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Post by Luke on Oct 29, 2008 5:13:37 GMT -5
November is National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo. And national is a lie because thousands of people worldwide participate in the event.
The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in November, which is around 1,600 words a day. Only around 9% of writers complete the challenge as far as I know (I could check on the site but I'm going to believe in myself instead) so if you manage it you will feel like a conqueror of worlds and will have the right to wear a crown. Like one of those Burger King crowns. But still. Pretty awesome, huh? Am I selling it?
Last year Suzanne and I both participated and she finished the 50,000 words with about an hour to spare, and I wrote about 80,000 words of my maligned novel Good Time Charlie. It was a great challenge and I got a real kick out of being forced into places I wouldn't normally attempt to go.
Of course the biggest issue is getting motivated, but for those who want to take the plunge this year, here's the thread to chart your progress, complain about your problems, share ideas, and keep on keeping on.
I'm really hoping to do it and I've got an idea, but I have a couple of other writing projects on the cards at the moment and I have to see if I can balance everything. I'll certainly try.
So that's my first challenge to our so far non-existent, but potentially flourishing community. Who's in?
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Post by JTagmire on Oct 29, 2008 5:54:01 GMT -5
I'm in.
I have an idea that came to me within minutes of hearing about NaNoWriMo. I'm really excited and had to force myself not to already start. But now as we're just a few days away I'm getting nervous because my idea requires a good amount of research to really work. I'm thinking about other story options, but I only have a few dozen hours left to lock it in.
Anyway, I'm planning for the challenge. I plan to wake up 1 hour earlier everyday to get a solid hour of writing in, at a time where I won't get distracted. I've been collaborating on a sci-fi novel for over a year now and I'm only at the 5000 word mark, so this will definitely be a challenge. If I can focus, I'll get through it.
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Post by Luke on Oct 29, 2008 6:11:50 GMT -5
I think with all this sort of stuff you just have to force yourself over the hump. You can't over think the beginning, because chances are you won't be happy with the beginning. If you give up you won't get to the really good stuff that seems to happen once you hit your stride and have a few thousand words under your belt. (And you can go back and rework the beginning later).
I find it's the same when I do a 24 hour comic... if I judged it on the first few pages then I would quit every time because I'm never happy with them. But by being around other artists who are continuing to draw, and forcing myself to push through I end up creating some stuff that I actually like.
And you have something at the end of it. And you get better each time.
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Post by JTagmire on Oct 29, 2008 6:22:09 GMT -5
Yeah, while waiting for November I started to overthink it all... but I will probably take my original idea and just go for it. I'll save the fact checking for when I'm done.
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Post by Luke on Oct 29, 2008 7:00:53 GMT -5
Facts are for pussies.
See? Good job I changed the censored words filters yesterday. Suzanne told me not to change that one, but I was like, "No... I will definitely need to call people pussies soon". Foresight!
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Post by Colossal Cockhole on Oct 29, 2008 7:18:59 GMT -5
I'm in as well. Or, at the very least, I'm going to start. I've put no thought into it aside from "hey, this is pretty cool, I can do that", and then have waited a while. Talked to Suzanne about it briefly during 24hc/p/m, but thats it.
I'm thinking that I should be able to do it alright, meaning I'll reach the word goal, no guarantee that it will be quality or not shit, but it'll be done.
May just go with Dinosaurs, I seem to be in a trend of late.
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Post by Suzanne on Oct 29, 2008 7:38:45 GMT -5
The thing is silencing the inner editor. Ignoring the spelling and grammatical errors and just getting the words down. You can edit later, you just have to churn out words at this point. Its easier than you might think in some ways but in other ways... harder.
And I'd always advocate going with the first idea that hits. Your subconscious usually knows best.
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mike
Douche
Posts: 36
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Post by mike on Oct 29, 2008 8:09:54 GMT -5
I'm thinking that I should be able to do it alright, meaning I'll reach the word goal, no guarantee that it will be quality or not shit, but it'll be done. as our dear friend ernest hemingway said, "the first draft of anything is shit." go with it. the idea, much like with this, is quantity over quality. i've been signed up for this for a month now, alternating between totally juiced and absolutely terrified. if anyone else is on their huge forum, i'm there with the incredbly creative user name mdieva. |
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Post by Luke on Oct 29, 2008 8:14:34 GMT -5
Did someone else say that 90% of anything is shit? So even if we write shit we're in good company, and have the numbers to rush the 10% if it comes down to it. But yeah, like anything, just doing it is the key.
I think being excited/terrified is the perfect mix for any endeavour. Because you've got to want to do it, but at the same time you have to acknowledge that if it was easy then EVERYONE would be doing it. Things worth doing are hard. And annoying a lot of the time.
I posted briefly on their boards, but it is overwhelming for me. I can't keep track of the places I post now.
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Post by Suzanne on Oct 29, 2008 8:18:07 GMT -5
Yeah I'm on, username, HogSandwich. Its a great forum, crazy massive but provides masses of entertainment. As Ive discovered now, its totally worth officially signing up because you get access to free printing deals and stuff in regards to your manuscript after its done and you've hit the word count. Plus the slowly climbing progress chart totally spurs you on.
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Post by Colossal Cockhole on Oct 29, 2008 8:22:28 GMT -5
I signed up too (mrtaylor2112 I believe? if not Perfect Bebop) but I haven't really explored their forums yet. I would definitely agree that anything you do the first time around will be nowhere near perfect, and I expect that. The challenge definitely excites me, but I don't know what to expect since this will be the first time I've ever tried to take on anything of this size for fun.
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mike
Douche
Posts: 36
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Post by mike on Oct 29, 2008 8:26:20 GMT -5
the more i post on that forum, the more i realize that sharing interests is not an indicator that you will like someone. next time i have to read some 15 year old creaming herself about stephanie meyer or someone's little house on the prarie slash fanfic, i might have to slap them.
the progress bars are definitely great, though. and the risk of "public" embarrassment will hopefully help keep me on track.
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Post by Suzanne on Oct 29, 2008 8:57:43 GMT -5
Im enjoying the stephenie meyer hate, actually. there seems to be a good deal of that too. And in the Coffeehouse subforum, theres a NaNo cookbook which has some of the most awesome and fatty food oppurtunities ever. The whole things really so huge that its equal parts great and horrendous.
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mike
Douche
Posts: 36
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Post by mike on Oct 29, 2008 21:39:55 GMT -5
eh. i'm trying to lose weight, so the 70 or so cookbooks floating around that site are useless to me.
also, we should be friends based solely on the use of the term "batshit insane" on your blag.
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Post by jessica on Oct 30, 2008 2:49:57 GMT -5
Goddammit, why does NaNoWriMo have to be in November?  |
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