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

@Dellabob123

You’ve all done so well. I am amazed by your word counts and ability to sit and just write like the wind - I feel rather inferior. I’m only just starting out on my writing journey and have a lot to learn.

Im going to carry on and see where this month gets me, and if I get to 20k I will be thrilled. (I will properly aim for more, but daily word count wants to suggest otherwise).

Have super evenings everyone and happy word smithing.

Hey @dellabob123 - you're not alone there, I'd be thrilled with 20k too. I didn't manage any writing over the weekend and only 690 words today, not been very well. Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

@Dellabob123 I had a pretty long thread last year where I wrote and published a novel in a week (a week that nearly killed me 😬) and I'm pretty sure I shared this video because it's one of my all time faves!

He's one of the masters of pulp speed and following his ways and growing the muscle is probably the biggest contributor in me being able to earn a comfortable living from my writing and share my stories with so many people.

His methods will no doubt be controversial to some on this board (or at least not for everyone), but 100% worth a watch for anyone who would like to write faster or who needs a reminder to GET OUT OF THEIR OWN WAY.

Hahaha, if only we all had the confidence of a mediocre white man. He’s not wrong though about just writing, looping and circling and making it up as you go - the feeling of being the god of your own world and believing in it. Thanks, that was very affirming 😀

Yesterday I wrote 2000 words and typed some more from days one and two so 🏅 for that, I’m comically slow like Dean Wesley Smith with the typing but the dictation thing is too frustrating. Still aiming for a clean first draft by the end of February, but I seriously underestimated how much time it takes out of each day so will just have to become even more of a hermit than usual for the time of year.

Morning all! Not a lot of words but had an interesting time just reading through the words I already have and the many many attempts to come up with a plan. Lots of distractions so struggle to stay on task mentally. See what the day brings today

@themental thanks for sharing.

I think My critical voice is too loud. So I definitely got a good takeaway from it. I’m going to practice creative voice today!

I also realised that I ‘cycle’ but it takes me forever and doesn’t speed up my work as maybe intended. But that could be a flaw of a newbie write.
So, in the spirit of positivity, I’m booting negativity out the door today.

Good writing everyone.

@FledglingFountainPen good writing today…we’ll get to 20k together

Yay for creative voice! It really works. I’ve got 1250 ish new handwritten words and finally finally fully cracked the dictation thing so have transferred almost 7000 into the digital manuscript. Now a day job beckons and I’m still in book world. Grrrrrr.

Good morning all, how are your MS coming along?

@Icenii I know that feeling so well. Are you a pantser, a planner, or hybrid? Recommend writing through the doubt, as you may feel differently once you've pushed through this stage.

Sounds like you're going great guns @themental Did you finish? I take it you're switching up working on different MS to keep it fresh?

I'm at 42,250 now, working my way towards the nadir of the narrator's arc. I know there are good things waiting for her on the other side, so it's time to buckle up and heap up those obstacles in her path.

Now would be a classic moment to get distracted by another juicy story instead of pushing through with this one. Wish me luck. Next week is half term, so I'm going to try to keep the energy up.

@Ylfa right 😂!!! I have a lot of pretty close author friends and the ones who out earn us all are the mediocre white men. These guys are making five, sometimes six figures a month and I firmly believe the only difference is they have the confidence to sit down and do the work.

I have to remind myself daily how the only thing holding me back is that critical voice telling me it's boring / not good enough. DWS mindset of "I wrote it to entertain myself for a couple weeks and now I'm going to entertain myself with something else" is excellent.

@cloudmessenger almost! Stayed up until 2am but my brain was just mush so I've just made a cup of tea and I'm about to sit down now and finish the damn thing. 💪🏻 I think I underestimated the WC, probably another 5k needed which should take me to 50-52k ish. Then I might write the Chapter 1 of Book 3 so it can slot in the back of Book 2 as a hook. My books are exclusive to Kindle Unlimited which pays per page read, so the more pages the better really as long as they're not filler.

Good luck today everyone!!

Kindle Unlimited has been v good to me, and I’m only getting 30% of what’s left over once everyone else has been paid. It’s making me think hard about self publishing tbh.

I don’t mean it’s made me a millionaire or anything, I just wasn’t expecting it to make any money that way at all and certainly not enough to trickle down to me.

Oh man I wrote a whole post about the brilliant but underpaid women in publishing v those kinds of earnings, you’re all so lucky it disappeared 😅 that’s crazy money, I want some of it

That’s very cool @Ylfa
Oddly enough, before you mentioned, I was browsing around kindle unlimited, to see what was what. I still do t know the ins and outs of it. Do you mind me asking how you got started with it? As in, did you pen several books and then drip feed through? Do you self edit and publish? Do you design a book cover? It’s all so fascinating and something that interests me very much.

I don’t know, I just contributed some pictures to a single book in return for 30% of the net profits (and got an agent) - it’s a very luxurious paperback, unusual with full colour illustrations throughout, but it’s also on kindle, kindle unlimited and as an audiobook on audible. And in libraries! There’s a thing you can sign up to for lending rights or if someone photocopies it (I don’t know how they know). It all feels really good when it comes in. The designers turned my images into a great cover and someone else did the interior. Lots of people who have to be paid. It’s a transient thing though, the money slows down unless you’re a celebrity. The main reason we did okay out of this was because Jenni Murray mentioned it in her column in the daily Mail, she used to present a radio show with the author’s aunt. I don’t know how you get publicity like that without being connected.

Still all very cool @Ylfa

I had a more productive day today and I kept my backside on chair for a lot longer. I kept the mantra ‘just write the next line’ in my head and it really worked. I’m going to pin it on my wall for when I get blocked.

Im not free to write untill 9 tonight but I did watch some of that video and will try cycling while I'm stalling. Been doing it but more every several thousand words. Might try it more often. I plan but the middle was vague.

Good morning all. It's DAY 9 of MuNoWriMo. Are you still edging towards your goal for the month?

I'm up to 42,750 words now, and have nearly finished my winnowing. Quite pleased with my progress. I might enter it into a competition, deadline on Friday, which would mean tapping out a synopsis...

That all sounds good @Ylfa
Well played @Dellabob123

Anyone else care to update? Good luck!

Hello all!
Yesterday was a good day of writing and after today’s session I have got over 21,000 words total and reached quite an exciting stage in the plot. That’s an average of about 980 words per day since we started, which I am really pleased with.

I’m another touch-typist and it’s so much faster for me than longhand, I never learned joined-up writing at school! I do jot down notes and symbols for later when I have ideas out and about.

I watched the video upthread and found it interesting. I would definitely want to do a proper self-edit and a second draft myself.

First, though, I want to finish the story.

Good going @cloudmessenger @snowqu33n - fantastic progress.

I’ve been running around like a loon all day
And managed to sit down to write at two!! Not expecting much. However, I have just set a critical scene and getting in some good dialogue. I’m really happy.

What’s winnowwing @cloudmessenger
And exciting to go for the competition

Yay good work everyone. No new words here but almost finished transcribing (dictating I mean) the handwritten MS into Dabble and sort of polishing as I go - there are 13131 words in there now. 2 or 3k to go.

A critical inner voice started pointing out how unreadable it is but the creative voice insists it’s too soon, that it will all fall into place as we go. Arghhh

What a satisfying feeling @Dellabob123 when you capture a scene you’ve been angling at. Congrats! Enjoy the high.

By winnowing I just mean trimming - line edits and removing chunks of text that are too repetitive or don’t add to the story.

Competitions are a long shot, but why not? I like having deadlines to keep me moving, and stop getting bogged down.

The chap in that video was quite uplifting. He clearly has a need for speed.

Maybe this evening I’ll get to 44k…Feeling positive.

I've just realised we picked the wrong month. Only 28 days! 2 days shorter than Nanowrimo!

Oh no @MargaretThursday perhaps we should adjust our goals accordingly?!

Life getting in the way, today, but hopefully I will grab some time this afternoon.

DAY 10, people. Here we are.

Hello Munowrimies
It was a day off work for me and I had the house to myself so I stepped it up a bit.
I feel a bit anxious that I will get stuck or that life will get in the way and prevent me getting it finished if I don’t push on when I get the chance.
So I am now on almost 25,000 words and some important scenes are written.

I think the thread is really helping me stay motivated. It helps to know that you lot are all out there writing away, and checking in on the thread to share your experiences.