NanoWriMo anyone?

[kennyc]

Just wondering if anyone is participating? I guess I'm considering it since I'm finishing up my current project and haven't gotten that novel from my goals list written yet this year....

http://nanowrimo.org/

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Just wondering if anyone is participating? I guess I'm considering it since I'm finishing up my current project and haven't gotten that novel from my goals list written yet this year....

http://nanowrimo.org/

Go for it! You can do it! Rah! Rah! Rah!

[teh603]

Maybe? I'm waffling between two ideas.

[Graham]

I was going to, but my current work project's insanely busy. Quite apart from the time and travel involved, my brain would find it difficult to shift from IT project manager mode to creative writing mode as often as needed.

I've got a fairly detailed outline in search of a better ending ready though.

Graham

[kennyc]

I've got a couple of sketchy ideas but that's about all.....

I was checking it out a bit and learned that 'Water for Elephants' started/was a Nanowrimo novel....

[David Munch]

Would love to, but have to hand in my PhD thesis at the end of november, so..

[kennyc]

Slacker.....

[David Munch]

Wah wah..

[crich70]

I plan to try. I've got a rough 7 point outline worked out in Scrivener already. Have to get round to working out some more details yet of course.

[kennyc]

Cool. I'm kinda warming to the idea.....just looked over the two sketches/ideas I have had sitting for a while....I really think either one might work....my biggest challenge will be getting in a 'fiction' frame of mind and of course just cranking the words out.

It would allow me to check off that goal from my list for this year which I'd kind of given up on....

[Mivo]

Still doing that 90-day novel with proper outlining and assignments (which makes it more like a course) and that won't be done before end of November. On the other hand, NaNoWriMo would be an opportunity to try out full-on "pantsing" without an outline. 1600 words a day isn't overly much.

[kennyc]

I did nanowrimo once ages ago. Anyone have particular tips as to how to make it work?

I don't think I would have trouble with the word count, but maybe more with the story, plot, scenes, dialogue....wait, that's everything isn't it.

Stephen King says he just gets a character and a situation and writes....I've definitely got a character and a situation.....

[Graham]

Originally Posted by kennyc

I did nanowrimo once ages ago. Anyone have particular tips as to how to make it work?

Everyone's different, but I think that to get a coherent first draft completed in the month you do need an outline. You're likely to need a lot more words in the limited time otherwise.

Hitting the 50,000 target actually wasn't too hard when I did it last year, and I always felt that it was in reach as I stayed on track throughout with words per day, so the goal quite quickly became getting to the end of the story, rather than hitting the wordcount target. I managed to bring it to its conclusion after 61,000 words within the month.

The draft itself is of immensely variable quality, but I got great satisfaction out of completing it and the simple act of hacking out that number of words has definitely improved my writing.

Graham

[kennyc]

Thanks Graham, I agree that 'hacking out the words for a novel' can definitely improve one's writing. That certainly was my experience long ago (almost 20 years ago now...eeek!) when I was pushing very very hard with my fiction ... several really bad novels at that time, but I learned a ton.

P.S. just signed up over at the nano site - kennych
but still not certain I'll do this....definitely leaning that way though...

[Graham]

Originally Posted by kennyc

P.S. just signed up over at the nano site - kennych

Just being part of it is fun. Lots of videos and pep talks, and it doesn't take itself too seriously.

Graham