National Novel Writing Month

[girlnamedcarl]

Okay, I've put an icon on my blog that updates every day with my word count. I'm committed to it -- and publicly. Now I'm getting a little nervous. I need to do some serious outlining and character-sheet-filling-out. Eep!

Benni, my current plan is to use Word for the writing and then copy and paste it into whatever interface the NaNoWriMo site uses to verify the word count. I'd welcome any advice from veterans of the experience, though.

[goggle]

The past two years I've thought hard about doing NaNoWriMo, but I never get around to it because of school, and the fact that November is a busy month for me (my birthday at the beginning, Thanksgiving at the end, I lose about a week). And this year, not only do I have harder school work, but I have a 14-day trial of World of Warcraft (but I haven't started it yet).

I guess I could try to write something this year, even if it does suck. In fact, I think I'll forego making up new characters and just write about my Sims.

[dwanollah]

I guess I could try to write something this year, even if it does suck. In fact, I think I'll forego making up new characters and just write about my Sims.

Not that I'd ever do that. Oh no.

I'm thinking about taking the plunge, too. After all, I've got all my favorite San Francisco coffeehouses a mere two blocks away, and the semester off. There'll be no better time.

[girlnamedcarl]

Bonus points for whoever inserts a minor character based on Princess Sparklefuck!

[Deleted]

The book I've had floating around in my head has someone that is a bit of Princess Sparklefuck (the whole pagan princess/speak to the otherworld/astral travle stuff.) In my defence, the book has been in my mind for much longer than I've known about the Princess.

[schmoosie]

Wait...what is this NaNo thing? The goal is to write a story of 50,000 words in a month? I am just finishing up a 70,000 story I wrote in 26 days! Since December 1st of last year I've written over 700,000 words, and the NaNo story doesn't even have to be good? Am I missing something here? Explain this to me please because that can't be. Maybe its 500,000 words?

Wow I'm not trying to sound like I'm great or anything, just stunned....

Man..yeah I am wasting A LOT A LOT A LOT A LOT of time writing fanfics....*sigh* Ya think? But I have a little following of fans, so it's kinda thrilling.

Will someone explain this Nano thing to me? Maybe I'll try it?....though probably not...wouldn't want to be ripped from my horrible fan fic writing life.

[girlnamedcarl]

Well, the link to the NaNoWriMo site is on the first page of the topic. And for folks who don't write long fiction, 50,000 words sounds like a pretty big deal. It's already a bit of a challenge for me to put a 1,000-word post on my blog most days, and my blog is just a response to pop culture, not anything I've created out of whole cloth in my head.

So, yeah, it really can be 50,000 words, and some of us really can be intimidated by that number.

[schmoosie]

Well GNC It's really just a number, and it's not really that big of one. What is it 150 pages or so? If you think about it right, 50,000 isn't that much. I do all of my writing in between work and my son's sleepy time or when the doof is home to go off and play with my son and I still manage that much in a month.

I understand though, some people are short story tellers, clear and to the point while others are novelists who draw things out.

I really am intrigued by 50,000 words in a month. I really wonder if I could manage an original fic with those goals in mind. Of course, it's important for you all to shudder when you keep in mind that I cannot spell and my grammar skills are elementary at best.

[Benni]

I was thinking about writing a western. I wonder how Princess Sparkleyfartypants could fit in? Don't worry I know she likes riding horses I'll make it happen. Once I joined up, I signed up for my region Edmonton and I got some e-mails from some very nice people. My region is having a party with over a 100 people on Saturday night to kick this off. I wish I lived closer so I could go. They challenge other cities to see who has the most words. Just what I need pressure!

I think you should go for it Mad Elf it seems like a lot of fun and if you are lucky enough to be able to write so easily you won't have the problems I know I will be having.

[GirlyGhoul]

I wonder how Princess Sparkleyfartypants could fit in? Don't worry I know she likes riding horses I'll make it happen.

Just make sure the horse is wearing sneakers ;D.

I'm glad I found this thread. I'd been toying with the idea of doing NANOWRIMO for years, but at first I was too chicken. Then I had [Cowardly Lion] Da Noive![/CL] but not the computer. (I'm typing this out on my work computer... shhh don't tell!). But now I've managed to get my hands on an AlphaSmart and will be getting a new desktop computer right at the beginning of November. So no more excuses.

I signed up early in Oct. and have made the official announcement to friends, family and now fellow Greecies... but now I'm finding myself losing Da Noive again.

I have lots of Novel ideas and while I thought I had decided which one to work on in Nov., now I'm feeling wishy washy about it again. I wanted to have orgainized some plot points or had an outline of scenes by now- but so many DISTRACTIONS have come my way this past month (Princess SparkleButt, I'm looking at YOU!). There's still the weekend to set out a game plan, but I'm amazed at how much anxiety I'm feeling over the darned thing.

Like Mad Elf said. It's just 50,000 words and they don't even have to be GOOD words or words that are spelled correctly. At the end of the month, it can be the biggest pile of poo ever to take up space on a harddrive (Again, Princess SparkleButt, I'm looking at you) and that's ok. But I guess there's still the inner critic within me that doesn't want me to spend a month of my life writing crap.

But I wanted to do this, because what I've spent most of my life starting novels and writing projects only to get overwhelmed by life or the project itself and quit. I have boxes and boxes of unfinished manuscripts and if I got hit by a bus tomorrow, I'd hate to think of that as my legacy to the literary world.

So, sorry, for all the rambling. But I hope I can get through this mini moment of Pre-Nano panic and get it done. Just so I can finally say "I finished a Novel! YAY!"

Good luck to everyone!