Kicking off my effort to participate in NaNoWriMo this year, I feel excited that prep work done last week is making the transition into writing roughly 2000 words each day possible. I thought I’d list a few things that I’ve discovered along the way.
That ever important human connection:
I discovered some writing groups online, through attending conventions, and joining their discord servers. Some of us have teamed up as “buddies” on the NaNoWriMo.org site.
I started taking classes with Sandra Beckwith and the group she runs on Facebook has a few members who’ve also graciously teamed up as writing “buddies”.
Additionally, there are regional groups that are quite active on the NaNoWriMo site and I’ve joined one that is relatively close to where I live. Although none of us are meeting up in person this year (thanks to the Pandemic), there is potential for that down the line.
Last but not least, I’ve mentioned NaNoWriMo to friends and colleagues and their feedback and support are invaluable.
Online Resources for writers, from writing aids to online classes:
Books I use and highly recommend, from punctuation and grammar to voice and style:
The Art of Time in Memoir, Sven Birkerts
The Writing Life, Annie Dillard
Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, Benjamin Dreyer
Write Right, Jan Venolia
The Sense of Style, Steven Pinker
Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg