Totally Pantsing It

Tippy the 3 legged cat is the
Dayton region's mascot
I used to be a big fanfiction reader. In October 2010, in the fanfiction community I frequented, I saw several writers mention how excited they were for the upcoming NaNoWriMo. I was curious. What was this NaNoWriMo thing? I looked into it and found myself tumbling down the rabbit hole. I had always been a “hobby writer” - I was not seeking publication or even recognition for my work. I just liked writing as a fun activity in my spare time. But NaNo seemed like a great way to be a little more ambitious about it. Join a community. Increase my writing output.

I participated in - and won - NaNoWriMo that year. And the next year, and the next. I participated all the way until 2015, when (with a toddler and a newborn completely absorbing all my attention) I finally took a break. My hope was to be back in 2016 with a renewed energy and readiness to write. So here I am! No plot, but no problem. ;) Totally pantsing it.

NaNo has completely changed the way I write. By simply focusing on the word goal, I find I am able to write myself out of even the toughest corners, and overcome the most ridiculous plot holes. My mind becomes sharper, and my creativity becomes boundless. I owe a lot to NaNo, and to its amazing community - all the way from the international community on its message boards, to the local group of Dayton writers. I met two of my best friends through NaNo. If you keep your minds and hearts open, you will be amazed by what you accomplish through this challenge.


Chelsea (Tippy's mama)
Username: Pantalaimon
Genre: Science fiction

Comments

  1. Rochelle BradleyNovember 1, 2016 at 8:20 AM

    Thank you, Chelsea sharing your creativity with us (& Tippy too). Have a fabulous Nano.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownNovember 1, 2016 at 9:25 AM

    And we should all remember to honor Tippy! Tippia vult!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Darla M SandsNovember 3, 2016 at 4:00 PM

    Go, Chelsea! I'm so glad you've plunged back in. Good for you. Happy writing!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sci-Fi + Hot Air Balloons = Steampunk

Image
I’m a Municipal Liaison for the Dayton, Ohio region for NaNoWriMo.  I have been participating in since 2012, and while I do try to participate in Camp NanoWriMo I am far more successful in November. The pressure and the rigorous pace suit me.  Many people hear “50,000 words in 30 days” and get nervous or scared. But if it wasn’t a challenge it wouldn’t be worth doing, in my opinion. Writing buddy Oberon... a cute distraction. Normally for NaNoWriMo , I write an urban fantasy series starring the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Their story has never come together in a way that’s satisfactory for me, though I love the characters.  This year I’ll be venturing into a different genre: Steampunk. How I came to my story was a little different than in past years. Usually, I get my ideas from things I see in real life, and then giving them a supernatural twist. But this time, I was inspired by a flash fiction prompt I received for a contest by NYC Midnight .  I was given t
Read more

Behind the Walls

Image
Question & Answers with Adrienne. What is your Nanowrimo name?    AllTheColors Title & Genre of 2016 Nano Project?        Paid in Heaven and Other Stories (fantasy and science fiction short stories) How many years have you participated?    I did a bit of NaNo in 2014 as a rebel, but my first real run was in 2015. I've done Camp three times (with mixed success). How did you get involved with Nanowrimo?          I've known about it on the internet for years, but got dragged in because I'm married to a full-time writer. What is your favorite thing about Nano?       Two parter here. First, trying to do my first 50K in NaNo, promising myself I would quit if it became more stressful than fun. As the days went by and I stayed on track for word count, it started to seem more possible... then, by the end of the month, I had 54,000 words of short stories that hadn't existed before, and a big sense of accomplishment. It was a new challenge for me, and it was a su
Read more

NaNoWriMo Tips from the Muse

Image
Happy 2016 NaNoWriMo season! I’m Kelly Blanchard, known online as the Muse, but on the NaNo site, I’m as Kellannetta, and this is my ninth year to participate in NaNo. This year I’m co-writing a fantasy novel with my boyfriend, which we have temporarily titled ‘The King’s Hand’. Since we’re co-writing, we technically need to write 100,000 words so we will have 50,000 words between the two of us, but we will see what happens! A year before I joined, my mother discovered the NaNoWriMo challenge, and she participated in it. At that time, I was struggling to regain my confidence in writing because I had gone through a breakup. The following year, I had finally established my writing habits and tried the challenge. I haven’t stopped yet, and I’ve won every year. If you’re new to NaNo, here are some tricks I’ve picked up along the way. First, in order to achieve 50,000 words a day in 30 days, you need to write at least 1,667 words every day. However, that is such an odd number,
Read more