Wonderful post, but, it hardly takes nonstop writing to produce 50k words in a month. Just throw out the t.v.
Again, you're the fit person. I've done it three years. My personal record is 30k and that was during a month when I had almost nothing going on in my life. I've actually finished novels before, just not in that time frame, because I am not a "throw words on the page and edit later" type of writer. For me, writing quickly while maintaining quality is a challenge. PS: the TV helps, if used in moderation.
712 words so far! I really need to get someone to read it and tell me if the beginning is okay. It's a little different.
I sent the first paragraph, I'm up 1211 words. I was really unsure about starting the novel so strong, but I think it is an attention grabber. Hopefully after I sleep I can pump out up to 3,000 words today.
Awesome Lew! No, don't revise, just keep going. The point is to finish a rough first draft without editing as you go. Once you start to tinker with it, you can lose steam. Great job though!
Stayed up late last night, until midnight rolled around, and managed 398 words which is officially one page - lol. I might've poured out more had I not stopped to keep tweaking the beginning.
As someone who has participated 6 times, won 2, and read at least part of No Plot? No Problem! (Chris Baty on NaNoWriMo) I can say I have a pretty good handle on NaNo. Planning is permitted, but over planning comes with a warning. You can talk yourself out of forcing out a book that you've planned so carefully in only 30 days, or get down right bored of it before November 1st. You don't want to tire yourself before November starts. I wouldn't start planning until October, at the earliest. As far as actually writing is concerned, write out as much as you can daily. If you can write more then 1667 words in a day, by all means, go for it. In fact, people set crazy numbers to beat in the first day or two (obviously optional). The point being that the more you get done in the first few days, the easier the rest of the month will be on you- missing a day or two won't be so detrimental. And you'll have more time to work through writer's block. And remember the holiday. You want to get out as much as you can as quickly as you can. The challenge is 50k words in 30 days. Although, other goals can be set if you chose. Avoid editing. It's not editing month, it's a month to get that story written. I have to say that the greatest lesson I've learned from NaNo is to simply sit down and do it. It has given me encouragement to work in other months. December is the "ahh!" month. You've completed a novel. You can enjoy it as you prepare for the holiday and, when you're ready, edit it to finish and possibly publish. Most of all, have fun!
I like this bit a lot. I think over-editing too soon is a bad writing habit many people ought to break. I know some folks work well that way, and more power to their arm if they actually finish their story eventually. But I've also seen SO many who can't get past the first couple of chapters because they keep going over and over them, wanting to attain perfection before they move on. Of course perfection isn't attainable, so they just keep tinkering with words, rearranging sentences, get stuck wondering about their style, etc etc ...and years go by and nothing more happens. They don't actually know where the story is going next, so they don't actually know what to keep and what to cut. And then they get ANOTHER story idea.... If NaNoWriteMo does anything for people, if it breaks that habit, and gets writers to write through their problems and come out the other end with a completed story ready for editing, then it's a wonderful opportunity. I don't write to a deadline—and I need to do lots of research in the process of constructing my story, like @Lewdog mentioned—so NaNoWriteMo is not for me. But for everybody who plans to participate, good luck! I hope you start December with a big smile on your faces and a completed (or nearly completed) first draft on your computer or in your hands. Nothing like that feeling of 'having written.'
As a change from 1,667 words a day...there are 10 weekend days this November, so 3,000 words per weekend day = 30,000 words plus 20 days at 1,o00 per day...job done
I'm doing it different this year: week goals. I set up an excel to keep track of my percentage towards the week goal. I like it a LOT better than daily goals. Those can be depressing instead of motivating, and I feel less accomplished with daily goals. Come a little short one day and you feel down. There is no coming short on a single day with weekly goals.
Geeze! How could I have forgotten NaNoWriMo! Personal life drama and work drama and baby mama drama bringing me down(just kidding on that last one)! Funny how I chose November to get back into writing. Guess I'll be playing a bit of catch-up, but I've already written over 3k words in the course of that time I got home from the pub to the time I woke up at my computer desk
I did NaNo. Won. I think a good tip for anyone (remember this for next year) is that if a scene is kicking your ass, and you are struggling to get the words down, simply jump to another scene where you know precisely what you want to say. I jumped about all over the place, coming back to earlier scenes, writing the ending, going into the middle and adding another scene which I felt it needed. Basically, writing in a linear fashion forces you to handle each scene in turn, and can easily slow you down.
I know November is National Novel Writing Month, and like Christmas's less popular brother, Easter, April is National Poetry Month. And like NaNoWriMo, there is a a poetry challenge. One poem per day. It is five day in and I haven't heard a whisper about it here. Much like Sybil Ludington's Ride is lost behind the shadow of Paul Revere's legend, I want to raise a call to the challenge to all the poets of the forum. Take up arms and let the stanzas hold... -Darkkin, the Tedious
I have never heard of this event before! Thanks for posting this. Better late than never, as they say.
I just read 2k to 10k. She averages 10k / day writing ~ 1500 words/ hour. Is the 1667 words / day meant to be an hour's writing or ...?
Averaging 10k/day = 300k in one month = one monster book that's too big to get published (unless you're a known author - in which case, what are you doing NaNo for?) = several months of red-pen editing. I've read of people doing their 50k in the first weekend, and then proceeding to churn out another 200k or so, trying to be what they call an "overachiever". I can't help feeling that they'd already got a good chunk of what they were going to write already totally mapped out (possibly even written - the wordcount is on the honour system) beforehand. But what's the point? Are they going to lose 90% in editing? And all so you can say "I won NaNo."
The 2k to 10k has nothing whatsoever to do with NaNoWriMo, just FYI. Not sure why you went all mathematician and judgemental on it My question was "Is the 1667 words / day meant to be an hour's writing or ...?" Is this challenge for people already working full-time?
