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Accelerate Your Writing at the NCWN Writingest State Online Conference

Writers at work! © Teri Taylor
The Writingest State Online Conference, November 10-14, not only offers classes on the craft and business of writing, but attendees can choose to attend special programs designed to get you writing, keep you writing, and get you across the finish line to complete your manuscrirpt.

Registration for the Writingest State Online Conference is open.

On Thursday, November 12, at 7:30 pm, NCWN will host a “NaNoWriMo Gathering” sponsored by Freedom.to

Anyone planning to take part in NaNoWriMo, or anyone even mildly curious, is invited to meet for a casual, informal gathering. Some light refreshments will be provided, but participants should also feel free to BYO!

November is National Novel Writing Month, and so the Network is offering a little virtual space within our Writingest State Online Conference for those taking part in—or curious about—NaNoWriMo to check in with each other, discuss your novels-in-progress, and share advice an encouragement. Novel writing is not required, only a serious interest in the craft and discipline of fiction.

National Novel Writing Month asks writers to commit to writing 50,000 words during the thirty days of November. A 501(c)(3) non-profit that has become an international phenomenon, NaNoWriMo values “enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline…for anyone who has ever thought about writing a novel.”

The NaNoWriMo website allows users to create accounts where they can plan their novel, receive online encouragement, and be part of a worldwide community of writers all trying to crank out 50K words in a month.

For more information about NaNoWriMo, click here.

On Saturday, November 14, at 12:45 pm, the final day of the fall extravaganza,  NCWN will host a “Prompt Party” sponsored by Plottr.

Prompt Party is an opportunity for writers to gather and work together on a specific prompt, with time to share results at the end. The goal is to collaborate, perhaps work in an unfamiliar genre, and have fun. Prompt Party-goers will receive their prompt, divide into groups by genre—poetry, flash fiction (1,000 words or less), or one-act plays—and head off into Breakout Rooms to write a piece based on the prompt. Party-goers will have 30 minutes to collaborate and create a draft in their assigned genre. Then, everyone gathers again to read (or perform) their pieces, up to five minutes each.

The Writingest State Online Conference is a five-day festival for writers featuring classes and conversations on the craft and business of writing, as well as a keynote address by North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green, a Pre-Conference Tailgate and a Prompt Party to get creative juices flowing, online Open Mic readings and Happy Hour virtual gatherings, and an Agents & Editors panel discussion.

Registration for the Writingest State Online Conference is open.