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nanowrimo 2021

MIGHTY PEN: Rochelle

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WAY TO GO, Rochelle! You’re a rockstar! Congrats on hitting 50,798 words for The Enchantress this year! We’re certainly enchanted by you and your story 😉

Keep up with Rochelle until next year on Twitter!

Is this your first time winning NaNo?

No.

Have you participated in the Mighty Pens before?

Yes.

What made you want to join the Mighty Pens this year?

I know this community is FANTASTIC and having people around to cheer you on (and tell you to write instead of do your work, uh, I mean… never mind) makes the process so much more enjoyable and, honestly, achievable for me. I’ve never won NaNo except in this community, so i figure you all are good luck. 😉

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

Honestly it wasn’t particularly frustrating for me. Except, maybe being on West Coast time? I missed a few things I wished I didn’t because of dinner. and the community itself is definitely the most rewarding

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

The romance! Oh goodness, I am revising-except-almost-from-scratch this year, and the romance was a new addition. I love it so much.

She came back, stood close enough to Travers that their shoulders brushed. Only a moment later, their hands were once again entwined. “I don’t want Paris more than anything,” Renee said quietly.

“You…don’t?”

“Not if it means losing you.”

“But your work. The people you want to meet. The supplies you want access too—getting out from the supervision of my brother.” It was incredibly short-sighted to give Renee a list of reasons to leave her behind, but what else was there to say?

What advice would you give yourself for NaNoWriMo/the Mighty Pens 2022?

Don’t take yourself seriously. it will be fine.

Love that snippet, Rochelle! We can’t wait to hear more!

MIGHTY PEN: Michelle Bulsiewicz

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Next up we’re celebrating Michelle Bulsiewicz! Congrats on pulling off a win, Michelle! We hope that your 50,064 new words help make your Jane Fairfax retelling a reality! 👀

Keep up with Michelle on Twitter!

Is this your first time winning NaNo?

No.

Have you participated in the Mighty Pens before?

Yes.

What made you want to join the Mighty Pens this year?

I loved the prizes (especially the chance for feedback from authors) and the extra push to achieve my goals from last year.

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

I loved the encouragement from the community on the Discord. I didn’t participate in that last year, and it made a difference this year.

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

The romance

What advice would you give yourself for NaNoWriMo/the Mighty Pens 2022?

Don’t feel like you have to do it if you can’t. This is about having fun and accomplishing manageable goals that work for your mental health.

YAY, Michelle! Keep up the good work!

MIGHTY PEN: J.W. Ellenhall

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SO COOL! Another Mighty Pens Newbie, J.W. Ellenhall, killed it this year! YAY! Congrats on your 50,157 new words on your story For the Love of Pirates & Pendragons! That sounds SO fun!

Catch up with J.W. on Twitter and keep showing her how cool we are. 

Is this your first time winning NaNo?

Second time winning a November NaNo

Have you participated in the Mighty Pens before?

No.

What made you want to join the Mighty Pens this year?

Sooz! She’s a big writing inspiration of mine.

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

The world in general is frustrating now, but the community has been super supportive.

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

Enemies to lovers.

What advice would you give yourself for NaNoWriMo/the Mighty Pens 2022?

Pace yourself. Take breaks & catch up another day when you need to. Just type & don’t worry what it sounds like.

Congrats again, J.W.! We can’t wait to hear more about your WIP!

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MIGHTY PEN: A. B. Henderson

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Wow! Another newbie! Congrats, A.B. Henderson! You pulled off your first NaNo win, and we’re so glad to have you here for the Mighty Pens this year. Hope we didn’t scare you off. 😉 Way to go on your 50,186 words. Just your title “Teacups and Curses” has us hooked!

Check A.B. out on Twitter and pester her into coming back next year, too!

Is this your first time winning NaNo?

Yes.

Have you participated in the Mighty Pens before?

No.

What made you want to join the Mighty Pens this year?

I was determined to win Nanowrimo this year (for my third attempt), and the fundraiser was for such a good cause, I thought it would help motivate me. And it did!

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

It was sometimes frustrating just trying to get my brain to focus. Sometimes it took a lot just to achieve my writing goal for the day, but I got there in the end.

I feel like this month has helped me develop a solid writing habit, which I hope to continue doing more regularly, and not just for one crazy month every year.

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

I love how much of a mess it is, and I have lots of ideas to clean it up during editing.

What advice would you give yourself for NaNoWriMo/the Mighty Pens 2022?

Don’t worry so much about the word count. Just make sure that you are enjoying the story, and the words themselves. It’s ok to take your time, just keep writing.

Congrats again, A.B.! Keep up the great work and we hope to see you around next year!

MIGHTY PEN: Andrea Miklos

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Druuummrolllll, please. YAY, Andrea Miklos! A first-time Mighty Pen and NaNo winner! That’s amazing, Andrea, congrats on your 50,112 words of The Silver Rose! We hope you had a great time with us this year and join us again in 2023!

Pester Andrea into coming back on Twitter!

Is this your first time winning NaNo?

Yes.

Have you participated in the Mighty Pens before?

No.

What made you want to join the Mighty Pens this year?

I wanted to give back, I liked the idea that my writing can also make a difference. I’m also a lover of forests myself, my dog, Mia and me take walks there every day, and it’s where we both are free to just be. So I was especially supportive of the idea to give the forests back to those areas that lost it.

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

It was frustrating that I wasn’t able to get funds raised – while it’s not common in my country, I have a lot of international friends who I thought would support the idea.

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

I really enjoyed writing a point of view of one particular character who doesn’t really see herself and her value clearly, but who still has some sass, and likes to think in lists. (Yes, I do that, too.)

What advice would you give yourself for NaNoWriMo/the Mighty Pens 2022?

Keep thinking in time chunks, rather than words. Committing to write for 15 minutes is easy, tangible, doable. Whatever the output, words are words.

For the fundraiser, try something different, an auction, or a gift in return. Personal pleas work (that’s what others say) but don’t be afraid to make it your own.

Congrats again, Andrea! Keep up the great work!

MIGHTY PEN: Katie Passerotti

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Today we’re celebrating Katie Passerotti and her NaNo novel Pony Death Gods! Like what??? That’s crazy! A huge congrats on your 50,229! We can’t wait to read this story someday.

You can catch up with Katie on Twitter! (And hopefully learn more about this very intriguing story)

Is this your first time winning NaNo?

No.

Have you participated in the Mighty Pens before?

Yes.

What made you want to join the Mighty Pens this year?

Because I had so much fun last year!

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

I didn’t get to plan as much as I usually do because October & I just did not get along, so I was flying by the seat of my pants for most of it and I made a lot of mistakes that will need smoothed out when I get to revisions, but that’s for future Katja to worry about. What was most rewarding was using some great new writing methods I learned over the summer to really dig down into the whos and whys of my characters. One of my biggest single chunks of NaNo writing was a backstory moment were I really got to explore the differences between my two main characters.

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

My favorite part is the moment when my MC dies at the end of Act I and learns that she’s neither dead or alive. She is now a keeper of the underworld and is paired up with a very cool undead horse named Toad. It’s one of the first scenes imagined when the idea for this story popped into my head, so I was super excited to write it and see it start to take shape.

What advice would you give yourself for NaNoWriMo/the Mighty Pens 2022?

Do more planning Katja!

Keep up the amazing work, Katja! This story sounds sooo cool!

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MIGHTY PEN: Asteria Gonzalez

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Next we’re celebrating Asteria Gonzalez! YAY! This year, she tackled TWO different projects! Based on titles alone, we’re super intrigued by both Into The Dark and Bloodmoon! And not to mention, we have another crazy person over here. Asteria hit 110,055 this year! WOWZA.

Check out Asteria on Twitter for some more fun!

Is this your first time winning NaNo?

No.

Have you participated in the Mighty Pens before?

Yes.

What made you want to join the Mighty Pens this year?

Once you join the Mighty Pens community, there is no other way to tackle NaNo!

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

Drafting was definitely harder this year with my schedule. That word count I have largely comes from revisions, which was far easier to undertake with the aforementioned schedule.

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

I adore the interactions between my main character and her antagonist.

What advice would you give yourself for NaNoWriMo/the Mighty Pens 2022?

The same advice I give at the beginning of every NaNo: whatever you do, you win regardless. 1k is a win. 1 word is a win. 100k is a win. Just writing and working on a story, new or old, is a win.

We think it’s time for a break! But we can’t wait to see how you amaze us next year. 😉

MIGHTY PEN: Wildfaeriecaps

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Our very first Mighty Pen, reaching 50k unfairly quickly, is our very own Wildfaeriecaps! WOOOO! You probably heard more about her project UsherUndone on Discord this year, but we’re still in awe of her final word count of a whopping 100,726. Like stop. Jk. That’s SO awesome!

You can follow along with the rest of Wildfaeriecaps’ crazy journey on Twitter!

Is this your first time winning NaNo?

No.

Have you participated in the Mighty Pens before?

Yes.

What made you want to join the Mighty Pens this year?

You’re all my people and I miiiiiisssssssed you!

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

My brain is the only thing that causes frustration. And my fellow Mighty Pens are, as always, the very best part of absolutely everything.

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

When my boys are sweet to each other. They spent so long apart and now they’re all *cute* and it makes my heart happy.

What advice would you give yourself for NaNoWriMo/the Mighty Pens 2022?

Ha! Slow down? Grow some chill? To no one’s surprise, I am unlikely to take this advice.

We think it’s time for a break! But we can’t wait to see how you amaze us next year. 😉

The Mighty Pens (3)

WeMighty: 2021 Roundup

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Happy December, writers—we made it!

November was long and hard this year, but together, we made it through and are all the better for it. We are so proud of everyone’s hard work to do the dang thing. We raised money and we wrote words, and that’s the most important thing of all. Don’t get discouraged if the numbers this year are lower than years previous. This year has been hard on everyone and we’re are not disappointed at all.

We came together even though it was hard. We pulled out wins and even if we didn’t, we put words on the page, and that in and of itself is a win in our book. And now for the main event.

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Fundraising Tally

In the back half of the month, you seriously put in the work. Don’t forget that ten days ago, this number was still under $1000. Thank you all for going out there and writing for a cause!

$3167 for WeForest

You are doing some serious good in the world this year. If you want to put it into perspective, our fearless leader Kat said on Twitter that the money she raised this year will feed over 50 people affected by the Tigray famine! Way to go, Kat! And just another huge thank you and congratulations to everyone else who raised money, this year, too.

It’s no secret that we all love to write. It’s no secret that the Mighty Pens community is the reason most of us keep coming back year after year. But sometimes the best-kept secret in the Mighty Pens is how much good we are trying to do every year. Well, we don’t want it to be a secret! Join us next year as we fundraise for a new organization—and don’t forget to spread the word!

Word Count Tally

Okay, so I can admit that I struggled hard this year in terms of writing, and while that’s a little disappointing (the first year I haven’t won since I started), looking at this number of all the words we wrote together makes me feel better.

Almost 795,000 Words Written

Whether you wrote 1000 words this month or 100,000, you are amazing. Writing is hard. Really, really hard. But you did the dang thing. You put words on the page and that’s all that really matters. I’m so happy we could do this as a community. All of us at the Mighty Pens are.

Just because November is over, though, doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye! Stay tuned in the coming days to celebrate all the Mighty Pens this year! And our Discord doesn’t just go away on December 1, either. You can drop by and say hi anytime. There’s a good chance there will be a few writers lurking and waiting for spirit buddies.

One last round of applause for all of our writers and fundraisers this year! THANK YOU!

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See you next year!

Megan

The mighty pens volunteer spotlight

Volunteer Spotlight: Megan Gold

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Welcome to the Mighty Pens 2021! This year we have so many wonderful volunteers standing behind us and we want to make sure everyone gets the recognition they deserve. Each week, we’ll be spotlighting one or more of our volunteers, and they can tell you in their own words a little bit about them and why they are a part of the Mighty Pens team.

Last volunteer on my list this year is… myself! I am the person on the other side of the keyboard posting many of the blog posts you see here. For more about my writing journey (or sometimes not-writing journey), you can follow me on Instagram!

Q: Tell us a little about yourself.

A: This year has been an absolute roller-coaster for me! I’m back to working in person in a new position at my local zoo (I’m in events and it’s SO much fun!), but I’m also still working my side gig as a marketing writer. I also got married this year and am in the process of buying a house! So, it should come as no surprise that my NaNo has not gone great and I’m totally burnt out and ready for this year to be over 😅

Q: Tell us about your pets!

A: My cat is trying to kill me. His name is Toulouse (yes, he’s orange, for those who have seen Aristocats 😉) and I love him to death, but man, is this little devil vocal at the worst times of the day.

Q: What are you currently reading/watching? What was your last 5 star read?

A: Reading has been tough lately (for the reasons stated above), but I’m currently reading All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman. My last true five-star read was Redemtor (the sequel to Raybearer) by Jordan Ifueko.

My spouse and I have been doing a full MCU rewatch lately and loving all the shows, too. We are also obsessed with Ted Lasso.

Q: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

A: Mostly a plotter! I don’t really sit down to start without a very detailed plan, but I do like to pants a few scenes right at the very beginning of building an idea.

Q: What’s your favorite writing snack or beverage?

A: No favorites, but I’m a coffee, tea, and wine drinker. But there is always, always, always water on my desk. Stay hydrated, folks!

Q: What’s in your ears while you write?

A: I make playlists for all my major WIPs, so I’m usually listening to those or similar vibe-y playlists. My Spotify is kind of a mess, but you’re more than welcome to check out some of my playlists here. All the Devils is this year’s NaNo and Witch on Fire is last year’s.

Q: Have you participated in NaNoWriMo before? Have you won? Are you participating this year?

A: Yes! I started in 2017 and won every year since. We’ll have to see about this year, though. It’s definitely been tough.

Q: What do you write? And if you can, tell us what you are working on now or will be working on for NaNo.

A: Fantasy! Mostly YA, but some of my WIPs are a bit more NA. I’m kind of working on two different projects right now. One is a fourth draft that I am still slugging through (I made a huge plot change this year and revisions are slow going). My NaNo novel is kind of a SIX OF CROWS x ACE OF SHADES type of story.

Q: Any advice for someone who is joining the Mighty Pens or NaNoWriMo for the first time this year?

A: Don’t push yourself past your limits. I’ve had some really great NaNo years before, but this year is teaching me a lot more about taking care of myself first.

Q: Are you a Mighty Pens vet or a newcomer? Why did you decide to become a volunteer?

A: Vet! This is my second year as a volunteer! It’s so much fun to get to interact with everyone and see the hard work that Kat and Sooz put in come to fruition.

Q: What’s your favorite part about the Mighty Pens?

A: Is t cliche to say the community? Seriously, though, it’s why we’re all here and keep coming back.

Q: Do you have a special connection to WeForest? Or just like raising money for a good cause?

A: I hadn’t heard of them before this, but they’re the perfect kind of organization to support right now!

Thanks, everyone for coming on this journey with me this year! I hope next year goes a lot smoother. 😅

Megan Gold

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