Guest Post: On Writing: NaNoWriMo: Erica from Crapfiction

I want to thank Rachel (@AbelleKingsley) for inviting me over to guest post. I have only recently jumped on the bandwagon of engaging in social media, and it has allowed me to connect with people across the world in just a couple of months. I would like to apologize in advance for my post. I write #crapfiction, and it's usually littered in confusing statements and grammatical errors. I'll address more of that later.

I'm lost. I'm the proverbial needle in a haystack of writers; as a result, it smothered my potential for years. I had a love for reading at a young age, easily getting sucked into the fantastical worlds that authors had illustrated through writing. And those stories would spark my own ideas. Three comments were always on my elementary report cards: I was a social butterfly, a great reader, and I had wonderful creativity. The first trampled the other two in high school. I spent days “studying in the library” to gossip with friends and play hacky-sack. I took numerous classes on creative writing and English composition, but never adequately prepared myself for college. So I didn't go.

Don't get me wrong; I completed a few semesters of community college down the road. But then I traded that in for a family. But now that things have settled down? I'm back with my thoughts and unwritten stories. Being a writer can suck. Go to any website like Smashwords or Goodreads, and find the hundreds of people who are trying to push their way into the literary spotlight. And most of them DID go to college, HAVE been practicing their craft for years, and DO have publishing contracts. How can I break into one of the most supersaturated industries around? I have no connections and less education. And that realization gave birth to my blogging project (The actual name will be released in a couple of weeks; I still need to buy the URL).

I've started a new blogging project inspired by lots of ideas - “Brainstorm to bookshelf” - “For writers of all backgrounds by writers of all backgrounds” - “Blogging one error at a time” - to name a few.

As stated on my blog,

“... someday I want to get published. Someday I want to sit at a table in a bookstore, sign my awesome signature in my novel, and have people weep about how much they love me. Too much? Maybe. Impossible? I think not. I wanna prove to the world that writers don’t have to be “perfect” or “normal” to be successful. I am a misfit. Are you? ”

This was originally going to be a solo project; I've changed my mind. I thought about everyone I have connected with and realized I'm not the first person who feels like this. And I won't be the last. So why not scoop up all of our talents? Why not share our drunken slurs about our 50th rejection letter? Why not show an audience of people that anyone can be successful? You just have to believe. I know I've been rambling on, so if you are interested, head over to http://crapfiction.wordpress.com/ and find out more. We're in the baby stages, so now is the best time to get involved!

We will be starting with NaNoWriMo. If you've never heard of the concept, head over to their website. In summary, it's an annual event in which writers all over the world compose their own novel (of at least 50,000 words in length) during the month of November. This will be my first year, and I'm terrified. But that's okay. I'm not the only person poppin' the NaNo cherry this year. I already have a few writing buddies lined up, Jack Daniels included, and am ready to face this adventure head on. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll see said novel on the bookshelf in a Barnes & Noble. One can only hope.

Thanks for letting me stop by and throw some ideas at you. If you, too, are a budding writer? Check out and subscribe to my blog, find me on Twitter (@EricaWing), and let's take over the world. Later tweeps! This lady needs a drink!