Hey, Just wanted to know if anyone out there has tried the National Novel Writing Month. There's one starting Nov. 1. I'm thinking about doing it. Has anyone tried this? What are your thoughts on the approach. I know in another forum someone mentioned they did it last year and it wasn't for them. Just curious to think how other people feel about writing a 50,000 word novel (first draft) in a month - without doing any editing whatsoever. It sounds like fun but I want to get a first draft done of something I want to eventually consider a serious work and not just thousands of words of "beyond crap" material. Like I said - any thoughts?
If you mean another forum on this site, it was probably my post you saw. I tried it last year, but it really wasn't for me. It was worth exploring, and I learned about my writing approach in the process. I cannot write in dump mode. It may work for some people, but not for me. After a writing session, everything I wrote continues to percolate in my head, and I come up with a number of things I want to fix. When I return to the writing later, I can't plow ahead from where I left off. I have to go back and make the changes that came to me during the break, or else I cannot concentrate on the new writing. My backlog of revision thoughts extends back about three or four days. Longer than that, I'm usually satisfied for the time being, but I must keep the writing in sync with my head during that time window. If you have never tried NaNo before, by all means try it. You may or may not hit the 50K word goal, but you will learn a lot about your personal writing process.
I am doing NaNo this Nov. It will be the first time I tried it. If you decide to sign up, let me know and I will add you to my buddies.
I have been practicing. I was hoping to get two novels done by the end of Nov. I don't know that that is going to happen. With the write no edit theory, I'm going to end up going way over the word count I actually need for each on. Apparently I'm long winded in the first drafts. hehe
I did it last yeah. Scapped in. But for me it felt cheap (the writing). And i pretty much deleted all the stuff i wrote. Its okay if you want to get yourself into a pattern of writing, or use it as motivation i feel. Just dont expect it to be brilliant. (the writing). The expierence might be helpful for a few though.
I tried it last year, but halfway through I gave up. There are just too many things to do in November for me. I would love nothing more than to try this year, but I'm even busier than I was last year. If only this were in September. I blame Thanksgiving and a plethora of birthdays. Good luck to all those who try.
Northern hemisphere calenders are strange.......free in september, busy in november?? Our southern hemisphere calendar is much more sensible....4 months off, November to March....good times, great music. That said, I doubt I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo...while writing 50k words would be nice, I don't think I could stand not editing...
I did it last year, made the word goal, but hated it along the way. I guess I'm just not a dump-thousands-of-words-in-one-day kind of writer. I can't stand to know that my last chapter needs a lot of work, but still have to keep writing to make the word goal. To me, each part of a story builds on the part before it, so I tend to edit pretty carefully as I go. Nanowrimo doesn't allow that, so my story tends to plummet in quality as I make progress in quantity. ~ Micah
I did it last year for the first time following recovery from a serious medical condition and I found it great - I don't know where it all came from, but I crashed out 50,000 by 17th November and reached around 75,000 by the check-in date, had it validated and printed off the certificate. That novel is now completed and I am very happy with it. I am doing it again this year but I am not confident that it will flow quite as well or as easily as last year so whether it turns into a "real" novel eventually, who knows...
I did it last year and finished with just barely over the 50,000 mark. The story that was so good in my head seemed to flounder half way thru the month. I'm trying again this year and hoping I'm not as busy as I was last year. It does teach you discipline. When you sit down to write, then, by God, you better write! Also teaches you to use your time wisely. I found myself writing little notes about the story at the strangest times and places. Someday I'll take out the novel I wrote last year and be able to read it without laughing.
Im doing it this year for the second time, more to push myself as a writer than anything else. i know that what comes out will never be published but i still love to do it. anyone esle doing it should just add me to their buddy list. same name
Okay, last question about it. Is it a realistic expectation to think you can come out with a manuscript that you can eventually revise and work on to the point where it would be a masterpiece of sorts (or at least be good enough to get published)? Or, generally speaking, does NaNoWriMo just benefit in establishing some discipline in the writer's life? I guess this question depends on the writer. I just want to know if it's too much to expect some quality at the end of it all?
I certainly hope so! I plan to get on trying to get my novel published. But knowing that, when I write I try to infuse as much quality in with the quantity. One of the reasons I have been praticing. I have been trying to get 5000 words a day. I usually end up with around 3000 or so. But I have done a couple thousand at a time in my one novel and it's not turning out too bad. I think you have to keep in mind that you want to use it later and still try to do your best.
I also think it depends on the writer, but the general consensus seems to be that a month to write something that could turn out to be a masterpiece is very unlikely. When i wrote nano last year i had no intentions of writing something for publication. The same applies for this year, i'm using it as a way to appease my desire to write fan fiction for a series i am inexplicably addicted to, whilst still trying to concentrate on sustaining the momentum of my current work. As far as discipline goes i am on the fence for this because if everyone who writes nano learns discipline then we should be writing 12months a year instead of waiting for november to feel obligated. But still i think it depends on the writer, if you wholeheartedly think you can chug out the framework for a novel in a month no ones going to stop you.
Some people start in quite literally with nothing at Nov 1. Some people spend October outlining and detailing their plots. Trying to work out every plot hole they can imagine. Then of course some have a brief idea of the story and characters. Some even spend months prior to NaNo in this outline and research and doing everything they can to prepare. Now even with all of it done, it doesn't necessarily mean you will have a great manuscript. It will probably need alot of revision and editing. But as they say, thats with December is for. It very much comes down to the writer. NaNo ultimately just gets the story out on paper. Which isn't a bad thing, as long as you are willing to revising the mess afterwards.
hello i am just here wondering if anyone on this forum is participating in nanowrimo. this year is my first time doing it so just wondering... yeah i am doing it this year for the first time if anyone is participating feel free to add me to your buddies my username is -lillie reid-
I said I would not, I claimed my life was too busy... and I am now seventeen thousand words deep and currently trying to hit 20k before I pass out. I think I might actually be a masochist, just not in the weird way.
I'm doing it, but with the novel I'm already writing. I'm not sure if it technically counts because, (though I'll be writing 50,000 words this month) I didn't start the book at the beginning of the month, and I'm not going to be ending it at the end of the month.
Technically, if you have anything written prior to Nov 1, you are supposed to keep that separate, and only track the writing that takes place between Nov 1 and Nov 30, inclusive.
Ah all right. Then I don't think I'll count myself as a participant. I'm just using a deadline to try to get some work done on my already existing project.
