To NaNo Or Not To NaNo...That Is The Question...

Up For A Challenge? 

     ...AND...   

Both ROW80 and NaNoWriMo offer challenges to get you writing!  Which will you participate in?  Hmmm...Maybe both?

I've set some 'pre-NaNo' goals.  If I achieve them, I'll be joining the challenge.  Here's what I've accomplished so far:
*  written a loose premise sentence for my novel.
*  established the main and secondary characters of the story.  They are not named, nor are they completely fleshed-out.
*  begun a 'what-if' page
*  begun a 'what's expected' page
*  roughed-out between 40 and 50 scenes of the novel

I'm almost ready to begin outlining.  If I can complete a story outline and solidify my characters, I'm in!  I'm moving along a good clip right now, and I hope to carry this momentum through November.

Fun Features...

I've hit my goal in visiting 5 blogs per day (Mon-Fri) so far this week.  Here's just a few of the great things I've discovered in my travels...  

Gene Lempp posted great links to check out for those considering joining NaNoWriMo as well as those already committed.  This post is packed with information and help, so take the time to check it out.  It will probably help you prepare for this huge challenge.

Gene also features a great series, Designing From Bones, with great writing prompts, historical information, and idea producing finds.  I cannot recommend it enough.

The Daring Novelist posted 'Dare To Be Bad', which grabbed my attention.  Will you step out of your comfort zone, or continue to play it safe?  Can we, by playing it safe, ever realize our full potential? 

Pop over to Ruth Nestvold's blog to read how John Locke's How I Sold 1 Million Ebooks In 5 Months is shaping this author's marketing strategy.

Looking for a book to devour over the weekend?  Support fellow ROW80 author, Wendy Jane, a.k.a. W.J. Smith, by picking up her book, Where to Belong, available on Kindle and in paperback at Amazon as well as at Smashwords. 

Here's a tiny excerpt Wendy sent me to showcase...

“What’s it about?” Madison asked as he tugged at his messy hair.

He paused in his self beating and studied her. “Are you just asking to be nice or do you really want to know?"

She nodded, “I want to know.”

“Well,” he started, his expression turning serious, “that’s sort of the problem. In my head, it’s beautiful and organized. As soon as I start to sketch it out, it gets ugly and jumbled.”

“Alien? Animal? Human? Superhuman?”

Chase tilted his head as if she were speaking in a foreign language. “Human,” he answered slowly, sounding uncertain.

“Past? Present? Future? Post apocalyptic?”

“You rock!” Madison flinched and matched his wondering gaze.

“What’d I do?”

 “I’ll explain later,” he declared as he stumbled off the tall
stool and backed away from the counter. “Thanks!”

Preparing For Beta Reads...

The typing is underway for Her Dark Baron.  I have nothing fun to say about this.  I gave myself two weeks to type the roughly 24K word novella.  I'm not sure I'll hit this one, people.  I'm plugging away.  We'll see.

Reading To Gain Knowledge...

I'm beginning chapter 5 in Outlining Your Novel, by K.M. Weiland.  I'm still loving this book.  I'm also using the practices for my NaNo novel as I go.  Two birds.  One stone.  Happy Nadja.