Nanowrimo

[Fivechatchacha]

Has anyone done this before? How did you find it? Is anyone planning on doing it this year. I'd really like to give it a bash. Think it would be good to do some pre-planning and get off to a good start.

I did it last year.

I knew I would never get round to writing at any length unless I had a deadline and something to hold me accountable. And in that respect it worked really well.

Physically I found it tough, though. Last November I was working long hours, so I didn’t start writing til 9 or 10pm most days, and then would write til 1 in the morning, wake up the next day at 5.45am, rinse and repeat.

Something magical did happen about a week in, though. I stopped having to force myself to concentrate and write, and when I sat down words just started flowing out of me! I had some of my best ideas ever in that month. I’m definitely planning to do it again this year, and I work a lot less now so I should even be able to do it without physically breaking myself

That's really interesting. It sounds incredibly tough on top of such long work hours. I'm hoping to write in the evenings after work and once kids are in bed but will need to see if I can summon up the motivation. I've got a couple of ideas but just not sure how easy it'll be to get it all down.

I've done it the last two years. It's actually quite fun once you're into the swing of things, and I completed around day 26, which feels very satisfying!
I can write a couple of thousand words, if I know roughly what I'm writing, fairly quickly, so it wasn't too time consuming.

The first time I only decided the night before what I was writing, so it was a case of planning the next chapter each day and writing it in the evening. Last year I rewrote something I'd started, and managed to finish.
This year I've got a plan.

What I do find is, don't spend too long agonising over a passage that isn't right. You have to just write. If you tend to edit as you go along, then you'll find you get bogged down.
I would read through the previous day chapter, and allow myself to do SPAG or small changes, but not major rewrites.

The website is changing at the moment,

Giving it a go this year for the first time, not sure what to expect. As my user name implies I am usually at sea, so November has been difficult for me and I am not motivated enough to pick another month. Has anyone been in contact with people locally doing the same?

Good luck everyone 🤞

I started off doing it with a couple of friends, but they only lasted about a week each. The trick is finding other people who really want to do it.

If you have a plan it would probably only take an hour or two a day. I put in around 3 hours most days but that included quite a lot of research. If that had been done beforehand I think I could have halved it. The time isn’t the hardest part, it’s having the discipline to sit down and write every day, no matter what.

I’d definitely recommend it. It is a challenge, but a really fun one

Ooh I want to do it this year. cake I was on your other thread but keep name changing.

I think having a plan is key. I’ve actually started a new book as (as I have told cake) I got so frustrated with people not coming back to me after full requests. I estimate I’ll be about 30k in if new book and have it well planned so I COULD get a first draft finished before Christmas! It took me six years to write my first book so six months for a first draft would be a great improvement!

I've done Nano a few times over the years - looking back I think I did my first one in 2004! Haven't done it for a long time though.

It works best with a new story idea, a plan if you're a planner, loads of time, commitment and either getting involved with the forum or knowing people who do it in real life.

When I've succeeded I've been very enthusiastic and had a great outline, and people to check in with to keep me going.

When I've failed I've got lost in the story, or realised it wasn't working and didn't have time to stop and fix it, and I wasn't doing it 'with' anyone so it was easy to just get up.

tbh I got burned out a few times - 1,667 words a day is doable but it's when you miss a day here or there that it gets tricky. I might do Nano again one day if I had a really solid outline for a new idea, but the last five years or so I've always been in the middle of something else when it's come along!

My online penfriend told me about NaNoWriMo. She's onto it fourth row already and now she trying to motivate me to join.
Not sure that I'll attend this time, but they have NaNo-camp and corses and else so maybe next year I'll try it.

Anyone else doing this? I'm unemployed and bored at the moment so think it's the perfect year for me.

Bump

I'm thinking of doing it. I have a writing deadline for work of 31 October so should have a bit of time in November.

I'm going to do it this year. I need to start and I feel ready. I'll finish my planning on time.

I'm due to start maternity leave mid November. I'll have the evenings until I start, and then I'll be able to write during the day (when DS is at school). If I complete the challenge, I'll be in a better place to finish it on the other side of childbirth.

Good luck everyone . I've always imagined myself writing in the Autumn (pathetic, I know...). I've no real dedicated writing space at home, but I've got laptop, a window to the rain/leaves and decaf on tap.

I'm on my 8th year of NaNo. This year I'm breaking with my tradition of horror and writing humour/satire. The subject is Resident Collie and it's her life story from her point of view (so fantasy could be more accurate) plus a handy guide to etiquette for young collies.

I'm also going to give it a go this year. Have a vague outline of story and characters but lots on tomorrow so hope to make a good start Saturday/Sunday!!

Today's the day! Unfortunately I'm not going to get a lot written today as I have to be somewhere but I'm hoping to get my head down this evening.

Right! (I just really struggled with writing the word ‘right’ properly due to autocorrect, this does not bode well).

I haven’t got my outline finished as well as I wanted to but still jumping in on a book where I’ve already written 25k.

Actually on holiday right now (Irish half term, in a bleak cold resort where everyone’s tempers are fraying). So might not get enough done but we’ll see.

Let’s stay accountable, good luck Louisa.

And you claude!

I started at midnight and wrote 1500 words before I was too tired, and went to bed at 1:30am. Not sure how much more time I'll get to write today, but hoping I'll be able to double it.

I am doing it, I have an idea for a novel and I have started but, I need to restart it. Last year, I went to meetups but, it's just not viable for me this year. I have a title and a sketchy plot.

Wow witchend that's very good going! I've been out all day but I'll get some words down this evening

That's a great start Witchend!
I've managed 2000 words this morning!
How is everyone else doing?

Not a good start. I sat down yesterday and got all excited but then lost all enthusiasm. However all hope is not lost some suggested an app called fighters block. You set a word count and basically write until you finish unless the monster get you first. Sounds silly but it's helped me.

Managed 250 words so far. Aiming to write another 1600 today.

Didn't finish my work writing so won't be able to start until Tues!

I'm on NaNo number 10 this year, which I'm quite proud of. (Also done 2 Camp NaNos a year since 2012, proud of those too.)

As usual, no real plan. Trying to write around 5yo DD and 16mo DS. Last year she was at school and I could put him in front of the washing machine and get 10mins that way, not so much this time! So it's frantic writing during nap time and when they go to bed. It felt so hard before DC!

The new website is lovely and shiny but some of my progress is missing from previous years and I can't quite relax knowing it's wrong!

Good luck everyone!

Hi all hope it's ok to jump on.

I'm doing my first Nanowrimo. Got to about 4,000 words so far but my challenge will be persisting throughout the month.

Am starting a brand new story, the idea came to me about a month ago. My first book is only seven chapters long but I've been pondering about how to develop it for five years now so it seems sensible to just start a new project from scratch.

Good luck, everyone!