Writer's Groups: Nanowrimo Forums

Before you whip me with a wet noodle for mentioning Nanowrimo yet again, hear me out. I've featured quite a few writers groups in the last year, and this may very well be the one that's a perfect fit for you.

And whether you participate in Nanowrimo or not, you'll find an amazing group of like-minded writers, and might even solve some of your writing issues at the same time.

And remember, you don't have to wait for November to access the forums.

Here are some of the highlights in the forums:

The Reference Desk: this is the place to ask all the questions you can't find answers to yourself. Remember, Nanowrimo participants live all over the world, and you could connect with a person who has the exact first-hand knowledge you need.

Recent questions about college in a socialist country, colorblindness, and Australian beach towns are answered.

Plot Doctoring: This section gathers creative minds to solve writers' plot issues. Questions range from creative ways to kill a husband in the 1800s, to pickup lines during a zombie apocalypse.

There are "word wars", where participants race to rack up words, a coffee house, and threads for every possible genre and age group imaginable. You really have to check it out to get the full effect.

Need more incentive? Nanowrimo recruits top novelists to email pep talks to participants during November. The lineup this year is impressive, as usual. Sometimes, when I'm hitting a wall with my writing, I read through the archived pep talks from previous years. You'll be surprised at the list.

Neil Gaimon or Sue Grafton, anyone?

One final lure is the bonus offers for Nanowrimo winners. Amazon's CreateSpace gives winners a free proof copy of their book. You'll get a 50% discount on Scrivener writing software (20% off if you're just a participant). And you can take 25% off Storyist software (try it out by taking advantage of the free Nanowrimo trial version).

Have I convinced you yet?