NaNoWriMo 2011!

FewFew

elbee wrote: »

Hey! I was in the same group and I'm 27 Let's just say I aspire to being 30+

Well you've just ruined our theories on the group dynamic. I haychoo! :mad:

:pac:

iguana

elbee wrote: »

Hey! I was in the same group and I'm 27 Let's just say I aspire to being 30+

I hadn't forgotten you. It's just that facts would have ruined the anecdote.:p

By the way, thanks for the Write or Die suggestion. It's great. I've started using it to write in small chunks of a few hundred words at a time and pretending it's a game. Like Tetris with letters.:cool:

elbee

iguana wrote: »

I hadn't forgotten you. It's just that facts would have ruined the anecdote.:p

By the way, thanks for the Write or Die suggestion. It's great. I've started using it to write in small chunks of a few hundred words at a time and pretending it's a game. Like Tetris with letters.:cool:

Glad you found it helpful, I love it. It's the game element I like too Good luck with Week 2!

Scarinae

Bit late in coming to this thread, but I’m doing it this year too! No boardsie meetups for me though as I live in London. Still, I thought I’d drop into the thread and say hi!

Antilles

Reached 15k words today, then spun on my chair a few times to celebrate. I fell off and hit my head really hard on the ground. Oww

FewFew

Fishie wrote: »

Bit late in coming to this thread, but I’m doing it this year too! No boardsie meetups for me though as I live in London. Still, I thought I’d drop into the thread and say hi!

Oh they're Nanowrimo meet-ups, there should be at least one in London too.

Blush_01

This has totally fallen by the wayside for me. Have had a lot of little stupid, time-consuming personal things going on over the past two weeks. Not too late to still win - going to push hard and see what I can do.

Hope everyone else is doing better than I am!

iguana

Passed the 25,000 mark today.

My hands hurt.

Antilles

It's intimidating having you on my buddy list, iguana!

FewFew

Blush_01 wrote: »

This has totally fallen by the wayside for me. Have had a lot of little stupid, time-consuming personal things going on over the past two weeks. Not too late to still win - going to push hard and see what I can do.

Hope everyone else is doing better than I am!

I'm in a similar situation. I'm about a week and a half behind where I should be, if not more.
Still think I can win though. It's in my journo bones to turn superhuman near deadlines!

iguana wrote: »

Passed the 25,000 mark today.

My hands hurt.

Damn you.

Blush_01

Fewcifur wrote: »

I'm in a similar situation. I'm about a week and a half behind where I should be, if not more.
Still think I can win though. It's in my journo bones to turn superhuman near deadlines!

It would help if I wasn't doing mental hours in work and the youth organisation I'm involved with, and had no other projects. But it wouldn't be my life if that was the case.

FewFew

Blush_01 wrote: »

It would help if I wasn't doing mental hours in work and the youth organisation I'm involved with, and had no other projects. But it wouldn't be my life if that was the case.

I hear ya, for the last while I've been doing a full time masters with a full time job. Thankfully the job is going bye-bye tomorrow, so I can be a poor starving student/writer again.

Hrududu

How are people getting on in week 2? I'm a little behind but not by much so I'm hoping to keep the momentum up.

I went to the meet up this week and there were a lot less people there.

Antilles

I've just over 20,000 words done. Hoping to hit 21,671 by the time I go to bed.

iguana

Ploughing along. Week 2 was great up until yesterday when I decided to take the dogs for an extra long walk with my husband and go for a mega-brunch in town. After shopping, an omelette and chips, guacamole, a bowl of Elephant and Castle chicken wings :nom: and a cup of the best hot chocolate I've found in Ireland and then another dog walk I was barley fit to write my own name last night.

I managed to squeeze out 1000 words but it was a real struggle and it didn't help that the scene I was writing just doesn't work. Too much is going on and I know that in my edit it will need to be divided into 3 or 4 scenes. Then last night I couldn't sleep as ideas about what's wrong with my book kept popping into my head and I didn't want to forget them. I had to get up this morning and write a couple of pages of notes.

I know it might look like I've loads done but I'm trying to stick to a schedule that will see me do 90k words by the end of the month as I'm barely a 3rd of the way through my planned story. And I'm frightened I'll lose my motivation when NaNo ends.

Antilles

I'm about 25% of the way through my story as of right now. The scene I just finished was possibly the most difficult thing I've ever had to write

I reckon the first draft will come in around 100,000, which means it will be December by the time that's done. Probably another 20k to be added after that in tidying loose story threads and adding depth to some characters, followed by losing about 30k to editing. I'm hoping to have something I can show to alpha readers by January.

elbee

iguana wrote: »

. . . and a cup of the best hot chocolate I've found in Ireland . . .

Good luck with the writing, but more importantly, where did you have the hot chocolate? Enquiring minds need to know!

I had a terrible Week 2, haven't written a word since last Tuesday due to a migraine and a head-bookcase interface scenario. This will be a week of frantic catching up and trying not to lose heart.

Hot chocolate might help

iguana

elbee wrote: »

Good luck with the writing, but more importantly, where did you have the hot chocolate? Enquiring minds need to know!

I had a terrible Week 2, haven't written a word since last Tuesday due to a migraine and a head-bookcase interface scenario. This will be a week of frantic catching up and trying not to lose heart.

Hot chocolate might help

Taste of Emilia on Liffey St, right by the ha'penny bridge. It's fantastic. I think they make it with real melted chocolate. It's a proper European texture, really thick and creamy. It takes them a good 5 minutes to make it and it's served piping hot. Sadly they serve it in dinky teacups so I'm always left wanting about 3 of them, but it really is delicious. If you get it take away I think you get a bigger serving.

Antilles

Woo, just hit 25k words. 50% done!

angie16ab

hit 40k words last night, but barely halfway through my story, reckon it will end up being around 90k or thereabouts... need to do as much as possible in november though, cos i know if i stop writing every day ill just keep putting it off and it will never get done :rolleyes:

Antilles

Me too, angie.

I was thinking about taking a break at the end of November, and editing what I'd written. But then I realised if I stop I might never get the motivation to come back to a half finished work, so even though I'll only be half way done by the end of NaNoWriMo, I'm going to do my best to keep writing 1667 words every day until it's done.

angie16ab

yeah, exactly! ive tried to write at least 2000 words a day but sometimes just dont have the time! im well ahead of the game in terms of the 50k challenge but as far as my novel goes, its nowhere near done!

iguana

angie16ab wrote: »

hit 40k words last night, but barely halfway through my story, reckon it will end up being around 90k or thereabouts... need to do as much as possible in november though, cos i know if i stop writing every day ill just keep putting it off and it will never get done :rolleyes:

That's exactly how I am. I know this draft is going to be 90-100k words and if I stop I'll probably never go back to it. I already have to try and wear metaphorical blinkers because if I think too far beyond the writing the thought of editing it is freaking me out. I'd say the edit will be about 4 times more work than the writing itself, at least. I already have several pages of notes about the changes that will need to be made.

I'm very bad at motivating myself to do something I don't actually have to do if I don't have something to spur me along. I'm trying to push myself to finish this draft completely but I'm lucky in that I have enough free time. Though my dogs are pissed off and are trying to kill my laptop.

FewFew

elbee wrote: »

Good luck with the writing, but more importantly, where did you have the hot chocolate? Enquiring minds need to know!

This was the most urgent question alright. Now I know. Shall have to try this choc asap.


Ugh. I think I'm going to scrap my Nanowrimo dreams. Haven't had a chance to do any writing for the last few days. Way way way off target, and in contrast to most of you guys, I'm beginning to think my idea was at the short story stage when I launched. I need a few arcs to generate enough content for the 50k.

tadcan

I'm using this month to get back into writing. Quickly knew I wouldn't make the word count, but keep going with the spirit of the month to get a start on the project.

iguana

YEEHAW!!! JUST HIT 50K!!!!!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D



I am so happy! I know I'm only about half way done but I'm still delighted with myself. Even just hitting the nano winner amount feels like a huge achievement. I had 0 confidence starting this that I'd do 50k, never mind do it in less than 2/3rds of the time. I don't care if self praise is no praise, I'm very proud of myself.

I've also found out some interesting things about me as writer.
1. I write more and faster when I'm writing happy scenes, they just flow out of me.
2. I find miserable sections a tough slog.
3. It is not a good idea to write a break-up scene as my husband comes home from work. I borrow a lot of emotion from our worst arguments and am in a rancid mood with him when he comes in. (If you are reading this I am sorry for Tuesday sweetheart! )
4. And one of my worst fears came true, I can not write a sex scene without imagining my parents reading it and discussing it afterwards.:(:o

Oh well, still so happy. I need to remind myself I still have loads more to do.

Antilles

Well done iguana!!!

I'm hoping to hit 30k tonight before bed.

iguana

Antilles wrote: »

Well done iguana!!!

I'm hoping to hit 30k tonight before bed.

Good luck!:)

pickarooney

Go for 75k by the end of the month!

Blush_01

Yeah, totally not happening. Been putting in 60 hour weeks at work and doing my other stuff after - bed before 2am is an achievement these days, and that's without doing any writing. But have a new job, and might set myself the challenge for January instead.

Well done to everyone who's getting there. I'll be your cheerleader.