WEbook Blog

WEbook "nano" Writers Race Toward 50K

Think you've got what it takes to write a 50,000-word novel?  Well, how about doing it in one month?  Broken down into digestible chunks, that's 11,627 words per week; or 1,677 words per day; or 70 words per hour; or 1.1574 words per minute.  No matter how you chew it, it's a mouthful of writing.

November is National Novel Writing Month, and several prolific WEbookers have switched off their internal editors and sunk their teeth into this month's 50,000-word novel campaign.  With just five days to go Pythia, Tkain, Dean_Draven, May_Birchcroft, Lugh, senoritaburrito, Copperdragon, HorrorPunk, and Leland_Janson all have crossed the 25K threshold and are pushing their "nanos" toward the finish line.

I interrupted several of them for a quick round table Q and A.

So, what's your "nano" about?

Leland_Janson: Fantasy -- a genre I would never normally touch.  My story follows a band of warriors as they fight their way from tragic survivors to peace-restoring heroes.

senoritaburrito: I decided to rewrite a Welsh mythology.  This action is as yet unexplained and slightly regretted at the moment.

HorrorPunk: My title is "Agoraphobia."  A recovered agoraphobic tries to grow closer to his ex-therapist-cum-girlfriend by sharing her love of nature.

What's your writing routine?

Lugh: This year I have an ASUS Eee netbook: it's making writing on the go so much easier.  I can write on my breaks at work, or at soccer games, or wherever.

HorrorPunk: I took a couple of days to scribble together an outline; luckily it's held up pretty nicely.

senoritaburrito: I already write about 3,000 words per day, so adding another 1,700 on top of that at the end is just icing on the cake.  I tend to write every day except Monday and catch up on my Monday loss throughout the week.

What's kept you going this month?

senoritaburrito: Coffee.  Lots and lots of coffee.

Leland_Janson: I rarely eat when writing, or if I do it's mostly sugary snacks.  Perhaps I shouldn't be doing this because I might wind up suffering from malnutrition.

HorrorPunk: I've become addicted to pumpkin seeds and instant iced tea.

Lugh: Hah!  I'm the king of procrastination, which might explain why I'm so far behind.  And I'm still trying to regroup from my garage being blown up!

Listening to any inspirational music?

Lugh: Chistian pop -- and a lot of Pink Floyd.

Leland_Janson: Sometimes an angry tune from Linkin Park or Rage Against the Machine can inspire fast keyboard acrobatics.  For more sensitive parts and detailed description the music has to go off.

HorrorPunk: If my son is with me, I'm usually listening to SpongeBob or the Smurfs in the background.

Did I miss any nano writers out there?  If so, pop into WEbook's nano forum thread to update us on your progress, swap stories, or provide some words of encouragement.

Good luck during the stretch run!

Start reading, writing, and feedbacking today.  Sign up now for WEbook.

TsungChi

WEbooker of the WEek Lives Life to the Fullest

One of the coolest things about WEbook is the diversity of our writing community.  We’re home to writers from all over the globe, young and old, from all different backgrounds. 

Nrhatch, today’s WEbooker of the WEek, is on her third career.  She always wanted to be a writer, but somehow she ended up in law school.  After thirteen years as a defense litigation attorney, Nrhatch had a wake up call – in the form of a tumor – which reminded her that “it doesn’t make sense to postpone happiness, since life is inherently uncertain.”

So she gave it all up and became a writer – right? Well, not just yet.  First, she spent ten years working in the non-profit world.  She ran a domestic violence crisis intervention team, and then an AmeriCorps program.

Then, last spring, Nrhatch quit her job and was preparing to sell her house and move to Florida, when, in her words:  “The contract on our house fell through, just as the real estate market, the economy, and my computer hard drive all crashed.”  She lost all the writing files she’d been working on in her spare time, and didn’t know what to do.  Then she found WEbook, and decided to start over again as part of this writing community.

Nrhatch is involved in many projects on WEbook, as a writer, reader, proof-reader, editor, and project leader.  Her favorite projects are those that make her laugh.  Says Nrhatch: “I've seen enough negatives in my life . . . now I want to focus on positives.  So, my writing tends to veer from the seamier, steamier issues of life to focus on love, laughter, happiness, peace, and contentment.”    

She is most proud of her semi-autobiographical novel, Back Stage Pass, which is nearing completion of its first draft.  The book is not open for feedback just yet, but Nrhatch promises to make it available as soon as she gets through some preliminary editing and proofreading.

To get to know the real Nrhatch , I asked a few tough questions:

Q: If you could choose between a long phone call with someone you miss, or a surprise letter in your mailbox from the very same person, which would you choose? 

A:  Letters are nice, as they can be read and re-read.  But for someone that I really missed, I'd prefer a phone call, with the opportunity for immediate back and forth, and laughter. 

Q: What are 3 things that inspire you to write?

A: Sharing what I've learned about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness with others.  Spreading laughter.  Helping people to keep the ups and downs of life in perspective by reminding them that "how you relate to the issue, is the issue."  

Q:  What's your greatest writing weakness?

A:  My greatest writing weakness has been the fear of success.  I love being anonymous -- no one cares what I do or say as I go through my daily life.  Loss of anonymity is the price paid for fame and fortune.  Ideally, I'd like people to read what I've written, without caring too much about who wrote it. In other words, I'll take the fortune, without the fame. 

Q:  How about your greatest non-writing weakness?

A:  My greatest non-writing weakness has been trying "to please all of the people, all of the time" -- an impossibility, of course.  This summer, I gave myself permission to stop trying to please others at the expense of my own happiness.  It's been liberating for me . . . and frustrating for certain "acquaintances" who no longer get exactly what they want from me, exactly when they want it.       

Q:  Name one thing you know now that you didn't know 10 years ago.  How about 20 years ago?

A: I can't say exactly when I learned the following, but they are integral to my increasing happiness:

Ships are safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.  In order to discover our purpose, and pursue it with passion, we need to stop playing it safe.  We need to let go of the shore, and let billow our sails.  We need to let life unfold, rather than trying to read from a script that we wrote for ourselves when we were younger, and less experienced.

We have as many reputations as we have acquaintances, and none of them is accurate.  If we try to correct these inaccurate impressions, we won't have energy left for our creative endeavors.  So, instead of wasting time worrying about what others think about me at any given moment of time, I focus my efforts on being able to say, with confidence, "Who I am is who I want to be!"

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign up for WEbook today and start reading, writing, and feedbacking.

-- Melissa

What's New on WEbook: Personalized Project Recommendations and More!

Have you felt strangely compelled to spend more time than ever on WEbook today, doing all the things the site is so great for: reading, writing, and getting involved with other people's projects?  Have you found yourself saying, "Man!  Another great project that's right up my alley!  WEbook sure is on the money today?"  Have you nearly gotten caught reading WEbook projects when you should be organizing your boss's staple cup a dozen times since lunch?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you, my friend, have fallen victim to WEbook's new Jedi master mind-reading powers.

Yes, it's true, WEbook can read your mind.  But only if you let us.  As of today, WEbookers who have filled out the "What I like to read" and "What I like to write" fields in their profiles will be treated to personalized suggestions in the "You might like..." box of their homepages.  To help us help you, just fill out your profile.  You can get to it through the my WEbook tab at the top of any WEbook page.  From there, the handy Profile Wizard will guide you through the steps.

But wait!  There's more!  WEbookers in need of writers, readers, editors, inspirers, and plain old friends can now search for people based on what they like to read, what they like to write, and what they like to do on WEbook.  Click on "Advanced search" and  select "Member" to start finding your WEsoulmates.

Start Writing Now!

To find people and projects you'll love, sign up for WEbook today.

-- Melissa

Featured WEbook Project: Write the Story of Someone Else's Life

One of the joys of writing is using your imagination to bring to life situations, events, places, and people you've never actually encountered in real life.  But this imaginative work isn't always easy.  Suppose your main character suddenly decides she wants to spend a few weeks in Taos, New Mexico -- but you've never been west of the Mississippi.  How do you get the details right? 

What if you're writing about a love affair between a prep cook and a busboy at a greasy spoon -- but you've taught high school English for twenty years?  Where do you go to find out the flavor of the day-to-day life of a diner worker?

Maybe you just finished writing your 300th draft of your novel telling the story of the summer you spent working on a fishing boat in Seattle -- and you'd like to work on something that's not about you, for a change.  How do you find inspiration and information to get you writing outside the "box" of your own life?

The solution to these dilemmas (and more) can be found in a new WEbook project, Need an Expert for a Plot Problem?  In Need an Expert...?, WEbookers are pitching in to trade life experiences and expertise with their fellow writers.  Whether you're a writer in need, or a volunteer willing to talk to someone about your life -- or both -- Need an Expert...? promises company, inspiration, and not a little bit of good, old-fashioned learning.

Here's how it works:  Altruistic WEbookers visit Need an Expert...? and make a deposit in the "experience bank" by creating a submission that briefly describes either a place, a career, or a life event that they know something about.  Writers come along and scan the submissions.  When they encounter something that piques their interest -- or meshes with a current project in progress -- they send the author a private message to find out more.  A correspondence develops, and before you know it, the writer knows everything he or she could ever hope to know about what it was like to be in Memphis on the day Elvis died.  Voila!  A story is born.

Need an Expert...? currently contains 75 offers for information, ranging from court reporting to surviving spinal meningitis.  Visit the project today to submit your own experiences, and to get inspired by the rich lives your fellow WEbookers have led!

Featured WEbook Projects

Know a really great project on WEbook? Want to spread the word? Send me an email or visit my profile and drop me a message to nominate it as a Featured WEbook Project!

Start Writing Now!

To get started, sign up for WEbook today.

-- Melissa

WEbooker of the WEek and the Other

If you’ve been paying attention to WEbook’s recent voting cycle, you may have noticed a book called God and the Other hovering around the top of the vote rankings.  The project first caught my eye in the early days of voting, when I noticed that the author, KristinaMeister, had apparently brought along a posse – dedicated fans who’d followed God and the Other on its journey through cyberspace.  What an awesome use of social networking!  (And the book ain’t bad, either.)

I had to know more about KristinaMeister, so I named her WEbooker of the WEek and gave her the third degree.

KristinaMeister grew up in a small town in California.  She’s been obsessed with writing since high school.  She started writing her first book in my freshman year of college, and, amazingly, has written about one per year ever since.  In addition to being a writer, KristinaMeister  says she is “a geek who could beat or match anyone’s knowledge of any sci-fi cannon; a funky dresser who never has ‘normal’ hair; an avid traveler who’s taught English abroad in Thailand; a massage therapist; and a one-time cast member on the reality TV show The Search for the Next Elvira.”  (Seriously.)   She climbs rocks, lifts weights, mountain bikes, and loves to sit around reading comic books and debating which Captain of the Federation was the best.  (KristinaMeister votes Picard all the way.)

God and the Other is dedicated to Kristina’s best friend Shane, who passed away from testicular cancer three years ago, at the age of 24.  Several weeks after his death, Kristina had a dream about a boy being chased by an angel.  According to Kristina, “While grieving, I realized that that dream could be turned into a story -- not just any story, but the philosophical thesis of my best friend’s life: Man must, in these rapidly changing times, push aside old ways of perceiving the universe, conquer his doubt, learn to rely upon himself, take responsibility for his actions, and never lose sight of the joy that can be found.”  The character Shawn in God and the Other is based on Kristina’s best friend. 

To find out more about KristinaMeister, I asked her a few probing questions.

Q:  Where do you see yourself in five years – using only five words?

A:  Preferably, hop-scotching around the world

Q:  What is your least favorite word?

A:  You might suppose it would be an expletive, but no -- I have a fine appreciation of cussing.  My least favorite word is vet, used as a verb.  It bothers me.  To me, vetting is something my animal doctor does, not something that should be said in lieu of investigating.

Q:  I see from your profile that you’ve visited many places in the world.  What is the one thing you miss most from somewhere you’ve been?

A:  I think I miss the beer in London.  There’s nothing better than English beer.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the way it should be, served at room temp, no bubbles, and thick enough that you could dip your bread in it, if you needed to eat bread after having one.

Q:  What do you hope to achieve with your writing?

A: I have always hoped that my books would be tools for helping people achieve their potential, just as my favorite books have been for me.

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign up for WEbook today and start reading, writing, and feedbacking.

-- Melissa

WEbook Vote Closes

The second WEbook voting cycle is officially closed!  Books marked with a "Top 10%" icon will be carefully considered by the WEbook team, along with a few books that didn't make the top 10% of total "thumbs up" votes, but got a high percentage of "thumbs up" votes out of total votes.

Congratulations to all who made the top 10%, and to the authors of Corona, The Thirteenth Sign, The Colour Caster, Ex-Pat Journal, and The Summer House.  Stay tuned in the coming weeks to find out which books get the green light for publication.

Want to get published?

At WEbook, our users write, read, and decide which books get published.  Submit your book to a publication cycle -- if the WEbook community likes your work, you'll have a shot at being the next published WEbook author.  Publication cycles run every 3-4 months, so start preparing your book for the next cycle now!

Sign up for WEbook today to work on your book, get feedback, and prepare for publication.

Last Day of the WEbook Vote: Let your Voice be Heard!

Thousands of WEbookers have spent the last two weeks helping WEbook choose its next published books.  Today is your last chance to vote for your favorite books!  Check out the books up for publication here.  When you find a book you like, give it your seal of approval by voting "thumbs up." 

Voting closes tonight at midnight Pacific time.  Once the voting ends, WEbook will choose its next published books from works that make the top 10%.  We will announce the final winners in the weeks to come -- keep your eyes open!

Want to get published?

At WEbook, our users write, read, and decide which books get published.  Submit your book to a publication cycle -- if the WEbook community likes your work, you'll have a shot at being the next published WEbook author.  Publication cycles run every 3-4 months, so start preparing your book for the next cycle now!

Sign up for WEbook today to work on your book, get feedback, and prepare for publication.

Celebrate National Novel Writing Month: Join WEbook at Writer's Brew in NYC

November is National Novel Writing Month, and WEbook wants to lend a hand -- and a free cup of coffee.  If you're working on a writing project, you'll find plenty of virtual company on WEbook.com -- and this Thursday, November 20, New York City writers will find plenty of real company at Writer's Brew, an all-day event at the Hungarian Pastry Shop in Morningside Heights.

If you've ever dreamed of being like Ernest Hemingway, surrounded by literary luminaries in the cafes of Paris, or like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien sharing ideas as members of the literary salon "Inklings," you'll have a blast at Writer's Brew.  Meet other writers, sip some coffee, and write  to your heart's content.  You bring the laptop and the endless fountain of ideas; we'll supply the coffee and pastries.

What:  Writer's Brew, a gathering of New York City writers.  Bring your laptop and work on a current project, and get free coffee and pastries.

When:  Thursday, November 20, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Where:  The Hungarian Pastry Shop, 1030 Amsterdam Avenue (at 111th St.)

Why:  Because WEbook loves writers.

Unique WEbooker of the WEek

I love a WEbooker who brings writers together -- like DomUnique, WEbooker of the WEek.  “Dom,” as his friends on the site call him, is the leader of seven poetry projects that are open to all WEbookers – several of which are currently vying for publication in the WEbook Voting Cycle.

Po-me Poetry and Po-me Poetry II collect “empathic poems that people can read and relate to their own problems.”  According to DomUnique, “Po-me stands for "Poor me" and it's like my spin on the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series. Everybody has a story to tell and I put no rules or restraints. I like to allow people to be themselves and the members like that and come back often. Vent, cry, plead, yell. My goal is to get various viewpoints on different issues so that those who can relate to these stories can find peace of mind that what they are feeling is normal and they are not alone.”

In 2 Words, WEbookers have written a series of poems with only two words in each line. 

And, for those who thrive on a little friendly conflict, Battle Me invites WEbookers to direct their wit and way with words against their fellow writers.   Visit the project to see your favorite WEbook poets go head to head – and, if you’re feeling brave, write your own submission and challenge another WEbooker to come out and play.

So how did DomUnique become such a great leader of group poetry projects?  In his own words:  “I'm the oldest of 11 so I learned to be a good listener/counselor. I didn't have anyone to relate my problems to so I held a lot in and began to write. I didn't really consider myself good until I was 15. Four novels, two screenplays, and many poems later, writing is still my therapy.”

Find out more about DomUnique by visiting his profile and reading his work on WEbook.

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign up for WEbook today and start reading, writing, and feedbacking.

-- Melissa

Self-Published Park Bench Writer Named WEbooker of the WEek

The first I heard of michaeldeshazer was through an email he sent to WEbook.  Michael said he spent his afternoons in Union Square Park writing and promoting his self-published books.  He’d just discovered WEbook, and he wanted to know if we could give him some fliers to hand out to folks he met in the park.

What a way to get noticed!

WEbook sent an emissary to Union Square Park to meet michaeldeshazer and give him some schwag.  Since then, I’ve received no fewer than five (5) messages nominating Michael for WEbooker of the WEek – a record for a single WEbooker.  So, who is this masked man?

To begin with, michaeldeshazer is the author of Pieces, a “non-linear” novel currently in contention to become the next published WEbook.  He is also the project leader of Kick the Bucket, a collection of imagined last words by WEbookers far and wide.  This project is also vying for publication.

Michael has been writing poetry since middle school, and he started writing fiction in high school.  He wrote his first novel the summer before his senior year.  In 2006, he moved to New York City to attend college, where he met author Karen E. Quinones Miller.   Karen advised him to live only to improve his writing.  Says Michael, “I did just that.”

What happened next is a little unusual.  Michael moved in with five of his best friends, “who just so happened to be strippers,” and started taking Karen’s advice. The summer before his sophomore year, he wrote a book of thought-provoking jokes called NC-17.  His novel Pieces is his most recent work.

Because he writes and sells his books from a park bench in Union Square Park, Michael calls himself the “Park Bench Writer.”  However, he says:  “Even when I don’t have to sell my books on the streets and in the park, I’ll still be the Park Bench Writer, because the park bench represents the lowest point of my life – when I slept on them – and the greatest period of hope in my life – selling my words and my dreams on park benches.”

Speaking frankly about his experiences with self-publishing, michaeldeshazer says, “It sucks.  Don’t do it unless you really believe in your writing and you absolutely can’t see yourself doing anything else.”  Michael hopes to get published through WEbook, but, more importantly, he also hopes to improve his writing through the community’s critiques, and to build relationships with and learn from people who love writing as much as he does.

In the meantime, he kindly answered WEbook’s inane questions:

Q:  What's the last funny joke you heard? 

A:  Waitress: What do you call a cow with no legs?

Me: I don't know (even though I did).

Waitress: Ground beef.

You had to be there.

Q:  When was the last time you lost your temper?

A:  I was doing laundry at 3:00 a.m. a couple blocks from my apartment. After I put my clothes in the washer, I decided to go home and twiddle my thumbs there as opposed to the musty Laundromat. En route to my apartment, I witnessed a drive-by shooting. When I arrived home, I called 911 and reported it. I knew the approximate location, but I wasn't sure of the address of the house it occurred in front of. For this reason, the dispatcher explained, she could not send any units to the scene. I lost my temper when I realized I was trying to convince the police department to investigate a murder scene.

Q:  What are your daily writing habits?

A:  I take notes on everyday occurrences, and then once a month or so, I sit down with those notes, and  create some form of prose.  I also blog semi-regularly.

Q:  What's your favorite WEbook project not started by you?

A:  6 Word Stories, the Sequel

Q:  Describe where you see yourself in 5 years – using only 5 words.

A:  Eye wanna right reel whale.

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign up for WEbook today and start reading, writing, and feedbacking.

-- Melissa