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It's that time of the year again. November is National Novel Writing Month, celebrated by the insanity that we now call NaNo. Originating with a group of friends ten years ago, it has since exploded into a huge event for writers across the country and beyond. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. No editing, no drafting. Just good old fashioned butt-in-chair, hands-on-keyboard, type like your life depends on it fun.
So, I'm all signed up and preparing for November 1st. Is anyone else going to participate? I've known of it for some years now but this is my first time actually attempting it. I don't even have any idea of what I'll be writing yet. There's still time to work it out so I'm not too worried. If it comes to it, I'll just write off the top of my head, which could prove interesting in itself.
~DragonHeart~
Family: Psiko, Mistress Sheena, Djinn
This DOES sound interesting. I havnt heard of it before and it sounds pretty time consuming but fun. I think I might give it a go actually. Though, I suppose it depends on my jobs workload too.
I'd better get drafting ideas, then. Even if I dont actually manage it I'll still have some ideas down for the future.
So, yeah. I'm going to give it a go.
Hyz.
Cogito, ergo sum.
PRK9, putting the Kitty back in Por Rorr.
Most likely to have supernatural babies- TFF Bogus Awards 2009- Winner
I just signed up for it there, it actually sounds like a lot of fun and I want that certificate
Thanks for pointing it out DragonHeart! ^_^
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Yeah, I'm rather concerned about not having the time myself. November is the start of the holiday season in retail, after all. Even if we don't get crazy business-wise until Black Friday, there's still the whole season thing. We actually switch over to Christmas on Halloween night...
However, even if I don't finish, I will have something written. That's really the whole point of doing it in the first place, so even "losing" still puts me ahead of the game. That's how I see it, anyways.
I may just go off the top of my head after all. I think it'll be best to start fresh, put aside the ideas I've been overanalyzing for far too many years, and just get to the writing. Plotting and character development are more excuses to not write any story.
I do need to come up with a title, though. I'm one of those weird people who absolutely cannot write anything that is not titled first. Don't know why.
~DragonHeart~
Family: Psiko, Mistress Sheena, Djinn
My mother and I are now in it. We're having our own little contest on the sidelines.
I have a job, and am piddling my way through my second year of a Masters degree in French and IR. My mum works too, and is doing a part-time Eng Lit course just now.
If we can do it, anyone can! I really can't wait to start! This is such a great idea. Thanks for getting it out there, DH. Motivation to reach a milestone.
Oh sis, I <3 you so.
I'm in. I remember years ago, back when we both actually were writing something fairly often and even attempting novels, we found this and thought of joining. And how on earth will we fill bookshelves with our written works if they never get written?
You are right about one thing, sis. November is HELL for retailists like us. And yes, I just used a word that does not exist. You going to lynch me now?
Shoot, I don't have any idea on what to write. Better start brainstorming!!!
OLD SKOOL - A positive appellation referring to when things weren't flashy but empty of substance, were done by hard work, didn't pander to the lowest common denominator, and required real skill. Labour-saving devices, shortcuts that reduce quality and quitting before the task is done are not characteristics of "old skool."
In reference to computer games, refers to a game that had substantial playability without flashy graphics or eye candy. Old skool gamers appreciate difficult maneuvers, careful planning, and scorched earth policies.
In reference to role-playing games, old skool refers to games that tested players' wits, could kill off careless characters, and required dedication and inner strength to play. Old skool games didn't pander to the ideas that everyone is created equal, that all options are open to all races, that the markets were somehow free, and that a quasi-medieval society could have near 100% literacy.
See also classic.
Representing the Old Skool ways since 1984.
Well, you could always write about the many great struggles of a novelist trying to write a novel...
The only thing with writing off the top of my head is that whatever I write will be heavily influenced by whatever I'm obsessing over at the time. I am fully expecting ninjas to creep into my story somewhere. Particularly one with a peculiar similarity to a certain member of the Hyuuga clan...XD
As long as I don't hit my usual "5k fizzle" I'll be happy. Everything else can be fixed in revisions after the insanity is done.
~DragonHeart~
Family: Psiko, Mistress Sheena, Djinn
I have no idea what I'm going to write. I can't wait to find out. I'm going to be a purist about this - just sit down on Nov 1st and keep writing crap and then more crap until the 30th. But I will hit 50K. I don't think I've ever gone beyond 15K before. I'm actually so excited!
One of these years I'll actually do this. But I just got done writing 42 pages in a week for a RP, which turned out to 20,000 words so like 40% of the requirements. So I guess I can do it. But the only thing that usually stops me is that I have other writing projects running throughout the year that it makes it a little difficult. Last year I was writing Flesh is for Gods and the year before that The Inner Man. And this year I'm working on Project NAMe which I hope to actually be writing and not developing for soon.
So yeah :/ Work is not the problem, my own hobbies are. Fortunately, ideas are not a problem. I've got too many ideas. Well I wish you well on your endeavor to hit 50k words in a month. If I have the time I'll try to read what you have to live vicariously through you. ^^;
Curious? There's no limits but your own imagination.
Don't know how to roleplay, but want to learn? Visit Here!
2007 and 2009 Best Writer of TFF and 2009 Most Creative Co-Winner
There's no way I could do it this year while working 2 jobs and finishing my last semester in college... Now, once I have a steady life, I could easily knock out 50k words in a month, if I can focus one one project alone. I already have 50k words worth of stuff in my head at any given time... I just never have a chance to write it down. I think I need to get a mini-recorder so I can at least `say` my ideas as they come to me and not eventually forget them. >_>
Less than 24 hours before NaNo, and I still have no idea what to write. I guess if I can put together a quick concept today/tomorrow morning, I can plot as I go. It may be true to the spirit of this exercise, but winging it really isn't my style. Really, not having any idea ahead of time is just setting me up to not finish.
Anyway, is anyone going to do a midnight kickoff? I might, but it really depends on how my shift goes tonight. I may or may not be asked to stay to midnight to help set the season, and holidays are usually busy anyways. Wouldn't want to wear myself out unnecessarily. I'll probably just wait until tomorrow.
~DragonHeart~
Family: Psiko, Mistress Sheena, Djinn
I am. Have an idea and everything.Seems like fun, I've always wanted to in the past, but never signed up.
My hobbies are equally my own problem, but I think I can set them aside.
Well, NaNo has officially begun! I forgot to mention it earlier, but 1667 is the magic number, aka the minimum number of words per day to make the 50k by the end of the month. Going to be tough for me, but so far I'm off to a good start.
Day 1 word count: 1764
I could keep going, but I want to be at least semi-functional at work tonight so I'll stop here. It's the end of a scene anyways, so I'll be able to start fresh in the morning.
How's everyone else doing so far?
~DragonHeart~
Family: Psiko, Mistress Sheena, Djinn
I can't believe you DH, you've managed to write more than me in several hours less! Grrr...
So far my word count is 1724, and I may be struggling a little, I should really have thought about what to write before writing >.>;
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I surprised myself, honestly. I wrote that much in just a couple of hours. Usually I'd be lucky to write a page or two in that much time. The trick is to not think about the story. I only stopped once while writing, and that was to visit a random name generator for a village. I can always change that later, I just wanted a name that would be easy to find and replace later. Other than that, it's just pure unfiltered writing. AKA, crap.
And if you think I'm fast, some people have topped 10k already!
By the way, do you have a title for your story?
Mine's being called The Art of Slaying Dragons: Sable and Haze. Sable and Haze being my two main characters. The subtitle is really kind of a placeholder series name. I'm not intending on doing a series, but I thought it sounded nice, hah.
Obviously, it's fantasy. I'm not quite sure if it's humorous or not, though it will definitely have some amusing and possibly awkward moments.
~DragonHeart~
Family: Psiko, Mistress Sheena, Djinn
Well, yesterday I saw: 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' so it inspired me to do something to do with the Historical fiction genre.
The title I currently have is:
Der unmögliche Kampf
It could be a little bitty controversial, as it's about a man who worked at Auschwitz, he eventually goes crazy so perhaps it's maybe not appropiate reading for my little sisters
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Damn, my German is worse than I thought...let's see...The Impossible Struggle? I was fluent in high school...three years ago, lol.
It sounds interesting. Very difficult subject to tackle. Kudos to you for that.
In other news, it looks like we're the early birds here. I'm pretty sure Psiko is working on his, as he's ignoring me on AIM.I somehow managed to get my word count updated at the NaNo site, but that's mostly luck. The servers crash constantly for the first few days until everyone settles in. Don't blame 'em, what with 122,000 crazy writers all trying to login at the same time hahaha.
~DragonHeart~
Family: Psiko, Mistress Sheena, Djinn
I think it was supposed to be that, really I don't know any German and used Babel Translator
That does explain why I have to refresh every few seconds >.<;
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Mine's called The Colour of Water. Day one count: 4352. Not too bad, I hope.
I love having an actual deadline. Is anyone else going to write-ins in their area? I think I might hit one up next week. Not sure of what I'll find there, but still.
Aerif: Well, I do admit I had to look unmögliche up in my German-English dictionary. Been too long. Kampf is an easy one since it's the name of Hitler's book. Well, Mein Kampf (My Struggle), but I digress.
Govinda: I thought about it but sadly, chances are I won't be able to. My work schedule tends to be the opposite of normal humans. It's okay though, I'm not much of a people person anyway.
Doing great for the first day, I see. ^^ Looks like you've got the highest count so far. I fully intend to catch up tomorrow, though.It's my day off.
~DragonHeart~
Family: Psiko, Mistress Sheena, Djinn
I've reached 6,334 so I'm slightly ahead of schedule, though the prospect of writing 1000 words every day until the end of the month is getting more and more scary.
How is everybody else doing?
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Closer to 1700 daily to win. =P
I'm a bit behind today, only at 3767 as of this moment. Going to try and hit 5500 minimum; 6k is my goal for tonight. I write a few paragraphs then break for a few minutes. Or as is the case right now, take a longer break for lunch. And sanity. Lunch is more important, though.
~DragonHeart~
Family: Psiko, Mistress Sheena, Djinn
Well I just reached 7k so I am a little bit more ahead of schedule (2k) than usual.
You seem to be a little bit behind schedule DH,
I just did a quick calculation and I should be doing 1500 words a day now because of my being ahead of the lowest possible amount. Sadly I also have my university entrance essay to work on as well so I may not be able to finish the novel, and you know how much I want that certificate
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It's good to be ahead, but even better to stay ahead.
Up to 4425 now.
I'd just like to remind everyone to back your work up at least once a day, just in case. I almost lost some of my work when an AIM plugin malfunctioned last night and froze my computer up. Luckily OpenOffice has a superb document recovery, but that's no guarantee for next time. Personally at the end of each session (which can be several a day), I upload a copy to my Google Docs account. At the end of each night I also email myself a copy on my Yahoo account. Can never be too careful.
Also, if anyone's up for doing a word war at some point, I'll bite. Great way to keep the momentum going.
~DragonHeart~
Family: Psiko, Mistress Sheena, Djinn
So real life happening can suck on things like this. It opens on my two days off, I get an extra hour even, and I forgot I had dedicated my Saturday to helping with some Habitat For Humanity stuff (which was a blast to help build two sheds, btw!), and then after the Iowa/Illinois game I spent time helping Cesar with some FFXI stuff planning to write after that. AND THEN a friend stopped by, and she and I ended up being up until about...erm...6ish Sunday morning. Day one fail.
Day two I ended up waking up in time for NFL kickoff, and I had to watch the Minnesota/Texas game at noon, figuring I would eat after and work on the novel then. I get 800 words in and I get a call from my sister saying my dad was coming over for a while and was invited over. Having not seen them for some time, I go and get home at 9, at which point I am dead tired still from the night before.
So yes, on lunch now and sitting at 832 words on day three. I fail hardcore. Wait until Thursday, though, I will have three off in a row from there, and will attempt to surpass sis' word count (whatever it may be by then) at that time, and stay ahead of the game from then on.
Time to try to grind out a few more words in the next 15. And then back to work until 9 tonight. 13-14 hour work days suck.
OLD SKOOL - A positive appellation referring to when things weren't flashy but empty of substance, were done by hard work, didn't pander to the lowest common denominator, and required real skill. Labour-saving devices, shortcuts that reduce quality and quitting before the task is done are not characteristics of "old skool."
In reference to computer games, refers to a game that had substantial playability without flashy graphics or eye candy. Old skool gamers appreciate difficult maneuvers, careful planning, and scorched earth policies.
In reference to role-playing games, old skool refers to games that tested players' wits, could kill off careless characters, and required dedication and inner strength to play. Old skool games didn't pander to the ideas that everyone is created equal, that all options are open to all races, that the markets were somehow free, and that a quasi-medieval society could have near 100% literacy.
See also classic.
Representing the Old Skool ways since 1984.
I... am probably at like 500 words. D: I blame cesar.
5926, now. Woulda been more if I hadn't been stuck at the polls for a couple hours. But hey, the future of the country is slightly more important than a friendly writing challenge, right?
So anyway, I feel kind of silly. I forgot to at least put my own NaNo profile link up. Here it is. Just in case anyone wants to friend me on there or anything. ^^ And you can read a (very) short excerpt, which I just added today.
Still have a good hour or so before bed so I'm going to try and pull the last 700~ I need to hit today's goal.
ETA: Final count for today will be 6085. Just too tired to keep going.
~DragonHeart~
Last edited by DragonHeart; 11-04-2008 at 09:40 PM.
Family: Psiko, Mistress Sheena, Djinn
Well, as I had surmised before this began, work has been the biggest killer of this attempt. I don't want the writing to feel like a chore, but when I am at work for 14-16 hours there is just not the desire to sit and grind out words each day. So I fall further and further behind. And now it is quite pathetic. I see no real hope of making the goal, but I will continue to soldier on because, while I may not make my goal of 50k, I can still reach my eventual goal of a rough draft for a novel.
How is everyone else doing on their attempt?
OLD SKOOL - A positive appellation referring to when things weren't flashy but empty of substance, were done by hard work, didn't pander to the lowest common denominator, and required real skill. Labour-saving devices, shortcuts that reduce quality and quitting before the task is done are not characteristics of "old skool."
In reference to computer games, refers to a game that had substantial playability without flashy graphics or eye candy. Old skool gamers appreciate difficult maneuvers, careful planning, and scorched earth policies.
In reference to role-playing games, old skool refers to games that tested players' wits, could kill off careless characters, and required dedication and inner strength to play. Old skool games didn't pander to the ideas that everyone is created equal, that all options are open to all races, that the markets were somehow free, and that a quasi-medieval society could have near 100% literacy.
See also classic.
Representing the Old Skool ways since 1984.
Work and university and Life in General combined to stop me well short of 50K.
I got a short story out of it, though.
Funny how things all seem to happen to interfere...we had a major family issue. Basically my step-grandfather's health started to fail so we took him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He also has severe Alzheimer's and several other existing conditions, so surgery is not an option. As you can imagine, it's been tough to deal with. I spent most of November keeping the household functioning since my mom and step-father are with him when they aren't at work.
I do intend to continue with my NaNo novel though, I just won't be able to until the new year since I'll probably be pulling a crapload of midnight shifts again and I'm going on a trip later this month.
On the bright side, I at least proved to myself that I can keep up and be productive. Now if I could just get the discipline part down I'd be set. XD
~DragonHeart~
Family: Psiko, Mistress Sheena, Djinn
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