NaNoWriMo

[Litchick]

Anyone doing this?
For those who don't know it's a challenge to write 50k words in a month. This year it starts on 1st November.

AD, I'll search you out once I can get back on the site - and once they reactivate the search facility.

I've had a pretty good start this year and managed just over 2,000 words today.

You can't upload the actual story until they open up the official word counter towards the end of the month. Until then you just go to your profile and type in your current word count in the box IYSWIM.

You can do it Kerry, it's only the first day.

about 3? depending on your font size and line spacing of course.

Just do you best, Kerry, but don't worry too much.
You can always make up for it another day.

Humphrina.
Humphretta.

Any good?

Claire
Jessica
Julia
Jennifer
Scarlett
Kathryn
Elizabeth
Hannah
Harriet

Any of those any good?

That's brilliant psycho, at the end of the month even if by a slim chance all we have is 50,000 words of crapness, we'll have written a novel, good or bad, how many people do you know who can actually say that?

3044 and that's me for the night. If I can do the same again tomorrow I'll be happy. The screeching cats helped by waking me up an hour before DD, but it's my turn for a lie in tomorrow. I need the sleep, it's way past my bedtime

Cheated and wrote 1000 words before the start date. Incidentally, given that I'm doing a NaNoWriMo course that starts Thursday, isn't that the start date? Am I behind or ahead?

Think yo'ure all doing great...

Kerry, good name, great name (my name)

Wondering if people care to divulge what genre they are writing?

I guess mine would come under plain old vanilla: literary fiction.

Think mine probably does too. Its not romance, though relationships play an important part, so guess 'literary fiction' just about covers it. Doesn't give much away, does it

Kerrymum, I originally decided to do this because a teacher I liked (from one day workshop) was teaching NaNoWriMo and nothing else this term: turns out she's not teaching it at all, but now I'm booked on....

Point being: when panic set in a couple of weeks ago, I emailed her. She said it really didn't matter if I didn't reach the 50,000 words, I wouldn't have 'failed' and anyway most people are just happy to have achieved more than they would have done otherwise. As someone who tends to give herself a hard time as it is, and then gives up, this was perfect feedback - I'm going to use it as motivation and a framework to try and get some writing done on the idea I've been hatching for a while. Definitely not as something else to stress about (ok, I have been, but YKWIM).

Glad to hear I'm being immortalized!

Mine is total chick lit (what a derogatory name!). I'm struggling with parts of mine. Don't laugh, here goes: it's a about a mum who is also a spy working for M I 5. The novel is about her struggle to balance working life with having 2 kids and a husband. Her home life is really stale, gone off the husband. She didn't enjoy being a SAHM, loves her job. The novel's main plot device is a terrorist plot that she has to tackle, but I did absolutely no planning or research and am struggling to come up with a clever, credible and original terror plot. It's difficult to ask for advice on that sort of thing online though without worrying about special branch coming and knocking on my door. It's kind of the major part of it, but I guess part of the fun is not knowing what is going to happen, anything can happen and if it is getting stale you can just make something happen, the whole point is it's meant to be fun more than anything!

I met a bunch of people from my regional area today. The municipal liaison for the area said that you should count any notes etc as part of your word count. If you are struggling to develop your character give them a Q&A, and include that as your word count.

Bumperlicious, I'd read it, sounds fun - as meant

And sounds more like a thriller with chicklit elements....?

Didn't realize that about word counts (expect we'll be told all that when course starts Thursday): good news. Do you count rubbishy bits you cut?

Eli, you shouldn't be cutting any of it at this stage! Turn off your inner editor and write write write! There are some really good tips and tricks on the forum when it calms down on there. One woman was saying that in order to turn off her inner editor she allows herself to use brackets, (I like these ones []) to write notes e.g. [cliched] or [think of a better word] or [something about the spark going].

I guess there are two things really: getting your 50,000 words, uploading to the site and being an offical 'winner', getting a certificate and having it as part of your profile, and there is having fun and getting a novel written. It's not in your interest to 'cheat' otherwise you won't have gained anything, but notes and character development aren't cheating, they are part of the work on your novel.

Ooh, one other tip, try and aim to finish by 28th or so and get uploading, coz the site goes mad and if you don't get to upload by the date then you don't 'win', so if you are nearing the end and you know you are going to finish by the 30th but still have a few thousand words to go then just copy and paste some stuff or notes or something. It's not cheating, you know you are going to finish, but you need to get your words verified.

Anyone managed to upload to the site yet?

haven't been able to upload at all.
maybe it can sense crap fiction, and wants to save space for the good stuff.

Site? 'Win'? Certificate?!? I know nothing of any of these....apart from what I've read here...I thought I was signing up for a five week course as part of NaNoWriMo and nothing else

Apart from the daily word count, of course.

Bumper, love the notes-in-bracket idea, will use that. And I'm definitely in it for the 'have fun/write a novel' motive. Inner Ed being squished as I type.