HAPPY OCTOBER!!! *flings leaves in the air* I don’t know about you, but October is the start of my favorite time of year. There is something so utterly magical about these last 3 months of the year. The arrival of fall, the holiday season, and for many of us…WRITING!
With the coming of October, NaNoWriMo prep season arrives. Though if you saw THIS POST you’ll know I’m not officially doing NaNo this year. But I am planning on writing a whole book this fall. In fact, I’m starting THIS MONTH instead of on November 1st! And I’d love for you to join me. More on that in the linked post and some details below.
But the real reason for this post is…
KNOW THE NOVEL!
Yes, indeed. Know the Novel is back for its FIFTH year in a row. (How is it already that old?? o.o) And I am absolutely ecstatic that it’s that time of year again.
A lot of us are gearing up to dive into some big writing projects as fall just seems to be the ultimate time to create. And there is something so motivating about sharing the excitement of our stories with others. That’s why I created this little 3-part writers tag.
Read on for all the info!
KNOW THE NOVEL
What is Know the Novel?
Know the Novel is a 3-part linkup series for writers, one for each of these last three months of the year. Each part will feature ten questions you can answer on your own blog (or anywhere else on social media, if you’d like!). The questions will be focusing on different parts of your novel and how the writing is going.
The linkups go as followed:
OCTOBER
- Part One: Introduction – This month’s questions are all about introducing your novel! The plot, the characters, the setting, what excites you most about it—we curious bookdragons want to know!
NOVEMBER
- Part Two: Within the WIP – For part two we’re focusing on the writing process itself. Your victories, your struggles,
the body count of your characters, all those juicy tidbits about the real life of a writer.
DECEMBER
- Part Three: Words Written – By December words have been written. And we want to know all about how the overall process went! This set of questions take a look at the end result, how you feel about your accomplishment, and what comes next!
In Summary…
For each month I’ll throw ten writing-related questions your way, you can take the questions and answer them on your own blog, and then share your link in the linkup I’ll attach below so others can read about your delicious novel-y goodness. Easy and fun for all!
IMPORTANT NOTE: This linkup is open to any WIPs you have. Whether you’re doing NaNo, another writing challenge, or writing within your own time, it matters not! The point here is to just have fun and get a chance to share your ideas with others. And you definitely do not have to do all three of the linkups. There are basically no rules here but to have fun!
KNOW THE NOVEL
PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
I’d be honored if you used this graphic for your posts, but it’s certainly not required!
THE QUESTIONS
1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?
2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!
3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects of the setting?
4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).
5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?
6. What excites you the most about this novel?
7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?
8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?
9. Name a few unique elements in this story.
10. Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).
SHARE YOUR LINK
Now the important bit: SHARING YOUR LINK!
Once your post is published, share the URL in the linkup widget below so we can all read about your epic upcoming WIP!
Part 1 of the linkup ends at midnight on October 31st. Part 2 will go live Tuesday, November 1st!
And one more order of business…
FALL FICTION WRITING FRENZY
As mentioned above, I am not doing actual NaNoWriMo this year. Instead, I’m tackling my own challenge starting on October 15th, and YOU are invited to join me!
Introducing…
Fall Fiction Writing Frenzy. Also knowns as FallFicFrenzy or simply FallFic.
Credit to the idea queen Deborah O’Carroll for this epic name.
Instead of taking on NaNo this year, I’m running a challenge from October 15th to November 15th-ish (I saw ish because I may still be writing a bit afterward to get my no doubt monster of a book finished). I am creating a Discord server exclusively for the challenge where anyone who joins can convene and inspire and motivate one another through the month. This challenge borrows from Camp NaNo in that it is open to any projects, not just starting a new novel, and there is no wordcount limit. The entire point is to just fill this fall with creativity and encouragement whether you’re editing, drafting, or dabbling in multiple projects.
The fall is such an inspiring time for creators, and I want to embrace that magic as much as possible. So what better way than to create with friends?
If this sounds like something you want to be a part of, shoot me an email @ Lauriloth(at)gmail(dot)com to let me know! I’ll be sending out an email on OCTOBER 5TH with the info and Discord invite. So the official doors open Wednesday! But you are welcome any time throughout the challenge. Just let me know you want to join the party and I will happily send an invite your way!
Also feel free to use the banner above and spread the word. The more the merrier!
Quite Note: If you are doing official NaNoWriMo you’re still more than welcome to join as the challenges will intersect for a time. Again, the point is to have a fun space to motivate one another to write this fall, so do please come if you’d like such a place!
I am SO looking forward to reading about everyone’s projects. Every single year I am utterly blown away by the sheer amount of creativity. Doing this linkup brings me so much joy!
I do hope this month of planning and prepping and writing goes spectacularly for you all!
There is much creative goodness to come.
My goodness, I cannot believe the season of writing is upon us. Are you excited? I AM. I cannot wait to see what you’re cooking up! If you join the linkup, don’t forget to share your link above!
Ahh!! I’m so excited for this!!
I’m so glad you’re excited! I can’t wait to see your post! 😀
YAY KNOW THE NOVEL IS BACK!!! This is the best time of year, with all the writing and craziness. XD And the Discord group sounds like a FANTASTIC idea!
*happy flailing* Your excitement makes me so happy! And EEP. I’m so glad you like the idea. I am very much looking forward to it. ^_^
Yesss! I’ve SO been looking forward to the linkup and FallFicFrenzy. *bounces*
I am so glad!!! That makes me ridiculously happy to hear. I cannot waaait to hear about your novel and spend the fall writing together! <3
Squee! I’m excited for fall writing! I do have to agree with you, fall is one of the best times, especially with all the leaves on the ground. That, I think, is more magical than snow. (Though snow still is magical, but it’s too cold for me.)
Also I 100% plan to write a blog post for this! (Despite any I-totally-want-to-hide-from-anxious-and-embarrassing problems. It’ll work out in the end.)
Super hyped for FFF! (And, I am one of the people who likes to arrive early and chat their brains out, if that’s possible. And I love creative things also, even though I am not good at art, and my compositional skills for writing music are terrible also. 😀 )
(Here I go, chatting my brains out! XD )
Have a wonderful fall!
Faramir
I’m so very happy you’re excited. I am as well! 😀 And YES. Fall is just the ultimate time for pouring into our creative pursuits. It really is a magical time indeed! (I adore snow but, alas, it is a rarity for us to get it so that’s probably why I love it so much, since I hardly ever get to experience it.)
YAAAAY!!! I cannot wait to read it! You absolutely should!
Chat away! I love to chat too! The doors will be opening the day after tomorrow, so we’ll have a few days to chat all the things before the official challenge starts. I’M SO HYPED! (I have literally zero artistic skills as far as drawing. ‘Tis a sad a fact. But hey, we can make art with words which is a beautiful thing.)
You as well! I think it’s gonna be a good one!
I totally agree that writing is an art. It takes a lot of gut and time, so it’s like painting; except for the fact that writing is more accessible to people. Which is great, because if it wasn’t I probably wouldn’t be here. (Have I told you about how I came into the small world of Christian bloggers? Maybe I should sometime.)
We get snow at least once a year, sometimes more. Which is plenty enough for me.
Faramir
It’s true! And it is a beautiful thing how accessible the art of writing is to the world. Such a wonderful and needed thing. (Oooh, you should absolutely tell me. I’d love to know! I want to say you found me by randomly looking through mutual friends on the NaNo site or something? Which I think is so fun!)
That’s more than we get! Lol. But I could definitely see it being a hassle if it’s all the time. Once a year sounds like a lovely treat.
Yes, I did find you by randomly looking through mutual friends on the NaNoWriMo website. (In fact, the laurels definitely helped to allure me. 😀 )
So essentially it all started when my cousin invited me to join NaNoWriMo month for writing. I really liked writing back then but had very little motivation to do so, so I decided it was time to write. So I did, and I finished on about the 26th of November. Now, as I was editing my profile (something I absolutely love), I saw that you could visit mutual friends’ profiles. Sam had a bunch of blogger friends, so that’s how I first found your blog and several other people’s blogs. And I always enjoyed looking through the mutual friends, anyway.
So writing has that quality too; you meet other fellow writers! Which is lovely, I think.
Faramir
I absolutely LOVE that story! It was actually NaNoWriMo that connected me to my first writing friends as well, which then expanded into this wonderful circle of writing pals I have now. So YES. That is another beautiful thing about writing–it is such a great way to connect with like-minded people. It’s been such a blessing to me in so many ways.
I’m so glad you found us! ^_^
Me too!
Also this should be what blogs look like; half of the blog page is actually comments, which are like “chatting” in the best way. I like to come back to my comments, see if the blog author has responded, and then potentially comment back to continue the talking. It’s really fun and is a great way to develop blogging friendships, I think!
Faramir
I absolutely agree! I developed friendships with some of my very first writing buddies simply by chatting with them via our blogs. It’s such a lovely way to meet like-minded individuals! (Even if these days I don’t always have time to visit and comment on blogs… *sniffles* But it is such a great way to get to know people!)
I’ve gotten my post in! Super excited for the next few months!
I saw it and was so excited to see it appear!!! Your story sounds EPIC. And it’s wonderful you got to officially join Know the Novel this year. I’m definitely excited about all that’s to come! 😀
Yessssssssssss, the Know the Novel tag! Can’t wait to do it on my blog! 😀
And I cannot wait to see your post!!! So, so glad you’re excited and are going to participate!
YAY!!!!!!!! I saw the Know the Novel linkup around last year and wanted to join, so now I’m excited to get a chance to!! 😀
Awww! I am so glad you get the chance to join this time. I cannot wait to hear about your novel!
Yay! It’s back and I can’t wait to learn more about everyone’s WIPs! And that’s such a cool idea to run a NaNoWriMo alternative, Christine! I wish I could join, but the next two months have been booked *sighs*. But, I wish you and everyone the best this year!
I cannot wait either! I’m glad you’re excited it’s back!
And thank you so much. I’m really looking forward to it. But I absolutely understand. This can be such a busy time. But thank you so much, sweet Lily. I hope you have the most wonderful fall! <3
Yes! I’m so excited for this. I love this linkup so much, I look forward to reading everyone’s posts, especially yours, Christine. Let me just get back to work on my post haha.
You are the sweetest, Esther! I’m glad you’re excited. I am too! Doing this brings me such joy! And look at you getting it going early. I can’t wait to see your post! 😀
Meepers, I can’t wait to do all ze writing and the know the noveling in these coming months.
Also, I LOVE the name Fall Fic Frenzy. Alliterations get me every time. Can’t wait to start this (I just have two books I need to finish in the two-ish weeks until this starts, no biggie 😅)
Yay!!! I cannot wait to write with you and hear all about your fall project because my goodness you come up with the best ideas!
Isn’t it such a fun name? Deborah nailed it with that one. I love it! Alliterations are KING. I’m so excited! (Oh wow! Cheering you on! *sends motivations cookies* I seriously don’t know how you always get so much written so quickly. You are amazing, girl!)
I can’t wait to read about everyone’s WIPs!!
Me either! It brings me so much joy!
Yay! Know the Novel and Fall Writing Frenzy!!!! I’m so excited about BOTH of these, and I also am doubly excited because this past month has been sooooo crazy that I kind of forgot about both of these, and I have this mildly overwhelming project in front of me this fall that my goal is to finish by the end of the year but if I COULD finish it by the end of November that would be so much better… and I was feeling all sad and lonely and unmotivated about it and then!!!! AND THEN your email showed up with this blog post and the reminder about FallFicFrenzy and the discord channel and the challenge and the blog posts and it was all so lovely and encouraging and reminding me that I’m not alone and there’s this fantastic just…. aura…. of creativity to join into this year (I’m not one who goes in for “auras” but sometimes it is the right word) and YAY!!!!
So thank you for the reminder, and for running this whole thing. 🙂
Awww, Jenelle! I cannot even express how happy this makes me. I totally understand. That’s the very reason I’m doing this, because it’s just so much more motivating to know we’re all writing together. I couldn’t bear the thought of taking on a fall project alone this year. So I am THRILLED you are joining and we have this new place to convene and encourage one another.
I do hope you are able to finish your project and it goes absolutely wonderfully! Definitely cheering you on. <3
I joined! I’m so excited for this! Last year, I participated as well, but I was too late to add my link, so it’s nice to have finally done that (albeit a little messily since I didn’t know how that link feature worked xD). Thank you for hosting this! <33
I just saw your post and loooved reading about your epic story! I’m glad you were able to get the linkup to work. I need to poke around and see if there are better options–that’s not the best one, it’s just the only one I know how to use. Lol. But I’m so happy you joined and enjoy this. It is a JOY for me to do. I so love seeing everyone’s posts. Thank you so much for participating! 😀
Eeeeeeep I am HAPPY! Busy or not, I can’t wait to read everybody’s posts! THANKS FOR HOSTING AGAIN CHRISTINE.
AWK. I’m so happy you’re happy. I AM TOO!!! You are so welcome. It is an absolute joy! <3
This looks amazing! I have seen other bloggers do this tag before, though this is the first time that I had actually went to the source. I’m going to have to check out everyone’s story when I have the time. =)
I probably won’t be participating in part one, since I had already just posted a similar post about my WIP. But I might have to try for parts two and three if I have the time. =)
Awwww, I’m thrilled you think so! I have such a grand time hosting it and getting to see everyone’s delicious stories. It fills me up!
I’d love it if you joined! The more the merrier! 😀
I don’t have a blog but I did still want to share so here we go.
1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?
This is a funny question for me personally because it was a dream I had recently. I dreamed my dad was a spy (he’s not) so I decided to write a CIA novel based on the dream.
2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!
A single dad is working for the CIA and has to deal with a case related to his old girlfriend but when his daughter gets kidnapped he realizes that this case is way bigger than he thought.
3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects of the setting?
Mostly in a fancy hotel and a building where the CIA is (in my world)
It’s in the present age and in America so I’ve enjoyed talking about cellphones and other modern technology.
4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).
Single dad and only child daughter who is 12. They’re relationship is similar to my dad’s and my relationship.
5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?
The daughter’s biological mother and her husband.
6. What excites you the most about this novel?
It’s a thriller and a kidnapping. I’ve always wanted to write both. Hehe.
7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?
A series probably.
8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?
Pantsing!
9. Name a few unique elements in this story.
The daughter has a great math mind and her dad isn’t able to do math above algebra so there’s a bit of tension since she wants help that her dad can’t give her.
10. Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).
Ooh, uh. It will be on family. That’s the main theme.
EEP. I’m so glad you shared more! This was so fun to read about it! Funnily enough, the first idea for my series came from a dream as well! Except it turned wildly different from that first concept, but hey, stories have to come from something! 😉
I love that this is a father-daughter story–I feel like we don’t get nearly enough of those. And you can never go wrong with spies! Always so much fun!
Thank you so much for sharing!!!