I've been posting about this on social media...I'm bringing back Sit Down and Write as a regular challenge!! The reason? I defected from NaNoWriMo (left, deleted account, the whole shebang). If you're a writer, you probably have already heard what has been going on starting with last year, and then this year's debacle. If you haven't heard what has been going on, you can read my post on Facebook here (it's public so you should be able to read it whether you use Facebook or not).
All this being said, there is no judgment here. If you are still planning on doing NaNoWriMo, you are welcome to join us for this challenge.
So, this challenge is now Sit Down and Write Month. This year will be hosted in November, but I'm thinking of foregoing November starting in 2025. November is a busy time for so many people due to the holidays. I'm leaning toward March and July, 31 day months so we get that extra day. Weigh-in on your feelings about this in the comments.
I had mentioned on social media that I wanted to share something fun with you and so here it is. I have talked about author Sarra Cannon in previous blog posts...how I use her HB90 planning system, and follow her Heart Breathings channel (and her author channel) on YouTube. You can read those posts here and here for details. Sarra's Heart Breathings is a community for writers and for years she has hosted Preptober for NaNoWriMo, also recording her writing journey during NaNo, calling them the NaNoWriMo Diaries. Well, she has also chosen to leave NaNoWriMo and distance herself from it. She is still doing Preptober, and she has created her own writing challenge for November, the Rough Draft Challenge. I will be participating in her challenge along with this one. Watch these two videos (Video 1, Video 2) to learn more about it, and you can get your own Preptober planner (and access to the resource library she mentions) if you sign up for her newsletter (you can sign up for that here). She is going to have different word count levels, and her husband is helping her put together a website where we can update our word counts.
If you would rather not join in on Sarra's challenge, that's fine. I have set up a Discord for us for chatting, sharing challenge prep, and word count check-ins. Here's the invite link for that: https://discord.gg/CVrqt423wC
You will notice the text channels in the sidebar once you join.
If you would prefer to just interact here, that's fine too. I'll be creating a menu in the blog sidebar and will link this post there (along with a link to our Discord). I will also be updating with new blog posts, sharing challenge prep and progress during November.
Here are a couple of sites where you can keep track of word counts:
Writer's Atelier (this is a post with a whole list of options)
I think that's everything! I'm so excited! If you would like to join us, just leave a comment below. No official sign-up required. And jump over and join our Discord. We would love to have you!
Let's do this writing thing!
Oh, and here is your first pep talk. This was written by K.M. Weiland, an author who writes fiction, and craft books for writers. She has been very helpful for many writers. I have her books myself.
Print this manifesto out and stick it up where you write, or put it on your computer as wallpaper, or as a wallpaper for your phone. Why? Because if you're writing, you're a writer. Don't let anyone convince you you're not.
