Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. And each year, our sponsor Scribophile likes to ask a new member who found them through NaNoWriMo to write about their experience at Scribophile. This is what author Snorri Haugen submitted: 

NaNoWriMo is one of the seas upon which I sail my ship of prose. It’s an adventure with high winds, heavy waves, and all sails set. The bow crashes into the waves, throwing off cold spray, and the story pours out like the rushing sea over the edge of the world. 

A couple of short months ago I made the 50,000-word journey and coached a bunch of students to writing tens of thousands of words together. It was then I started looking for a sheltered bay.

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Scribophile, a NaNoWriMo 2017 sponsor, asked writer Shannon Burnette to share her experience with their extensive online writing workshop and writer’s community:

If you’re like me, you signed up for NaNoWriMo on a whim because a story had been building in your chest that you couldn’t quite shake. It burrowed itself deep inside your gut and refused to let go, demanding to be told. You dedicated precious time and effort in committing that story to words, be it on a screen or on paper, and whether or not you “won,” you left November with a more completed story than when you entered it.

If you’re like me, you looked up from your messy and complicated and beautiful first draft and thought: Wow, I did it. Immediately afterward came: Now what? I knew I was going to need readers and critique partners, but I had no idea where to begin looking for those connections. My story desperately needed more love and attention, which I could certainly give it, but deep down I knew I was already too close to my draft. I needed perspective. I needed other writers, both fledgling like myself and more experienced, to help me improve.

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Scribophile, a NaNoWriMo 2016 sponsor, is one of the largest independent writing communities online. Today, author Rebel Farris shares how joining Scribophile helped her develop a professional-quality draft:

As a first-time novelist who hadn’t taken an English class in nearly 20 years, finishing NaNoWriMo 2016 with 108k words was quite an accomplishment. Cue the sweaty-palmed, heart-racing nervous breakdown, as I stared down the big E-word: edits. I had no idea where to even begin. I was in panic mode, for a multitude of reasons. The most obvious was that I was sure my grammar was atrocious—but also, I had no clue if the end result was a good story or not.

I knew it needed another set of eyes on it, but finding willing and educated eyes is easier said than done.

After completing NaNoWriMo, I decided to peruse the winner’s offerings and stumbled across Scribophile. My curiosity was piqued: a community of writers that critique each other’s work using a karma point system. Earn points by critiquing; spend points to post your work.

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Scribophile, a NaNoWriMo 2015 sponsor, is offering all NaNoWriMo participants free basic membership. They asked writer Sid Jain to share his experience with their critique community:

I discovered Scribophile through NaNoWriMo 2015, after my novel limped to 15,000 words before the month ended.  I realized I couldn’t finish it in a vacuum. I had been sending my writing to friends, who mostly ignored my messages, but sometimes replied with a quick “nice work.” It became clear I needed to look elsewhere to get feedback on my writing.

I joined a story-exchange site, posted a chapter, and waited. A “like” trickled in. Somebody put my chapter on their to-read list. Crickets chirped. My morale slumped. I knew my story had potential, but I also knew I needed other writers to read it first. I needed someone to tell me how to improve my work.

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Scribophile, a 2014 NaNoWriMo sponsor, asked one NaNoWriMo participant, Christina Dalcher, to share her experience with their online writing critique community:

I’d never written a piece of fiction in my life until August 2014.

Then I wrote a novel.

Let me be honest here: it stunk. Of course, I didn’t think it did. I thought it was the most creative, fresh, what-the-world-needs-now page-turner that would ever hit the market. So did my mother.

I went into a pitching and querying frenzy with a manuscript that was about as far from ready as it could be. Silly rabbit. I should have known better.