Want to be as popular as Jaen, Harpy and Flawnt and reach a wide variety of readers? Do you have a talent for the written word?  Perhaps you have an idea for a column? Either way, if you want to offer your writerly services for the betterment of our wonderful community blog then drop me a line at  harriet.gausman@googlemail.com. You never know, YOU might be our next ‘STAR’.

This week is a big week for me because it means I will be working to a deadline set by myself. The NaNoWriMo challenge really helped me write to a goal but now I need to take the baton and continue with the initiative.

One of the most difficult things for me is getting the motivation to sit and write to a set daily challenge. That is part of the reason I do the daily Writers’ Dash at Milk Wood. That and knowing if I don’t write something every day I won’t improve my craft. Sharing my ideas and work with others also seems to gives it an added legitimacy.

If you are like me and just need that extra push then join our Novelists at Work group. It consists of other NaNoWriMos who have finished their novel (or equally didn’t quite make it) and who want to continue to work to a steady goal aided by several whip wielding writing hounds. We will work with each other, encourage each other and lend literary support when needed until each of us has our work sitting on an agent’s desk.

Join us inworld Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1pm (PST) and check in daily at the Novelists at Work group on our ning. There is a place for you to set your long term goal and also a weekly one. You can display your goal at the Gyspy Camp or on the Novelists at Work titler available at the camp inworld.

So…what are you waiting for? Get writing!

We would like to send our congratulations to the eight NaNoWriMo winners at Milk Wood – Raina Anatra, Huckleberry Hax, Flawnt Alchemi, Harriet Gausman, Hedda Hazelnut, Tiana Writer, Camilla Delvalle and Klannex Northmead. You all worked so hard to achieve the challenge which required SUPER HUMAN STRENGTH and deserve a BIG SHOUT OUT.

Well done to all of those who attempted the challenge. We hope you continue to work on your novel and who knows perhaps we will see a few published pieces very soon.

Well, only four more days to go until the end of the November writing challenge. It’s been quite a ride and one, if I’m to be totally honest,  I didn’t think I’d finish. You see, I’m very good at getting other people to where they want to go, I’m good at encouraging – give me a whip and the gift of gentle persuasion and I’ll get you on the next train to winnerville…but I am awful at doing it myself.

The first week found me eager and expectant. I was still at the stage of rereading and editing. I soon learned that I would probably never get to the end if I kept revising it – particularly as I would rework one small section then spend hours reading it over and over and changing minute detail after minute detail until I nearly went mad in the head. Just call me Ms. Obsessive; perfectionist is too weak a word

The second week I was determined not to fall into the infamous bored stage where folks would be complacent and lapse. I managed to overcome any desire to take a back-seat until the third week – I was always a late starter. Here, I struggled to sit still and write even a single paragraph. Anything and everything on the internet caught my eye from how to unplug a blocked sink to ways I could redecorate my living room in the nude.

And here we are in the middle of the fourth week and I am writing a blog post with 8k words yet to finish…geez, I’d better get a move on.

Tell me all about your process. How did you survive? Did you suffer the same complacency or were you fired on all cylinders throughout your journey? What have you learned for next time?

Can you imagine my surprise when I awoke to find dozens of people wandering around Milk Wood. Not to say we don’t get a good number during our events but with no events taking place, I was confused as to why they were there. After a few hours of wading through the crowds I asked one of the visitors how she had heard of us. “Oh,” she said, “You are on the Showcase, you’re number one right at the top of the list.”

Now, I have to admit I didn’t really know how to access this list and did feel silly asking, but eventually I pulled it up and there we were, right at the top as she had said! Somehow we have caught the Linden’s eye and I am thrilled and honoured. I’ve worked hard to grow our community which started in February 2008 but I have to say the honour should go to all our fabulous members, many of whom work so tirelessly for us. So, thank you to the most remarkable people, our community at Milk Wood.

http://secondlife.com/my/whatnext/destinations/category.php?c=arts

http://thebookstacks.org/2009/11/10/milk-wood-showcased/#comment-241

Do you have any Second Life® work that you would like to be reviewed? Perhaps a brilliant story set in Second Life® or another alternate universe? Do you have any poetry, flash fiction or novellas? Well, each month I will choose a piece of work from one Second Life® writer or poet, review it and post it on the blog here. I think there is some wonderful work out there and our talented writers need a bit of a shout out.

So, if you want to have your bones laid bare, then send me your work to virtualwriters.inc@googlemail.com and keep watching this space.