!
Thank you for the tips. We concentrate so much in learning how to write well that we forget all the other work required to get your well written work seen.
You're welcome, and that's very true!
Questions to think about:
Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year? |
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Contests & Activities: October 30, 2013 Issue [#5966]
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