NaNoWriMo 2018

Hesthea · 11-09-2018 10:44pm #1

Hello, everyone.

Nano is around the corner once again.

And for those who still do not know what NaNo is, its an online writing challenge whose goal is to write 50k words during the month of November.

More info here: NaNoWriMo

Is any of you going to participate in it?

skankrandy · 19-09-2018 11:44pm

I've been tempted the last few years and this year looks to be a busier November than most, but somehow that's making me want to give it a go even more. Anyone done it before and have any tips or advice?

Hesthea · 20-09-2018 9:08am

I only participated in 2014 and it was fun for me even though i wasn't able to meet the goal. This year i am going to be a rebel since i am going to continue with my 2014 story and see how much i can write.

There is a FB grp for nanowrimos if you are interested. People help each other with supporting words, ideas and even advice. Just join the group and see for yourself

NaNoWriMo

skankrandy · 20-09-2018 1:01pm

I've no plans on what I want to work on during it, but I guess I've plenty of time to decide. I've applied to join the Facebook group, now I just have to push myself!

Mr E · 20-09-2018 1:38pm

I've applied for that group too. I'll read what others are doing/saying and that might give me a kick up the arse.

Writing a book is on my bucket list - this could be the year.

echo beach · 20-09-2018 7:18pm

skankrandy wrote: »

I've been tempted the last few years and this year looks to be a busier November than most, but somehow that's making me want to give it a go even more. Anyone done it before and have any tips or advice?

Sign up and do it. You might not reach the target but you will write a lot more than you would otherwise and that is success.

skankrandy · 20-09-2018 9:43pm

That's a good point! I'm signed up on the site, in the Facebook group and already thinking of every part of my day I might squeeze a bit in

Hesthea · 20-09-2018 10:24pm

skankrandy wrote: »

That's a good point! I'm signed up on the site, in the Facebook group and already thinking of every part of my day I might squeeze a bit in

The important part is to start. Once you do that it will get easier. Even if you do not meet the 50k words goal as long as you have fun that is the most important and it will give you an idea of what to expect next year

skankrandy · 20-09-2018 10:55pm

That sounds like a good approach. I'm really excited for it now

Mr E · 21-09-2018 7:44am

Hesthea wrote: »

There is a FB grp for nanowrimos if you are interested. People help each other with supporting words, ideas and even advice. Just join the group and see for yourself

NaNoWriMo

Inspiring group! Some very bright people there. Seriously tempted now.

skankrandy · 21-09-2018 3:40pm

Has anyone started planning their project? Seems a lot of people on the Facebook group have. I've yet to even settle on what project to do for the month

Hesthea · 21-09-2018 10:59pm

I am going to continue my project from 2014. The 1st and only year i participated. While i was writing like a maniac to meet the 50k goal (which i didn't) i realized that my story was going in a weird direction/s. Not gonna even start talking about my characters. So i decided to delete everything and keep the part that i really enjoyed writing before getting hit the the 50k word madness.

Which makes me a rebel. xD

You can start planning so that you have an idea about what you are going to write. Make some research if you wish or simple write as it comes which is usually my way.

skankrandy · 24-09-2018 11:34pm

I've got five or six ideas I'm considering and I'll probably just bullet point some stuff on each one of them to help me to decide which I'm going to dedicate the month too. I've not properly written in a while because I've been really busy with my job, but this has gotten me really excited and motivated to get back at it now!

pixelburp · 25-09-2018 12:00am

So how do people plan out these novel(la)s then, out of curiosity? Wing it until your narrative has a beginning-middle-end? Plan out every potential plot beat in bullet form first? Mind maps for characters, relationships etc? Just curious

Hesthea · 26-09-2018 12:52pm

To be honest, it just came to me while i was participating on nano in 2014. I only took some notes (i'm so glad i did that!) so that i wouldn't forget what it would be about.

Yesterday, i found those notes and while reading it i realized that there were a few (important) points that i had forgotten and/or changed. So, always take notes no matter how silly it might be.
In some cases, it might just fit perfectly with a part of your plot later on.

I have been trying to look for ways to make it till the end without going ashtray. I've found out some people use bullet journals. They look great and very detailed and also an awesome way for you to have an idea of what you are planning to write, your characters personalities and even how your world is like or what you would like for it to be.

There is also a part in which u have some sort of graphic in which you take notes of how many words u wrote and how many you are planning to write. Some people even gave links regarding the type of charas you can write about:

Archetypes for Writers

And their personalities:

Personality Types

16 Personalities

Nano Bullet Jounal Ideas:

#NANOPREP

A tea with tumnus

Boho Berry

Page Flutter

Doing a bit of planning might work best for me because sometimes it seems as if my story is everywhere and at same time nowhere. So if i do at least some characters sheets regarding their personality and such it will be better and less confusing in those times when i might think they are behaving weirdly or being copy/past of other characters. It will be a way to have something to compare with.

I am also gathering some pics to help with the visuals be it for my charas or for the places/ areas they will be or that at least look a bit like what i have in mind.

Hope it helps

Mr E · 15-10-2018 7:37pm

Is anyone any further along with their plans? I think I'm on board, I just need to flesh out my idea. 50k words is intimidating, but 1666 words a day is less so...

Hesthea · 15-10-2018 8:13pm

I am.
I have been writing a bit to see how many words i can manage per day and so far i am around 1000 which is not much to make the 50k during November but at least is something.

I am also writing down a list of personality types and linking it to my characters so that i don't end up with them all being copy/paste of each others. That case when i am in doubt about their own personality i read it to refresh my memory of whom they are and what they want and how do they plan to achieve it.

I also goggled for some images to help me with my characters visuals.

skankrandy · 16-10-2018 12:16am

I'm the other end of the spectrum I think... All I've done is narrow down what ideas I'm considering, but even then it was only after I doubled it. I guess I've also done a bit of basic logistical planning in my head too. Just things like when I can fit in bits of writing around work and where. Trying to think of ways of cooking and carrying out chores and stuff on my day off each week that allow me to maximise writing while I'm at it. But so little planning done on the actual project =/

pixelburp · 16-10-2018 9:19am

I have a draft of an idea, the flimsiest sketch of characters, but 1000+ words a day feels difficult when even 500 is a good day.

echo beach · 16-10-2018 1:56pm

pixelburp wrote: »

I have a draft of an idea, the flimsiest sketch of characters, but 1000+ words a day feels difficult when even 500 is a good day.

It is difficult but if you write 500 that you wouldn't have otherwise then that is success in my book. If you can hit 500 a day then you will have 15,000 at the end of the month and that is a very good start. If you don't sign up what you have? A couple of thousand, maybe none.

Das Kitty · 16-10-2018 2:05pm

I'm going for it. I've a second half of a novel to blast out. It won't amount to 50000, but I'd be delighted to get it done. Happy to link with any of you on there. PM me your usernames

Arghus · 18-10-2018 2:56pm

I'd love to do it. I haven't anything approaching a story in my head, but I hope I'd unlock something just by putting words on the page. But 1500 words a day is a steep commitment.

echo beach · 19-10-2018 11:38pm

Arghus wrote: »

But 1500 words a day is a steep commitment.

Look at it as a target more than a commitment. Not everyone will get there, I didn’t, but you will write something and something is better than nothing.

pixelburp · 19-10-2018 11:45pm

Out of curiosity, to those who have done this: whatever about the word count targets, how do people view the quality of the work at the end of it? (compared with their usual material) I'm guessing they're viewed as drafts sure, to be tinkered with and tweaked, but is the overall ... quality lower than what you'd normal output?

I'm an awful one for massaging every line and paragraph before I move on, which usually accounts for most stalling as I run out of steam from (say) just getting 5 - 10,000 words written.

echo beach · 20-10-2018 12:02am

It is all about quantity not quality which is the opposite of my usual attitude.
Most of what I wrote was rubbish, going round in circles, but it was written down and I could see how bad it was and where the work had to be done.
Looking at 5,000 beautifully polished words that took months to create is lovely but if they don’t fit into the plot it is a lot harder to delete them than to delete a couple of days work you never really invested in.

Hesthea · 20-10-2018 6:59pm

One of the advice that many people in the Nanowrimo FB page say is: Write. Write and write some more. Do not go back (unless your going to add more words). Do not correct it (unless it is really important for your plot). Do not review any of it. Simply keep writing.

At the end of Nano you can go back and take your sweet time reviewing it and fixing your novel. So that is what i'm going to try to do.

Hesthea · 21-10-2018 11:51am

I just announced my novel at Nano. Ended up deciding to write a new one instead of continuing the one i couldn't finish eons ago. Lets see how it goes.

Has any of you announced what are you going to write about? Would love to read your synopsis or an excerpt of your novel

Mr E · 21-10-2018 1:42pm

Yep, I have a plan. My working title is "Here and There" (this will probably change)

I have two separate threads being told in alternating chapters. One thread is from the perspective of an adult woman who has suffered a personal tragedy and is trying to get on with her life (the "Here" chapters). The other thread is from a young child's perspective in a fantastical land (the "There" chapters).

There is a connection between the two, but I'll keep that under wraps for now.

I still have a lot of details to work out but it's taking shape. I think most of this week will be planning the other world (characters, locations and rules). I'm going to get stuck into Scrivener this week and start writing some notes and my outline.

Hesthea · 21-10-2018 4:03pm

Sounds like a story i would love to read! =D

About Scrivener:
Would you recommend it? Thinking of buying it.

Mr E · 21-10-2018 4:17pm

I just got the Nano trial (works unrestricted until December 7th). I need to look at some video tutorials to get the most out of it, though.

https://www.literatureandlatte.com/nanowrimo

Good discount if you decide to buy afterwards too (50% off if you hit 50k).

Hesthea · 21-10-2018 5:05pm

I've just realized that i've tried it out in 2014 and i loved it x)

Unfortunately, i didn't hit the 50k so i couldn't buy it for 50% off. Maybe i'll make it this year.

Mr E · 21-10-2018 5:06pm

New email address.

pixelburp · 21-10-2018 5:08pm

So you get a discount for hitting 50k words in Scrivener? So, uh, would just Lorem Ipsum on copy & paste do the job?

Hesthea · 21-10-2018 5:15pm

pixelburp wrote: »

So you get a discount for hitting 50k words in Scrivener? So, uh, would just Lorem Ipsum on copy & paste do the job?

Most likely.

Das Kitty · 22-10-2018 9:10am

pixelburp wrote: »

So you get a discount for hitting 50k words in Scrivener? So, uh, would just Lorem Ipsum on copy & paste do the job?

Write a character with a very bad stutter. :pac:

km85264 · 22-10-2018 9:15am

Hesthea wrote: »

Sounds like a story i would love to read! =D

About Scrivener:
Would you recommend it? Thinking of buying it.

I would very much recommend scrivener, I've been using it for ten years, it comes into it's own when you're building up a novel and you can pull the characters, research, timelines etc into one place, and later the synopses, log lines etc. Well worth the cash, also worth the extra cash to get the iPad synchronising version.
Kieran

Das Kitty · 22-10-2018 2:08pm

Scrivener is great.

But don't do the tutorial. It's too long and too much. Watch a few youtube videos instead

Hesthea · 22-10-2018 11:19pm

Das Kitty wrote: »

Scrivener is great.

But don't do the tutorial. It's too long and too much. Watch a few youtube videos instead

Yes. I gave up on watching that one and decided to see some youtube videos. Way better.

Scrivener seems awesome as a tool for writers. Even if i dont win Nano i will still buy it.

Thank you all

Falthyron · 29-10-2018 5:56pm

I'm going to try and reach 50,000 words in 30 days. I have a relatively well thought-out plot and characters in mind (with some notes in files), but I guess I will be going into this somewhat blind. The word count isn't too daunting as I have a background in writing, but my main concern is making sure what I put down is coherent and, hopefully, it doesn't meander away from what I want to write about.

As hard as it will be, I think I will just write, whatever that may be - dialogue, description, ideas, arcs. I just need to break through this barrier of wanting to make it perfect...!

Mr E · 30-10-2018 1:45pm

I watched a Scrivener tutorial over the weekend. It's a very cool tool - I'm glad I took some time to learn the basics.

I'm away for a few days in November on a business trip so I wrote my first 1000 words last night, just to get my feet wet.

Realistically, 50k in a month is going to be difficult but I have a solid plan, a story structure, characters, some great revelations planned and the ending in mind. That's part of the battle, right?

Das Kitty · 02-11-2018 11:54am

Got about half the wordcount yesterday. Not bad considering I started at 11pm!

Hoping to hit the target today.

Mr E · 02-11-2018 12:00pm

Didn't get any done yesterday (long day in work). Hoping to do a bit this evening.

My plan next week is to get up every day at 6am and do 800-1000 words, then finish off in the evening.

Next weekend is going to be a big word sprint for me - hoping to get a lot done over the two days.

Das Kitty · 03-11-2018 1:24am

Got the wordcount today, just about. Hoping to do a good sprint tomorrow. Feels good all the same to be getting through all my planned out scenes.

Hesthea · 06-11-2018 1:48am

Updated my word count today but still below the daily word target needed to end with 50k. But that's ok. I'll just keep writing how much i can in whatever free time i have.

I have been going to bed a bit early so that i can write on my laptop peacefully for at least 1 to 2h before going to bed.

Das Kitty · 06-11-2018 1:32pm

Hesthea wrote: »

Updated my word count today but still below the daily word target needed to end with 50k. But that's ok. I'll just keep writing how much i can in whatever free time i have.

I have been going to bed a bit early so that i can write on my laptop peacefully for at least 1 to 2h before going to bed.

Same. I missed Sunday due to a charity event I'm involved in running very long. But, I have got 5k words in 5 days. When I look at it that way, I'm delighted. And my story is alive in my head and when I sit down to write it doesn't need any coaxing. It's a great feeling

pixelburp · 06-11-2018 1:36pm

Not much to show here: I did have 10k written from a previous draft of an idea, but it was scattered and lacked direction in its plot / story. If nothing else, this thread has forced myself to sit down & write the potted summary of every story beat. At least now I know where the story can go, clichés be damned

Mr E · 06-11-2018 1:41pm

I did a word sprint last night with a group on the Nano Facebook page, but I'm still only about 1500 total. Work has been **** for the last few weeks.

I think need to step back and do a better outline - it will help me in the long run. I have a plan in my head but I need to make it more concrete.

Hesthea · 07-11-2018 6:00pm

Mr E wrote: »

I did a word sprint last night with a group on the Nano Facebook page, but I'm still only about 1500 total. Work has been **** for the last few weeks.

I think need to step back and do a better outline - it will help me in the long run. I have a plan in my head but I need to make it more concrete.

That's really cool.
As long it is something enjoyable you should keep on writing even if you can't write much. But if it starts to stress you out just relax and take it easy and remember, you might not be able to write the 50k but at least you have started to go on the right direction to it

km85264 · 28-11-2018 12:14pm

Folks
I've many times considered signing up for NaNoWriMo but never have. For me, personally, the target of close to 2000 words a day for 30 days straight is simply unachievable.
However, as November dwindles and folks have most likely either fallen by the wayside or already achieved the goal, I'd love to hear the experiences of those who gave it their best. Was it a worthwhile thing, even if it was too much to achieve in the timeframe? Or should they, as I've often wondered, convert it to National Novella Writing Month (a novella being 17.5k+ words, so about 600 a day)? Or National First Thee Chapters Writing Month might be a good target, albeit NaFiThChaWriMo doesn't really roll off the tongue :-)
Kieran

Hesthea · 28-11-2018 11:43pm

km85264 wrote: »

Folks
I've many times considered signing up for NaNoWriMo but never have. For me, personally, the target of close to 2000 words a day for 30 days straight is simply unachievable.
However, as November dwindles and folks have most likely either fallen by the wayside or already achieved the goal, I'd love to hear the experiences of those who gave it their best. Was it a worthwhile thing, even if it was too much to achieve in the timeframe? Or should they, as I've often wondered, convert it to National Novella Writing Month (a novella being 17.5k+ words, so about 600 a day)? Or National First Thee Chapters Writing Month might be a good target, albeit NaFiThChaWriMo doesn't really roll off the tongue :-)
Kieran

I've written at the moment 28k words and even though Nanowrimo ends in 2 days i am still writing.

My goal was not to write 50k words in 30 days but to see how much i would be able to achieve if i wrote a bit per day everyday until the last day of November.

The fact that i have written this much by itself is something to be proud of. Between work and my kid i don't have much "me time" so to speak. Hence the more i wanted to participate.

It is my 2nd time doing nano and i still haven't been able to write the 50k words. This year i am writing even less than in 2014 (Yes. You've read it right) maybe next year will be the year that i'll make it through

The trick is to not edit anything whatsoever and keep writing but that is extremely hard for me to do since i can't ignore it.

So, whether you write 600 or 1600 words per day, the important part is that you write a bit per day no matter if you can achieve the 50k or not. As long you feel like you have accomplished (or are accomplishing) something with it that is what it truly matters.

So, next year, i hope you participate alongside us too

Das Kitty · 29-11-2018 9:59am

I kept with the pace in 2015, this year I knew I wasn't going to.

I still got 10k words typed up. And I have hand written rough drafts of about 5k more that I haven't typed yet. In that sense I feel it was a success for me. It's a lot more than I would have done otherwise.

NaNoWriMo 2018

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