NaNoWriMo

**Amethyst Star** · 10-20-2008 05:27 PM

www.nanowrimo.org

(Inter)National Novel Writing Month: During the month of November, the goal is to write a 50,000+ word story, or roughly 175 pages. Basically you start on November 1st and go until midnight on the 30th (or until you finish) and just write. The emphasis is on starting and finishing a work of fiction, so you don't really have to worry about editing or proofreading until the project is over. Last year over 100,000 people signed up to do this and around 15,000 people actually succeeded at passing the 50K word mark.

I heard about this either last year or the year before and I'm thinking that this year I'll actually try and do it. With all the writing I've done, I've never really finished anything other than a couple of short-stories, and since the goal of NNWM is output, it would be a good exercise in patience and perseverance.

My only fear is that I'll revert back to my old habits and spend time chatting on DV when I should be writing!

So right now I'm working on an outline (something I never do), so that when it comes time to actually write it, I won't have to waste a bunch of time trying to figure out how to get from point A to point B at two o'clock in the morning. I remember it was hard enough writing a seven-page short story for the SS Challenge back in April, so I'm going to try and make this as painless as possible.

Is anyone else going to participate? It'd be kind of fun to know someone else who's shutting themselves away from society for a month in order to torture themselves with paper and pen! Anyone?

**GestaltAlteration** · 10-20-2008 06:04 PM

Arggh you beat me to making the Nano post!

I'm a 2006 and 2007 Nanowrimo winner and I'm set to do it again this November. The event is some of the most fun I've ever had made ever better by meeting with local write-in groups in my community. Oh, and the truck-load of coffee!

I'm really glad to see you doing this, Ame. We'll have a lot of fun.

I'm "Chigun" on nanowrimo.org forums.

**Amethyst Star** · 10-20-2008 06:11 PM

Awesome! I haven't signed up, yet, but I'll probably do that tonight. I don't know if anyone in my hometown will be doing this, so any write-ins will probably include me sitting at a coffee shop all day trying to catch up for the days I missed

So, did you do anything with your stories after finishing them?

**GestaltAlteration** · 10-20-2008 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by Amethyst Star

Awesome! I haven't signed up, yet, but I'll probably do that tonight. I don't know if anyone in my hometown will be doing this, so any write-ins will probably include me sitting at a coffee shop all day trying to catch up for the days I missed

So, did you do anything with your stories after finishing them?

That's all right. I might not be able to go to many write-ins this time either. It's still extremely fun.

Unfortunately right now my past Nano stories serve only as a gauge to my improvement over a year's time. My first attempt especially is such a pile of horse manure that not even the angels above could save it from its rightfully doomed place. Last year was almost good enough to be improved, rewritten a thousand times and (possibly) submitted for publishing. I hit 50,000 before the story was finished and unfortunately never completed it.

This year my goal is to finish the story even if I have to write 75,000 words. The funny thing is I still have no idea what the story is going to be about...

Eh, I have eleven days lmao.

Finally, it is very common to do anything other than writing during November. I find myself with more free time than ever as I avoid sitting down and getting words completed. So yes, we might see eachother a lot in DV chat.

**Kushna Mufeed** · 10-20-2008 06:29 PM

How much longer than 50k words can the story be?

I have a story I could write.

It'll be a rewrite of a story I've had in mind since long before I wrote it. I used the childrens' story assignment in my Writer's Craft course as an opportunity to get it out. It has so much more potential.

http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dd8v2zmj_22gsjqrwcg

Well, I guess I have my outline finished :p

One step ahead of you Ame

I'll sign up on the NaNo forums under Kushna Mufeed.

**GestaltAlteration** · 10-20-2008 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by Kushna Mufeed

How much longer than 50k words can the story be?

Some people attempt 100,000 word goals during November. In other words, it can be as long as you want it to be.

Or you can complete 50,000 words in November and finish the story in December or sometime after. You just need to make sure you actually do this instead of stuffing it under the couch like I did.

**Original Poster** · 10-20-2008 07:51 PM

Last time I just tried to churn out 30,000 because I was so SICK of what I was writing. The experience inspired me for a real book though, which I haven't started yet but it's developed into a trilogy and each book is at least 500,000 words of events I've already thought of, so it's a much bigger project than anything I attempted before. I've used all year carving it into something perfect, and it's still not done yet, but in November I'm just going to start writing about it. I don't care what the narration style is or how I write it, I just need to get some words on it.

**Amethyst Star** · 10-21-2008 12:08 AM

Originally Posted by Kushna Mufeed

One step ahead of you Ame

I'll sign up on the NaNo forums under Kushna Mufeed.

See ya there!

**Amethyst Star** · 10-23-2008 09:33 PM

I started to tell my sister about NaNoWriMo, and it turns out someone had already told her about it and so she's going to try it out as well!

She's written her own songs, but she hasn't really written stories, at least not that I know of.

Small world!

**GestaltAlteration** · 11-01-2008 09:44 AM

Game on.

**Amethyst Star** · 11-01-2008 07:48 PM

Wahoo!!!

2874 down... a lot more to go. This story's going to be longer than I anticipated.

**Snowy Egypt** · 11-02-2008 03:52 PM

WoooooHooooo!! I sighed up last night! I'm Snowy Egypt as usual.

I don't know how long my story will be, but I didn't get very far last night. So I need to start right now!

*starts writing*

**hungrymanz** · 11-02-2008 11:45 PM

I wish I had time for nonsense like this, but all my spare time is filled. I envy you guys.

**Amethyst Star** · 11-03-2008 12:13 AM

As of 3am last night, I was at 9400. (I had to stay up and make sure the phones at some of the locations my place of employment services took the time change. 2am... it's been a while since I've been up at that time.)

Time for day 2... more or less.

EDIT: I'll look ya up, Snowy. Good luck with your own story!

EDIT: As of 6:40pm, I'm up to 12353. Only another 2647 more words to reach my goal for today!

**Man of Steel** · 11-04-2008 03:51 AM

I wonder if it's too late to sign up? I decided I didn't have the time, with a lot of other stuff needing doing this month...but I might still give it a shot.

**GestaltAlteration** · 11-04-2008 04:28 AM

It's not too late to sign up. You could probobly even catch up relatively soon. By November 4th the minimum goal you want to be at to get 50,000 is 6,656 words (1,667 words per day). Being behind that isn't a problem. Some days you'll write more than others.

So join already will ya

You might have problems getting on nanowrimo.org... since it's down most of the time due to insane trafic. Just start writing.

**Man of Steel** · 11-04-2008 08:01 AM

Joined, but still haven't started writing yet... I'm in DV Chat.

My outline is that I have no outline, just 5-8 characters with 5,000-10,000 words devoted to each and a bit to a narrative entity, none of the characters know each other, have nothing in common whatsoever...except whatever ties them together at the end. Pretty much my usual style: write what comes to mind, to hell with an outline.

**Original Poster** · 11-04-2008 11:52 AM

Everybody dies in my story

**Snowy Egypt** · 11-04-2008 02:24 PM

Star, I'm glad you're doing better than me. I'm WAY behind. I blame DV....

....And Youtube.

**Amethyst Star** · 11-06-2008 07:23 PM

I'm hoping to get another 10K done on Saturday. I'm definitely not behind with word count, but I am as far as chapter progression. Still can't seem to finish chapter 2! I'll get it done tonight, though, if it kills me.

I need to figure out how to make it more interesting, though. The real conflicts don't start until chapter 5 and I'll probably be up to about 24K word by then. Meh.

**Original Poster** · 11-06-2008 08:34 PM

yay 5k!

I'm awesome!

**GestaltAlteration** · 11-06-2008 09:14 PM

Yeah I'm behind too.

**Man of Steel** · 11-07-2008 12:08 AM

I haven't even started writing yet. I'm not even positive I'm going to follow my outline.

**GestaltAlteration** · 11-07-2008 04:23 AM

Good lord, man! Are you bananas? Get writing.

**Kushna Mufeed** · 11-07-2008 04:32 AM

Gah! No time!

Damned midterms.

Maybe when I graduate...

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