Any NaNoWriMo participants this year?

Clockwork Owl

I'm dipping my toe into the murky waters of NaNoWriMo for the first time this year, realising that the goal of 50,000 words in 30 days is the perfect STOP PROCRASTINATING! incentive to finally finish that book idea that's been floating around now for ~a year.

Is anyone taking a shot at it this year? Has anyone tried it out before, and how helpful / tough / haemorrhage-inducingly awful did they find it?

Toasterspark

I was going to do it last year and just never got going. I must try harder this year. It's a great opportunity to get out of the procrastination rut.

Das Kitty

Going to give it a shot, yeah.

coffee_cake

DK made me sign up :pac:

should be a good kick start for my box novel I think, looking forward to giving it a whirl

...god that all sounds terribly filthy

Toasterspark

bluewolf wrote: »

...god that all sounds terribly filthy

Not until you said this. Now it does!

Turtwig

Plan on giving this a go too.
Will probably be the greatest load of tripe and waffle I ever write in my life though. But then I haven't written anything in years.
(Any chance we could convince Padraigg to do it? )

Mr E

Jernal wrote: »

(Any chance we could convince Padraigg to do it? )

50,000 wrods of sexfulness? My cmoputer would explode into smaller computers.

hcass

I signed up and I am hopeful...

Do you have writing buddies? Do you want one?

Das Kitty

hcass wrote: »

I signed up and I am hopeful...

Do you have writing buddies? Do you want one?

I'll PM you my username.

Turtwig

Just one question, I hope this doesn't sound like a silly one, but is it better to handwrite stuff first, I generally find when I type stuff that after the first page my thoughts go way ahead of what I'm typing and then I get all lost and confused and spend ages staring at my notes thinking about what was that seemingly great idea I just had?

hcass

Everyone is different. I hate longhand - the thought of having to type out what i have already written, ugh! NO thanks. But for some the writing flows much easier with a pen and paper. And you can't keep deleting stuff the way you do with a computer.

I know Cecelia Ahern writes everything in longhand first. I'm sure there are other big name writers out there that do too.

coffee_cake

I type only

Das Kitty

I do out a plan in shorthand with the main thrust of the story (if it's longer than a couple of thousand words). Then I start typing and revise my plan if I find a more interesting angle as I'm writing.

I couldn't write longhand. I like typing because I can better keep up with my thoughts.

Antilles

I plot in longhand, then type when I'm writing the story. It works for me, though I'm 10x faster typing than writing so your mileage may vary.

Clockwork Owl

Everything I've seen about NaNoWriMo strongly suggests that you plonk it straight into a word processor to keep the pace. After all, you're supposed to be knocking out 1667 words per DAY, which becomes significantly more difficult if you have to write it all AND THEN copy it again. Worries about 'perfect prose' can generally be saved for NaNoEdMo in December... that being National Novel Editing Month. ;D

Has anyone started planning already? I'm gathering up as much as possible bar the prose itself - character profiles, maps, setting notes, chapter organisation, etc etc. Still trying to find a simple and flexible timeline tool to better map out what goes where but, at this rate, I'll just design something myself or fall back on good ol' pen and paper.

Closer to the time, I'll start nosing around for NaNoWriMo writing groups in and around Cork. I'm moving over from England in three weeks (eek!) and I figure it'd be a great way to meet some like-minded and suitably flouncy creative sorts.

hcass

Hey everyone - just wondering if any of you ever finished NNWM before? As in, wrote all 50,000 words?

ETA - Das Kitty - this is off topic but how do you get swear words to post without using **** **** (all the asterisks) happening?

Antilles

Hitting 50k of NaNoWriMo is the easy part. I've done it twice.

Toasterspark

Maybe we should all make a group and spur each other on to write the 50k!

iguana

I did it last year and as a natural procrastinator it was one of the best things I ever did. I ended up writing about 65k words by the end (of what is currently a 110k book). I'd definitely do it again this year except that I'm due a baby on 31st of October which I don't think will be conducive to novel writing. Instead I'm scrambling to complete a final edit of the one I wrote last year so I can start submitting it to agents/publishers.

Hrududu

Antilles wrote: »

Hitting 50k of NaNoWriMo is the easy part. I've done it twice.

I agree. Hitting the target wasn't the hard part for me. It was knowing how to edit it that I found tough. I'll have another go this year though, it was great last year.

Turtwig

So those people who did it last year any tips or advice for folks trying it this year. Sounding utterly cheesy here but is there any novels you recommend examining in the next month as prep?

Arlecchina

I can't believe it's nearly NaNoWriMo time! I'm definitely doing it again. It was a bit of a slog last year, but a really good experience overall. The main thing was realising that I really can carve some dedicated daily writing time out of my life. I flunked on my 50K, mind; I very nearly got there, but RL interceded towards the end of the month. I think I'll do better if I plan a bit more in advance this time.

Anyone planning to go to any of the meetups again? The Dublin ones were good fun.

Clockwork Owl

I'll be checking closer to the time if anyone's setting up a meeting in Cork, although I don't really know what writers DO at those meets - aside from meet like-minded masochists and batter away at their keyboards, I guess.

A quick search of 'NaNoWriMo hints' came up with some great preparatory advice for me. Here are just a couple.
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/30-nanowrimo-writing-tips_b41295
http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/2011/10/nanowrimo-preparations/
http://bethestory.com/2009/10/23/10-nanowrimo-tips

and two more to-the-point entries about NaNoWriMo from the same blog, Terrible Minds:
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2010/11/01/nanowhonow-nanowrimo-dos-and-donts/
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2011/10/04/25-things-you-should-know-about-nanowrimo/

AND if you ever need a laugh, I got several from this Twitter Account full of useful (?) tips for the budding NaNoWriMo-er:
http://twitter.com/FakeNNWMTips

Arlecchina

Clockwork Owl wrote: »

I don't really know what writers DO at those meets - aside from meet like-minded masochists and batter away at their keyboards, I guess.

You've got it spot on. Well, along with added whining about floundering word counts, anyway. I'm pretty sure there were Cork meetups last year, but there should be more information on the regional NaNo forums nearer the time.

Thanks for the links! I find reading NaNo tips horribly addictive — especially when I should be prepping NaNo stuff instead.

GrandBlaa

After years of failing NaNo, I finally succeeded in Camp NaNo this year (which was to do the 50k words over June or August). I find myself free this November and there's a new story rattling around upstairs.

So, yeah, count me in!

Are people interested in creating a Boards group? I'll be sure to post my u/n once I'm signed up over on the NaNo site

Arlecchina

How's everyone getting on with NaNo prep? Only 6 days to go!

I'm rebelling a bit this year and working on a series of very vaguely interconnected short stories instead.

coffee_cake

Prep? Yeah, prep... >.>

Turtwig

Prep?

Uhh...


Well the VOAT was meant to be part of that, but that got shelved. Currently got no coherent idea or plan for a Novel. Just more or less woke up today too after a fourteen or fifteen hour sleep. Yeah, um, this is going to be ad libbed.
(If, indeed, I'll be able to partake in it.)

jayhaitch2

Hit the target on my first go two years ago. Gave it a miss last year and now i'm ready to go again on Thursday.

Half a plot and some loose character ideas mean it should get interesting around the twelfth of November

FudgeBrace

Hi I'm in fifth year in secondary school, and I was wondering if you think it's a good idea for me to give it a go.? Or would I not have enough time ?

hcass

FudgeBrace wrote: »

Hi I'm in fifth year in secondary school, and I was wondering if you think it's a good idea for me to give it a go.? Or would I not have enough time ?

Well, most of the people on here would have full time jobs and some have families so if they have time I'm sure you would have LOTS of time.

I read a book by the guy who set up NaNoWriMo and he reckons the more free time you have the LESS you do cos you keep putting if off, knowing you'll have time tomorrow or the next day, or next week until the time is up and you've written nothing.

When you're stuck for time, you'll make the best of the time you've got.