Hi Writers. We are gearing up for NaNoWriMo in November with our collective novel – Title TBD. There are still spots available. Please send an email to info@redwheelbarrowwriters.com to claim a date. All the details are posted below. Get ready to write your chapter and join in the FUN!
| November | Name: |
| 1 | Marian Exall |
| 2 | Jes Stone |
| 3 | |
| 4 | Linda Lambert |
| 5 | Abbe Rolnick |
| 6 | Janet Oakley |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Carol McMillan |
| 9 | Victoria Doerper |
| 10 | Dick Little |
| 11 | Laura Kalpakian |
| 12 | Mary Lou Haberman |
| 13 | Judy Shantz |
| 14 | |
| 15 | |
| 16 | |
| 17 | |
| 18 | |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Heidi Beierle |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Brenda Astrino |
| 23 | |
| 24 | |
| 25 | |
| 26 | Cami Ostman |
| 27 | Sean Dwyer |
| 28 | |
| 29 | |
| 30 | Marion Exall |
Rules:
- We’ll be using typical “improvisational theater” rules for this project. The most important guideline for improvisation is to accept offers, to say yes to what other authors contribute. For example, if the main character is given a mother in chapter three, the author of chapter four must accept that mother as a character now and give her space in the book. How much space author #4 gives mom is up to him, but he can’t say, “So the next day mom died and we get back to the story from chapter 2.”
- Astute readers/authors of later chapters can pick up threads from—and move action along from—earlier chapters but must not negate what earlier authors have set in motion. There can be no, “I woke up and it was all a dream.” Accept and work with what earlier players have given you—like in a game of Scrabble. Also like a game of Scrabble, if you see that the story has backed up into a corner, seek to open up the “board” by creating possibilities for those who come after you. Okey dokey?
- Don’t kill off the protagonist or a major character necessary to the moving forward of the plot.
- If the setting is essential to the story, don’t destroy it or remove the story to a completely different place.
- Let’s try to create an ARC. The first third of the writers can focus on building the mystery, setting the stage for the problem. The second third can ramp up the tension and bring us to a point where we HAVE to know what will happen or who did it or why things are the way they are. The last third of the authors can focus on the denouement.
Process:
- You’ll get an email the day before you are to write your chapter.
- Read the chapters that have come before your assigned chapter on this page.
- On the day you’ve agreed to write, write!
- Send your chapter to us no later than 9 p.m. on YOUR day. We will make sure it’s posted. Send it in an attached Word document to this email: info@redwheelbarrowwriters.com. The subject line should be Chapter #.
- Communicate with your fellow authors in this Facebook group (ask to join if you aren’t already in the group).
- Have fun!
