The Wattys submission deadline may have come and gone, but that doesn't mean the Bootcamp Mentors aren't eager to help our fellow writers craft more amazing stories. And with November right around the corner, NaNoWriMo season feels like the perfect opportunity to keep the creativity flowing.

We are excited to announce NANOWRIMO BOOTCAMP!

To make this initiative even more awesome, we are pleased to be working with the amazing team from the Pretty In Punk Book Club community during Preptober and National Novel Writing Month.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, often shortened to NaNo. It's an annual writing challenge that happens every November. Writers across the globe are encouraged to write 50,000 words in 30 days. And since Wattpad is a global platform, it feels like a match made in heaven.

Is it okay if the 50k words are unedited?

Yes! With NaNo, it's about quantity over quality. You can expect those 50k words to be in rough draft form because you're just trying to get your story on the page. So if your focus is meeting that 50k goal before Nov 30th, don't worry about editing until after you've reached it.

Is it okay to continue a story I've already started, or do I have to start a new story to qualify for the NaNo challenge?

You can do either or both. You can start with a fresh story idea or you can continue an ongoing story. The important part is to track your word count each day. If you're pretty far along into an ongoing story and you finish it before hitting the 50k mark, you can always start a new story if you're determined to complete the NaNo challenge. Either way, you'll have a finished novel!

If I have a completed story that I am making extreme revisions to and I'm adding a lot of new scenes and chapters, does this type of extreme revising count toward the 50k?

This gets trickier to keep track of but it can be done. Basically, any new words you write, even if those words are part of an existing story, you can count those words toward your NaNo goal.

Our admins were chatting with the BCM community about how we might encourage writers to get started early on next year's Wattys stories. We hated seeing so many folks miss the Bootcamp submission deadline because their story wasn't quite finished. Then we realized that NaNo provides the perfect opportunity to put words to the page; a whole story's worth of words. Thus NaNoWriMo Bootcamp was born; an initiative to help Wattpad writers finish a 50,000 word story ahead of the 2023 Bootcamp Mentors season and, ultimately, the 2023 Wattys.

Starting October 1st, we will host , including but not limited to: story arcs, character arcs, world building, and outlining a story. From Oct 10th through the 15th, we will workshop a fun where everyone can get involved. Even if you're a pantser or plantser, this kind of preparation can be helpful when you're working with a deadline.

If you really hate to plan and no amount of coaxing can make you do it, we've created where you can engage and share ideas with like-minded writers.

We will also hold to help writers come up with top notch story ideas, and we will encourage participants to to help them flesh out their plot points. Come November 1st, we will begin hosting and as writers get to work on their 50k goal.

Unlike the Wattys Bootcamp, we WILL NOT be matching mentors with mentees. This initiative was created solely to support Wattpad writers who are interested in writing and completing a story.

Just as we did with the Wattys Bootcamp workshops, we will host all interested writers on the BCM Discord server (link in bio). Our discussions and workshop details will also be posted in this book for anyone who is unable to join us on Discord. Feel free to tag us with your questions and feedback anywhere in this book or on our profile page.

You will find a dedicated NaNo book on the profile as well. Our admins and organizers will be standing by to chat with you.

NaNoWriMo Bootcamp will be run by our dedicated admins and organizers from the Bootcamp Mentors and Pretty In Punk Book Club communities.

Pretty in Punk Book Club is a community of engaged and enthusiastic writers who opened their virtual doors three years ago. Managed and supported by Wattpad Creators, Watty winners, and Paid Stories writers, this book club focuses on pairing up teams to review each other's stories and provide critical and encouraging feedback.

In addition to running a long standing book club, PIP has also hosted other initiatives, including a critique book, an annual awards, mini contests, and their own NaNoWriMo support group that has run annually since 2019.

With so much experience backing them, the Bootcamp Mentors invited Pretty In Punk to join them on this collaborative adventure. The PIP team looks forward to bringing their NaNo and book club experience to this exciting initiative!

YES!

👍Milestone Cover Badges - If you enjoy stickers for your story covers, the Bootcamp Mentors profile will be awarding official badges to writers who reach word count milestones (10k, 20k, 30k, 40k, and 50k). These awards will go to those writers who choose to share their ongoing NaNo story on the platform. We will use the honor system for our milestone celebrations. You can post your milestones, as well as your daily word counts, in the on our Discord server and in the of this book.

🥇First Page Critique -If you hit the 50k mark by midnight November 30th, and you have posted your NaNo story to Wattpad, you will receive a first chapter critique from one of our BCM or PIP organizers. These will land in your Wattpad PMs. We use the honor system for writers wishing to receive this prize, but we encourage participation in the official NaNoWriMo.org challenge as well. If you reach the 50K mark, you receive a certificate of completion from them, which is cool. (See next question for NaNoWriMo.org details)

🤘Free Entry into the Punk Rock Awards - If you hit the 50k mark by midnight November 30th, and you have posted your NaNo story to Wattpad, you will receive a free entry into the Punk Rock Awards hosted by Pretty In Punk in the genre of your choice.

You will find all sorts of details about this awesome writing initiative at nanowrimo.org. Once you're there, you can create an account and post your daily word count. The website keeps track of your progress and will remind you when you reach milestones. You can also meet up with friends on the site and follow each other's progress. If you manage to write 50,000 words by midnight (in your timezone) November 30th, you will receive an award certificate that you can print out and tape to your wall to remind you of how awesome you are!

📌 Note: You do not have to participate in the official NaNoWriMo.org challenge in order to participate in the NaNoWriMo Bootcamp.

Check out our in the Bootcamp Mentors Writers Portfolio for some pointers. These should get you excited for the upcoming activities.