Welcome to MuNoWriMo 2022! Why not start/finish/edit your manuscript with us?

[cloudmessenger]

Good morning @Iceniii @MargaretThursday @TheCountessofFitzdotterel @StellaOlivetti @Drybird2020 @Hippywannabe @britneyisfree @snowqu33n @dogsdogsgods @loveisagirlnameddaisy @vivariumvivariumsvivaria @BearWoman @Snow1n @toomuchfaster @samvimesboots @Ylfa @52andblue @Dellabob123 @AintNoPartyLikeANumber10Party @Superwomble @FledglingFountainPen @IShouldBeWriting

It's the 1st of February, and Day 1 of Mumsnet Novel Writing Month 2022.

Check in here daily for moral support and chat about your writing process.

The idea is to keep one another focussed on completing an activity during the month of February, whether that's a 50,000 word first draft (for the pantsers), pulling together a long-considered draft from notes, doing an edit, or just taking time every day to get thoughts down on the page.

As life got in the way for me, in December and January, I've decided to spend the next 2 weeks progressing the MS I fell 15k words short of completing during NaNoWriMo November last year. After that, I may move onto the new idea I had originally earmarked for Feb.

Everyone is welcome, just chime in. And don't worry if you miss a day, obviously, or life gets in the way. It's supposed to be supportive, not a millstone around the neck, or a source of unwelcome pressure.

Let's give ourselves both the carrot (pats on the back for one another), and the 'stick' (a daily word count).

On that note, I'm off to grapple with my too-long and unwieldy fifth chapter, and extend the story by 1,500 words.

Good luck, everybody! May we all experience creative clarity, and a sense of achievement, this month.

#MuNoWriMo #MuNoWriMo22

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/creative_writing/4414710-Mumsnet-MuNoWriMo-in-February-2022?msgid=112923683#112923683

Well done all!
Had a word explosion and managed to get just over 1500, so feeling pleased with it so far!

Only 648 today but didn't get to start till 2100 and am now too tired. Better than nothing though.

If anyone has any tips about how to start editing I'd be very grateful. It's not line edits or proofreading more things like character development. Do people just review the whole text and add in add extra details? It's a short children's book so should be easy. Maybe I'm just procrastinating and actually need to force myself to start 😬

@Ylfa mine's non fiction, related to my job. It's popular science, trying to make facts funny.

Today I have written nothing, but I DID get an ethics form drafted for research and I found the phrase in a book that I needed for mine and couldn't for the life of me remember where I had read it.

And I have realised that I need to stop researching and start writing.

So, that's good.

Hope you're ready to carry on with your edit today @dogsdogsgods
and that you write more today @Dellabob123

Hope that your chapter mapping unfolds nicely @Icenii
Writing some chapters from your antagonist's POV wouldn't be wasted work, even if you decide to take them out again so they don't hijack the story. Amazing that you could write anything that late at night.

Stay in that saddle @StellaOlivetti Looks like you're on a roll. Likewise @Ylfa - may your confidence only increase as the days go on.

Hope you un-freeze and find your flow @samvimesboots whatever tense you settle on

You could do worse than to dip back in Jane Eyre for a shining example of first person narration @loveisagirlnameddaisy

@MargaretThursday Hope you have another "word explosion."

Good luck today @Snow1n and @snowqu33n

Who cares how good it is to begin with @vivariumvivariumsvivaria ? You have to keep writing to hit a rich seam. Get it down first. Nice to have some non-fiction in the mix!

Congrats on your strong start @samvimesboots Another 1,000 words today?

Welcome @WriterBee

I hope your DS naps for you so you can make some progress today @Opus17 A little bit every day and you'll be on your way.

Today I am going to carry on trimming another unwieldy chapter (7 is a stodgy behemoth) and extend the story by another 1.5k words, hopefully.

Best of luck, everyone. Please do drop it to share your successes, failures, and insights today.

“ I have realised that I need to stop researching and start writing.” same! I realised it when I opened a text message last month saying my friend had died (not unexpectedly), followed almost immediately by a notification from the bank of a royalties deposit from her book (which I illustrated - at her insistence and not to any great standard). It was so spooky. Also because it was almost a year to the day the book was published. I don’t know, there are a lot of ways to grieve and mine is by writing 2000 words a day just like she encouraged me to from the very first nanowrimo we signed up to together and throughout the twenty years of our friendship. The power of writing isn’t in how well it’s executed, at all. It’s in how it connects us isn’t it? Also her first book has done so well, the money has given me the space and time to write.

Anyway mine is non fiction too really but it’s presented as fiction and that’s also an important theme it explores. 2500 words today, it took nearly four hours if anyone is counting.

I have a chapter plan!

I'm sorry about your friend, @Ylfa. How lovely that she was published, and you too! The royalties must feel like she is still encouraging you.

Good luck with the trimming, @cloudmessenger

Hi all, but especially @cloudmessenger. Thanks for the tag and PM. Yesterday life got in the way and I'm working today so I am planning on starting tomorrow, reading everyone's updates makes me want to have something to add.

Well done everyone! I have a busy day today so I just squeezed in a half an hour of writing and managed just over 700 words. I doubt I'll get a chance to dip in again today so I may try and get a good chunk done over the next few days to give me that boost.
@Ylfa I seem to have the same thing. When I opened the laptop today I assumed Id get stuck and not manage anything other than some edits, which is where I tend to get stuck usually as it pulls me out of the flow! Instead I read the last paragraph and was instantly back in the zone. It's a shame I didn't have longer for it all but hopefully I can pick it back up again tomorrow.

Can I join please? I've set myself the goal of finishing edits and writing the synopsis this month. It's very slow going as I have to work around 8 month old DD and she hates naps. I've got about 85,000 words and could do with fleshing a few chapters out a bit but want to stay below 90k if possible. If I can get finished this month I'd like to start submitting to agents in March.
Today I've managed to read through 3 chapters and do some very minor edits, plus do a bit of work on the synopsis. DD keeps trying to play with the laptop though which is somewhat of a hindrance!
Great to see all the work happening, well done everyone!

Loads of activity on here, great to see! I did a bit more yesterday later on and also today. I seem to be avoiding dialogue for some reason so I need to address that later maybe.
Total new words for the two days so far: 1,862

Thanks @cloudmessenger I can see this thread has saved me from abandoning the whole thing after about 10,000 words which I have done with other projects in the past.

Everyone is doing so well. It is extremely motivating.

Sounds like you have your muse @Ylfa
Amazing that you were both published

Today, I found the zone. I changed to third person and it works much better. I got a flow going and thoughts and ideas started springing into my head, whereas before, it was blocked. Must be going in the right direction now.

It will be sorting kids out and out for dinner, so no more from me tonight. Looking forward to picking up tomorrow. I am writing!!!

@cloudmessenger that is some mammoth work if you get through it today. Wish I could do so much- hope it was successful

Can I join.

Going to make a cuppa and catch up on the thread properly but from my quick skim I think there are a few of us at the 30k mark on a MS? The thirties are my personal hell so handholds welcome 🤗

I meant to have it finished so I could start something new for this but a self isolation last week threw me. So my goal is to finish this and my stretch goal is to finish the project I had actually planned to do . This one should be around 50k but maybe less, and the stretch goal one will probably be closer to 100k so might not happen but we'll see.

Day 1 - 26,262 - 31,314

I'm up to 33.5k for today... don't want to write my total yet incase I feel like another few sprints when the kids go down buuuut I've ran out of plot to write and the thought of a long bath and Netflix is tempting. 🙈

Yay we are growing. Can’t wait to know what 30k words feels like.

Dictated the first 1000 into Dabble tonight, to check my estimated count. Reading it out loud was a revelation, it sounds exactly like a book I’ve been wanting someone to read to me my whole life but nobody’s written it until now. Edited a little for flow and so far it’s good enough as it stands. But it’s all taking much longer than I thought. And it’s really tiring!

@Ylfa sorry to hear about your friend. That's so lovely how she encouraged you and you did a book together.

I've written 3100 rubbish words. Yuck!

Just over 400 words for me today.

This is such a good thread thank you @cloudmessenger There are so many things I share with the various posters - particularly the one who said they are lacking dialogue. I really need to give my character someone to talk to.

I managed 360 words today which sounds paltry I know but Without this thread and the accountability it brings (even if I’m imagining the accountability) I would have written nothing. So I’m collapsing into bed with my book and cup of tea pretty happy!

@Ylfa "there are a lot of ways to grieve and mine is by writing 2000 words a day just like she encouraged me to from the very first nanowrimo we signed up to together and throughout the twenty years of our friendship. The power of writing isn’t in how well it’s executed, at all. It’s in how it connects us isn’t it?"
100% this. Congrats on exceeding your target today x

Not overly successful with the trimming today @vivariumvivariumsvivaria but I'm 1,000 words shy of 40k, so quite pleased.

Hope you write something to add tomorrow @toomuchfaster

Delighted to hear you dropped back into the zone @Snow1n That bodes well for the rest of February.

Of course you can @Eggling How exciting (in a low-key, writerly way) that you have a full length MS to finish editing. I hope your 8 mo takes lots of long naps to help you along.

@snowqu33n "I can see this thread has saved me from abandoning the whole thing after about 10,000 words which I have done with other projects in the past." Fantastic! Holding each other accountable for pushing that bit further is what it's all about. Good on you. Keep going.

@Dellabob123 delighted to hear that you are now unblocked. May your flow continue. I didn't quite manage to do everything I set for myself today, but it's not a problem. I might do a little more now the kids are asleep.

@themental my gosh, yes, the 30s are tough [holds hand]. You have to give the reader a reason to keep going, and it has to be a compelling one, so it's a tightrope walk. Hope you have a good evening, whether it involved more word count, or Netflix & bath.

@MargaretThursday at least those words are down on the page. Rubbish or not, they are the beginning. Good luck.

See you all on the morrow. I'll be carrying on editing and extending, and hope to pass 40k. I'm in that "oh no, is all of this really dull?" state, but trying not to let that feeling distract me. Just because I'm familiar with the material now doesn't mean it wouldn't be fresh for a reader.

Brava @samvimesboots Dialogue really adds life, doesn’t it?

@StellaOlivetti enjoy your early night and a cuppa, well deserved. Glad the thread is working for you, too.

Hi all, lovely to read your updates. Had a busy couple of days but snuck in one hour of solid work this evening.

Morning everyone,
It's been so great reading everyone's updated! What genre is everyone writing? Just interested to hear what everyone is working on.
I managed to rewrite my prologue yesterday. Very happy with how it turned out. I plan to rewrite the whole book and try get some order established along the way. It really needs major editing in every chapter.
Had planned to do some this morning but sleeping DS seems to magically know when I've sat down on the sofa with a coffee 😅

Good luck today everyone! I'll be continuing later during nap time.

Update* apologies. I should finish my coffee before posting 😅

Stream of consciousness here. It’s sort of allegorical and also a novel way (haha) of presenting my family history research. You?

I’ve got a whole day to write- I must not get distracted by the dog/chocolate/making tea/doing laundry. I will turn my phone off during writing time.

Im working on a piece of fiction, a little mystery with any luck!

That’s excellent progress @cloudmessenger

• what’s your best discipline advice?

@Ylfa - love the idea of reading your book aloud, dictating to dabble- does it then transcribe the words so you don’t have to type?

Morning 

I have such a busy day here inc a trip to the skip and taking the kids swimming this evening, no idea how I'm going to fit words in so might be a late night for me.

First project is actually a book 2 for a series I started last year. Dark dystopian/ post apoc romance. Imagine beauty and the beast crossed with Mad Max haha.

@Ylfa love Dabble! I've tried dictation so many times but I really struggle to get into a flow. Also doesn't help I have a heavy Scottish accent. I really should try to persevere and get better.