What I'll Be Doing this November | Introducing NoQu

 

Hello there. 

November approaches, and if you are a writer, I'm sure you know what that means.

Something which you may or may not be aware of is my great disappointment in one of the most popular writing communities and organizations, known for its 50k-in-30-days challenge.

The organization has always been left-leaning, which I found silly given it is a writing challenge, politics shouldn't play a part in it. But I still participated in the challenge and supported the organization as a whole. 

Over the past few years, however, it has become increasingly problematic (though I do so hate that word), as they have begun segregating their writers (as in they have made forums (forums, not individual threads) which only people of certain ethnicities are allowed to join) and creating absurd rules which inhibit freedom of speech (yes they do have the right to do this as a private company, but that does not make it right).  

Despite my appreciation for the team and people which I have met over the course of five-ish years through this program, these developments make it so that I can no longer support such an organization. That being said, I will no longer participate in their November - or any month's - challenge.

Instead, I have invented a new challenge to take place during November. I call it the "Not Quite Novel Writing Month," or "NoQu" for short. The challenge is to write at least 49,999 words in 29 days 1,439 minutes and 59 seconds.  

It is Christian and American Constitution based, but people of all beliefs and opinions are welcome so long as they can be respectful to each other.

Some features NoQu has are...

- A blog, which is designed for updates, news, inspiration, and resources for participants 

- A bulletin that will be sent out each day of November to inspire participants

- Forums and threads

- A community bookclub (beginning January 1st of 2022)

- We are planning on hosting giveaways and writing contests for the off-season

- An online store with NoQu-themed merchandise is being planned out

For now, NoQu does not have goal-tracking features. I will be continuing to work on the website and to build up an affective team, and with that I hope to find ways to implement the trackers sooner rather than later.

Before I go and leave you to prepare for your own writing challenge, and to maybe join NoQu as well, I'd like to tell you a bit about the personal touches I've included in NoQu.

- Indie authors -

I think it's pretty obvious that I really like supporting indie authors. Well, I'm hoping to increase that with NoQu. The bookclub will ideally always include at least one indie book, and the book giveaways will frequently be indie books.

This does mean I am less likely to host giveaways directly through Bleeding Ink, but I will still post about them here and put them on my giveaways page. 

That aside, things will continue as usual for Bleeding Ink, and my "recommend me an indie book" page will still be active and open. Really the only thing that will change is the giveaways portion. 

So, those are some of the ways that we'll be supporting indie authors, and I have a few other ideas in the works but nothing official yet.

- Community -

Community is such an important thing to me. A community of writers is what got me to stay interested in writing, it's what has grown me and gotten me to the point I'm at now.

Because of how important this is to me, I'm making it important to NoQu, too. I want people to find each other, to become good friends, to get good support from the community at large, to have a place where they feel welcome and wanted. 

When I was just fourteen I had that experience, and though it has since dissipated I will always treasure those great years. And now I want to use those experiences and pay it forward. I want NoQu to be what other programs were for me, but I don't want it to dissipate. I want it to be strong, supportive, lasting, and productive.  I want NoQu to be the place that introduces best friends. I want it to be a place that equips new writers. I want it to be the place that grows writers and nurtures authors-to-be. I want it to be the place that you can go to to get away - just like a good book. 

I strive to make NoQu into a community like that, and I am willing to put in the work to make it happen.

Okay, I think that's everything. I need to go prepare for midnight - NoQu is starting very soon, after all!  

If you would like to join NoQu, you can do so at our website. I sincerely hope to see you become part of our community.

Regards, 

- EP

P.S. NoQu updates to come.

P.P.S. I am currently very sick and posting this immediately after writing it, so there's only minor edits and everything is probably very rambly. Hopefully that adds to the experience. 

Spoopy Season TBR

 

Hello hello,

While I abstain from celebrating Halloween, I cannot deny that I do in fact recognize "spoopy season" and thoroughly enjoy it. I love the excuse to put aside all of my current reads to enjoy more ominous works as fall is ushered in (though I have be celebrating fall since September first). 

I figured that, as I am doing this (and indeed already am in the process of this TBR) I would share it with you so that you may join in if you would like. 

A note regarding this list: These books are not all "horror" as defined by the Victorians or the people of the modern age. Some of them are just a bit ominous or gothic. Those that are genuine horror, I cannot give an account of because I have yet to read them.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I include this though I actually read it in September as a part of my overalll fall-tar challenge (which, I now realize, I never posted about. Basically my goal is to read at least two autumnal books for each month of fall. For September I wanted to do one general autumnal book, and one spoopy one, thus the reading of Frankenstein early. For - pardon my side tangent - what is September but the preparation for preparation for spoopy season (which is for preparation for November)?

So basically, I did read this for spoopy season, I just read it before posting this. Review on that to come eventually maybe at some point possibly. 

The Vampyre by John Polidori

I read this one already as well, but I did it this month. Yesterday, actually. It is a very short story. 

I'm not one for vampires. They are romanticized and overdone. 

Vampyres, however, are a different story. Literally, a different story. Not too different, they're still blood-sucking perverts, but in this case they aren't romanticized. 

In any case, I read this despite disliking vampires for two reasons: 

1. This was written for Lord Byron's friendly writing challenge, the same writing challenge which. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein for. So obviously I had to read it. 

2. I'm going to read Dracula and thought it would be cool to read The Vampyre first, given it influenced Bram Stroker. 

Dracula by Bram Stroker

I bet you had no idea this'd be on the list. Not at all. No clue. It isn't like I just mentioned that it would be. Pfsh. 

Anyways. You may be wondering why I'll be reading this when, again, I don't like vampires. For that I have a couple of reasons. 

1. Classics

2. spoopy

I haven't started this yet, so we're officially at the "to be read" part of this list. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

As most people who follow me can probably conclude, I am not one for supporting, promoting, or partaking in LGBT content (which this is promoted as in the modern day). However, I'm very curious about this book and find it is a fascinating discussion piece, plus for my CC series I want to do something on Oscar Wilde and will need to have read his work to do that. 

I have a few other reasons too. 

1. Classics

2. spoopy 

The Complete Collections of Edgar Allan Poe

I have had a completed collection of Poe's work for a couple of years now and still haven't read it cover-to-cover. I love Poe's work though, and find him fascinating in general, so I'm going to finally try to get through the whole thing in one go. 

The Never-ending Story by Michael Ende

This is tentatively on the list, I'm not sure I'll get to it what with writing month approaching. It is not Spoopy, but it does take place during October, and the story is very sentimental for my parents so it's high time I got to know it.

Edit: Actually it turns out this takes place in November. Not sure why I thought it said October, but oh well. it'll stay on this list.

Alrighty I think that's all I have on my list for the spoopy books. I might have more I didn't mention, I'll maybe try to do an actual wrap-up for October and tell you all that I read and whatnot. 

Do you have any books you want to read before October has passed? Do you have any books in mind that I should add to my list?I'd love to hear from you. 

Stay spoopy!

- E.P.