NANOWRIMO in action

Huddled in the corner of Panera Bread frantic fingers flew, rushing to meet the day's word count. Who are these strange creatures tied by electrical cords and mice? They are writers pursuing the elusive novel in a month. Yes, these writers celebrate NANOWRIMO by cranking out 50,000 words in a month. Such is the essence of National November Writing Month when writers choose to experience extreme frustration and stupendous joy in  rapid cycling positively manic.

St Petersburg members of Florida Writers Association gathered to write, empathize and encourage. Take this great idea and run with it. Call a few dedicated writers and invite them to join you for an early afternoon NANORIMO session as local restaurant, coffee shop or bookstore with free wireless internet access. Gather in a back corner so that the key taping, laughter and occasional weird plot twist conversations will not scare the locals. If possible get a free public service mention in the local newspaper. You may find that this fledgling group decides to stay together and become a regular writers critique group. That could be a value-added benefit of NANOWRIMO.

Trifecta for Writers this weekend

Three blockbuster events happen on Saturday, October 23. If only the Sci-Fi writers could explain how to beam around to all; the Florida Writers Conference, Time Festival of Reading and Necronomicon 2010.

Florida Writers Association Conference offers top flight speakers, seminars and networking Friday and Saturday in Lady Mary, outside Orlando. Royal Palms Literary Awards are announced at the Saturday banquet. I am a finalist in the Thriller category for my book, Taylor Kendall: Evil Inc.

The Times Festival of Reading in downtown St Petersburg is a joyous celebration of writers, readers and all things to do with books. The festival is located at Bayboro Harbor, 140 7th Avenue South, 10am-4pm with free admission.

And then there is Necronomicon 2010 also in downtown St Petersburg. This one baffles me.  For those who enjoy the company of zombies, vampires and other horrible creatures (disguised as writers), grab your chains and follow the blood trail to Bayfront Hilton, October 22-24.

Oxymoron Alert: Zombies

Why are writers dying to get into the zombie world? Even seasoned writer John Rehg invited the St Pete Florida Writer's group to a "lovely evening. . . with zombies". I warned John that this comment (lovely evening - zombies) was destined to be a featured oxymoron at The Write Twist.

Before even contemplating writing about zombies, I have much to learn. Do zombies text? My daughter, Kelly, says no because other zombies ate their thumbs. Is that the underworld version of the current cupcake craze?
Do zombies have jobs? The stalking of the living must get old after awhile, what else do they do?

What about personalities, do zombies retain their former personalities? At the risk of being politically incorrect, seen one walking dead person, seen them all. I'm going to stay with living characters like my evil doers in Taylor Kendall: Evil Inc. No zombies or vampires here, my characters do their blood sucking the old fashioned way; they bilk the government.

Are you a literary in-grown toenail?

Writing can be a solitary pursuit. Its easy to get so lost in your characters and their situations that you become like a literary version of an in-grown toe nail. The best way to spell relief is to get out in the company of other writers.

That's what I did this week, attending the St Petersburg Chapter of Florida Writers Association. Public Relations specialist, Dale W. Hutchings, took us through a brainstorming exercise that had something for everyone. The case study of writers attempting to develop a marketing plan offered ample opportunity for creative thinking. The bottom line on this exercise, according to Hutchings, was to stimulate writers to think outside their current marketing strategies with a plan to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses.

The next best part of any writers group is the time after the program to get acquainted. Those of us who are experienced and published can encourage newbies. Clearly the St Petersburg FWA has serious talent capable of landing four of the top 10 positions a  recent contest including the #1 spot. Congratulations to all the winners.

Exchanging ideas, listening to other solutions and talking with folks who understand your "write mind" is energizing. The cure for in-grown toenail syndrome: find a local or regional writer's group and drop in  periodically. Sometimes you learn and sometimes you teach others, but every time you participate with fellow writers you return to your solitary pursuit richer for the time spent.