Click here for Issue 3!What is the Observer?Welcome to the very first issue of the
OberNoWriSu Observer! The
Observer has been put together to catch you up on all of the OberNo news, share some tips and introduce you to some of the OberNo writers who are inspiring us right now.
You can be involved in the
Observer, too. If you would like to write a short article, share some tips or contribute in some other way,
send me a PM and you can be part of the next issue.
Let’s get started with the biggest news first.
Rewards for You!There’s something different about this year’s OberNoWriSu: there are prizes! Yes, you read that correctly. All writers who successfully meet their OberNo target will go into a draw to win an Ober.net t-shirt and a selection of books from Deb’s Isobelle Carmody collection. So get those words flowing because now there’s even more of an incentive to complete your word count!
STOP PRESS: Sionainn is also offering an individually designed printable award for everyone who meets their OberNoWriSu target!
Who’s Doing What?There are nine Ober.netters taking part in OberNoWriSu so far. Here they are, along with their goals:
Araleen has a goal of 10,000 words for the Summer.
Arwen is aiming for 10,000 words by the end of Summer.
Daniel is planning to write 25,000 words over Summer and also has some editing planned.
Deb has set herself a goal of writing some more of her Casey story.
Jossie plans to write 50,000 words before her holidays end on the 24th of January.
Katie is heading for 20,000 words, with some additional video and audio projects.
Nef is aiming to write 30,000 words as well as polishing off some other stories and reviewing her story plans.
Sionainn is going for 50,000 words to finish off her draft of Mowgli.
Vestie is aiming for 20,000 words over the Summer.
Remember, it’s not too late to join in! You can set your own goal based on how much time you have free over the Summer. We’d love to welcome more writers to our ranks.
Why are Writing Challenges Important?Writing can be a lonely and solitary activity and for a lot of writers, if there’s no deadline then there’s no rush to get the words on the page. A writing challenge such as OberNoWriSu provides both a deadline and a ready-made community of writers who are all doing the same thing and who understand things such as choosing the right font for your chapter headings and will sympathise with you when your characters refuse to behave in the correct way.
NaNoWriMo pep-talker, Holly McGhee, shared these words of wisdom in her pep-talk:
Sometimes if you haven’t touched your laptop in a while, you begin to fear it. You’re afraid to start typing and you’re afraid not to start typing. Writing becomes a stranger—and without realizing it, you’ve closed the door on your closest friend, your imagination.
It’s that easy to forget about something you love! Sometimes, it can be difficult to find the motivation we need to get some words down on the page, especially when there are other distractions available to us. Is there anyone who hasn’t wished the story in their head would just write itself? A challenge such as OberNoWriSu gives us an incentive to reach our target and the support to keep writing every day.
Our own OberNo-er, Sionainn, has this to add, from Nef’s OberNo thread:
Unfortunately, even as it does get easier, it is a terribly easy habit to break though. I find just taking one day is enough to make me fall off the wagon, so just keep on it!
So keep at it! If you know you won’t be able to write one day, write double the day before or after. Or write some notes about your story. Or jot down some observations about your characters. Keep producing words of some sort and before long, you’ll have a habit that’s very hard to break. Plus, eventually, you’ll have a book, or a collection of stories and isn’t that just what we all want?
OberNoWriSu Member Profile: JossieJossie hit the ground running when OberNoWriSu began and her regular updates of daily word counts over 1,000 have kept us inspired and challenged to catch up to her. Here’s a little profile of this determined Ober.netter.Jossie has taken part in every Ober.net writing challenge since 2010 and this year, she’s determined to meet her target of 50,000 words. She knows exactly how to get there by her deadline of the 24th of January, too: “Small steps, small daily writing goals!â€
Writing has been part of Jossie’s life since 1998, inspired by the characters created by fantasy authors such as Tamora Pierece and, of course, Isobelle Carmody. Her very first story was a fanfiction, based on Tamora Pierce’s Immortals quartet. She received many encouraging reviews on the story when it was posted on fanfiction.net and was further inspired to keep writing when her English teacher praised a story written for class.
“Then I thought ‘maybe I could be a writer!’†Jossie says. Full of confidence, she began a medieval novel, writing an incredible ten chapters in between her school work. She also entered short story competitions at her local library and was shortlisted for a story called ‘Without You’. “I was so excited,†Jossie recalls. “[It] fuelled my desire to keep writing.â€
Jossie’s OberNoWriSu novel is called ‘Yearnings’ and she explains that the title is derived from the way people can yearn for things with their entire being. One of her main characters, Aidan, yearns to recover the solace he found in his beloved Gwen. “He yearns to be by her side again so he goes on a mission to find her,†Jossie explains. “While Kalea yearns to find meaning in her life, she yearns to find life and experience it (as she appears rather sheltered).†There are others in Jossie’s story who have yearnings of their own: yearnings to have great power, to rule and to take what they can.
Although Jossie says she hasn’t fleshed out her entire story yet, she is very confident about one thing: she loves the interaction between her two main characters, Aidan and Kalea. “I do so love their bickering and teasing and arguing,†she says. In fact, the first scene she saw in her head was their meeting. “As you can imagine it was full of banter and mocking.â€
Finally, Jossie credits her fellow OberNoWriSu writers with keeping her on track with their encouragement and support. “I doubt I would have continued writing if I didn’t have that support network,†Jossie says. “The fact that there are others writing, [who] understand what I’m going through is a huge help.â€
Jossie’s Top Tips- Make notes of your ideas after each writing session and use them to help you get started when you come back to your story.
- Remove yourself from distractions – turn off the TV, get off Facebook and sit yourself down in front of your laptop.
- Celebrate your achievements! Keep records of your word count each day to see how much closer you are to your target after each writing session.
Find out more about Jossie’s OberNoWriSu progress
here.
Get on the GraphHave you seen Darga’s amazing graph of awesomeness (possibly not its official name, but it should be) yet?
Check it out here and be inspired. Darga’s spreadsheet is tracking everyone’s individual targets as well as a combined output of words from all OberNo writers. If you need something to inspire you to get some words on the page, you can’t go past the amazing graph of awesomeness.
Get InvolvedThe best bit about being part of a challenge like OberNoWriSu is that it comes with a pre-assembled community of writers. It’s our fellow writers who keep us going when the words won’t come. It’s our fellow writers who celebrate with us when something goes well. So don’t be shy - get involved! Even if you don’t think you have much to say, a simple “well done!†or “keep going!†can raise a fellow writer’s spirits just when it’s needed.
The Melbourne Write-InMelbourne OberNo-ers, you are invited to the first ever OberNoWriSu write-in! We’re not entirely sure what happens at a write-in beyond the chance to meet your fellow writers, consume some food (pancakes!) and write, of course! So we’re going to make it up as we go and you need to join us for this day of fun, food and fiction.
Check out the planning thread here and let us know if you can make it.
Your SayOver to you! We’d like you to answer the following question:
What’s the one temptation you can’t resist when you know you should be writing? Let us know!
PM your answers to me and we’ll share them in the next edition.
*************
Editor & Writer: Katie (Bunne)
Proofreaders of Awesomeness: Deb & Darga
