What's the Point of NaNoWriMo?

This is an article I wrote for Friday Flash and they have kindly allowed me to re-blog it on my own blog. If you're interested in more articles about writing, flash fiction, or would like to connect with some fellow writers, please go to their website. 

Thank you to Friday Flash for hosting me! 

What’s the Point of NaNoWriMo?

January 16, 2014 in Guest post, NaNoWriMo, Thursday Writing, Writers by Laura Besley

To win NaNoWriMo all you need to do is write 1,666 words per day, every day for the 30 days in November. That doesn’t sound too hard, does it?

Stephen King writes ten pages per day, which amounts to roughly 2,000 words (Stephen King,On Writing, p.176) every day, averaging 60,000 words per month. Keeping up that momentum, you could quite easily write a first draft in two to three months. But is that pace realistic, especially for writers who don’t write full-time? Does the NaNoWriMo challenge make you a better writer, or is it just an exercise of willpower?

I understand – reading between the lines of forums and emails – that I had a fairly typical NaNo experience: good first week, dreadful second week, slightly better third week and bumper fourth week. I even finished with a couple of days to spare and by the end was writing 4,000-5,000 words per day. But did I keep the momentum going? Nope. This is almost the first thing I’ve written since, and it’s almost mid-December (at the time of submitting this article). I find myself wondering whether it’s worth having a mega month if it’s going to be followed by an appalling one.

Many people have asked me what I have done with my “book”. Well…nothing, so far. My frantically typed 50,095 words are nowhere near up to scratch and will need heavy editing. Della Galton writes in her blog post NaNoWriMo So Far that she also finds time in November to edit, polish and submit her work. By December 3rd she had already sold her second NaNoWriMo story. This level of achievement is but a mere dream for the average NaNo writer. I will be reopening my document with a fair amount of trepidation in the hope that some of it is usable.

But has doing the NaNoWriMo challenge made me a better writer? I don’t think so. I usually write my first draft by hand, and when I type it up a week or so later, I edit it into a second draft. I definitely didn’t have time to do that with NaNo. Many writers, especially ones starting out, have full-time jobs, maybe families, to whom even squeezing in an hour a day can seem impossible.

The main lesson I learned was something I already knew: to be a writer takes time and dedication.

Friday Flash Fiction - Week 16!

Gemini

Room 1

“Here you are, dear.” A petit woman with heavy-rimmed glasses handed over a sheet of yellowed paper.

“This is what it all comes down to?” Evelyn said, gently taking the piece of paper from the woman behind the desk.

“Yes, dear. Now I’m going to leave you here. Take as much time as you need.”

Birth mother	Penelope Wilson
Birth father	Unknown
Date of birth	May 28th 1970
Time of birth	7:35pm
Place of birth	John Radcliff Hospital, Oxford
Name of adoption parents	Valerie and John Farrow

 

Room 2

“Can I just ask for the record why you’ve chosen to look for your birth parents?” Peter asked from behind a desk.

“I’m getting married,” Tim replied.

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks. My girlfriend, I mean fiancée, and I are both adopted.”

“I see,” Peter said, jotting the information down with a fountain pen. “Well, here you are. I’m going to leave the room. Take as much time as you need.”

“Thanks, mate.”

Birth mother	Penelope Wilson
Birth father	Unknown
Date of birth	May 28th 1970
Time of birth	7:15pm
Place of birth	John Radcliff Hospital, Oxford
Name of adoption parents	Paula and David Hersham

L. Besley

Today is the Day

Today is the day, Samantha thought to herself as she carefully dressed in skinny grey jeans and an electric blue shirt. She’d already blow-dried her shoulder-length blond hair and straightened it. She never wore make-up, but did apply a dab of cherry-red lip gloss. Yes, she thought again, today is the day.

Across the cathedral city James was walking towards the pub at the top end of the cobbled high street. He and Samantha had been there a handful of times, but tonight he could feel his stomach churning. He pushed open the heavy door and was hit by the sound of a cacophony of clinking glasses, voices and music. Amidst the chaos, he managed to order a drink and walked to a table near the back, under a painting by a local artist of the nearby harbour.

Samantha immediately saw him and smiled subconsciously at his lopsided haircut that his housemate had done for him and the familiar green polo shirt. Drink in hand she walked over to where he was sitting.

“Hey,” she said, sliding into the seat opposite him. “How are you?”
“All good! You?” 
She pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. “Fine thanks.” 
“You know…” he said.
“Yes?”
“I think…”
“Yes?”
“Well…”
“James! Just ask me.” 
“You’ll say yes?”
“Of course!” 
“Thank God!” He breathed a sigh of relief and took her hand. “I’m so pleased.” 

L. Besley

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Flash Fiction diary

Last week was a bit of an experiment, so a big thank you to everyone who voted! It was almost a unanimous vote, so I hope you enjoyed ending A. I've deliberately left it open, so you can decide for yourself what happened! 

This week's Flash Fiction is also a little experimental in style. Feel free to let me know what you think and whether it worked for you. 

This week I was a guest blogger on Leela Devi Panikar's blog, with a piece of Flash Fiction.  Click here to read Moving On. 

I've also started a 6-week online Flash Fiction course with Calum Kerr. I'm really excited to be learning more about this style of writing. 

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Flash Fiction is short enough to read whilst you're waiting for the kettle to boil. It's fairly quick to write too, but with it being so short, every word has to count. 

On 4th May 2012 I decided to embark on a project: to write a piece of Flash Fiction every day. I'm hoping this will keep the creative juices flowing and ultimately help me hone my craft. Every Friday I'll be posting 'the best of the week' onto my blog for you to read. If you have anything to say (good or 'constructive'!), I'm open to comments.  

Thanks, as always, for reading. 

Guest Post with Penny Freeman: 10 Ways To Improve Your Query Letter

10 Ways To Improve Your Query Letter
By Penny Freeman

As the editor-in-chief at Xchyler Publishing, a wide range of query letters find their way to my desk. From the meticulous, Type-A query to the “Yo!  This is what I got,” I’ve seen it all. Over the past few weeks, I have been handing out so much advice and instructions about query letters, saying “don’t do this, do that,” I decided to save some time and go public.

Apparently, few writers realize the importance of this document. The query letter must convince the editor or agent to risk wasting their time and energy on reading your synopsis, which in turn must convince them to read your partial, which in turn must convince them to request the entire manuscript. A long, complicated chain of interconnected links bars your manuscript’s path from the slush pile to the book shelf. The key, your query letter, opens the lock to begin that journey. With talent, persistence, and attention to detail, you too may ascend to the rarified air of authorship.  

Your submission requires curb appeal. A query letter is the doorway into your work. Put out the welcome mat. Paint the porch. Here are ten ways to spritz up the place and make a great first impression.

1. Mean Business. Image is everything. Demonstrate a sound understanding of business correspondence. If you do not know how to format a proper letter, learn. Look professional and educated.

2. “Now, Class...” Follow submission instructions precisely. We all have opinions and preferences. Respect the process, even if you fail to understand it. Thoroughly search the sites of your choice of agent and publisher until you know what they want to see. On the rare occasion no preferences are posted, research writing books, magazines, and websites for instructions on submission technique.  

3. Grammar Nazi. Be meticulous about your grammar structure and syntax. Make sure your formatting is uniform and clear. For good or ill, your query letter tells the publisher what to expect within your work.

4. Show some class. Do not use trendy acronyms. Vulgarity and profanity (even in acronyms) is just plain tacky. Very non-professional.

5. Hang loose, dude. Not. Never attempt to be cute or quirky in your letter, even if your project is.

6. No road blocks. Do not make reading or editing your manuscript or submission difficult.   Unless specifically asked, do not compress files, block editing, or use a .pdf format. Be sure to submit the software platform specified by the agent or publisher.  .doc or .docx files are the most common. When converting files, make sure the formatting translates correctly. (Pay special attention when converting HTML files.)

7. Sell Sell Sell! When explaining your story in your query, write the jacket blurb. Write to the readers of the book. Use the language they would use. Demonstrate to the reader that you not only understand but can communicate with your target audience. Here, feel free to be quirky or cute or funny if that is the voice of the narrative. However, once finished with the blurb, revert to your sharp professional self. You may wish to format this section with a double-indent to make it easily identifiable.

8. Too much information. When adding your credentials, never, ever say what you haven’t done (“although I am as yet unpublished…”). EVER. Do not make excuses for yourself. The acquisition editors will pick out what isn’t listed (no books) easily enough all on their own. Never say, “but I’m taking classes.” Publishers read “not ready for prime time.” If you have no published books to your credit, list any published short stories or vignettes, magazine or newspaper articles, blogs you maintain, blogs where you were a featured writer, competitions you have won or placed, and/or courses you have taken in college or university. If you don’t have a degree, use “emphasis on —” whatever classes you took to improve your writing skill. Include professional associations, such as writers’ guilds.

9. Worldwide What? Agents and editors do not click through URLs in query letters. They barely have enough time to read the submission materials. However, if they want to find you, they will. The point of your query letter is to spark that interest, so put yourself out there. Expose your writing: enter contests, guest blog, publish free e-books, perhaps a compilation of short stories, or poetry is your thing. Let them know you’re out there, but don’t push the URL to annoy them: “I publish a daily blog of book reviews and a writer’s musings, Perpetual Chaos of a Wandering Mind.”  

10. Second opinions. Have other writers you trust read your query letter before you submit your materials, just as you had beta readers give their opinions with the manuscript. Be careful of yes-men. Don’t ask your momma and your great-aunt Tess to tell you what they think. They’ve been telling you you’re wonderful since the day you were born, even when your violin playing woke the dead. Don’t ask your jealous cousin, Butch, either. You want honest, constructive input.

By following this few tricks (primarily what not to do), you will improve your chances of your manuscript making it out of the slush pile for further consideration.  This is not the time to try and raise notice by being “different.” Eliminate the red warning flags which signal rejection and allow your actual work to speak for itself.   

Read more about writing and publishing tips, visit Penny’s personal blog, Perpetual Chaos of a Wandering Mind. Xchyler Publishing currently accepts submissions, with a focus on fantasy, paranormal and steam punk. However, they consider other genres, such as mystery and science fiction, to name a few. Visit our Submissions page for more information.