NaNoWriMo - what's it all about?

[Twine88]

I know roughly the idea behind it, but I wondered if anyone had actually taken part and had any thoughts to share?

My novel is already in excess of the 50k but, is still all over the place and needs much editing.

Any thoughts appreciated, even if you considered it and decided no.

[WriterByTheSea]

I love it!

Everyone is doing it!

You can do it with Everyone!

Even though people in your house might be cranky you are working on "that book" who cares? Your tribe awaits you!

And your tribe is transcending anyone who is cranky in their house, so you are all in that together!

And the calendar pages turn and days of the month are tick-ticking by, and you get excited and pressured and you get your BIC and work work work!

There are prizes!

You can order a cup with NANOWRIMO on it and take it to work and while everyone else is being mature and professional in your meetings, just drink your latte out of it, narrow your eyes at the NANOWRIMO written on the cup, and then lift your eyes to regard the rest of the room in true deserved superior fashion. Those people think they are so hot? ha ha they are not! They don't even know what NANOWRIMO means! Witness that they ask you that very question. You own this moment! The world is your oyster AND your Mercedes!

Go home and open your computer.
Connect with your tribe.
Set the cup by your keyboard.
Ooops, get up to go fetch some Starbucks cookie straws!
Yes! 5 straws! So what if they are 90 calories each!
Think of all the words you are going to type tonight!
A-ho!

Much the cookie straws and type a blazed trail into the starry night!
GO GO GO GO YOU!

[WriterByTheSea]

Ooops!
That should have said MUNCH the Starbucks Cookie Straws

hands out Starbucks Cookie Straws to all

We now resume our regularly scheduled programming. :)

[Csd17]

Schadenfreude NaNoWriMo is freeeee :-)

[Csd17]

I’d love to do it this year. I didn’t do it last year, I won the year before before didn’t get to 50k words the two years prior to 2015. I have an 8 week old baby and I’m not sure whether I have any creative ideassss in my mind.

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

Thank you Csd

That is my favourite price . . .

[bluehairnewhair]

I'm planning on doing this.

Excited but nervous...

[IHateYourCarpet]

I'm planning on giving it a go, it should give me a bit of a kick up the backside to actually make the time for writing again! I've been really slack in the last few years.

Plus, this year, the only thing that can distract me is labor! And I will be using it as an excuse for not finishing if he decides to put in an appearance before the end of November :)

[elfycat]

I'm fashionably late to the party...

This will be year 14. I have 13 'wins'. Some words I put together even made sense.

I love it (obviously). It's bonkers and creative. That's all I need in life.

IHateYourCarpet DD2 turns 7 on Nov 24th, and I completed 2010 - no excuse. Just please 1) get ahead and 2) really believe that quantity beats quality. Word count above content.

[Witchend]

Can we read other people's work on there? it sounds really interesting.

[RavenWings]

Not unless they choose to put up pieces for you to read afaik. There is a list of published NaNo books though!

[QuentinSummers]

I kinda want to do this, have an idea but no time.....

[RavenWings]

You can set your own goal. I know that Nano officially does 50,000 words, but people might choose to write 20,000 and join a group to encourage them and keep them on track. It's just what you make of it.

[BiglyBadgers]

I have heard of this before, but never tried it. I am now really tempted. I have a novel I have had floating about my head for a while. Written the odd short chapter, but no really got it going properly. I think I am just over thinking it and need a push as I usually pantser and just do short stories for my own amusement.

However, I have uni work to do and a quilt to sew. Maybe if I finished my essay for uni in the next couple of days (which is doable if I actually got my head down) and did some plot prepping (ok this is pushing it a bit) I could then concentrate on this for a month.

Mmm...tempting, but also scary...

[TheImpsBabyGhoul]

I’ve spent a lovely two hours reading up on this and I’m SO up for it.
I don’t have a title... or a fundamentally brilliant idea (yet).
Do you literally just write on Pages (or word? Would Pages work?!) and then save it and upload onto the site.

I need to register in the next day or two yes?

[RavenWings]

You save it yourself (and back up!! I've read some horror stories) and then you upload to the site as a word counter. It doesn't save your novel afaik.

If you're stuck for ideas, sign up and there is a lovely Adoption Forum, where people give away plots they can't or won't use

I'm currently terrified of it all but very excited!

[TheImpsBabyGhoul]

That’s a really lovely idea, an adoption forum! I think I’ll sit down with a glass of red and have a mooch through it tonight :) :) oh I’m really excited!

[TheImpsBabyGhoul]

It was a thread in baby names that made me even google NaNoWriMo, I had literally never even heard of it!

[RavenWings]

That's probably me @theimps - it's the about 9 year old girl names? I haven't nailed down the names yet, but getting closer...

[RavenWings]

Jaysus - it's the one about 9 year old girl names! This is not a promising nano start

[BiglyBadgers]

I just signed up!

I have spent the time while washing up and making bread sorting out some of the initial plot issues in my head. Hoping I will get a bit of time to write up a bit of a plan tonight. It means I have to get my uni essay drafted tomorrow and Tuesday, so I'm not stressing about that as well.

This is almost certainly a terrible idea that I do not have the time for right now. Oh well...

[TheImprobableGirl]

It's the end of half term here, and I've just bought myself a lovely new MacBook so I'm all over the typing front
Back to my normal (non-spooky) name now too which is also my newly signed up NaNoWriMo name too.

Yes it was the one about 9 year old names, thought there was some good ideas! I quite thought something like Cassiopeia-Persephone would fill up the word count quite well!

Is there a place where you can add 'friends' that you can sort of keep track of (in a non-stalkery way). Feel free to add me if so!

[southeastdweller]

TheImprobable What word processing app do you use on your Mac? I use IA Writer but thinking of going with Scrivener.

[BiglyBadgers]

Cassiopeia is a lovely name. I once started a SF story with a character called Cassiopeia, though not the one I am doing for NaNo. Going for full on fantasy this time.

My NaNo name is JeepersMcCoy, feel free to wave if you see me on the site.

I just use Google docs. It's easy to then be able to access stuff where ever. I did use Evernote for a while, but can't see it gives me anything Google docs doesn't. I confess I am at heart a pantser, so just like to splurge stuff out. My current planning for this is just a selection of bullet point lists of characters, general plot points, and stuff that needs to happen at some stage. The rest is all in my head.

[RavenWings]

It is a great name. I'm still flip flopping on the name, so I've decided to hang on to Clarissa for the moment and just see when inspiration hits for the real name! There are great suggestions on the thread, I need to sit down and pair them up properly...

Will add you both on nano!

[TheImprobableGirl]

To be honest Southeast I haven't used any so far!

I was going to have a google and see what to download, I assume Pages will not cut the bill then

I think I've entered an untitled un-genred novel, but I was hoping to dance the SciFi/Fantasy line, I need some more subplots but hoping that will come to me later on!

Will find you Badgers, it says I need some Buddies - at the moment I just have a photo so am a bit backwards with the whole thing!