NaNoWriMo is on its way!
If you aren't familiar with National Novel Writing Month, it is an online challenge to write a novel of 50,000 words in 30 days starting in the month of November. I recently answered questions for a guest post about my NaNoWriMo experience on Romance In Flight. If you want some insight to the excitement and craziness, you should check it out.
While I am a huge fan of NaNo and will be torturing you with post about it later. Today I want to talk about #1k1hr. This twitter hash tag is like a mini-NaNo that happens several times a day.
If you don't live on Twitter, a hashtag (#) is used to create conversation within a certain community.
1k1hr= 1,000 words written in one hour.
(I used this once and someone responded to me with a question about running. Since I see no point to running unless you are being chased, I was utterly confused for a while.)
So, when you see something like this:
Anyone up for #1k1hr starting at :15?
It translates loosely to:
Hey, anyone want to write as fast as you can for 60 minutes and hopefully make it over 1,000 words starting at fifteen minutes past the hour in whatever time zone you happen to reside?
The great thing about #1k1hr is the support. Usually several people respond that they are "in". At the appointed time, someone tweets "GO!" and we all start typing like mad men. (Not that I am familiar with how mad men type. I am guessing with one finger~ the "hunt and peck" method, hitting the keys with such authority it sounds like an old-fashion typewriter rather than a modern keyboard, but I digress.)
When time is up, everyone reports back with their word count. It is completely on the honor system. There is no #1khr enforcement who will come verify your words or punish you for falling short. I believe my personal best was 2,305.
But, the point of #1k1hr is not the amount of words. I believe it isn't even really the accountability. Though I will admit I do push myself harder and concentrate stronger, knowing I have to report to someone.
I believe the true beauty in it is the magic of one hour. For me, it is setting aside time to truly focus on my dream. I put my ear plugs in. I warn my husband. I make sure the kids are set with whatever they need, because I am writing without guilt for one hour.
I am giving myself permission to be free. Free from the beep of the washing machine finishing. Free from the pile of dishes. Free from all of the excuses I allow to get in my way everyday.
So, are you giving yourself 60 minutes to get away? Do you #1k1hr? Or find another way to focus on your dream?
5 comments:
I've seen the #1k1hr on twitter.
Next time I see one, I'll join in.
A whole hour...wow! No wonder you get more done than me. But maybe if I break it into #.5K.5Hr, or #.25K.25H, I could eat the little bites...although the hashtag gets a lot more complicated.
Sigh.
But baby, come NaNo, I'm totally all in!
Loree~ you should join us! It is lots of fun!
Teri~ You are making this WAY to complex!
I LOVE 1k1hr! It's been a great way to structure my day and feel like I got "enough" done each day.
The unexpected bonus was to connect with other writers...that's been a lot of fun.
Thanks for posting about it--I'll be around M-F 10:30 & 1:30....:)
I love it! Since I've started doing it, I've gained a sense of the writing community. Also, knowing that others are writing at the same time as I am makes that hour that I was going to write anyway more fun! (and helps give me focus so I don't get as distracted as I might otherwise)
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