Pathfinders Writing Collective (PaWriCo2024)

Hey all, Sam here.

Well, as I said yesterday, today I’m going to be talking more about my writing plans for the rest of the year. I was an avid participant in NaNoWriMo for years and years, and was an ML for over a decade, but due to a number of issues, I’ve parted ways with the organization. I still want to have the challenge and experience of a writing task and community, and so I went looking for some sort of replacement…and I came across the Pathfinders Writing Collective.

I should point out that there are a bunch of options for November (and beyond) writing challenges for anyone looking. Author Rebecca Thorne is hosting a 1k a day in November challenge on her Discord (you can find the link to that in the Linktree on her social media profiles).

I did just join that Discord too, because I love having various writing support groups, and it looks like a pretty cool place. Overall though, I’m excited about the options and flexibility of PaWriCo, so that’s my main focus for right now.

Let’s talk more about it…

You can find more info here: https://pathfinderswritingcollective.com/

In the Beginning…

Rain and Jen’s friendship began about two and a half years ago, then blossomed just in time for the 2022 NaNoWriMo writing challenge. Both writers were nervous and support-system-less, so they banded together to cheer each other—and eventually a Discord of 40—on for the month of November. It was an amazing ride, and though the Discord eventually went dormant, Rain and Jen have been supporting one another ever since!

But, after concerns in 2023 and 2024 regarding NaNoWriMo, neither felt good about participating in a challenge they couldn’t confidently stand behind. And yet, both still wanted a challenge, and more importantly, the community that came with it.

This got them thinking…

Why not build a new challenge? And a community to go with it!

Very quickly Rain and Jen’s goals became three-fold: 1) challenges for motivation, 2) a community space for accountability, and 3) fundraising opportunities so as they and other writers bettered themselves they could collectively better the world at large. And just like that (over several multi-hour Zoom calls), the idea for the Pathfinders Writing Collective emerged.

Why Pathfinders?

Creativity—the how, the why, the way—is unique to the creator. In more specific terms, there’s no right way to write. And thus, no right way to writing challenge. Each individual must walk their own path…with friends cheering them on, of course!

As such, you—a pathfinder/ builder/ maintainer/ explorer/ sharer/ etcetera—ought to be able to pick your own path, your pace, and how to define and track your progress while still participating in a fun community event. To honor this, Rain and Jen have opted for a “tailor to your needs and abilities” challenge, rather than implementing a hard “50k in 30 days” approach.

Drum Roll Please… #PaWriCo24!!

Pathfinders Writing Collective’s very first, totally adjustable writing challenge, #PaWriCo24, will span November 2024, December 2024, and January 2025. Writers are encouraged to pick a duration, goal, and finish line that suits them. This could be drafting 30,000 words in the month of November, or rewriting Draft 3 of a novel that’s been on the shelf for a while across all three months, or committing to editing your short story collection for five hours a week during the month of January. It’s totally up to you!! Check out more #PaWriCo24 challenge info here.

How to Participate:

Honey, you’re here, you made it this far, you’re in. Hugs! To “join” join, check out our Instagram page where members are actively sharing their updates and supporting one another via comments and story swaps. And/or hop into our Discord full of fun, active channels for writers to discuss everything from helpful editing resources to strategies for overcoming writer’s block. Then, if you’ve got a little change to spare, consider donating this season to our awesome charities. We’re supporting three fabulous non-profits during #PaWriCo24, check them out here!

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For my creative path for this particular challenge, I am aiming for drafting from November 1st until January 31st, and my goal is to write 75,000 words in that time on my project that I am currently calling “Roll for Romance.” That is my working title, but I’m most likely going to be coming up with a new title, because I saw an upcoming release that is a TTRPG inspired romance book with that title, and though it’s okay for more than one book to have the same title, if I can come up with something else to avoid the confusion, then that’ll be my preferred option.

Anyway, I had drafted about 24,000 words on “Roll for Romance” in the past year or so, but set the project aside because of life just getting in the way. I’ve never stopped dreaming of this book though. It has taken up space in my mind since 2017 and I really want to get it finished and get it out in the world.

So, I need to make the time to get writing on it.

What is “Roll for Romance”? I’ve talked about it a bit in previous posts, and I could link them all here (and I can certainly do that if anyone is interested), but I’ll just restate some of the basics. It is a slightly fictionalized version of how my husband and I met and fell in love. The book bounces from both the out of game story of a Game Master and a Player meeting and falling in love while playing a TTRPG and the in-game epic fantasy adventure.

After an unexpected hiatus with her Dungeons & Dragons group, Charlie has to find a new group. Thanks to a fellow player, she finds one and meets Dungeon Master Andrew. Though only looking for a gaming group and some new geek friends, Charlie and Drew question if their relationship could be something more. With a little nudge from their friends, Charlie and Drew decide to go on a date. As they spend more time together, they realize that they just might have rolled a Nat 20 on romance.

Meanwhile, in the game: Meeting after stopping an altercation at a tavern, Mistwyn, Veeta, Reed, Ander, Ren, and Karrakh agree to become an adventuring party, though they have no idea what darkness looms in their future. While becoming local heroes, they also find themselves stumbling upon a plot by a group known as the Echoes of Eternal Resonance.

Oh, and I’ve definitely shared this before…but here’s my silly placeholder cover, which will absolutely be replaced by something I didn’t throw together in ten minutes…

All right. There you go. I’m going to stop talking about my book and get back to working on it. I will try to give semi-regular updates on my progress, but I don’t know how often that will be. While I’d love to say once a week, I don’t want to lock myself into a posting schedule that I might give up partway through the next couple of months.

Anyway, that’s all from me for today. Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content (like my October reading wrap-up tomorrow!)