Everything you need to know about #1000wordsofsummer

Hi friends.

The sixth (!) year of #1000wordsofsummer starts June 17. Are you getting excited? I have been feeling all your positive energy online. And I am absolutely thrilled by this year’s list of contributing authors. I really think something extremely special is about to happen this year.

I’ve put together a list of frequently asked questions below and I am leaving the comments open if you have another question. (Please use this specifically for questions only, if you don’t mind.) I will try to answer/update as needed.

How do I sign up for #1000wordsofsummer?

If you are signed up for this newsletter then this is it. You’re here and done. Starting on June 17 you’ll get letters every day for two weeks, until June 30. If you’re not interested or you will be annoyed to get emails every day in a row from me for two weeks straight, please unsubscribe! I don’t want to annoy you.

How does it work?

Every day you get a letter from me encouraging you to write. Most days another published author will contribute additional thoughts on creativity, productivity, inspiration and more to the letter. You will write 1000 words each day at home or wherever you write. There is a slack for you to meet other participants and post your daily word count and more. People often track their progress on social media with #1000wordsofsummer. (I try to check in several times a day on twitter.) There is definitely a community out there if you are interested in accessing it, but it is not required. This is very much about doing your own work. Still, we are all each other’s accountability partners: that is the magic of this project.

At the end of it all, you will have a big pile of words and a sense of accomplishment and hopefully the inspiration to keep going.

Through this project people have: made friends, built cohorts and writing groups, finished proposals and entire books, sold and published books, and, perhaps most importantly, found their voices. I hope that it ends up being meaningful for you in one way or another.

Why 1000 words though?

Since I began writing books in earnest, I have used 1000 words a day as my regular writing goal. It’s about four typed pages double-spaced. If I write 1000 words a day, five days a week, give or take time for edits, research, and other job responsibilities, I can finish a messy-as-hell first draft in about six months. It usually takes me another six months to get it in enough shape to be able to share it with other people.

The 1000 words (or whatever is comparable in your chosen genre) is a guideline. It is my personal guideline because it has worked for me. I have published eight books since 2006 with two more on the way next year, so I stand behind this premise.

What is the subscription for?

Year-round, I donate 50% of your subscriptions to this newsletter to charitable organizations. For the next month (ending June 30), 100% of your subscriptions will go to charitable organizations. Each contributing author to #1000wordsofsummer will choose an individual organization, and I will also choose several New Orleans-based charities. If you are already a regular subscriber, great! Your donations will be included. The goal this year is to raise 25k. There are 30,000 of you out there. I think we can do this. Please consider subscribing.

How do I sign up for the slack and what is its purpose?

Here is the invite link to the #1000wordsofsummer slack.

The slack is where you can do a variety of things to connect with other people or find support.

I currently have it set up so you can:

• Introduce yourself.

• Post your daily word count.

• Find a writing group or accountability partner.

• Post your success stories.

• Engage in general chit-chat.

• Post pictures of your pet.

I have had people request in the past that I set up channels for different cities and time zones but it’s just too complicated with so many people participating. I have suggested in the past that people create separate slacks for their cities and that has seemed to work out fairly well. It may require a little tinkering and messaging on your part, but I think it has ended up working out just fine for a lot of people.

Can you provide me with any kind of technical support?

No. There is only one me and there are so many of you.

Can I talk to you some more about what I’m working on or email you some other thoughts?

No. I am just trying to keep up with all the work! But there is a big beautiful community of people out there available on the slack or twitter or other forms of social media. And I promise you I am watching over all of you and will dive in where I can.

One final note: I learned a few years ago that there is no way for me to support all of you individually. I would if I could. What I can do is create the infrastructure of this project. The letters, the slack, the monitoring of social media. And I can rely on you all to be a part of this community. To be helpful and encouraging. It has touched me deeply over the years to watch people reach out to each other and connect through this project. Please continue to be kind to each other.

Sending you all my love and enthusiasm,

Jami

You are reading Craft Talk, the home of #1000wordsofsummer and also a weekly newsletter about writing from Jami Attenberg. I’m also on twitter and instagram. I try to answer comments as best I can, which are open to paid subscribers. You can subscribe here or give a gift subscription here.