By MJ Moores
Novel writing month kicks off at the end of October or Prep-tober. Regardless of the controversy surrounding the not-for-profit that adopted the moniker NaNoWriMo, the WCYR and many other writers and organizations have welcomed November as the month to set a personal challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days.
WCYR will be celebrating the 2nd annual MiMuMiCh, or MiMu for short—Mini Muse Milestone Challenge. This is where we encourage everyone to set a realistic yet challenging personal writing goal for the month of November. The thought of 50K words does not inspire all, but for some, November is the one month they get the bulk of their book writing done.
One of the best ways to have a successful, nearly stress-free month of writing is by prepping in advance during the month of October. Every other year, the WCYR holds a prep workshop for writers looking for guidance, camaraderie, and support. This is our “off” year, but that doesn’t mean we’re not here for you. Many of the WCYR members will be meeting on social media over on our WordByWord Facebook group as a way of staying connected, inspired, and accountable. But we’re not alone!
Prowriting Aid, a grammar and proofreading platform, is picking up the slack from where NaNoWriMo left off. They have started Novel November and are providing free access to this website group with similar tracking platforms, guidance, and connectivity that NaNoWriMo once supported (without the politics). If you feel so inclined, stop by, sign up, and look for other WCYR writers to connect with.
We also found an online video tutorial for Prep-tober on YouTube that you won’t want to miss. It’s not nearly as fun as the workshop we offer, but in a pinch, we’re certain you’ll find it fascinating. With over an hour of content, including advice and examples for different ways to help prepare yourself for a month-long writing challenge, we’re certain you’ll find a nugget of inspiration to help guide you along.
On WordByWord, a WCYR members’ only group, we support one another with our writing all year ‘round. However, we ramp things up in October in anticipation of November’s challenges. Within the last week of October, we write an accountability post, where we encourage you to state your personal writing goal for the month and hold a draw for an Amazon Gift Certificate to a random goal poster (new words, revised words, editing pages, etc.). We share progress, foibles, blocks, plot bunnies, fun memes, and favourite bits of our writing, along with official check-ins each week. We even encourage our members to hold in-person write-ins, in addition to the virtual ones we hold on Mondays (7–9 p.m.), Thursdays (10 a.m.–12 p.m. w/WCYR & 7–9 p.m. w/WCDR), and Sunday mornings (9 a.m.—2 p.m.). All of this is organized from the Facebook WordByWord group.
So, if you haven’t joined our little piece of sometimes-silly, always supportive social media group, be sure to make a request and answer the questions provided. Pop in daily, weekly, or sporadically when you need advice, guidance, or a place to rant or celebrate with like-minded writers. We’d love to join you on your own MiMu adventure this autumn.
Happy Writing,
The MiMu Team