Opps- I seem to have signed up for NaNoWriMo

[SouthernandCross]

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

I moved onto another story haha and have done 4k on that one...might add them all together at the end ;)

I'm still going, am up to 22116 but done nothing today so far. Tis hard slog now, god knows how disenchanted i'll be by the end of the month!

Still going, still on schedule!

I'm just wondering whether I'm going to manage to finish the plot by the time the end of November comes round. At the moment, things are just ambling along and I have no idea what the dramatic finale to the story will be

I have a vague story plan with certain things happening in designated chapters, but have large gaps in my knowledge and am making up things left right and centre.
I have two possible endings and am not sure which one is going to end up happening!
Grendal's Mum, what's your book about?
Mine is about 10 year old girls, one in 2001 and one in 1901, who end up swapping lives. I'm thinking it'll end up being a kids book because no one else will want to read about kids that age.

I'm back. Work intervened and I got very little done last week. But I'm going to try to catch up this week.

SouthernCross - oh great, I love books which contrast people's lives now with people in the past.

I'm not entirely sure what my book is about. DH has kindly suggested that it's a bit like Philip Pullman's novels in terms of blending fantasy and sinister mystery, which I'm not sure is right, but is closer than any comparisons I've come up with in the past. That may also be a lesson to me not to repeat the mistakes that Philip Pullman always seems to me to make in his novels (i.e. 'oh, I need some kind of dramatic ending, let me just make my characters do or experience something really unlikely to get this novel to end...)

p.s. It will obviously be a best seller and make our fortunes when the film rights are sold. DH and I are looking forward to it - I've already let him know he can give up work when we're rolling in money due to my writing skills.

Grendel , I love Philip Pullman. Put me down for a read through of yours please.

Yeah! For some reason, being asked the magic question 'what's your book about' made me spend the day trying to work out what it is about, with the result that I now have an actual plot! Or at least, I know where we're going with the next part of the book - my character (who is rather naive / socially maladept) has misunderstood something she's been told, as a result in a sudden crisis will behave in a way which could be understood in two ways, and will either be simply sacked from her job, or perhaps be court marshalled, with the potential penalty of being shot at dawn. (DH thinks there should be more tension and so she should be in danger of death). What she doesn't know, as she's been bumbling round naively, is that there's a secret organisation who now assume that she is on their side, and will be trying to kidnap / rescue her.

I may well take you up on the offer of a read through when it's done and some basic editing has taken place.

Argh I am so tired and busy. I am bang on target for today, but that's after two days of very few words indeed. Unfortunately, over the weekend my son's been ill (inc. trip to out of hours doctor at hospital), I've had freelance to do, and a chapter to write for a competition-sorta-thingy, plus I'm really behind on my work.

I liked being ahead - I hate playing catchup. So I'm hoping that tomorrow I can get up to speed with my work and have a free evening for Nano again.

I've used up most the plot that I'd outlined, and beginning to worry about what I'm going to write when I've run out, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it...

Nearly halfway through now - we can do it!

Sorry to hear about your son, Hamster. Hope you're back on track soon.

I've just popped back to say I have discovered 'Write or die', which is an absolute miracle for overcoming a disinclination to write. I have managed vast numbers of words today, and even after dumping the absolute dross, I am comfortably in target again. Well worth trying!

Are people still going okay?

We just had a cheerful Week 3 mail from our local co-ordinator, saying that if you were still going in week 3 then you're sure to finish, and not to worry about being behind with word-counts, but just to add the extra on to the daily word goal.

I've just broken through the 30,000 word barrier, so I'm now on the downhill curve towards 50,000.

And something dramatic is just about to happen which is going to make things go hideously wrong for my protagonist.

Well done for hitting 30k GrendelsMum, I'm still at a lowly 6k but it's all for fun

I'm still going, not done as much as been so busy this past week but hoping I can get more done over next four days. I've also slowed down as reached a bit of a boring bit to right about, trying to build up to the next big climax but I've struggled a bit but it'll come.
It says I'm due to reach 50,000 on the 30th if I carry on the way I am so happy with how I'm doing and hope I don't lose more time.

Cool, Grendels about that reassurance from your local co-ordinator. Ours is a bit grim, I think!
I'm up to 32708, so am pleased but have 3 days in town next week so may be struggling to maintain!

Great to hear that there are still other people still going on and still on target!

Best of luck, everyone.

Hi people - still going okay after the last weekend?

Don't leave me talking to myself on the thread - I need moral support!

Hi Grendal, what you up to?
I'm up to 41355 but am nearing the part of the plot where I have no idea whats going to happen. Am kind of looking forward to the rewrite. Do you think You've got enough to try and make a book out of it?

Oh, well done! So you're about 3000 ahead of target, then? I do recommend Write or Die as a way to get you through those sticky patches when you don't know what to write.

I really hope that the re-write will make a book out of it, definitely. On the other hand, I think I might need to join writing group or a creative writing course or something of the sort to get through that. I'd be very pleased to have a novel I can share generally with friends for their comments, and that's the aim for this year. Might have to take a bit of time off in January / February to work on that. Aargh - in some ways, writing's the easy bit. Editing's going to be the hard bit.

I have a friend who I'm going to send some bits over to for some advice when I get a lot further down the line. But that;s going to be months away.
The idea of creative writing classes scare me but I could definitely do with one!

That looks very useful - just the kind of person you want on your side. My mum has been reminding me that one of her cousins is now doing some kind of literary consultancy, having just retired as an editor, and that maybe I should get in touch with her.

YY, definitely time to wine and dine a distant cousin, I think!

Just checking in to say I'm still going....

yeah, me too. I'm not giving up now. 1000 words to go tonight though, yawn!

I'm still going, though having to battle myself to keep going.
The only time I get to write is around now and half the time I just want to go to sleep, everyone's keeping me busy.
I wont get much done over the next few days as working till 8 most nights but then I have four days off so will have to time to do extra.
Though think I have kept up with word count, just about!
I did a creative writing course last year with the OU and it was a great boost to the confidence, it's helped me discipline myself aswell.