When I branched out from #amwritingparty to #amwriting, I found a wonderful writing community and I’m so glad I did. My tweetdeck is never without the #amwriting column so I can see what people are posting, and catch articles of interest, etc. #Amwriting has given me some of my best friends and those bonds will not be broken easily. Help is always only a tweet away.

This is a progressive birthday celebration, so thanks for stopping by and the next stop is at Khyiah Angel’s blog. Go check it out. And for a list of all participants in the party go here.    And…..

The post Happy 2nd Birthday #Amwriting – It’s a Party appeared first on Be the Cat.

So while writers are getting geared up, flexing their fingers, making a mad dash through their outlines, notes, and whatever method of preparation they use to help get them through the month, agents and editors are furiously working on getting through their current submissions so they can put up their “Closed to Submissions” sign in January to help stave off the onslaught of submissions which are the result of NaNoWriMo. Let’s face it, while there will be a few commercial products born out of this frenzy of writing, the vast majority will require significant work (much more time than the month of December can provide) to turn into a publishable product. So January submissions are something to be feared. Because the actual purpose of NaNoWriMo is NOT to write great words with much consideration and thought, it is simply to help writers write through blocks and to put works on the page. And it is the time of year when this button could end up being true as writers reach to fill the pages.

Last year I experienced NaNoWriMo through Twitter and there was a wonderful sense of camaraderie as authors communicated about their progress, had online writing sessions, and helped one another through the blocks to keep the words flowing. While I didn’t participate directly in NaNoWriMo, I gained quite a few of my very best online friends during that time. I was hard at work as well in the process of editing two novels I wanted to have revisions complete by the end of November, so we all worked well into the night together. One of my favorite hashes on Twitter was born at that time: #amwritingparty which is where I met so many of my now good friends.

Best of luck to all of the participants this year. I will once again be rooting for everyone from the sidelines as I am once again working on two books, one in the creation phase and the other in the editing phase…so I guess that makes me a NaNo Rebel, and something which will always be the case. For one thing, I am internally driven and put enough pressure on myself to get things done, and I tend to stall with word count pressure. If I simply approach my work and write, without being concerned with how many words I’ve written or revised, I am much happier. BUT for those who like the challenge of the word count pressure, and find themselves stalling on their work in progress, you might want to give Write Or Die a try.

Whether you outline, cluster, or are simply a panster, I wish you the best luck for the month of November, lots of words and hope no one OD’s on too much coffee, twizzlers, or whatever else fuels the writing fires.

Happy Writing!

The post NaNoWriMo Eve appeared first on Be the Cat.

One of the most dynamic and best utilizations of the Twitter network I have seen is the use of hashtags within the message. By clicking on a hashtag you see in a message it does a search for anything marked with the hash. Instantaneously, you are in the midst of a dynamic, live, ongoing chat with anyone who would like to participate. Some of the hashes are more formalized and there are specific days and times for people to get together and most times there is a moderator and a topic for the discussion. It can still get a little wild. Anyone who knows me well knows that the informal application would appeal to me more than the formalized. Although, on occasion I will participate in #kidlitchat or #yalitchat. But the most fun I have is with a group of writers who are dedicated, enthusiastic, and supportive and the chat, which is ongoing pretty much 24/7, and resembles a combination kegger and writer support group under the hash of #amwritingparty

Struggling with your manuscript and need some help or an understanding ear? No problem, just hop on the net and bring up the #amwritingparty and tweet about your issue. Someone is bound to respond with a suggestion, some words of wisdom, or a cyber hug, depending on what the issue is. They are there for your triumphs, ready to let virtual streamers sail and sparkly confetti fall. When you’re stuck for words, they dispense some magic sparkly wordy dust and the beverage of your choice. *virtual jello shot anyone?* There are also the times when you need a little upbraiding, and someone is there to read the riot act, and console you once its done. And, for whatever reasons, these measures do seem to work. Focus becomes possible, words start to flow and knotty plot problems get resolved. The #amwritingparty hash was started by a sparkly new writer, Sara McClung and she describes how the creation of the hash came about in a blog post on her site: The Babbling Flow of a Fledgling Scribbler.

When I started writing, I went to a writing class which had the format of critiquing everyone’s work each week. I can remember the excitement with which I anticipated each class and how I hated when the class ended for the evening, because that meant I started the waiting cyccle all over again. I thrived so much on being in the presence of other writers, hearing their work, listening to their critiques, learning and soaking up as much as I could during the brief time we spent together each week. That is what makes the online writing communities so wonderful. It is possible to replicate the fueling energy that comes from being around other writers, and it isn’t necessary to wait.

The post Thoughts from the Morning Commute – A Little Birdie Told Me – Part I appeared first on Be the Cat.