Mumsnet Talk

Does anyone else want to join me?
Failing that, has anyone else done it and managed the 50 000 words?

I'm halfway through mine, Southern. Do you have to start a new novel for this?

It seems you have start a new novel for this.
Reasons here

I did it 2 years ago, and might do it again this year. It's really good for finding the discipline to stick to churning out your 1667 words a day for 30 days.

I found it helped to have an outline of the plot, and what was going to happen in each chapter. I didn't stick to it, but it at least gave me a framework for the novel, and stopped me writing myself into a corner where I didn't have a clue what was going to happen next.

I still haven't finished updating the story -but that's another problem.

I'm doing it this year. I did it last year and reached just over 50,000 words.
This year I've got an assignment due beginning of November and one mid December so don't think I'll reach the 50,000 but I enjoyed it so much last year and don't want to miss out.

I started really well last year but then had trouble finding time to carry on and in the end just got to 50,000 a day before the end.
I've got a few ideas for what I want to write this time so not sure which one to go with.

Plenty of people cheat and go with something they've already started, I like to start with something fresh though, it gets the draft done quick and then I can come back to it later and rearrange and edit it.

My names jomac79 on there if anyone wants to add me as a writing buddy.

Oh cool, I will add you. I'm Kiwican.

I have participated four times and 'won' three of those. I'm not participating this year as I will have a two month old baby! It's a great thing to do, I've enjoyed it thoroughly and I'm hoping to do it again in the future. Good luck to all of you who are giving it a go.

I'm going to check it out. I've just finished one novel and am thinking about a sequel. It's taken me so long to write the first one, that I can't remember how I got started, so this might be just what I need...

thinking about joining... I have one in gestation: idea, characters, location, story all there but haven't actually written it yet. I have one book under my belt and it took ions. Determined to get the next one out quickly and been meaning to do NaNoWriMo for years! Thanks for the prompt. I love the idea of communal commitment

I've signed up but I am only going in with a vague Idea... It is going to start with a murder...

That's all I know

What ideas are you going in with?

I think I've finally decided what I'm going to go with.
I'm going to do something simple (or simpler than usual), a coming of age type story as I'm not going to have much time.
That's about as far as I've planned so far though, but might base it on events that happened when I was fourteen, something I've been encouraged to write about before.

I have the beginning of a plot, and maybe an ending. Not sure whats going to happen in the middle though...

I'd love to do Nano this year but am unsure if I can manage it. I'm finishing up an old story now but don't know if I'll complete it in time to plan another one for November 1st (I'm a planner so if I just jump in, I flail).

I've done NaNo a few times before and have completed it about 50% of the time. You do need to be very disciplined and work hard, and this would be my first attempt with a toddler to look after!

You're not supposed to do it with stories that are already in progress, but they don't check so if you fancy signing up for the encouragement etc I say go for it.

I'm entering again this year. I started last year but my sister arrived from oz 1 week in and I needed to spend time with her as I hadn't seen her in a few years so my writing time was seriously cut short and I got about a 5th of the way through in the end. I have to say though that I loved the whole feel of November last year, sitting in coffee shops with a hot chocolate and my laptop, or scribbling away in a notebook on the bus etc. I'm doing it this year as, although I am self employed I have a lot of gaps in between clients and a nice quiet office to work from
I only really started thinking about it last week though, so have no outline or plot, no characters or locations...I'm going to just bash it out on the keyboard and see what develops.

I did it last year but had a long-term health problem flare up during the middle, so I didn't complete it. I did reach 35,000 words with, which I was very happy at. I had an idea and just ran with it.

What I was left with gave me the premise for a crime novel, a good main character and a good victim.

I put it aside as I had had another writing project to do - something I was professionally commited to - but I am now ready to do something properly with my crime novel. I need to start over though.

So I am plotting it properly and researching it this month, and then will do NaNo to try and get 50k 'proper' words done, starting from the beginning.

Like NewPatches I loved the whole feel of doing it last year and I really enjoyed the support on our MN Nano thread.

I had an awesome idea last night and planned to expand and research this morning, but I had some crazy dream last night and have forgotten my idea!!!!

I wonder if Coldridge felt like this mid Kubla Kahn... Maybe I should turn to drugs

So has everyone been planning? I can't write fast without an outline so I'm trying to crack mine nice and early but am making slow progress. Using litlift.com and excel to track it at the mo!

I've sketched out an idea for each of 10 chapters and plan to spend 3 days on each. I bet it doesn't work out that way!!!

I'd like to do it this year. There are many reasons why it's a terrible time to take part, but then when is a good time, really?!

I need to decide which of my two totally unoriginal ideas to go with.

1) YA supernatural romance involving faeries and English boarding schools

2) a psychological thriller in which the narrator is gas lighted

Any thoughts?

I might give this a go. Gincognito, they both sound good to me.

Hamster - I'm a planner too (or rather, a reformed flailer). I've sketched out a plot, and this week am meeting with research contacts. I hope to be able to go flying out of the traps when the starter's pistol is fired next Tuesday!

Gah, yes, November is NEXT TUESDAY

Yes I have sketched out a plot. I'm not sure how it is going to end - which is probably a mistake. I haven't written regularly for over a year now, so if I can't do it for NaNo, I'll know I'm never going to do it.

I will have lots of gaps in my knowledge that need filling if I'm going to write my story. I have a friend who knows about such things and she said to make up stuff as you go along but put it in italics .That way you'll easily find what you need to go back to and research once NaNoWriMo is over.
LetTheSlaughter, I think I'm slightly more in favour of the gaslighting one but only because I loathed boarding school. I'd go with whatever one you feel would be the most fun to write.
OneHand, I have two possible endings in my head but have no idea which one to go for. I think one will become more probably as the story goes on and when it comes to write that final chapter, I'll know what's going to happen.

A boarding school is a good device, though, because it creates a situation where children aren't being supervised by their parents (or at all, if it's a school like mine) so it can make for a really good story.