Happy Wednesday! The Insecure Writers’ Group is a group of writers offering motivation and encouragement to all those taking on the challenges of writing. Every month the ISWG sponsors a blog hop where writers can blog about a topic related to overcoming obstacles and exploring various aspects of the writing journey. If you’d like to participate in a future hop you can join here. It’s always a great experience, and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in writing and sharing with other writers.
The co-hosts for the November 1 edition of the IWSG blog hop are PJ Colando, Jean Davis,Lisa Buie Collard, and Diedre Knight.
Every month there is an optional discussion question to ponder, and this month it’s the following:
November 1 question: November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?
I feel like I reflect on this topic every November. And it’s always with some regret that I say that no, I’ve never participated in National Novel Writing Month (abbreviated as NaNoWriMo). For anyone who is not familiar with what this event entails, it is a creative writing event taking place during the month of November that encourages participants to write creatively with the goal of completing (or at least making good progress towards) a 50,000 word manuscript.
I have always admired the planning and work that many writers invest into preparing for this month, and the awesome results that many people achieve. For most writers I’ve spoken with it’s a great exercise and can make a big difference in your writing, by helping you to set aside the time to focus and write, even if you end up with fewer than 50,000 words when it’s all written and done. As for me, I haven’t participated and unfortunately won’t be this year either. I can’t really say why not, I guess for me it all comes down to time. I don’t think that I can realistically commit to it given my schedule, and I would end up at the end of the month with little to show for it. I know that sounds like an excuse, and it most likely is. But things have just been busy lately, and November has caught me off guard, again. The stars just don’t seem to have aligned for me just yet to work towards NaNoWriMo, sadly.
How about you? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? If so, what are your goals? I know it’s only the first day, but how is it going for you so far? If you’re participating I wish you a fantastic and productive experience! Let me know how it’s going for you in the comments so we can cheer you on!
Happy Writing ✍️
-Winter
Winter Betancourt 
I am having a crack at my first proper NaNo this November. I already know I won’t do 50k words, but what I’m hoping to do is let this month slingshot my writing efforts into a regular habit. After my MA I took October off, apart from a couple of blogs, and now I want to have fun and try and write a crime novel. It may well (will probably) be pants, but the idea of writing something big is exciting and daunting. It requires practice and patience, so I’m using the November thing to make myself accountable to … well currently, myself.
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That is an awesome project, how cool! NaNoWriMo will be a great way to stay motivated, kudos for working towards that goal. I have a hard time staying accountable to my writing goals, I’m hoping to develop a better schedule but so far I am struggling.
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It is work in progress with the developing a habit thing. So far I’ve found that taking my laptop to the library has worked the best. I keep it offline, and give myself 2 hours to knock basic words out. Then stop, where ever I’m at. It seems effective so far. I’m yearning to edit what I have but trying to stop myself, in order to get one basic full draft done. I’ve never written anything longer than 15 k words before, and that was written as shorter essays for my MA. So who knows if this is the right way to go about it!
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You could always set your own word count goal. Maybe two hundred a day? Go for six thousand in the month? It is motivating, even if you don’t hit the count.
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Thanks Alex! That’s a really good point, sometimes I get discouraged if I can’t do the full amount, but setting a more manageable goal sounds like an excellent way to make progress without being overwhelmed. I’m going to try that😊
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“Writing is an art my love of writing
is creative, innovative, *&* productive-
God endowed me with the gift of write
He bestowed within myself to invent
all my Quotes
all my poemz
impromptu
I only write, rewrite, proof read, *&* edit
my manuscripts for books-
I never encounter writer’s block
I write night *&* day *&* somes around the clock
I am awriter
I am a poet
I am original in every act
I urage every writer not to be copycat
but create beauty *&* pleasure
leading giving readers a treasure
that is sure
which is pure
that-which is true
distilling your succcess as an author
comprising money, fame, crowning *&* renowning your Name-
By: Van Prince, A Prince, Named, Van
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