Is anyone doing NaNoWriMo??

[Austruck]

Is anyone else in here doing this year's NaNoWriMo? (Stands for National Novel Writing Month.)

Go here for details:

NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org)

I'm participating this year. Looks like Yoda's going to try. I've got Gracie half-talked-into trying, but she doesn't want to sign up officially. Meanwhile, I think you have to plunge into this sort of thing head-first, loaded up on caffeine, ready to toss family members and personal hygiene out the window for your art.

Well, if you can call it "art" at this rate of speed.

Anyway, since every site I go to has a thread asking about this these days, I thought I'd ask here too. A lot of weird creative types here, so it would be a good fit. And the point is:

Quantity, not quality!

Yeah, baby. I think I just found the slogan for my cooking. :D

[OG-]

Sounds interesting, I've actually got something similiar to this brewing, but I can't talk about that now.

I'd do it, but I know I wouldn't actually do it.

[Yoda]

I'll be doing it. In theory, at least.

I've got a few ideas cooked up, but still have to decide which to run with.

[Austruck]

Just remember, it's QUANTITY, not quality. You don't have to show it to anyone. Even the NaNo judges won't read it -- they'll just verify the word count.

I'm hoping to hit 2,000 words a day so I can be done by Thanksgiving, five days early. But, if I want to stretch it out the whole month and take off just on Thanksgiving, that brings the daily count down to 1,725. Writing every day including Thanksgiving means 1,667 words a day.

Chris, I KNOW you can do this. Have fun with it. Have you been on the boards reading some of the panic-threads? They're hilarious. The half-dozen or so other writing friends I talked into this all sound like me. We're all mostly past the panic stage and have hit the numb stage as we wait out the last few days till midnight tomorrow.

I'm using PowerStructure to do some plotting this weekend, but other than that I too don't have a really clear outline of where I'm going with this thing. For some reason, this feels like I should be flying by the seat of my pants.

OG, if your attitude this year is "Gee, this sounds interesting," then you're not ready. Last year I thought the idea sounded "interesting," but I didn't pursue it. This year, around mid-October it hit me like a ton of bricks: THIS is how to get the second novel jumpstarted!

Forgive me, but I'm SO EXCITED. And now I just remembered that I have to wait an extra HOUR because tonight we turn the clocks back! And to think I used to LOVE turning the clocks back in autumn.

What has happened to me?

[Eyes]

do u have to be 18 to enter, if not i might put up one of my books and see if i win anything

btw, ur signature, i don't always...

[Austruck]

No, any age is all right. But it's not really a "contest" in that you don't win anything specific except the verification by them that you hit the 50,000 word limit. They give you a certificate and some sort of web icon you can use on any web site you participate in/on.

And, the rules plainly state that you cannot use material you've already written. (Check out the rules on their site -- if nothing else, the site is HILARIOUS reading ... the FAQs are great, etc. etc.) You cannot start before midnight, Nov. 1 local time, and you must finish writing midnight Nov. 30 local time. You must write 50,000 NEW words of FICTION in that 30 days, but your book doesn't have to be completely done yet. If it needs to keep going, that's fine.

There are other "rules" too -- and they're equally fun to read.

BTW, my sig ... I don't either. But I refuse to reveal more than that ... so to speak.

[Monkeypunch]

do u have to be 18 to enter, if not i might put up one of my books and see if i win anything


My sister is doing it and she's only 15, so no, you don't.

I'm too lazy to write that much that quickly, otherwise, I would too.

[Monkeypunch]

Actually, now I am too. wish me luck. lol

[Austruck]

Well, it's been nearly a year since I started this thread about National Novel Writing Month. It's that time again, folks! November is almost here! Last year, I did make the 50,000-word mark. In fact, I went on to finish that novel (at 75,000+ words) and just entered it in a novel contest this past week. So, I'm living proof that it can be done. And really, it wasn't that hard.

Oh, and it sucked, of course. But I got it done. ;)

So, who's with me this year? Any takers? I plan to do this every year: Start a novel in November, get a huge chunk of it written that month, then finish and tweak it the rest of the year. That'll give me one novel per year every year.

Bring on the coffee shops and the library trips! I'm ready!

National Novel Writing Month (http://www.nanowrimo.org)

[Monkeypunch]

I am debating it. I signed up, but I am not at all motivated like I was last year (I.E. Nikki isn't bullying me into it. lol.) and I have my comics to worry about this year as well. I had an idea for a story, but will I be able to follow it up? Not sure.

[Austruck]

Hey, someone on the Myst game forum I frequent is using that same monkey-with-a-gun avatar over there. I thought at first it must be you ... but somehow I'm unsure if you're a Myst fanatic like I am. :) Still, it gave me the warm fuzzies to see that familiar avvie somewhere else on the worldwide web. :D

P.S. NaNo does require a certain amount of dedication, which I already have. For me, life is writing, so this is just a deadline for a novelist wannabe who works better under deadlines.

[Monkeypunch]

God help me, I am actually doing this again this year. My sister and I had a bit of a fight (since she's turned sixteen, we fight pretty much all the time now. Hormones and all that.) and I'd really rather not have her angry at me, so I signed up to be her writing buddy and now I must do this. Considering it's for the one person I care about most in the world, I will do it with a (slightly stressed out) smile on my face.

[Austruck]

Okay, Monkeypunch. I have about 2.5 hours till kickoff time. I have a lot of plot bunnies hopping around, but no "real" characters yet. ACK.

Meanwhile, my plan to sit here tonight (on a kidless night) and flesh out some characters got waylaid because I totally forgot that the Steelers are playing Monday Night Football! Arrrgh.

Well, at least it's taking my mind off my inner panic.

Monkeypunch, can I add you to my Writing Buddies list at NaNo? Who are you over there? I'm (duh) Austruck over there too.

Remember: It's QUANTITY, not QUALITY, all month long, baby! :D :D

[Monkeypunch]

Monkeypunch, can I add you to my Writing Buddies list at NaNo? Who are you over there? I'm (duh) Austruck over there too.

Remember: It's QUANTITY, not QUALITY, all month long, baby! :D :D

I'm registered under conor_ahearne.

[nebbit]

Sorry can't write :nope:

[Thursday Next]

Well, look like it's been four years since anyone did NaNoWriMo (or at least talked about it on here...) but I'm resurrecting the thread.

I actually only heard of nanowrimo a few weeks ago (or I'd have been doing it every year!). The actual nano site is way too much info for me to wade through in just a couple of days, but a couple of people I know on livejournal are doing it unofficially, so I've signed up with them to write my scifi/thriller/romance (what else? ;)). So no movies for me for the next month...

[Austruck]

Hey, TN, I have done NaNo every single year since 2004 (and "won" every year too!). My first NaNo novel actually placed as a top-four runnerup in a national novel contest in 2006.

Never done it before? You will LOVE it. I can't wait till tomorrow night -- Halloween! Watching bad horror movies on AMC in my office while counting down till midnight when I can officially start writing!

Sorry I haven't posted in this thread the past few years but I've been doing NaNo faithfully every year. It's also the one month of the year my family and friends take my writing seriously enough to leave me alone when I ask. :D :D

Every year since 2004 I've started a novel in November and the finished it throughout the year until the following November. I wouldn't miss it for the world!

Are you officially signed up at the NaNo site, at least? Because it's worth it just for the pep-talk emails. Usually they're hilarious and they are oddly inspiring in a crazy sort of way!

I am "Austruck" on the site over there too, if you want to add me to your writer buddy list. (Not that I ever do much with that list. The site is a bit clunkier than I would like, and often slow, ESPECIALLY the first few days of October and then the first week or so of November. Be patient if you're on the site -- but do sign up officially.

If you make the 50K word count and have it validated on the site, you can then get a free proof copy of your book from CreateSpace. I did this last year and it was a real rush to see my name in print, even if I had the only copy. (Up until now, my publishing credits have been places online -- no hard copies to hold in my hand.)

ENJOY!

[Thursday Next]

Ok, I signed up, although I don't know how much time I'll have to look over the forums on the site, since I'll spend most of my time actually writing and the rest on livejournal (no change there, then...). I haven't even got a title for my novel yet and I've got one day until I can start writing...

[Austruck]

Ehhh, you don't NEED to hit the forums. But there were/are times during the month where it's fun to check in, if only to assure myself that I'm not going insane and that other people will feel my pain. :)

[Sexy Celebrity]

I will be writing something, but not for NaNoWriMo.

[Austruck]

I will be writing something, but not for NaNoWriMo.

Now, where's the fun in that??

[Thursday Next]

Aw, I love your nanowrimo avatar. How is yours going?

[Austruck]

Pretty well. I was on track for 2,000 words a day until yesterday, when I wrote absolutely nothing. Today so far I've written only 1,000 but I have a bunch of open-ended days to catch up and get back ahead.

Sitting at 13,380 or something like that.

[Thursday Next]

I did it! I won! I am so pleased :)

It was hard work but a lot of fun, too. I defintiely want to have another go next year. It's all silly tosh of course, but then it was always going to be.

[beelzebubbles]

Congratulations, Thurday Next!

[meatwadsprite]

Sorry can't write :nope:

Me neither, that's why I always type.

[Austruck]

I am out of town --back in my home town for a class reunion till Sunday night. It's going to be interesting to find time to wrap this thing up. I'm just under 42,000 right now. Should find a little time today ... but ... yikes.

Congrats, TN! It IS a fun feeling, isn't it?

[Austruck]

Yay, I pulled off the win, although it was a bit dicey the last few days because I was traveling. TN, you should retrieve the winner goodies and use the avatar. :)

[Thursday Next]

Well done Austruck!

I have got the avatar and was using it but then started up with Movie Theme of the Week again :)

[Thursday Next]

I just finished editing my nano-novel, Nightingale!! It's more a second draft than a final, I know there are still problems with it, but I was working on a time-limit (for which read, left it to the last minute as usual).

I wanted to get it fixed up so I could get the free proof copy from createspace that you can get if you verify your 50k on the nanowrimo website, and I got it sorted out and formatted just in time.

So now my novel is going to be an actual book on my bookshelf! I am quite excited :D

It got to 70,000 words give or take (word counts in Word and Open Office vary slightly).

Writing a novel is both easier and harder than I thought it would be. I have new respect for authors, having done this, and promise not to be so harsh on plot holes and disappearing characters in the future...

[Austruck]

TN, there is an expiration date on that CreateSpace offer (I think it's in July but it might be June, so go back to the site and check). So, don't delay.

I got a proof of last year's novel and loved it. THIS year's free proof copy is of my book of humor essays, HEAD IN THE SAND, which is coming out as a real, buy-able book in June! Yay! Have fun! And yes, it's a total hoot to see an actual book on the shelf with your name on it! :)