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Preparing for NaNoWriMo Part 1We may only be one week into October, but November and NaNoWriMo is just around the corner. If you've never heard of it, NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. That means in the span of thirty days, participants will write 50,000 words.
That's:

1,667 words per day if they're writing every day.

2,273 words per day if they're only writing on weekdays.

6,250 words per day if they're only writing on weekends.
Either way it's a pretty hefty feat, and not something to walk into unprepared. Even if you're a "by the seat of your pants" type of writer.
So this year, instead of doing a basic what is NaNo and who's going to participate in it journal, we're gonna switch it up and give you some pointers on what you should be doing and what you definitely shouldn't be doing before and during NaNo.
The best place to get advice is from the people that have tried NaNo. Notice how I didn't say "and succeeded?" T

Preparing for NaNoWriMo Part 2In my last journal, we discussed the best ways to prepare for NaNo and included a couple tips on how to make that writing go a little faster and smoother. Well, now it's time to discuss how to NOT fail at NaNoWriMo. Because just as there are some really grand ideas on how to prepare yourself and keep yourself on task during the month, there are also going to be those times of self doubt and using excuses to not write. For NaNo, any of those excuses are completely unacceptable [well, except for life threatening excuses - those are allowed].
So once again, I reached out to the Lit Community to find out exactly why other deviants failed at NaNo, or what they found to NOT work for them and compiled it all together in a pretty little list like last time.
What Not to Do

Don't get sucked in Wikipedia, TVtropes or any other sites like that. In fact turn off your WiFi so the internet isn't a distraction. All your research

NaNo Pro Tip: Be Accountable (Got Peer Pressure?)There's a reason 300,000 writers do this TOGETHER ever year.  NaNoWriMo isn't just a writing exercise, it's a community art movement.  It's something that we do with the support of our friends -- the ones we know, the ones we don't know yet, and the ones that will be complete strangers again on December 1st.

Go Go NaNo!
So how does this ginormous group of people manage to write novels in a month?  I mean, let's face it, people do it.  Lots of them.  And it's not just because they're fantastic, prolific, genius writers.  (Some are.  But, just sayin'.)
Let's talk about peer pressure.  Usually, it's a bad thing.  HEY JIMMY, I DARE YOU TO JUMP OFF THAT BRIDGE WITHOUT A HELMET!  IT WILL BE HILAAARIOUS.  You know, that sort of thing. &

NaNoWriMo Chat ScheduleAre you sick of all the NaNo journals and polls yet? Too bad, because this is another one.

Since I'm super excited about NaNo this year and I absolutely adore being a cheerleader (minus the outfit), I've put together a little schedule of NaNo Chats that will be held in the #CRLiterature chatroom.
Aside from the start time, there are no time constraints on the chat events. Each of the Word Wars chats will have at least four fifteen minute rounds of mad typing and the Write Ins will be at least two hours each.

Saturday, November 3rd - Write In @ 10am EST

Wednesday, November 14th - Word Wars @ 7pm EST

Sunday, November 18th - Official Word Wars Chat Tour Stop @ 1pm EST

Monday, November 26th - Write In @ 6pm EST

Thursday, November 29th - Crowd choice of Word Wars or Write In @ 6pm EST
What are Word Wars and Write

Writing Without Publishing: raspil speaksRecently it was pointed out to me that, overall, discussions on literature around these parts focus on writers who want to publish. I'm one of those people. I don't understand not writing your work for fame or money. However, I do know someone who's all about improvement and has no interest in publishing. So I asked `raspil to answer a few questions and she did so in the best raspil style. Fair warning: we will have a laugh over haters.
Unedited.
preface: i am going to give you what you want and what is expected. no bullshit, total honesty and odds are, some inappropriateness. if that makes this hard for some folks to read, then that's how it is. i don't apologize for who i am. as they say at Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time... haters are welcome.
(yes, we are starting with the boring shit.) how long have you been writing?
i have a vivid memory of writing my first short story in 3rd grade so i guess i was eight years old. it was a "story" of a group of girlfriends who get togethe

Demonstrably Deviant: Issue IAbout
Sometimes we meet members of DeviantART who are just plain cool. They leave critique, they make great art or write great stories, they participate in groups and are generally just active and fun to be around. They also don't get any attention because being cool means you don't need attention to keep being cool. This interview series is meant to give all of you a small glimpse into the minds of these demonstrably deviant members. Twice monthly, I'll interview one of these deviants and feature work from their gallery. If you'd like to see someone interviewed for this series, just shoot me a note

with the subject "Demonstrably Deviant".
~PaperDart: Reader, Critic, Philosopher Extraordinaire
Hailing from South Africa, Charli is an avid reader, a prolific writer, and quite an interesting blogger. Her gallery includes several poems, short stories, and some non-fiction pieces. She loves the effort over at :devwriters-works

Demonstrably Deviant: Issue IIIAbout
Sometimes we meet members of DeviantART who are just plain cool. They leave critique, they make great art or write great stories, they participate in groups and are generally just active and fun to be around. They also don't get any attention because being cool means you don't need attention to keep being cool. This interview series is meant to give all of you a small glimpse into the minds of these demonstrably deviant members. Twice monthly, I'll interview one of these deviants and feature work from their gallery. If you'd like to see someone interviewed for this series, just shoot me a note with the subject "Demonstrably Deviant".
^NicSwaner Writer, Artist, Soon-to-be-Publisher
^NicSwaner runs #EliteLiterature, a group founded to featured quality over quantity in the world of dA literature. Together with his admins, he plans to produce an original anthology of work from dA's best authors. It will be called

May Contest: Navigating deviantART The contest deadline has been extended to June 10th! There will be no further extensions, so get your entries in ASAP!

It's a common complaint...
Particularly for our newer members. "I've set up my profile...now where do I go?"
May's contest aims to answer that question. Your challenge is to create a tutorial aimed at deviantART's new members that shows them as much of the site as possible. Think about when you were new - what areas of the site did you discover only after blundering around? What areas did someone else point out to you? What do you wish you had known as a new member that seems like common knowledge now?
The Rules

You must be a member of #SolutionsSanctuary to enter. All join requests are automatically accepted.

All entries must be created specifically for this contest (uploaded on or after May 10th).

Entries should be uploaded to t

Why do you love dA's Literature Community?Reasons to love dA's Literature Community
Today, November 3rd, is the last day to send me in your reason!
Love dA Lit is turning one hundred!

One-hundred weeks that is. In that time I've really come to appreciate how active and passionate the Literature Community on dA is; this community is truly amazing and I'm honored to be a part of it. And what better way to celebrate than to spread a little love and hand out some prizes? It's also a good excuse for me to hug you all.
So why do you love dA's Literature Community?

Share what you love about the Lit Community, your reason doesn't need to be long, it could be a few words or a few sentences. Be as specific or general as you want!

Anyone can participate. Even if you don't 'include' yourself in the Literature Community you can still send me a note!

Art HistoryBelow you will find Art History articles written so far. These have been written by volunteers, groups and members of the community.
You can find the full line up here!
If you notice that an area of Art is not represented and YOU would like to get involved then please note myself (`ScENeYmE) or ^DistortedSmile ASAP and we will get you sorted
The Story So Far

Body Art History 2/3: Middle Ages by `JZino Body Art History 3/3: Modern Day by `JZino
Art History - Roman Sculpture by ^Lyricanna Impressionism: Win 100 points! by ~Topicality The Founders of Impressionism - Renoir by ^KasumiCR The Founders of Impressionism - Camille Pissarro by ^KasumiCR
The Founders of Impressionism - Claude Monet by ^KasumiCR A Visual History of 3D Art by `Cymae
Blog will be updated with new articles when they are posted

Get a Jump on NaNoWriMo 2012: PreWriting Prowess!I've talked a lot about prewriting. But prewriting is kind of vague, especially for someone who is either new to noveling/writing, or even for a seasoned writer who just has never tried prewriting. Or, you know, I bet there are plenty of folks out there who prewrite and just don't call it that. But I thought today I'd share my prewriting process, starting back on September 8, 2012, at 12:30 am, when I began planning my novel for NaNoWriMo 2012.
OK, I'll admit it, I spent way too much time at Target picking up a pile of notebooks while poor Boyfriend waited in the cafe, and then I came home and agonized over which one to pick. But then I came home and I wrote the working title on the cover. Et voila!

THE notebook for my NaNo 12 pro

Write and Revise Part 2To Revise
This portion of the contest is open to anyone who is not judging. It is best f you have already submitted something to revise in the first part, but if not you can note =VertigoArt with the piece and he will determine whether or not you may participate with that piece. Ideally the piece you are revising is a free write that you are taking from conception to perfection, but any piece that is not polished fully will do.
The winner of the first portion of this contest will be on even ground with everyone else in this portion.
The deadline for entries is December 7, 2012

Rules
Entries must include a link to this contest article in the artist's comment.
Entries must include a t

Write and Revise Contest: Part 1You thought we were going to let you rest after the Summer Contest, huh? Wrong! We're back with a two-parter to hopefully get you both creating and editing, as all good writers must. This contest is brought to you by =VertigoArt, who has rejoined the ranks of DLD as our contest and affiliate admin!

Please go give him some love.
Part 1: Go Wild!
The first part of the contest is relatively simple: write something. It can be a journal, a stream of consciousness, a scrap of a poem, an idea you've had for ages or one that comes to you in a burst of inspiration.
This part of the contest is open from August 11th to ~~September 11th, 2012~~ October 11th, 2012.
If you need some help getting started check out prompts set up by our affiliate groups, #Live-Love-Write listed in their blog here: http://live-love-write.deviantart.com/blog/ and #theWrittenRevolution archived here: http://thewrittenrevolution.deviantart.com

June Prompts; Week FourHappy June -- happy almost-SUMMER! to those of you in the northern hemisphere. Otherwise, happy almost-winter! That being said, however, this month's theme is ...
What is the best part about scary storytelling? You tell us, because this month's theme is campfires, where storytelling is an ancient tradition. The campfire can be your setting or casually mentioned, whatever works for you -- just take the word and start from there!
Week 1: Creature feature.
What is the scariest kind of monster and where does it reside? In the sea, in the forest? Is it a standard mythological creature, or something of your own design? Go wild, go feral, and create a terrifying beast.
Week 2: Final exams
Because I know some of us are going through this right now, and it's quite a very scary time in a student's life.
Week 3: Taste Of Blood
A murderer's instincts and desires. It can't be controlled. Only tamed. By an ecstacy of using a weapon of murder and hearing screams of agony. Licking red-stain

Synergy: Week TwoDear Synergists,
Please find below the assignments and challenges for the second week of Synergy. The assignments are mandatory for each individual to complete; we request that both partners report their assignments separately. The challenges are optional to gain extra points. All participants must report their responses to each assignment and challenge separately; one partner cannot report for both.

Week Two: Assignments

Please complete the following assignments and challenges by June 15.
1. Read three of your partner's literary pieces, and leave an in-depth critique for each one. In a comment on this journal, please leave links to the deviations you have critiqued; this activity will earn you 20 points for each one. If your partner does not have enough pieces left to critique, please note the group and we will arrange for an equivalent activity. (60 points total)
2. Discuss your current work in progress with your partner. Does it need work on plot

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Ready for NaNoWriMo yet?

Journal Entry: Thu Nov 1, 2012, 5:45 PM

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So it's National Novel Writing Month!

I know you're all pretty tired of seeing NaNo blogs pop up everywhere and that's why this blog is only a recollection of resources that can help all of you with your novel, instead of our own thing about it; dA is so full of useful stuff that it feels like community spirit to link to those instead of making our own that would just be a copy of those.
We'll not only be listing them, anyway, we'll briefly explain what each article is about so you don't need to go through the ones that don't interest you.

First off, already linked above, [link] . If you haven't yet, you need to get an account there and start going. There are a lot of deviants that are there, and if you're registered there let us know! We'll be keeping a list here for you to find friends. (: for NaNo writers, this website is Home.

Directly from deviantART, the ever-awesome `GrimFace242 wrote two amazing articles regarding this challenge:

Preparing for NaNoWriMo Part 1 outlines what are the best things you can and should do, both before and during NaNo. Preparing for NaNoWriMo Part 2, on the other side, explains what NOT to do and that's as important.

be sure to check them out, they're very well-written and so many great deviants gave their contributions! (:

`PinkyMcCoversong has a number of articles you'll want to check out. First, Suck it up, weenies - A short treatise on NaNoWriMo; which basically shows you why being so insecure about whether to participate or not is really silly. So if you still haven't picked a side, that's the article for you!

Always from her is a lovely journal, complete with funny but useful pictures, Get a Jump on NaNoWriMo 2012: Prewriting Prowess!. It describes how she structures her notesbook to keep track of everything, and it's definitely a great idea for writers who deal with NaNo for the first time.

And lastly from her, NaNo Pro Tip: Be Accountable (Got Peer Pressure?) has lots of tips to keep you motivated throughout the month. NaNo is to be lived together! And there's nothing like followers and friends to help you get to the end of it. (:

#CRLiterature will be hosting a series of NaNo chats in their chatroom, HERE is the schedule.

The NaNoWriMo website has a lot of amazing things to read from, THIS is one of them. Authors' insight, encouragement and inspirational tips for all of you NaNo-ers out there. (: If you're feeling stuck or just lost, that's where you can find your confidence again.

are you under 13 and still want to give National Novel Writing Month a try? Be sure to check Young Writers' Program out.

you can set your own word goal. And there's an awesome dare machine widget there to get you started, too.

~Mae-Jay wrote an article with some helpful links and tools, read it HERE. It was written in 2009, but even if some of the links are ones we already provided, it's still worth a read: "Write or Die" is a pretty interesting site that is mentioned there, and also word meters.

The NaNoWriMo chatroom is a place to go to meet new friends, help each other out or just share stories. There's nothing like support from people who're in your same boat.

And these are some groups you could join:

#NaNoWriM0
#NaNoWriMo-Love
#WriMo-Writers

And last but not least, we have a folder available for your NaNoWriMo submissions in our Favourites folder and also one for NaNoWriMo Resources from all over deviantART. Want your work included or know of resources that deserve to be added there? Send us a note!

We won't be offering feedback for it officially, but any member is welcome to would they wish to. (:

Good luck to all of you with your novel and most of all, ENJOY National Novel Writing Month!

17 Comments

Ready for NaNoWriMo yet?by #theWrittenRevolution

Journals / Personal

!The-Unavenged Nov 3, 2012 Professional General Artist

I'm doing it for the first time this year! But it's starting off a little rough, but I have a lot of support!

~vital-organs Nov 2, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

Yep, I'm doing NaNo again this year as well! Thanks for all the links! I'll have to peruse them in length when I finish my wordcount and various other duties for the day. (:

And yes, I spy "Write or Die". LOVE that site! Now if we could actually set up something for the strictest mode. Electric shocks might be the only thing to keep my fingers moving sometimes.

~Solarune Nov 2, 2012 Writer

Great blog!

just one thing – as far as I know you can actually participate in NaNo from the age of 13, so the people who can ONLY participate in the YWP would be those under 13, but if you're aged between 13 and 18 you can either participate in either NaNo or the YWP. Unless they've changed the rules?

=HtBlack Nov 2, 2012

you're most probably right, and I either read wrong or something. I'm going to check and correct.

~Solarune Nov 3, 2012 Writer

I tried to when I posted this comment, but the site was down; early-NaNo-heavy-traffic, I guess.

=HtBlack Nov 4, 2012

indeed.

~nethercry Nov 1, 2012 Hobbyist General Artist

Time to end day one with a fresh mind and get two runs in one go. :>

=HtBlack Nov 2, 2012

get going!

~RebbieChan Nov 1, 2012 Hobbyist Writer

I'm hoping for 6K today, so far only have 1k. This is going to be hard with all these exams...

=HtBlack Nov 1, 2012

You'll need all the motivation you can get, then.

and I'm sure you'll make it.

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