4 & 4k: A Gratitude Journal for 10 Minute Novelists

The Will To Write Again

On January 14, 2017, I stumbled across a Facebook group. I have been part of several, and have created a few in my time. There was usually something going on politically or personality-wise that would sour it sooner or later.

Now I have been writing since my age started with a 1, so it was in my blood. That was a given. I had even written a novel! But still I was looking for... something. I have been reading about writing for a long time. What I needed was support, not training. I had more of that than I could consume in a lifetime.

The next 10 days are devoted to my exploration of this group and what they have done to make me a better writer. I am going to introduce all of you to the 10 Minute Novelist movement, based around Katharine Grubb's book "Write a Novel in Ten Minutes a Day." She is the head of the group and still very active in it. She has set the tone, the rules and the spirit of the group. And she has gathered around her a team of dedicated admins and now over 5000 members (and growing!)

The title of this series of posts is taken from the fact that March 14th marks the 4th year since the 10 Minute Project kicked into high gear with a contract to create the book. The group was created a short time later. On January 14th, I was the 4000th member to join, and the warmth and support I received from Day 1 made me a believer. This entire blog is a testament to the power of a group made up of quality people, dedicated to support over sales. These blog posts are written using the 10 minute method, and a little bit of judicious editing afterwards.

As part of this project, I have approached a selection of the members and admins to get some ideas of what the group means to them. A word about the format: Katharine initiated a Drabble competition on her website, where she offers three words or phrases and challenges her writers to create a 100 word flash fiction that uses them in a creative way. In that frame, each post will feature a Drabble including the words Katharine, Ten and Minutes.

Ian McAllister:

"An Oklahoma accent, plus an intense gaze. Katharine radiates competence, although she would tell you otherwise. She spent a day in Miami meeting two of her Facebook group; they had been guinea pigs for her book ‘Write A Novel In Ten Minutes A Day.’

I joined the trio for dinner in the evening. Once loosened up with a mojito (or two) they visibly relaxed a bit and we got to know each other a bit better.  

I was already in the group, and the meeting eventually led to my being invited to join the Administration team. The rest is history."

(Retired out of UK Air Traffic Control, Ian was the 5th Admin to join 10MN, back in January 2015.)