NaNoWriMo

[CuffsAndCollar]

Hello, is anyone doing NaNoWriMo next month? Am thinking I might, but a bit challenged time wise right now!

NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. The challenge is to write a novel of 50, 000 words in 30 days. If you sign up to the site you can enter what you've written daily and log a total word count, but it's not necessary. No one checks or reads what you wrote, and nothing happens to the finished book, it's just a way of motivating yourself to write. I did it a few years ago, it's a very interesting challenge if nothing else, and best case scenario is you get a first draft of a novel done that you can continue working on.

I think the website check-in is an accountability thing I guess.

I wrote a different YA novel last year and used write-track to motivate myself- it's a goal-setting app where you log how much you write. It worked for me and I wrote my first draft in about 6-8 weeks. NaNo is just bigger and has lots of participants to encourage you I guess.

Sounds interesting Imperial- is it going to be very dark? I've always read children's books and since I wrote a YA novel I've read even more. I love them- it's that time of change and possibility/dread that can inspire so many types of novels I think.

I'm going to do it.
I have no plot and no solid ideas, I'm just going to write and see what happens. I usually plot and plan so this is new for me.

I have signed up for the first time this year, I have no idea when I will find time to write about 1600 words every day, getting up even earlier I suppose!

I'm going to give it a go. I don't have much hope that I'll be very productive though - I have a 5 month old, I haven't written properly for a good few years, and I've no idea what to write about. Hah! I'll give it a whirl...

Yes I'm going to do it again this year. I've done it twice before and got to about 30,000 words each time. This year I'd really like to make it to 50-60,000 so that I can work right the way through my book. I have a dreadful habit of writing half a book and then falling out of love with it/in love with a different idea, so I junk it half written.

It is really the having the ideas part I like - I can't be bothered with the slog of actually working through the whole thing. Bt I'll never finish a book unless I do!

It's getting closer.....

Worryingly close!

Hi all,

I'm doing this year (I've done a few now) and for a change I have planned. I usually only have the vaguest of ideas and a sort-of ending to aim for, a first-class pantser.

This year was supposed to be an attempt at romance but my characters will probably flirt mildly by the end. There's plenty of mythological/fairy realm critters to fight off. I might go visit a beach in Norfolk tomorrow where I want the story to end... but pics on the internet might do if the weather is too bad.

Oh god, it's tomorrow! I need a plot!

Oh the relief - it's the day after tomorrow - I have another day!

Lol @ Imperial

Panic postponed til tomorrow!

I read somewhere you need to do 1840 words a day. It might be unlikely interesting to work to that. I have the idea but no structural outline. I'm going to aim to write write write and then at least I'll have something to work with at the end. This will be good for me because usually I can't help but edit as I go. I hate looking at bad words & sentences but I'll need to get over that.

Anyone else anticipate any problems? Maybe if we identify them beforehand we can knock them on the head.

I'm splitting hairs, but technically it's 1, 667 words a day - 50,000 words over 30 days.

My tips on getting to the end:

-Don't fall behind by more than a day if you can. Once you're a few thousand words behind it can seem very daunting. If you do fall behind, split the deficit up over a few days and work out what word count you need to do to get back on track.

• Use absolutely any spare time to write. Don't wait for 'perfect' time, there isn't enough of it when you have a job or kids - write in lunch breaks, on the bus etc. I wrote bits into emails at work and sent them to myself. Even if you bang out 200 words in a lunch break it's 200 less to write that evening.

• You HAVE to tell that inner editor to sod off. Some days it will feel like you're writing utter nonsense, and sometimes you will be! But if you force yourself to push through it you'll occasionally get usable ideas from the utter nonsense.

• When you reach your target for the day, often you're likely to be at your most creative as your thoughts are flowing and you feel good about hitting your target. Use that buzz to write a couple of bullet point notes about what you're going to write tomorrow. Starting cold each day was the hardest bit for me, so a couple of ideas to get me going was useful.

Ahhh only 1,667 words a day! So much more doable!

Great advice Art, especially not falling more than a day behind. So easy to do as well.

Oh yay I can do this with mumsnetters, thank goodness!

Have not nano-attempted in about five years. Have no plot, no real ideas beyond one scene, which had better be the opener I suppose Waiting to get the small person to bed, and then it will be all systems procrastinate...

Have decided I will NaNo, even though it's a second draft.

Zero so far but that's because I don't get to write on Sundays and this morning was busy!

It's day two, I've got 5,000 words. So far so good. What I am writing is very rough, but I like the focus on upping the word count. I'm hoping it'll stop me doing what I have done countless times before where I just draft and redraft the first few chapter forever... Or when I write thousands of words of plot notes but never write the actual novel.
How's everyone else getting on?

That's brilliant, Dietcherrycola!

I have about 50 words..............................

Anyone else?

Ummm...

2757 here. Hope to do a bit more later today.
I spent ages doing a cover picture- only to have it miss 2 letters off my title because I took the photo in landscape not portrait- it says 'Word Wit' instead of 'Word Witch'

I managed about 2400 words yesterday but that was with an unexpected 3 child free hours. Not sure what I will get done today with work getting in the way (says she, on MN whilst sat at work....)

1703 yesterday evening ... as always, waiting for bedtime to do any more. Fingers crossed inspiration comes along too, as I wrote myself into a hole last night - impressive for only day 1!

I haven't done anything. I've been wasting time gloating over the Historical Novel Society having reviewed my book.
Lest you think this is a derail, I think I am allowed to mention it because it was my 2012 NaNo, so it just goes to show what NaNo can lead to!

Do you have a plot yet Imperial?

I have lots of bits of plot but I can't see how they can make one plot!

It's fantastic you got that review. Well done. Can I link to it?