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

Morning! Just planning my day. I've got a less busy day so determined to get a good chunk of work in.
I've scribbled 70k words of a coming-of-age novel about sibling relationships through childhood into adulthood. I wrote it all random scenes, then dragged them into order. My 2nd draft had an actual plan but after working up the first quarter of the book I went back to the beginning and am now working on the 3rd draft. I have three narrators which works well, but I am wrestling with jumps in time across 25 years.
Good luck today everyone!

Morning everyone!
Checking in after a busy start to February. Thanks @cloudmessenger for your DM.

I have a writing day today
Gonna clear up the kitchen and get started. Today’s job is finessing 3 chapters and writing a new scene that slots into the middle of one of them (a bit of character back story).

I’ll pop back later to update.

Good luck everyone.

Heyyyy @themental I think you might be the person who told me about Dabble on some other thread because Scrivener was too intimidating for me. It’s changed my life 😀 but the dictation thing only flows for a paragraph or so at a time. There should be a keyboard for every region really. Anyway I was a bit morose about how long it took to dictate 1000 words but I’ll get faster. Probably.

Hi all, I think I’m writing a “cozy mystery” Todays total, unless I get time late at night, is going to be 1,915 new words. So, I am over 16,000 in at this point and the plot still has legs.
Fingers crossed for a non-flabby middle.
I managed some action and dialogue today that I am pleased with.

Just checking in to share that I have hit 40k words. Happy days. More trimming to do, but I'm on a roll so will keep extending the story for now.

Good luck today, everyone!

Well done @IShouldBeWriting Keep going.

Here's to more naps @Opus17 I'm working on women's fiction with literary ambitions.

@Dellabob123 My discipline advice is as follows:

1. hang the housework
2. bum in chair
3. write when you don't 'feel like it' - you'll find your flow
4. deadlines (competitions/self-imposed)
5. internet off (phone included)
6. tomato timer, so as not to drift

Hope you swerve the distractions today!

(not 40k words in 2 days, obvs - this MS is what I started during NaNoWriMo, and decided to complete before moving on)

Well my little scene turned into something bigger and resulted in a new chapter 1700 words just in time for end of school day. I’ll have to take a look at my other chapters another day.

Well done everybody! 40k words is fantastic @cloudmessenger I always have that as the halfway point in my head so now you're on the home strait! 16k and still going is brilliant @snowqu33n!

No writing yet today for me and not sure will have chance tonight as have booked in time with DH to sort out our bank accounts (who says romance is dead) but will try if I get chance, if not back on it tomorrow.

Ok, so this has been the push I needed. I have only written 700 words but it's a definite start as I haven't done any for months. My book has completely stalled so I'm working on a short story currently just to get back into it. Thanks all, let's keep the updates coming.

40k! Well done!
I'm still finding it's very slow going. I'm trying to redo an old one and it's not coming alive for me.

I'm off to a terribly slow start as have DC home with Covid, but I wrote today and will do so again tomorrow.

I decided to revisit my November effort rather than start something new.

I'm enjoying reading all the posts about writing. Nice to know you're all out there, tapping away. 🙂

Only 350 odd words today. I have no excuse

Hello!
I'm working on my first novel which is historical fiction based on family history. So, a LOT of research to be done, but I'm also trying to embrace the NaNoWriMo attitude of "just sodding write the damn thing and worry about the details later."
Only other obstacles are a demanding job and two small children who will. not. sleep.
Today I made a start and wrote 1800 words in an hour - basically a skeleton plan of the timeline. I'm feeling energised and optimistic. My version of success won't look like everyone elses', but this feels like a good start.

I’ve had a bad day. Finished work at 8 and I just don’t have any emotional energy (or any energy) left for writing. I’ll forget it for today and start afresh tomorrow.

Okay tapping out to watch Netflix 😬

Today was hard as had so much to do but managed another 2,170. So that's 9,357 total for Feb which isn't bad at all.

Aiming for 5k tomorrow and optimistically hoping I'll be done by this weekend because ideas for the next one are literally keeping me awake at night 😂 the voices won't shut up!

I'm in awe of @cloudmessenger and their individual responses! Tempting me to give the desktop version a go because it's a PITA on mobile but I'm gonna try!

@Ylfa yesss I'm sure it will! I used to sprint with a guy who used dictation and he regularly had 10k words down before the rest of us had stopped for lunch 😭 I was green with envy but kept telling myself I'd never be able to deal with all the editing it would involve. I need the manuscript clean and ready to go by the time I've typed the end or I just lose interest (which is stupid but at least I'm honest with myself 😂).

@snowqu33n congrats on 16k! And @AintNoPartyLikeANumber10Party well done for 1700!

@cloudmessenger 40k is amazing 🤩 have you got a rough idea how long its going to be? (Sorry if you said and I've missed it)

Also totally agree with your list! I'll add the Flora app too because it's cute as shit and you get to grow flowers / plants for every sprint you do which show up on your homescreen in a virtual garden (if you have an iphone). You can't use your phone or your little plant will die. Also they plant real trees so I imagine I'm doing my bit and replacing the ones my paperbacks will use 😂.

@toomuchfaster 700 is great! I always do the same when I'm totally stalled on a book. At one point I was doing K Websters "Four Bouncing Balls" method from her Paused to Prolific book and it was insane keeping tabs on 4 different projects but it definitely worked.

Hope you and @MargaretThursday get a breakthrough on your books soon!

@Drybird2020 I agree it's really motivating. Can we make every month MumNoWriMo 😂

@FledglingFountainPen that's definitely the best way! And 1800 words is seriously amazing. I also had a really demanding job when I started and I'm a single parent with two kids so I know how hard it is getting the words in. My advice would be to have your MS on your phone (google docs, pages, notes app etc) so you can add to it whenever you get a spare 5 mins. I used to write in my car at lunch, sneak a few sentences in the loo, a paragraph boiling the kettle etc. It all adds up and it keeps the story really fresh in your head.

@StellaOlivetti best of luck for tomorrow 🤞🏻

I hope I didn't miss anyone 🙈 off to make a cup of tea and watch some Netflix. Good luck tomorrow everyone!!

Morning! Planning the day today. Yesterday turned complicated so I got no words down at all. @themental those are great tips. I am going to try doing something my phone. But 10000 words in a morning - that's intriguing. I can type 70 words a minute, so should be able to write 4200 words an hour, but I can't think like that.

Morning. I didn't get to sit down till 9 on Thursday so only read through several chapters. But did 800 yesterday. Am at a hard bit so have avoided it and started to deepen the chapters I have written and moved ahead several scenes. Anyone else have scenes they don't look forward to writing? Mine are the backdrop for my novel, which is fighting between post apocalyptic factions. I'm more interested in my character interaction and their power play.

Meant Wednesday.

Morning all,

So it's DAY 4 of MuNoWriMo22. How are we doing?

@AintNoPartyLikeANumber10Party @toomuchfaster @samvimesboots @FledglingFountainPen @themental and @icenii congrats on your word counts!

Hope today is a better one @StellaOlivetti

I think mine will end up about 75-780k @themental
I'm going to carry on with the trim-extend rhythm today, and give it an extra push because I don't tend to get much done at the weekend.

To match the Flora app, we could award to one another for hitting milestones? Lo-fi, but nice.

We should definitely line up a MuNoWriMo for May, keep it rolling. I say May instead of April because school holidays. I'd love to be the kind of person who gets up before six to write purposefully for an hour, but alas it's not to be. I can manage morning pages, but not fiction.

Any other early birds here? Plenty of night owls, but the sound of it.

GOOD LUCK TODAY, everyone!

Thanks @cloudmessenger
Not looking like I’ll get much done today - stuck at home with a sick child so gonna embrace it, curl up on the sofa, and rest my writing brain.
Hope everyone else has a productive day x

I’ve had to do some planning today as I realised that’s what has been holding me back! I did a few yesterday and tied two sections together, but I am sooo slow.

I’m definitely more productive in the morning, but only after everyone’s packed off by half eight. six AM start makes me shudder!

Hope everyone has a good day today x

@AintNoPartyLikeANumber10Party that was me two weeks ago! Hope your LO is okay, and that you have a relatively relaxed day taking care of her.

@Dellabob123 slow is good. Slow is creative. It’s keeping hold of the threads between writing sessions that is the challenge. Bon chance.

If writing a book is anything like running a marathon then rest could be the most important part of the whole process. I did 1000 words this morning between 4 and 5am (definitely a morning person these days) and will do the next 1000 later (I hope).

Still going slowly, but doing a little better! On exactly 4k words. :D

Hello, everyone

I’m impressed by how much everyone is writing! I’ve had a much better day today and hit my word count of 500 (I can’t do more, it’s weird). Because I’m so slow, my story advances by absolute inches and I feel like I’m writing something Terribly Terribly Boring and Dull. Made worse because I write YA, and the received wisdom is that you have to write quick snappy scenes because teenagers can’t concentrate (???). But I need to have faith that even though it’s slow to write, it’s quick to read! keep on keeping on x