Almost Over

https://www.morguefile.com

JANO 2016 is almost over. Thirty-one days go by so fast. Some of our participants made the goal of 50,000 words. They have a novel under their belt. Not a polished, ready to publish novel, but a great start. Others are still typing their fingers to the bone trying to reach the end. And still others have thrown in the towel.

But, no matter where they ended up this month, they are all winners. They took the challenge to write a novel. Lot's of people say they want to write a novel, but never do. 

As chairperson, I want to thank you for signing up and writing your stories. I also want to thank the volunteers who set up virtual write-ins and donated prizes (see our donor list to the right). It takes a village. 

Don't stop here. If you are done with your novel, put it away for a few weeks, then pull it out and start polishing it. Fill in those plot holes, take out those repetitive words, add description. Repeat. Then, don't let it sit in a drawer. Submit it. Yes, you'll probably get some rejections - we all do. But, who knows, you could be the next J.K. Rowling. 

JOIN US FOR JANO 2016

JANO 2016

About JANO

During January, 2010, Sleuths’ Ink held it’s first-ever JANO challenge. Modeled after the popular National Novel Writing Month in November, JANO begins in, you guessed it, January.

Participants are challenged to write a 50,000-word novel during January. Join us and kick off the new year with a novel in progress! 

Two good reasons we picked January: 

1) You get an extra day to write. To complete 50,000 words during January, you only need to write 1,613 words a day.

2) The holidays are over. Winter has set in. What better way to spend a long, dreary month than writing a novel?

Over the past few years, participants from across the nation entered our challenge. Many of them reached their 50,000 goal, with a few actually receiving a contract for their completed JANO project.

JOIN US FOR JANO 2016!

Sleuths' Ink will hold its Seventh Annual JANO beginning January 1, 2016. Please join us and kick off the new year by writing a new novel or adding new words to a work in progress. And it's free! 

Rules: There may be no actual writing on your new JANO novel until January 1. If you are going to  add words to a work in progress, we can only count the words added after January 1. It is up to you to keep those word counts separate. You may plot your novel and create character sketches before January 1, 2016. On that date, write like mad (no editing) the entire month in order to reach the 50,000-word goal.  

To celebrate JANO members’ successes, Sleuths’ Ink will sponsor a party February 5, 2016. Details are forthcoming. As always, during the party, prizes will be awarded to our JANO 2016 participants.  See categories below.  In addition, we're giving away a $100 grand prize to one lucky JANO participant at our annual December holiday party.  The winner of this grand prize must be a Sleuths’ Ink member in good standing as of February 1, 2016 and must have written a minimum of 25,000 words in 2016.

PRIZE CATEGORIES FOR JANO:

1. First to 50,000 words in January
2. Second to 50,000 words in January
3. Third to 50,000 words in January
4. Best Title
5. Best First Paragraph 
6. Most Unique Character Name
7. Best Blurb – 100 words or less　　

KEEP IN MIND: a Blurb is often used in your query letter to sell your story to an editor or what is found on the back of the book to grab your potential reader’s attention.

　Participant MUST have written at least 10,000 words to be eligible for prizes

• Must be on the janowriters yahoo email loop. (see below)
• No acceptances after MIDNIGHT January 31, 2016 deadline. NO exceptions!!!

Attendees of the Wrap-Up Party judge the last four categories on February 5th, 2016 and prizes will be awarded accordingly. You do not have to be in attendance to win, but we encourage everyone within driving distance to come join the FUN!

JANO is sponsored by Sleuths’ Ink, a mystery and suspense writers’ non-profit organization in Springfield, Missouri. JANO 2016 Chairperson: Wanda Fittro

SIGN UP AT:   jano2016-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

JANO 2016

JOIN US FOR JANO 2016

JANO 2016

About JANO

During January, 2010, Sleuths’ Ink held it’s first-ever JANO challenge. Modeled after the popular National Novel Writing Month in November, JANO begins in, you guessed it, January.

Participants are challenged to write a 50,000-word novel during January. Join us and kick off the new year with a novel in progress! 

Two good reasons we picked January: 

1) You get an extra day to write. To complete 50,000 words during January, you only need to write 1,613 words a day.

2) The holidays are over. Winter has set in. What better way to spend a long, dreary month than writing a novel?

Over the past few years, participants from across the nation entered our challenge. Many of them reached their 50,000 goal, with a few actually receiving a contract for their completed JANO project.

JOIN US FOR JANO 2016!

Sleuths' Ink will hold its Seventh Annual JANO beginning January 1, 2016. Please join us and kick off the new year by writing a new novel or adding new words to a work in progress. And it's free! 

Rules: There may be no actual writing on your JANO novel until January 1, but you may plot your novel and create character sketches before January 1, 2016. On that date, write like mad (no editing) the entire month in order to reach the 50,000-word goal.  

To celebrate JANO members’ successes, Sleuths’ Ink will sponsor a party February 5, 2016. Details are forthcoming. As always, during the party, prizes will be awarded to our JANO 2016 participants.  See categories below.  In addition, we're giving away a $100 grand prize to one lucky JANO participant at our annual December holiday party.  The winner of this grand prize must be a Sleuths’ Ink member in good standing as of February 1, 2016 and must have written a minimum of 25,000 words in 2016.

PRIZE CATEGORIES FOR JANO:

 

1. First to 50,000 words in January
2. Second to 50,000 words in January
3. Third to 50,000 words in January
4. Best Title
5. Best First Paragraph 
6. Most Unique Character Name
7. Best Blurb – 100 words or less　　

KEEP IN MIND: a Blurb is often used in your query letter to sell your story to an editor or what is found on the back of the book to grab your potential reader’s attention.

　Participant MUST have written at least 10,000 words to be eligible for prizes

• Must be on the janowriters yahoo email loop. (see below)
• No acceptances after MIDNIGHT January 31, 2016 deadline. NO exceptions!!!

Attendees of the Wrap-Up Party judge the last four categories on February 5th, 2016 and prizes will be awarded accordingly. You do not have to be in attendance to win, but we encourage everyone within driving distance to come join the FUN!

JANO is sponsored by Sleuths’ Ink, a mystery and suspense writers’ non-profit organization in Springfield, Missouri. JANO 2016 Chairperson: Wanda Fittro

SIGN UP AT:   jano2016-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

NANOWRIMO TIPS

Even though Sleuths' Ink has it's own writing competition called JANO - (get more info about that on the JANO 2016 page to the right) - many of our members join hundreds of thousands of other people around the world and also participate in the original challenge that is National Novel Writing Month. If you've been under a rock for the last fifteen years and don't know anything about it, here is a link.

http://nanowrimo.org/

So, in the spirit of NaNo and our own upcoming JANO here are a few tips to get you through November and January.

1. Buy easy to fix food. You've got to eat, but let's face it, there won't be a lot of time to prep and cook. I'm big on frozen pizzas, burritos, and mac & cheese. If you don't have a crock pot - go buy one. Great for soups, chili, and pot roast.
2. You will need plenty of caffeine - whether you prefer coffee, soda,  or tea, make sure you have some. It sure helps with early morning writing before work or late night catch up.
3. You must commit to writing everyday. To meet the challenge, you need 1667 words a day. If you miss just one day, you are behind. And believe me, it is extremely hard to catch up. 
4. If you have a family, clue them in beforehand. They will need to be more independent and do things you usually do for them. Don't surprise them on the first of the month. They'll rebel and you will feel guilty. They'll probably rebel anyway, but at least you get to say "I told you about this."
5. DO NOT EDIT. Lock that inner critic in the attic or basement. Put duct tape over their mouth. You don't have time for them this month. Later you can release them and maybe buy them an ice cream cone. 
6. And because you can fix things next month, here are some easy cheats to increase word count: Do not use contractions. See what I did there? Don't is one word - do not is two. Easily fixed later with find and replace. All your characters have first, middle and last names - maybe even titles that they use every time they are introduced. "Hello. I am Queen Of Everything Victoria Marie Washington." Describe everything in thorough and complete detail. This is when you can use all those metaphors and similes you have been dying to use. Hint - put these in bold italics so they are easy to find when you are ready to edit. 

Most of all have fun. If you get behind - so what - you have more words than you did yesterday and closer to your goal of writing a novel.

JOIN US FOR JANO 2016

JANO 2016

About JANO

During January, 2010, Sleuths’ Ink held it’s first-ever JANO challenge. Modeled after the popular National Novel Writing Month in November, JANO begins in, you guessed it, January.

Participants are challenged to write a 50,000-word novel during January. Join us and kick off the new year with a novel in progress! 

Two good reasons we picked January: 

1) You get an extra day to write. To complete 50,000 words during January, you only need to write 1,613 words a day.

2) The holidays are over. Winter has set in. What better way to spend a long, dreary month than writing a novel?

Over the past few years, participants from across the nation entered our challenge. Many of them reached their 50,000 goal, with a few actually receiving a contract for their completed JANO project.

JOIN US FOR JANO 2016!

Sleuths' Ink will hold its Seventh Annual JANO beginning January 1, 2016. Please join us and kick off the new year by writing a new novel or adding new words to a work in progress. 

Rules: There may be no actual writing on your JANO novel until January 1, but you may plot your novel and create character sketches before January 1, 2016. On that date, write like mad (no editing) the entire month in order to reach the 50,000-word goal.  

To celebrate JANO members’ successes, Sleuths’ Ink will sponsor a party February 5, 2016. Details are forthcoming. As always, during the party, prizes will be awarded to our JANO 2016 participants.  See categories below.  In addition, we're giving away a $100 grand prize to one lucky JANO participant at our annual December holiday party.  The winner of this grand prize must be a Sleuths’ Ink member in good standing as of February 1, 2016 and must have written a minimum of 25,000 words in 2016.

PRIZE CATEGORIES FOR JANO:

1. First to 50,000 words in January
2. Second to 50,000 words in January
3. Third to 50,000 words in January
4. Best Title
5. Best First Paragraph 
6. Most Unique Character Name
7. Best Blurb – 100 words or less　　

KEEP IN MIND: a Blurb is often used in your query letter to sell your story to an editor or what is found on the back of the book to grab your potential reader’s attention.

　Participant MUST have written at least 10,000 words to be eligible for prizes

• Must be on the janowriters yahoo email loop. (see below)
• No acceptances after MIDNIGHT January 31, 2016 deadline. NO exceptions!!!

Attendees of the Wrap-Up Party judge the last four categories on February 5th, 2016 and prizes will be awarded accordingly. You do not have to be in attendance to win, but we encourage everyone within driving distance to come join the FUN!

JANO is sponsored by Sleuths’ Ink, a mystery and suspense writers’ non-profit organization in Springfield, Missouri. JANO 2016 Chairperson: Wanda Fittro

SIGN UP AT:   jano2016-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

JANO 2016

About JANO

During January, 2010, Sleuths’ Ink held it’s first-ever JANO challenge. Modeled after the popular National Novel Writing Month in November, JANO begins in, you guessed it, January.

Participants are challenged to write a 50,000-word novel during January. Join us and kick off the new year with a novel in progress! 

Two good reasons we picked January: 

1) You get an extra day to write. To complete 50,000 words during January, you only need to write 1,613 words a day.

2) The holidays are over. Winter has set in. What better way to spend a long, dreary month than writing a novel?

Over the past few years, participants from across the nation entered our challenge. Many of them reached their 50,000 goal, with a few actually receiving a contract for their completed JANO project.

JOIN US FOR JANO 2016!

Sleuths' Ink will hold its Seventh Annual JANO beginning January 1, 2016. Please join us and kick off the new year by writing a new novel or adding new words to a work in progress. 

Rules: There may be no actual writing on your JANO novel until January 1, but you may plot your novel and create character sketches before January 1, 2016. On that date, write like mad (no editing) the entire month in order to reach the 50,000-word goal.  

To celebrate JANO members’ successes, Sleuths’ Ink will sponsor a party February 5, 2016. Details are forthcoming. As always, during the party, prizes will be awarded to our JANO 2016 participants.  See categories below.  In addition, we're giving away a $100 grand prize to one lucky JANO participant at our annual December holiday party.  The winner of this grand prize must be a Sleuths’ Ink member in good standing as of February 1, 2016 and must have written a minimum of 25,000 words in 2016.

PRIZE CATEGORIES FOR JANO:

1. First to 50,000 words in January
2. Second to 50,000 words in January
3. Third to 50,000 words in January
4. Best Title
5. Best First Paragraph 
6. Most Unique Character Name
7. Best Blurb – 100 words or less　　

KEEP IN MIND: a Blurb is often used in your query letter to sell your story to an editor or what is found on the back of the book to grab your potential reader’s attention.

　Participant MUST have written at least 10,000 words to be eligible for prizes

• Must be on the janowriters yahoo email loop. (see below)
• No acceptances after MIDNIGHT January 31, 2016 deadline. NO exceptions!!!

Attendees of the Wrap-Up Party judge the last four categories on February 5th, 2016 and prizes will be awarded accordingly. You do not have to be in attendance to win, but we encourage everyone within driving distance to come join the FUN!

JANO is sponsored by Sleuths’ Ink, a mystery and suspense writers’ non-profit organization in Springfield, Missouri. JANO 2016 Chairperson: Wanda Fittro

SIGN UP AT:   jano2016-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

MORE CONSISTENCY PLEASE

http://www.morguefile.com

It was recently brought to our attention that our web site is sorely lacking in updated content. Unfortunately, this is quite true. Here is a brief explanation.

We are a group of writers who enjoy getting together once a month to support each other and learn something new from guest speakers. We run a yearly challenge called JANO - more on that later - and a mystery writing contest in the Spring. Usually the people in charge of those events post the info on here once and then forget it. Since none of us are getting paid and participation is voluntary, sometimes things slip through the cracks. Understandable right?

Well, that's changing. I foolishly volunteered to keep this blog up to date. I really need to learn to keep my hand down at meetings. ;-)   My plan is to post at least once a week. There will be author interviews, notice about upcoming events and speakers and interesting tidbits about writing. Our hope is this will be a place people will want to visit.

If you'd like notification of new posts, please sign up with your e-mail to the right.

And to the person that brought this to our attention, thank you.

ARE YOU UP FOR JANO 2012?

Congratulations to those of you who completed NaNoWriMo in November. It's no small task to complete a 50,000-word novel in a month. Our hats off to anyone who even attempted that daunting goal during a busy  holiday season.

Sleuths' Ink, a mystery writers group in Springfield, Missouri created JANO two years ago. Several reasons why we decided that January is a perfect time to write a novel are listed below:

THE HOLIDAYS ARE OVER!!!

YOU GET AN EXTRA DAY TO WRITE (There are 31 days in January)

YOU ONLY HAVE TO WRITE 1613 WORDS A DAY TO REACH YOUR 50,000-WORD GOAL!

WHAT ELSE ARE YOU GONNA DO DURING THE COLDEST MONTH OF THE YEAR!

YOU'LL HAVE A NOVEL READY TO EDIT FOR THOSE SPRING/SUMMER CONFERENCES THAT WILL BE SPRINGING (pun intended) UP!

For more information on the great prize categories we'll be offering, check our JANO 2012 page. We'll also be listing the sponsors as they appear.

Keep checking back for more updates on JANO 2012.
Hope you can join us.

JANO Party - March 5th at Cafe Rosewitha

It's almost time! This Saturday, Sleuths' Ink will host its Second Annual JANO party. Congratulations to everyone who participated in this fun, productive event. Eight people managed to reach their 50,000-word goal in January. (As you may recall, a freak blizzard forced postponement of our original February party)

In addition to awarding prizes to the first three people to reach 50,000 words, we'll have ten other prize categorizes, which we'll be voting on at the party. Check back next week to see who the winners are.

Sleuths' Ink would also like to thank our wonderful sponsors who donated prizes for JANO. You can see the list to the right of this post. We couldn't have done it without all your help.

If you missed out in 2011, don't worry. We'll be doing it again in January 2012.

Join Us For JANO 2011

Again this year, Sleuths' Ink will sponsor JANO 2011. You've heard of NaNo. We call our write-a-novel-in-a-month JANO (because it begins in January!) The goal is to write like mad (no editing) beginning Jan. 1 and end up with a 50,000-word novel that you can edit the rest of the year.

What a great way to kick off 2011. Start a new novel or add to a work in progress (any genre). While you're wrapping those gifts, start thinking of a great premise. Start plotting now. Get your character bios ready. But, remember, NO ACTUAL WRITING until Jan. 1, 2011.

With help from many donors and SI members, we award GREAT prizes at a celebratory party in February. Categories include best title, best first sentence, most unique plot, the first three writers to reach 50,000 words and more. Note: You do not have to be a Sleuths' Ink member to win these prizes. Last year we had participants from four different states!

In addition, one lucky SI member will win a Kindle at Saturday's holiday party! In order to qualify for the Kindle next year, you must be a member of Sleuths' Ink (just $15/year).

To sign up for JANO 2011, contact Stephanie Jarkins at skoyless@gmail.com Hope you join us for JANO 2011. It's fun. Try it. You'll be glad you got your JANO on.

May Meeting - Write-in!!!

Our Sleuths' Ink meeting on Saturday, May 8, will be a coveted write-in! Let's take advantage of the time to do some great writing. This will be perfect for our JANO members who haven't touched their JANO projects since, oh, say, Jan. 31 (if you're like me).

This will also be a great time to try poetry or writing a short story. Maybe you want to write a nice note to Mom or your kids for Mother's Day.
Also, there are many spring contests so you use this time to spruce up your entries. We can all get a lot done in one hour of concentrated writing.

Just bring your laptop, legal pad (or whatever you write with) and join us. The coffee is always great and the writerhood (my new, coined phrase) is even better. Since writing is so solitary, it will be nice to be in a room with like-minded folks doing what they love best. See you Saturday!

Pizza Party This Saturday!

All JANO and Sleuths' Ink members are invited to attend our pizza party this Sat., February 6, from 5-8 p.m. We'll be at San Francisco Oven (upstairs area) on Republic Road, just west of National.

Come and find out who the four JANO members are who made it to 50,000 words in one month! See who wins the prize for best title, best first sentence and most unique setting. Many more prizes will be given. Come and cheer on these hard-working, tired-to-the-bone writers.

Sleuths' Ink is sponsoring this event. Be there or be square.

JANOisms

The month is more than half over, so let's continue our excitement for JANO. I've thought of a few JANOisms to keep you inspired. Feel free to add your own and post your favorite JANOism in our comment section.

It's JANO time.
Have you had your JANO today?
Take one JANO every day.
Zero calories. JANO.
Just add JANO.
Get your JANO on.
Just JANO it.
Sugar-free JANO.
I have JANO-itis.
Pass the JANO.
Take a JANO pill.
JANOstrong
JANO: The Write Thing.

TOP THREE JANO CONTENDERS

We had a rousing mid-month update at our Sleuths' Ink meeting on Saturday. Everyone read the first page of their JANO project. Twelve beginnings were read and enjoyed by all. The genres ranged from cozy mysteries to paranormal to romantic suspense to YA historical fiction. We have a talented group of writers and these novels-to-be are promising.

Congrats to our top three JANO contenders as of last Saturday:

Shirley McCann - just under 24,000
Stephanie Jarkins - 22,750
Rose Lombardo - 20,061

By now, their word count is even higher. Hopefully, yours is as well. Let's get our second wind and bring it home for JANO.

Join Us For JANO!

Join us for our First Annual JANO sponsored by Sleuths’ Ink. Kick off the new year with a built-in resolution and end the month with a novel in hand.

Here are the rules:

*Write a 50,000-word novel during January (31 days)
* This equals 1,613 words per day
* Don't take time for edits
* You may plot or outline your novel in December
* You may start a biographical character sketch in December
* Write in your favorite genre
* Add 50,000 words to your current WIP if you wish (just post your current word count)
* No actual novel writing UNTIL Jan. 1, 2010
* Start your coffee machines (or tea kettles)

To register and report weekly progress, sign up at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/janowriters/

Writers who are not members of Sleuths' Ink are invited and encouraged to join us. We'll report our progress and ask participants to read their beginning pages at the January 9 Sleuths' Ink meeting. We're also planning a celebration at the end of the month. Write on!