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Mighty Pens 2022

MIGHTY PENS: J.W.Ellenhall

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We are so proud of J.W.Ellenhall for winning NaNo, and becoming a Mighty Pen again!! Check out how their November went below:

Is this your first time winning Nano?

Third win!

Have you participated in Mighty Pens before?

Yes, last year.

What made you inspired to join Mighty Pens this year?

All of the positivity in this wonderful group of writers 😊

What’s the working title of your NaNoWriMo22 project?

Letters to Zelon

Give us an elevator pitch of your project!

Billionaire Zelon Bezowitz thought he was about to realize his dream of going to Mars, until he’s taken hostage by one cat. 

This entity in feline attire announces the United Intergalactic Commission’s scheduled termination of Earth and Mars, as neither civilization has offered anything worth justifying their existence. However, one disgruntled SpaceXenial employee Monisha Nair-Jones, the old British Baroness Lady Catsbury, and a lost Martian are about to accidentally surprise The Cats, despite none of them having any idea what they’re doing. Or who their cats really are.

What’s your current favorite part of your NaNo project?

Dear Mr. Zelon Bezowitz,
 
With all due respect, Sir, whilst I do appreciate your efforts with the space programs thus far, I am deeply disturbed after studying your latest model diagrams for the Starship. They show an alarming lack of proper facilities for cats. It is as if none of your designers have given any thought at all to feline needs during a journey of what is likely to be six to eight months in space.

What advice would you give to other Mighty Pens / NaNoWriMos participating this year?

Do the sprints with somebody when you feel like you can’t write anymore. It really helps. Putting in so many words every day is never easy for anyone, not day after day. I do at least 20 minutes a day, regardless of how I feel. Be willing to dive in more on the good days to help make up for when you have to write a bit less sometimes.

 

Want to keep up with J.W. Ellenhall? You can find them at the links below!

Goodreads
Pinterest
Twitter
Instagram
Their Website
NaNoWriMo Profile
Direct Relief Fundraising Page

MIGHTY PEN: Harley Dawn

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What’s that sound?! The sound of another Mighty Pens Winner! Check in to see what Harley’s project is about and how their NaNoWriMo went below.

Is this your first time winning Nano?

The third! 😊

Have you participated in Mighty Pens before?

Yes, in the first year

What made you inspired to join Mighty Pens this year?

As a way to fight the S.A.D

Give us an elevator pitch of your project!

How does the chosen one of a magical realm return to a normal life? The portal hasn’t opened for Marisol since she left 8 years ago. So when she witnesses one of her students fall into the world she thought she had imagined, Marisol follows. Though, she isn’t sure if she wants to save the girl from the same heartbreak or to regain her own former glory.

What’s your current favorite part of your NaNo project?

We walk through an archway opposite the front steps, and there’s a slight resistance. Like pressing through the film on a juicebox. The noise of fifty-odd party-goers hits us in a rush. How did we not hear or see all this?

    I gape up at the archway and its imbedded jewels, then over to Marisol.

    She shrugs. “Magical nonsense.”

    “I thought you were supposed to be teaching me. How am I supposed to use magic with that kind of explanation?”

    Her smile is slight, and far more sad than I wanted. “That’s why I’m not the right person to teach you.”

Want to chat with Harley or follow them to see where their project goes? Find them here on TikTok, Instagram, or on the NaNo Website!

MIGHTY PEN: Leaves

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We are so proud of all our winners, including Leaves (they/them) who is over in the UK! Give them some love, and learn more about their project below!

Is this your first time winning Nano?

It isn’t, actually!  I won in 2019 and 2020 (with different drafts of the same project), and I’ve hit 50k in a couple of Camps in between.  I took 2021 off but this year has definitely been the most fun 🙂

Have you participated in Mighty Pens before? What made you inspired to join Mighty Pens this year?

I haven’t done Mighty Pens before; I only learned about it this year through Sooz’s wonderful wider community, who encouraged me to participate.  I also wanted an excuse to get back into writing, and writing alongside people was a great way of doing that!

What’s the working title of your NaNoWriMo22 project? Give us an elevator pitch of your project!

It’s a fantasy currently going by the very boring title of “Elven Adventure”.  My original idea was to create and play a D&D solo campaign, and then write a story based on that.  And then my October fell apart, so I just took the characters I’d made, rolled up some settings, and pantsed from there.  As such I don’t really have an elevator pitch (but I do still want to play that D&D campaign with my MCs…)

What’s your current favorite part of your NaNo project?

Definitely the little scenes I’m dropping in with side characters – so while the main plot lines are slowly edging together to make my MCs into an adventuring party, I’ve also got small inserts of a shipwrecked pirate, a ranger far from home looking after a growing dragon, and a King’s daughter becoming a vigilante.  I like the pirate best!  I’m also looking forward to seeing how my “secondary party”, if you will, might influence the rest of the plot.

What was a frustrating part of the NaNo/Might Pens this year? What was rewarding?

Probably the most frustrating part was how much of November I’ve been absent for!  I knew I was going to have a lot of life stuff going on, but I probably still shouldn’t have cracked 50k in nine days…  The most rewarding part, though, was the community; the fact that even though I was a Mighty Pens first-timer, they welcomed me into the fold and embraced the amount that I wrote (and the frankly ridiculous speed), and encouraged and supported me the whole way.  I love every single one of you <3

What advice would you give to other Mighty Pens / NaNoWriMos participating this year?

To every single one of you, whatever you do, you’re amazing.  Whether you write 50 words or 50,000 in November, taking the time to start writing that story is always a good first step!  Make sure you look after yourself first, take breaks (like I, uh, didn’t), and then think about the writing.  The story will always be waiting for you.

MIGHTY PEN: WildFaerieCaps

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We are so incredibly proud that WildFaerieCaps is our first Mighty Pen winner of the year! Which they accomplished in the first week.

Is this your first time winning Nano?

nope. I’m a self-proclaimed NaNo addict. I’ve been participating seriously since 2018 and have “won” every year.

Have you participated in Mighty Pens before?

yep! the Mighty Pens are my people and keep me going. without them, I’m not sure I’d ever have gotten back into writing. I owe them more than I can ever say.

What made you inspired to join Mighty Pens this year?

uh. did I mention that the whole group is basically my chosen family? why wouldn’t I want to join?

What’s the working title of your NaNoWriMo22 project?

This Bitter Sting

Give us an elevator pitch of your project.

a witch-in-hiding and a jackal-shifter-assassin have a random hook-up that leads to more only…no one expects the shifter mafia? (yeah, look, I’m bad at this.)

What’s your current favorite part of your NaNo project? Feel free to share your favorite line/short paragraph so far!

I’m all about the characters and their interactions. I’ve had a great time writing the two romantic leads but also the friendships that surround them.

What was a frustrating part of the NaNo/Might Pens this year? What was rewarding?

frustrating: staying positive. I’m great at hyping others, not so much myself. rewarding: the camaraderie. it’s hard to stay down for too long with such a great group cheering you on.

What advice would you give to other Mighty Pens / NaNoWriMos participating this year?

every word is a win. goals are great, but don’t let the numbers get to you. it’s not a competition unless you want it to be. you’ve got this.

<insert my trademark bouncing pony gif here>

Want to chat with WildFaerieCaps in real life? Find them on: Twitter, Instagram, Their Author Website, and over at NaNoWriMo.

Creating your 2022 fundraiser

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Hooray! You’ve decided to join the Mighty Pens for 2022! Hopefully you’ve made your $10 donation to Nanowrimo, but if not, head over here. Now, at some point ideally before November 1st, you need to create your personal fundraising page for Direct Relief.

Step 1: click on the link in your email or here and click “Join this team.”

From the fundraising page, click "Join this team"

When you click “JOIN THIS TEAM” you’ll be prompted to either log in or create an account with MightyCause.com. Most of us will have to create an account, after which you’ll be redirected to the page. Just click “Join This Team” again!

Step 2: Set up your personal fundraiser. You’ll click through several explanations, and then you can click through their explanation if you like.

step 2
fundraiser step 3

Step 3: Upload a picture to your fundraiser profile if you want.

Step 4: Find a picture or video that feels meaningful to your fundraiser. (You can always change it later! Email or check #fundraising in the Discord for ideas.)

Step 5: Deets! You can set a goal, add an Instagram feed, tell people about yourself—it’s a very flexible page editor. Make sure to fill in all required fields. Categories that still need info will have the yellow dot on the left. You can always go back and change things or add more.

Step 6: Another place to access your personal fundraiser description. Talk about why you’re doing Nanowrimo, why fundraising is important to you, or anything that else that personalizes your page to donors.

Step 7: Under Settings (the two-gears icon on the left), start your metrics on November 1st. Make sure to end on November 30th, 11:59pm (your local time).

2022 fundraiser page metrics