The Summer NovelRama: 25,000 words in 4 days. Because you can.

That’s the slogan for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers most excellent summer NovelRama, a writing event sponsored by RMFW’s IPAL (independently published member writers) and open to writers everywhere who need encouragement, inspiration, camaraderie, a challenge, and a chance at prizes…and all from the comfort of your own home where you can work in your sloppy sweatpants and slippers (or any other venue and attire of your choice).

Need a boost (aka a kick in the pants) to produce a lot of words in a small amount of time? Think about that novel that just needs a few more chapters but has been neglected while you toddle off to lunch with friends, binge watch a new series on Netflix, or procrastinate by cleaning house (yes, I’ve been doing all three).

Doesn’t have to be a novel though. Maybe you want to write three or four short stories. Churn out the first draft of a novella. Whatever works for you works for NovelRama. Even if you can only participate one day or a few hours, you can still benefit from the activities and the fellowship.

Want to give it a try? Visit the NovelRama Facebook page and click on “Interested” or “Going.” There will be LIVE videos, writing sprints, and fun llama memes (ranging from charming to silly but guaranteed to bring a smile to your face).

Did I mention there are prizes? If you join the challenge, you'll need to post your word count each day and meet the word count goal. That’s how you get entered in drawings.

The date for this fantabulous event is August 10th through August 13th, Friday through Monday. The link to the Facebook page is right HERE HERE HERE.

A special note: This year there’s also a NovelRama Jr. Young writers can participate with a goal of 5,000 words in four days.

My own project for NovelRama is to finish the first draft of the historical novel I’ve been fiddling around with for many, many months. As of this writing, I have 54,964 words written and the rest of the story in my head. The research is all done, but I’ve been lollygagging on the writing part. The invitation to participate in NovelRama showed up in my Facebook notifications at precisely the right time—and the event is happening on a weekend when I have nothing else planned. I think the Force is with me.

I've committed to the event. What about you? Are you in?

To learn about other ways to kick start your writing efforts after a period of lethargy, check out these past posts from the Blood-Red Pencil blog:

Breaking the Literary Atrophy
Beetling Along

Pat (Patricia) Stoltey is the author of four novels published by Five Star/Cengage: two amateur sleuth, one thriller that was a finalist for a Colorado Book Award in 2015, and the historical mystery Wishing Caswell Dead (December 20, 2017), a finalist for the 2018 Colorado Book Awards.

Pat lives in Northern Colorado with her husband Bill, Scottish Terrier Sassy (aka Doggity), and brown tabby Katie (aka Kitty Cat).

You can learn more about Pat at her website/blog, on Facebook, and Twitter. She was recently interviewed for a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers podcast that you can find at the RMFW website.