NaNoWriMo 2014

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

Anyone else going to do it?

I thought I'd start the thread now as it's a good idea to do some thinking before you start so you can really hit the ground running in November.

For those who haven't done it before, the idea is to write 50k words of a new novel in November.

It's a good way to get motivated to get words down on paper, especially if you've always wanted to write a novel but never managed a whole one before.

There's an official website at NaNoWriMo.org where you can register if you want, but you don't have to.

Anyone?

500 words - it's a start!

I have 2000 words, though I'm usually much further ahead by now. It's half way through week 2 where I normally start to struggle. It's weird how this year I have more time to write but I'm less motivated.

I'm not too worried though as I know where I am going with the story, it's just getting them started on the way there that's the bother!

I'm on 3735 now :) I am having a similar problem but I'm trying to get the background/intro written in week one so I can start the actual plot in week 2.

It's funny isn't it how having more time just makes it easier to procrastinate. When I was at uni and had 2000 word essays to write in two or three evenings, I could bang them out no problem. But if I had an unexpected extra amount of time I could never make myself start until the last minute. I'm working the rest of the week, so I'll see how I get on from now on.

What do you hate about it, Bertie?

Ooooh Mumsnet AND NaNoWriMo! clearly this is the place to be in November!

I'm checking in at 5,218 words. I'm working with a loose idea I had several years ago, but I've created a new protagonist and don't really know what I'm doing after the next couple of scenes. We'll see.

I haven't taken part for several years, but I have won once and took part the years either side of that (maybe got around 15-20k each time). This is the first year I've had to work around a toddler and I'm starting my own business at the moment too, so this could get a bit hectic

I only have 2.5K. Reached my target on the first day and continued writing on the second, but I have a lot of stuff to research for an "on hold" work so not getting the time now.

Started the actual typing today (having just edited my notes yesterday) found it really tricky, I'm still not sure on a major plot point. It's like I have the premise but not the plot IYSWIM.

All of day 4 today. Turn out not to be sure about a major part of the mystery plot that I know has to be there, but where I have no idea what should happen in it.

I know the plot twist, so to speak, but not the part before the twist...

I'm behind schedule due to dentist and migraine and unexpected visit from friend.

Must work harder!

Oh, sorry to hear that, Tunip!

Day 6 and I'm still on schedule, although the most awful tripe is being produced. Still, I do think that Nano has the advantage that it can prod you to skip the dull scenes you might otherwise have written, and skip straight to the scene in which the heroine is beaten up in a dubious sports bar.

Well done! I'm way behind but there's still time to catch up.
I'm very much in favour of skipping dull scenes. Just jump straight to the next one where something interesting happens.

I'm on a not-very-impressive 6500 so far, but I do normally speed up as the story progresses, so I'm still hopeful.

I'm seriously behind schedule - not sure I'm going to catch up, I'm moving house the last week of November!

Well done everyone on the word counts.

I'm at an abysmal 500 as DD has apparently chosen November to be the month of NO SLEEP. I think I'm just going to have to "write" in my head while sitting in the dark trying to get her to sleep. Typing it all up can wait...

Oh, that's rubbish ekt55, hope she feels sleepier soon. I had some of my best ideas* for where the story should go next whilst waiting 2 hours for DS to fall asleep a couple of nights ago, thinking time is as valuable as writing at times.

I've gone from feeling a bit meh about my project to being excited about it after having a few good ideas for it. I still don't have a fleshed outline, but at least I've got a bit of conflict in mind. Previously it was the Harry Potter equivalent of Harry Potter going to an awesome wizard school and... nothing else interesting or exciting happening.

I've managed to get a little ahead of myself at 15,153 words last night.

*my analysis of how good these ideas are might be influenced by toddler and Nanowrimo induced sleep deprivation

Good luck, Ekt. It does work doing it like that. The first time I finished a draft was with a toddler and an incredible non-sleeping baby. I would spend most of the week writing in my head and then the moment they were both out of my hair I'd sit down and splurge entire chapters in one go. I've never typed so fast in my life.
(Now I'm in the super-luxurious position of having 3 kids at school, so if I can't get this done during the school day I have no-one to blame but myself.)

I've been stuck at 4k since last Tuesday :( Good to know it's not too late to catch up. Perhaps I'll have another shot at it tonight.

Do you need Write Or Die, Bertie? (Click 'try' to use the web-based version.)

I've finally made a start - 1069 words! So that only leaves me, ooh, 15000 words or so to catch up to where I should be at this point. Just couldn't get started at all with my first plot so I've started over with something new. Not really got much in the way of a plan which is not really how I like to write, but we'll see.

I've just started work on a new project with a very different theme, and it's not something for the splurging of words onto paper, so my word count is starting to slow down.

However, it's an interesting project and I think might potentially get somewhere over the next few months.

Still on target, though, due to having written more than needed in the first week...

Is that different from the thing you were going to do, Grendel?

3k today so I'm on 9.5k.

Been digging out my Truby and pondering my main character's moral and psychological needs.

It's lovely meeting interesting characters for the first time and you don't quite know what they're going to be like. I know my MC well because it's a sequel but when she meets new people I don't always know which way it's going to go.

Continuing on, working on the other project today as well.

Yes, this is a different project to the one I was going to do. That one feels like I need to sit back and read over what I've got to before I start splurging again, while the new project is quite different in feel.

I've got quite a bit written today, just over 9000 words in total now. I've got a week off work from tomorrow so hopefully I can catch up now story is flowing.

12.5k. In other words, where I should have been at the end of last week.