NaNoWriMo

[EmpressOfTheGoldFlames]

Hello

Is anyone doing NaNoWriMo this year?
I'm going to start it at least & hopefully finish it. I've got characters swirling around in my head at the moment & some glimpse of a possible plot...

[Wilding]

I'm definitely doing this again - only managed 10k last year

I'll be working away at the start of November and should have lots of free time so hopefully I can actually get it done this time!

[KinkyandGhoulishDorito]

I did about 4k Wilding...

[Engelsemama]

Have been thinking about this for a few years and would love to give it a go this year. 50k is a scary amount of words though!

[Penelope1980]

I have decided to sign up as well - just finished the third draft of one other novel and need to move on to something else before I go barmy. Where do you actually "sign up"?

[Penelope1980]

Actually decided to stop being lazy and googled it Yay this is exciting! Thanks engels for reminding me about it in another thread!

[Engelsemama]

Okay, have signed up. 50,000 words! eek!

Have dusted off my Ready, set novel! that I bought last year and has been gathering dust ever since. I am well and truly starting from scratch so need to get cracking with some preparation so I'll be ready to go on November 1st.

Great to see a familiar face pen

My NaNo username is IBelieveInEngels if anyone wants to "buddy" me

[FlyingAardvark]

I've found each year that when I start writing I can quickly get a couple of thousand of words out on the momentum of writing something new. Somewhere near the beginning I'll struggle along a bit but then I'll get into the flow of it and it's amazing how many words you can get out, then I'll get to about 40,000 and struggle along for the last week again and just hit 50000 in the last couple of days with my competitiive streak not letting me get any less.
I think if I actually stuck to my outline and didn't stray out of it until I'm just rambling on, I'd probably not struggle near the end so much.
I've still only got a few loose ideas and nothing solid yet. I've got an assignment due in on the 30th Oct, trying to get it in a little earlier so I can concentrate on Nano (which is a lot more exciting!)

[Penelope1980]

How's everyone going with the planning? i have started a rough outline, although suspect that once I start going it will be thrown out.

[Penelope1980]

How do you add a writer buddy? Can't for the life of me figure it out.

[BustyDeLaGhetto]

I'm in there like swimwear. I'm working on an existing story and hoping to use NaNoWriMo to get it completed. I struggled last year as had some health problems but this year I feel supercharged.

If you want to buddy up, I'm Lucky Violet.

[Alameda]

Hello! Am doing nanowrimo for the first time, have joined the London fb group even though is miles away. On the nanowrimo site I'm 'themingechronicles' (might write Adventures With My Minge) but haven't set up much of a profile yet.

[FlyingAardvark]

Penelope1980 you have to find the person and then click on 'add as buddy' on their profile.
Finally know what I am doing and have a loose outline now, even know how I want it to end for a change.
Will add some people as buddies so if you see 'jomac79' it is me.

[Penelope1980]

And I'm onecabbagetree !

[Engelsemama]

Weekend away at sister's wedding, nasty cold and ill DS scuppered my plans to get cracking on an outline and get ahead with all my schoolwork in time to get cracking on Thursday.

Have lots of ideas - just need to get them down and organised, but reckon that my first NaNoWriMo is going to produce a real mish mash of a novel for me!

Have added everyone who has listed their nanowrimo name on this thread. Hoping you can keep me motivated ladies!

[EmpressOfTheSevenScreams]

I've got a rough idea of my plot & I know my two lead characters fairly well - that's about it!

[Penelope1980]

Thanks for adding me, ladies Now I need to start planning how too start ... although have a holiday planned this weekend so may start a bit behind. Hmmm.

[Engelsemama]

Still working on outline [hshock] (and waiting for DS to go to bed so I can get more done [hgrin] ).

[EmpressOfTheSevenScreams]

DD's gone trick or treating with her mates and I'm about halfway through my list of what's happening in each chapter, although I'm trying to do it at same time as cleaning the fridge.

[Penelope1980]

My plan runs out of steam a little about 2/3 of the way through ... so hopefully by the time I get to then I have more of an idea and my novel doesn't run out of steam as well

[EmpressOfTheSevenScreams]

Mine goes up to about halfway through, I think, I'm hoping by then the momentum will just keep me going!

[FlyingAardvark]

Sent my assignment off yesterday, and pretty much finished my outline for nano, just want to spend a bit more time on my main character.

I'm raring to go but have loads to do tomorrow and friday but hopefully will get plenty done in the evenings.

[Engelsemama]

Overview finished but have no idea if I have enough for 50,000 words [hhmm]

Had some brainwaves on the drive home tonight so have added a fair few ideas just today (and some new characters).

Next year I am definitely going to start thinking about this earlier in October!

No way I am starting at the stroke of midnight though. Am up at 6.30 tomorrow for a day teaching, but will be raring to go once I get home and DS is fed and in bed

[GrendelsMum]

Count me in! I've done it successfully for the past 3 years, so I'll be aiming to do it again this year. Maybe even go for 60,000 for the first draft if I'm feeling ambitious? I've done no planning, but it's a sequel to the novel I've been working on so far, and so I have some ideas of a couple of things that might happen.

I'll go round and add people as buddies on the Nanowrimo forums.

[EmpressOfTheSevenScreams]

Any tips, GrendelsMum?

[GrendelsMum]

Mmm - let me see...

The first thing is to tell everyone that you're doing it. Then tell them how far along you are. Make your colleagues / friends ask you how it's going.

Tell your family that you must do your word count every day, and mean it. Explain to visiting relatives that they can come and visit in November, but they will need to occupy themselves for a morning while you write.

I have a spreadsheet where I record target word counts and actual word counts. Then I record word counts in the Nanowrimo online counter and watch my graph of numbers curve up steadily.

When you get stuck, ask yourself 'what's the worst thing that could happen to these people at this moment?' and then have that happen. You can keep going for ages like that.

'Write or die' is a wonderful online tool for overcoming the tendency to procrastination. Sit down, tell it you want to write for 30 mins, say, and then get on with it.

Mark out key moment (e.g. 25% done, 50% done, 75% done) and celebrate them with cake and wine.

Accept that the house will be messier for the duration of November, and that meals will consist of more beans on toast than usual. That's fine.

Plan a party for December! Tell everyone why you're celebrating and make them drink a toast to your success.

And finally - this is a draft. It doesn't have to be well written, or have a plot that hangs together entirely, or have consistent characters. The aim (for me at least) is to get a sizeable first draft of a novel down on paper, ready to improve over the rest of the year.

HTH!