TAG! You're It! - Tuesday

Welcome to  

TAG! You're It! - Tuesday, 

where I ask the questions and my guests answer them.  

But that's not all, my guest also gets to tag my next victim. 

This week, Ali Cross has been tagged . . .  

by last week's Jenn Wilks.

Question:
I've noticed something Ninja on your blog lately and it seems to be catching on. What motivated you to create NiNoWriMo and where do you see it going in the future?
 
Ali's Answer:
Yep, it's true. I've done a little remodeling, and expanded the old blog by adding a dojo. Lots of room to train! And you're right ~ word's slowly getting around and we've had more and more ninjas joining us. It's wonderful. Awesome. Spectacular! The more ninjas, the harder we all train, the better we learn and grow.

Oh man, I can't remember what motivated me! You probably remember better than me, since I tell you everything. :) But I think a few things led up to the creation of the dojo:

1. I've always loved the martial arts. I've done Judo, Hap Ki Do and Kwon Shu, but never earned my black belt. I want to so, so badly. But I have some physical limitations that I think may make that goal unattainable for me. BUT, I'm still a ninja at heart. So what's a ninja writer girl to do? 
2. I loved National Novel Writing Month because everyone was talking about it. Everywhere you went on the blogosphere, there was another participant, someone else you could relate to, who was experiencing the same things you were, striving for the same goals. It was a wonderful feeling to be a part of something big like that. But then it was over and I was alone. I didn't like that much. So I started stewing about how I could reach out to other writers on a more regular basis.
3. It was time to do a little redecorating on the blog, and I wanted to change up the header to include my little ninja self. Suddenly, as I was redecorating, #1 and #2 came together with #3 and ta da! The dojo was born!
   

My hope for my ninjas and the dojo? That it will stick around. That writers will know it exists and will go there often to train, to cheer others and receive encouragement for themselves. I want writers to know that no matter what stage they're in, whether they're thick in the middle of that first draft, slogging through their thousandth revision, or braving the big, bad world of agent-querying, they are not alone--that they can always come to the dojo and find someone in the same boat, someone to train with.

I've got new things coming up too, to help us reach our goals. Class chats, sometimes with visiting senseis, and some awards/incentives for achievements. But you'll have to come on by the dojo and follow along to hear all about it!

To find out more about Ali and NiNoWriMo, visit her blog: http://www.alicross.blogspot.com/ 
 

And now it's time for Ali to TAG a friend.  

Elana Johnson,

TAG!  You're It!

Come back next Tuesday to see if Elana accepts the challenge and to see if you've been tagged.