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NaNoWriMo 2012!

Mad Hatter

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Yes, the day we have been afraid of waited for for so long has finally come! (At least in Europe. Yay!)

Since a 0.02 second search has revealed that no thread has been started yet about this year's National Novel Writing Month, I thought I'd go ahead here.

So this is where you go!

Post your novel ideas, novel samples, find NaNoWriMo friends, etc. etc. Most importantly, get inspiration, bitch to your fellow aspiring writers about how hard it is, share your enthusiasm, or get your ass slapped if you didn't reach that magical 1,667 words per day limit, have been slacking off, think that you're novel is bad, or still cling to the naive idea that stop writing on your novel is something you can actually do.

There are already a number of people on this forum who have created accounts on the NaNoWriMo website.

So here's to you, join the fun and the insanity!
 
A

Anew Leaf

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I knew this would happen.

My childish enthusiasm last week when I cheerfully added you all to my buddy list on there... would quickly be eclipsed by the sheer terror of actually doing something about it. I certainly hope that when I upload my words, that no one else can read it, or my secret writing style will come out.

"She walked into the room. [Research what rooms can look like in urban cities that I have never been to before. Maybe we should think about how to decorate her apartment here. What is her backstory? Does she travel? Has she been to India before? Oooh, what part of India should she visit? We liked the Taj Mahal!! Agra it is... I should research more information on Wikipedia about how they built that. Maybe I can incorporate it as a theme into my story. Wait, what is my story about again? All I have is her walking into a room.] A glass of lemonade was sitting on the counter with beads of dew collecting on its clear walls as if some fairy from the night had placed infinite kisses upon each moment of surface."

I can see the reviews coming in now:

"If you are looking for a book to complete your life, you have now found it." - Oprah

"At first I was all like, wow, and then I was like WOW!" - a magazine about stuff

"The part where the Taj Mahal ties everything together into a beautiful package knocked my socks off." - A random snake.
 

Totenkindly

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I can see the nightmarish reviews about my work already:

  • "If only this book was edible, it would have SOME redemptive value... in the same way that eating an entire box of Trix for dinner provides positive nourishment. (Well, of course, only if you eat the cardboard as well as the contents.)"
  • "Inadvertently unites the savage opponents of this season's political campaigns against a common enemy. Let the heckling commence."
  • "Leaves Cloud Atlas looking like a mean, keen, excessively edited, tightly focused narrative. Cutting word count in half by crossing every other one out wouldn't change the quality of the work."
  • "The kind of book that turns painting by numbers into rocket science in comparison."

Blarg.
 

Red Herring

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Ladies, ladies, if you invested half the energy and creativity you use to beat yourself up in the novel you're set for a bestseller :D

That being said, maybe forcing myself to come up with a complex but plausible misunderstanding in the very first chapter on which the hole plot depends wasn't such a good idea after all *goes back to Wikipedia to research some more on the life and adventures of Rembrandt because one of his paitings will appear in the story later on*
 

Totenkindly

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Did you guys have any "dares" from your regional state chapter?

Here in the Maryland/Baltimore group, we voted on two dares. I missed the voting for the first but did vote on the second.

Our dares are as follows:

  1. Use "1812" in your novel.
  2. Use the names of the 5 British bomb vessels of the Battle of Baltimore -- Terror, Volcano, Meteor, Devastation, and Aetna. Bonus points for the British rocket vessel: Erebus.

This should be a piece of cake. And I voted for this item for Dare 2 because I thought the answers were a little more creative and I could work them into my story more easily. I definitely can use Aetna and Erebus as names of characters in my story, and the rest are easy to slip into convos.


Ladies, ladies, if you invested half the energy and creativity you use to beat yourself up in the novel you're set for a bestseller :D

to be honest, my post was less an honest self-thrashing and more of a creative warm-up exercise for my soggy shameless brain. :smile:
 

Totenkindly

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Okay, I only logged 800 words yesterday. But considering I spent most of my time setting up my writing rather than actually writing, and I started late in the evening, that's not bad.

Tonight should be better.
 
A

Anew Leaf

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I got about 1000 by sheer cheating. (I pulled snippets of stuff I wrote a couple years ago on my novel.)

Most of my "writing time" was wasted by me panicking when I realized that somehow I have lost my computer document of the novel I started many many years ago. Fortunately, I moonlight as someone trying to destroy all trees on the face of the earth, because I have about 20 copies of it printed in my basement. I started typing it up as penance for not being more organized... dear god. I am a terrible writer. I have 20 pages of third draft "polished" writing, and it's primarily a bunch of crap.

So my new plan is to take one of my writing prompt books (of which I have many) and grab an idea at random and start writing about it.

I am also changing my goal to be to just focus on trying to get some writing done each day, and not worry about this novel in a month goal. I am hugely unprepared as well as I am currently taking a class on...... writer's block. She wants us to start off with small goals. My zygote goal is to do something productive with my writing for 10 mins a day. I also have to spend 15 minutes being playful (I like to call it, how my day goes) and unproductive.

*has note from both doctor and teacher that it's ok for her to not meet the 50,000 word goal and is impressed with herself*

I'll also waste a bunch of time encouraging all of you to "shoot for the rainbows" and "bee happy." Or whatever.

The End.
 

Totenkindly

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I found out last night there is a contest ending on 12/31 for books with transgender characters. Authors nor plots have to be "trans" related, you just have to have at least one trans protagonist. The award is a publishing contract for hardback, softback, and e-book; $1000 advance; and $1000 for promotional activities.

But there is no way in hell I can crank out a 60,000 word book from scratch and edit the crap out of it and have it submitted by 12/31. That's two month. I don't even have an idea!

I am also changing my goal to be to just focus on trying to get some writing done each day, and not worry about this novel in a month goal. I am hugely unprepared as well as I am currently taking a class on...... writer's block. She wants us to start off with small goals. My zygote goal is to do something productive with my writing for 10 mins a day. I also have to spend 15 minutes being playful (I like to call it, how my day goes) and unproductive.

*has note from both doctor and teacher that it's ok for her to not meet the 50,000 word goal and is impressed with herself*

*cries*

Oh saturned. At least you made it to Day #2.

(I shall double your success and make it to Day #4!)
 

Red Herring

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I made it to 1227 words before going to bed on day 1. It is now 8:52pm of day 2 (in my time zone) and I have not yet written anything today, work got in the way (a translation of a Spanish medical report, beh!). However, the plot is slowly developing in my head. Let's see if I can catch up tonight and/or this weekend. I'm notoriously bad at going through with things and really want to see this one through for once. *sigh*
 

Mad Hatter

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I didn't get any writing done yesterday because I had to give a presentation this morning and had to pull an all-nighter to prepare it (at least it was about a sexy topic).

I was thought "this is going to be sooo great!!" before the actual official iron-fisted merciless start of NaNoWriMo. I really wanted to pull it off last year, but I fell ill for a whole week early in November, so there wasn't really a chance of finishing it.
There are two things that keep my going right now: The idea that I'll have it printed and can actually hold a hardcopy of something I have written, and that I can always edit around once NaNoWriMo is over so I can consider my current project more of a mine of ideas for later novels compiled all into one text. So it's all neat and preliminary, nothing fixed, no obligations, oh well it's just a draft etc. etc. Kind of cheating myself. Also (okay, so there's actually three things that keep me going ... I'll come in again): - I really do like the idea for my novel. It's supposed to be a parody of Clancy-esque cold war thrillers and the like. A lot of people have recommended 'The Hunt for Red October', so I started it, but couldn't make it past the first 15 or so pages because I found it downright horrible. So that's where I decided to make it even worse, and tadaah, the idea for a novel was born. I think it's a lot easier for Ne-ers to create something new with material that's already available and make it your own, instead of completely starting something from scratch (I, for one, am bad at this, and it's a guarantee for writer's block).

I've been carrying a notebook with me (an actual dead-tree-edition) for the past couple of days so that I could write down anything that comes to mind while I'm going about my daily business. I'm sort of proud of myself because today I officially made it past the 1,000 words-mark. Yay me!

Keep posting! :)
 

Totenkindly

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Last two days were a dud. Besides it just being a lousy time for me (sick, still fixing my place, work is crazy, having to pick out all new insurance plans, dealing with my divorce, running the risk of financial bankruptcy, etc. -- things will be better in early 2013 for me!), I just didn't have a clear plot figured out along which to write. I needed some better prep, in order to produce more firmly.

However, I am making myself write as I get time. I don't expect to finish a draft by November 30, but I do expect to have completed some work on a draft and be much further along than before.

Once upon a time, I wanted to be a writer. And ten years ago, I was in a position where I was miserable and not really caring much about relationships, so a lot of my free time went into writing. I was also younger and more motivated to succeed. Then my entire life finally spiralled out of control and I couldn't accomplish anything realistically without taking care of myself first. That took the last five years of my life.

Now I'm in a position where I'm trying to write without having to be motivated by pain, escapism, or personal ambition. So I'm searching for my motivation.

I've finished one book (a church project, 35-40 daily lessons), and I finished a draft in 1996 with a friend for the first book in a fantasy series that we haven't been able to complete a second draft of. Which sucks badly, because it actually had a lot of potential. It's hard to write in tandem when you don't live near each other, and plot becomes convoluted. I find it sad. The characters were wonderful.

And those moments of transcendence, where I'm writing and the scene is leaping out of my fingers and my heart is rising like a balloon caught on a strong wind being blown straight toward the glorious transcendence of the ruddy sun, are the moments i live for. I think though that in writing (and in all of life, from what I've experienced), there is a lot of drudge work that you have to agree to in order to grab those moments of inspirational bliss. I've been thinking about it the last day, and it is JUST the way it is -- every relationship has its woodshedding and misery, every job has its detailed boring crap to get done in order to produce whatever it is that you are producing. Athletes suffer pain and deprive themselves in order to win a race. There is just a lot of blood, dirt, tears, and sweat involved so that you get those few moments of mountaintop experience.

And writing is no different. It's giving me a better perspective -- the drudge IS drudge, but if I do it, I'll eventually get to a good place, each time.
 
A

Anew Leaf

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Last two days were a dud. Besides it just being a lousy time for me (sick, still fixing my place, work is crazy, having to pick out all new insurance plans, dealing with my divorce, running the risk of financial bankruptcy, etc. -- things will be better in early 2013 for me!), I just didn't have a clear plot figured out along which to write. I needed some better prep, in order to produce more firmly.

However, I am making myself write as I get time. I don't expect to finish a draft by November 30, but I do expect to have completed some work on a draft and be much further along than before.

Once upon a time, I wanted to be a writer. And ten years ago, I was in a position where I was miserable and not really caring much about relationships, so a lot of my free time went into writing. I was also younger and more motivated to succeed. Then my entire life finally spiralled out of control and I couldn't accomplish anything realistically without taking care of myself first. That took the last five years of my life.

Now I'm in a position where I'm trying to write without having to be motivated by pain, escapism, or personal ambition. So I'm searching for my motivation.

I've finished one book (a church project, 35-40 daily lessons), and I finished a draft in 1996 with a friend for the first book in a fantasy series that we haven't been able to complete a second draft of. Which sucks badly, because it actually had a lot of potential. It's hard to write in tandem when you don't live near each other, and plot becomes convoluted. I find it sad. The characters were wonderful.

And those moments of transcendence, where I'm writing and the scene is leaping out of my fingers and my heart is rising like a balloon caught on a strong wind being blown straight toward the glorious transcendence of the ruddy sun, are the moments i live for. I think though that in writing (and in all of life, from what I've experienced), there is a lot of drudge work that you have to agree to in order to grab those moments of inspirational bliss. I've been thinking about it the last day, and it is JUST the way it is -- every relationship has its woodshedding and misery, every job has its detailed boring crap to get done in order to produce whatever it is that you are producing. Athletes suffer pain and deprive themselves in order to win a race. There is just a lot of blood, dirt, tears, and sweat involved so that you get those few moments of mountaintop experience.

And writing is no different. It's giving me a better perspective -- the drudge IS drudge, but if I do it, I'll eventually get to a good place, each time.

I am taking writing class right now on writer's block. She has been talking about the different types of writer's block and how to combat them. She also talks a lot about developing three key habits.

1- Process: spend 15-30 min at least 5 days a week doing something silly with no purpose other than it gives you joy. You can draw, dance, sing to music, make collages, etc. Anything where the purpose is doing the action not making a result.
2- Self-Care: Making sure to get enough sleep, exercise, eating well, meditation, etc.
3- Product: Spend 5-30 min at least 5 days a week working on your writing project. Can be brainstorming, researching ideas, writing to a prompt, working on the ms... Anything that will further your writing to a final result.

So with all of the cray cray cray cray cray going on in your life, I suggest you focus on trying to snatch up 5-10 min a day on your real writing. If you feel inspired beyond that, awesome! If you slog through each second in painful agony, then at least you put some effort into it.

If the four of us (and perhaps more people will too) are serious about working on writing, then maybe we start a writing group on here to support each other in the small moments. :)
 

Red Herring

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I am currently at 2628, i.e. way behind the planned word count, but at least I get some writing done every day. Hopefully the story will pick up sme speed as the plot advances.

Tonight would be perfect for writing, as I'm going to stay up and watch the US elections anyway, but unfortunately I also have to translate some texts for a pharmaceutical company. Meh!
 

Totenkindly

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I am currently at 2628, i.e. way behind the planned word count, but at least I get some writing done every day. Hopefully the story will pick up sme speed as the plot advances.

Woo hoo! Good for you!

I'll see if I make any progress tonight.

I find writing in the early stages to be a pain. It's because my personality is reactive and observing, and I need raw data in which to see patterns.

So at first I'm just flinging poo at the walls to get a bunch of poo out there, and then I suddenly start to see patterns in it, so at that point I can excise any irrelevancies and start working on supporting and enabling the patterns that have appeared.

Once I get a pattern, it becomes my roadmap.
 

Red Herring

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I find writing in the early stages to be a pain. It's because my personality is reactive and observing, and I need raw data in which to see patterns.

So at first I'm just flinging poo at the walls to get a bunch of poo out there, and then I suddenly start to see patterns in it, so at that point I can excise any irrelevancies and start working on supporting and enabling the patterns that have appeared.

Once I get a pattern, it becomes my roadmap.

Yupp, that's pretty much how it works for me as well. At least I hope so :D

Good luck for tonight, but don't stress yourself out too much, its supposed to be fun! A nice mental time off from everythig else.
 

Totenkindly

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Yupp, that's pretty much how it works for me as well. At least I hope so :D

Good luck for tonight, but don't stress yourself out too much, its supposed to be fun! A nice mental time off from everythig else.

Sigh. As you guys might have noticed, I'm kind of hard on myself. Also, when I was depressed all those years, it was how I survived -- I would just push myself and focus on making myself do things.

The problem is that I have been "relaxing and floating" for many months/years and not doing any of this, and I'm in my 40's now. Unless I push myself and stick to a routine, I'm afraid I might never write anything. You know how that works -- I have to shift my inertia from dead-stop to "moving in any direction" and then I can just maintain it.

So if you tell me to relax, what'll happen is that I will just play computer games for the next three months and watch movies, and not accomplish a darned thing. Sooooo.... :)
 
A

Anew Leaf

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Sigh. As you guys might have noticed, I'm kind of hard on myself. Also, when I was depressed all those years, it was how I survived -- I would just push myself and focus on making myself do things.

The problem is that I have been "relaxing and floating" for many months/years and not doing any of this, and I'm in my 40's now. Unless I push myself and stick to a routine, I'm afraid I might never write anything. You know how that works -- I have to shift my inertia from dead-stop to "moving in any direction" and then I can just maintain it.

So if you tell me to relax, what'll happen is that I will just play computer games for the next three months and watch movies, and not accomplish a darned thing. Sooooo.... :)

This is why we will form a writer's group :D So that we don't just play computer games.

:hug: You are beyond hard on yourself. *Wraps you with marshmallows and pillows*
 

Totenkindly

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LOL!

tumblr_lhbe30qOV51qhy6c9o1_400.gif
 

Red Herring

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This weekend has been a little better. I am still behind on the wordcount, but things are slowly improving. I have gotten about 2000 words down since midnight (my timezone) and now have a current total of 6275 words.

According to the book, a fast typer can get the 1667 words per day done in an hour, a slow typer in 2 hours. I needed 8 hours in front of the computer to get there, so clearly I'm doing something wrong....and I have a pretty good idea what it is.

1. I'm forcing myself to write from the first to the last chapter without too much jumping around instead of getting a skeleton and then beefing it up. That means that even though I have a basic idea of where the plot is supposed to go, I am still fiddling with the details of the introductory chapters, trying to draw them out as long as possible. Surprisingly, even though I can rather verbose both on the forum and IRL, I do prefer to be concise in storytelling and essays and have always had a problem with padding things out to reach a certain minimum wordcount.

2. Even though the whole frigging idea of NaNoWriMo is to avoid perfectionism and just write anything, just go for it and see what happens, I still catch myself trying to be witty and rephrase every other sentence a dozen times until it is right. THAT IS NOT WHAT NANOWRIMO IS ABOUT AND IT'S GOTTA STOP RIGHT HERE AND NOW!!!!! I hereby pledge to really go for mass over quality and spit out as many pages as I can in order to catch up.

I have seen the debates on the NaNoWriMo forum and there are two schoola, those who want to get to 50k no matter what it takes (including cheating) and those who use the opportunity to write some quality, no matter how much they have produced by the end of the month. For me persolly, even though I have secretly been dreaming of being a writer ever since I could write complete sentences, this year at least is definitely about perseverance over quality. I am notoriously bad at sticking to things and it has seriously, very seriously, bothered me for a long, long time. So I want to see this through, mainly to prove to myself that I can do it. Hopefully this will be something that I can look back on and say "hey, somehow I managed to do that, so why not this other thing as well?!"
 

Red Herring

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Also, I did some calculations while I was, ehm, powdering my nose, and came up with the following:

I now have almost two finished chapters at a little over 6.000 words, so let's say roughly 3.000 words makes a chapter. Now, if you wanted to go the classical route, I'd have either a three act or a five act plot, five is much more convenient (more room for plot to develope and insert twists, etc).
I therefor propose a structure of five acts with three chapters each. That's 45.000 words. Add a little here and there and you've got yourself a 50k novel. Ta daaah!:yay:

/Happy INTP is happy to have put this fuzzy thing into a structure


Now all I have to do is write it...
 
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