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Write a novel in November! | NaNoWriMo 2017
- Thread starter Cyan
- Start date
Been editing my novel-in-progress, and got some ideas (finally) on the structure of Act II. Going to start fleshing it out now up until November. I've been working overtime to edit the current work during my time off from job, getting used to the process of spending the extra hours necessary to do this.
Bring on November.
Bring on November.
Regulus Tera
Romanes Eunt Domus
Finished writing my second novel! Now I actually have to write Nano. I can never escape from writing hell
Musha_Soturi
Member
I should really start prepping for this
Petit Melon
Member
Currently trying to make a proper outline but I end up reverting into synopsis mode. Ughhhh!
If I may commiserate... that's where I've been for the past 18 years. Feelsbadman. I've kept everything, it's nearing 2 million words now, but I just get so lost in going back and doing more world building that it makes what I'd already written obsolete. Rather than go back and try to edit it, I just start over, and then get distracted by a world building idea, and on the cycle goes.
NaNo last year at least forced me to sit down and just go. It was refreshing, and I hope to do a better job of keeping the momentum afterward.
Oyashrio-Sama
Member
Decided to write a rough draft of my first chapter and I was wondering on average how long a chapter should be? I'm almost half way done with my first chapter and I'm already at 4000 words.
Does it matter?Can a chapter be as long as it needs to be? Is there such a thing as a chapter being too long?
Does it matter?Can a chapter be as long as it needs to be? Is there such a thing as a chapter being too long?
One great tactic for doing outlines is to say which chapter you will do then write the page numbers and list what happens in them to give you a better idea of what to write. Here's an example from my upcoming Awesome Sam novel for Nano.
Chapter 1-The Road to Being Awesome Begins
Act 1
1-600=Sam and Tiffany talk to each other while walking towards school about life
600-1200=Sam and Tiffany met Chuck, Ricky, Lisa, Phoebe, Phil and Shawn in the hallways and classes
1200-1800=Sam and her friends(Tiffany, Abigail, Carmen) meets Lindsey and her friends(Sandy, Yuki, Natasha) and they talked nasty towards each other
Note that I would have the page numbers and then tell what happens within them. It gives you an idea of what to write about within the page numbers so you can keep track of what to write and write about what the characters would do in those situations. This is something I should had done when I did novels from 2010 to 2016, guess there's always a first time for these things. This will probably make things a lot easier for me.
Chapter 1-The Road to Being Awesome Begins
Act 1
1-600=Sam and Tiffany talk to each other while walking towards school about life
600-1200=Sam and Tiffany met Chuck, Ricky, Lisa, Phoebe, Phil and Shawn in the hallways and classes
1200-1800=Sam and her friends(Tiffany, Abigail, Carmen) meets Lindsey and her friends(Sandy, Yuki, Natasha) and they talked nasty towards each other
Note that I would have the page numbers and then tell what happens within them. It gives you an idea of what to write about within the page numbers so you can keep track of what to write and write about what the characters would do in those situations. This is something I should had done when I did novels from 2010 to 2016, guess there's always a first time for these things. This will probably make things a lot easier for me.
fredrancour
Member
There are books with no chapter breaks. There are ones with the book broken into acts but no other divisions. Anything can work. Worry about the details during editing.
Unless you're trying to write a thriller, I guess. Then short chapters are much more likely to work.
Well I'm trying again. Maybe third times the charm. I've got plenty of ideas to go back through, and hopefully i'll have the time since i've been furloughed for a while.
In my off time i've been working on a steampunky James bondish thing, but i think that was a little ambitious, so i'm going to try something simpler. I still like the idea though, and hope to get back to it sometime.
In my off time i've been working on a steampunky James bondish thing, but i think that was a little ambitious, so i'm going to try something simpler. I still like the idea though, and hope to get back to it sometime.
Oyashrio-Sama
Member
The simplest way to think of chapters are like scenes in a movie. If you're moving on to another period of time, with another location, another point of view, and another development in the plot, that's a pretty natural place to break your chapter and start a new one.
4000 words is still okay for a chapter, though really, you're right, chapters are as long as they need to be. Although if your chapters are averaging 20000 words each, and you've got 20 chapters, your book is probably too long for a first time novelist to be seriously considered for publication. If you're Stephen King, however, it's not an issue.
No rough drafts yet! You're not supposed to start the actual writing until Nov 1.
Oyashrio-Sama
Member
No rough drafts yet! You're not supposed to start the actual writing until Nov 1.
*Sigh* Okay Mom... lol
Just wanted to see if my story would gel ya know. Make sure it was something I wanted to commit to. Ended up having a little too much fun and had to stop myself. I will probably end up rewriting it anyway.
Time to write more outlines and plan more characters! Excelsior!
The Scollard
Member
My novel is called "The Mystery of the Hillcrest Manor". It's a homage to the 1920s-1930s Agatha Christie murder mysteries.
Here's my inside-cover synopsis:
What do you guys think? Any tips for improving it?
Here's my inside-cover synopsis:
What do you guys think? Any tips for improving it?
This is an excellent idea. I'm going to do this.
Yeah, thanks, it should definitely help since you know exactly what to write about in the given pages, it gives you an idea that you can work with from there.
Also, everything I said about what I wrote in that does actually happen in novel.=p
Musha_Soturi
Member
Out of those 2 I'd go with The Apex Project
Roberto Larcos
Member
Been wanting to do this for a few years, but university has meant that I wasn't able to commit to such a mammoth undertaking. Count me in for this year - not a clue yet what to write about, but two weeks is enough time for that - right?
Start planning and outlining, bud. You got this!
Dandy Crocodile
Member
You could try asking on the Nano forums! There's probably a larger Finnish community than you'd imagine.
Ok, I think I'm finally recovered from The Worst Work Week. Time to actually do some planning and plotting for my novel! And maybe post a bit more in this thread, since I kind of bailed for a few days there.
I think I'm going to bring back the world I used last year--political landscape vaguely based on ancient Greek history (i.e. city-states), magic and low-tech, etc. The story last year was a sort of martial arts tournament between the three major cities, with a bunch of small teams from each one, and of course the MC was on the misfit underdog team etc etc. Anyway, no idea what the story will be this time around--not a sequel, I want to use different characters from a different city. Though... I like the city I used last time, maybe they can travel there?
Agh, no idea!
I think I'm going to bring back the world I used last year--political landscape vaguely based on ancient Greek history (i.e. city-states), magic and low-tech, etc. The story last year was a sort of martial arts tournament between the three major cities, with a bunch of small teams from each one, and of course the MC was on the misfit underdog team etc etc. Anyway, no idea what the story will be this time around--not a sequel, I want to use different characters from a different city. Though... I like the city I used last time, maybe they can travel there?
Agh, no idea!
Personally a fan of seeing a familiar setting or event through a different point of view or seeing what another character was up to during a specific event. The A/B system in Resident Evil 2 is still one of my favorite features in a game all these years later. Seeing how a different set of characters react to and interpret things in the same city, even if it's a different time period, could be a nice exercise.
Ok, here's the synopsis for Awesome Sam:
Awesome Sam is a adult raunchy comedy about a redhead named Samantha Williams who had a troublesome past and is trying to make up for it by trying to be awesome, help out people and her friends in need and change herself as a better person to overcome things in her life. However, along with her friends and others going through drastic changes that will affect everyone around them, Sam has a new enemy called Stuck Up Lindsey who is a stuck up bitch and will attack Sam at every turn to make her life miserable and in order to make Sam feel worthless as a person. With so much to do for her life and friends and to go up against the meanest girl she has ever met along with her friends, Samantha will have a lot to deal with to be able to get where she needs to be.
This novel will be my 1st female focused novel, 1st adult only novel, 1st raunchy comedy and 1st new IP I made in over 10 years! The last new IP I made was back in 2002!
I might go into details with characters later on...and there's a lot of them!
Awesome Sam is a adult raunchy comedy about a redhead named Samantha Williams who had a troublesome past and is trying to make up for it by trying to be awesome, help out people and her friends in need and change herself as a better person to overcome things in her life. However, along with her friends and others going through drastic changes that will affect everyone around them, Sam has a new enemy called Stuck Up Lindsey who is a stuck up bitch and will attack Sam at every turn to make her life miserable and in order to make Sam feel worthless as a person. With so much to do for her life and friends and to go up against the meanest girl she has ever met along with her friends, Samantha will have a lot to deal with to be able to get where she needs to be.
This novel will be my 1st female focused novel, 1st adult only novel, 1st raunchy comedy and 1st new IP I made in over 10 years! The last new IP I made was back in 2002!
I might go into details with characters later on...and there's a lot of them!
Haha, love the character names.
Thanks, this wasn't actually what I meant but ended up being really helpful! I now have an extremely vague plot outline!
Apple Turnover
Banned
I'm torn between novelizing my current D&D campaign idea, or setting it a few thousand years prior to build my world's backstory. Regardless, it's a swords and sorcery type fantasy world.
Current campaign is my heroes will be framed for the assassination of the Goddess during her main festival by the High Priest, who's an impostor and leader of a cult trying to revive her evil twin, who was slain a few thousand years back, and has fallen out of remembrance. Ultimately my heroes will be duped, once again, into resurrecting her. By the end of the campaign, I want my characters to be incredibly cynical and untrusting by the end, because the next campaign in my arc will allow them to defect to the evil goddess if they so choose.
Or I can write the original story of her reign of evil, and her ultimate downfall. I don't know which I'd find more appealing to write. Obviously the first is more fleshed out, but...
Edit: After some thinking, I'm sticking with my first idea. I've figured out the basis of my prologue and epilogue, and also what I want the final sentence of the final chapter to be.
Current campaign is my heroes will be framed for the assassination of the Goddess during her main festival by the High Priest, who's an impostor and leader of a cult trying to revive her evil twin, who was slain a few thousand years back, and has fallen out of remembrance. Ultimately my heroes will be duped, once again, into resurrecting her. By the end of the campaign, I want my characters to be incredibly cynical and untrusting by the end, because the next campaign in my arc will allow them to defect to the evil goddess if they so choose.
Or I can write the original story of her reign of evil, and her ultimate downfall. I don't know which I'd find more appealing to write. Obviously the first is more fleshed out, but...
Edit: After some thinking, I'm sticking with my first idea. I've figured out the basis of my prologue and epilogue, and also what I want the final sentence of the final chapter to be.
MaximumSpider
Banned
I'm in, GAF! I've been working on another story on the side since September but I feel like this will be a great way to pressure me to get some more writing done. I gotta think up an entirely new idea now.
CorporateClown
Member
I'm not sure I'll be able to achieve 50k this year due to work being a lot busier, but I'll try!I have a few projects started and this will be a chance to make some headway, though I'm not sure if I should just concentrate on one or write a bit for two or 3 different projects...
itsbenoclock
Member
Well I've had an idea for a novel for some time now, just never got around to planning out the actual story; gonna give this a go and aim to finish it in one go. Not sure it can fit into 50k words but I'll see what comes out by December 1st!
Dedication Through Light
Member
Its actually pretty interesting going back to reread what I wrote last year. \
Actually surprised at how I dont need to edit it or anything beyond random minor typos and a few weird commas. Now to throw it up on AO3 for no one to read.
Actually surprised at how I dont need to edit it or anything beyond random minor typos and a few weird commas. Now to throw it up on AO3 for no one to read.
Alcoremortis
Member
Still working on a title, but I'm doing a sort of lovecraft style horror mixed with pulp adventure in a fantasy world that has gone dieselpunk (I'm a little bored with traditional medieval fantasy settings). Lots of influence from Eternal Darkness, Sunless Sea, Lovecraft, Sherlock Holmes, and the Ravenloft DnD setting.
There's plenty more where that came from.=p It'll get even more absurd, lol.Haha, love the character names.
StrongBelwas
Banned
Can't decide whether to have another go at an existing idea ot try something completely new
I'm going to try to make it before November 17th!
The Scollard
Member
Not really, though reading the synopsis, there are similarities.
It's mainly based on a bunch of Agatha Christie murder mysteries, taking elements from each one. The trapped on an island by a storm with a murderer is a part of "And Then There Were None" and there's some stuff similar to "Murder on the Orient Express" too.
Current outline status:
-Taking a hammer to my more ambitious scenarios (length-wise) and replacing them with smaller ones. The temptation for big, sweeping arcs is real, but I realize my writing style called for something more episodic in nature.
-It's not just a Fantasy novel anymore. It's Fantasy/Comedy. I'm now changing up the characters to account for this. Oddly enough, it feels like there's more freedom to planning it now than before.
-Taking a hammer to my more ambitious scenarios (length-wise) and replacing them with smaller ones. The temptation for big, sweeping arcs is real, but I realize my writing style called for something more episodic in nature.
-It's not just a Fantasy novel anymore. It's Fantasy/Comedy. I'm now changing up the characters to account for this. Oddly enough, it feels like there's more freedom to planning it now than before.
That sounds nice, hope you do well with it!
KojiKnight
Member
I'm in. I've been reworking some concepts on a novel that I've been meaning to work on and this seems like the perfect chance (seriously, I have a 10 page outline, compendium, etc I've just not had the drive/want the last year to start putting it all together). Any penalty to get a head start as long as you still do the total writing amount in the month? As in, I still plan to do the total amount of words per the month, but maybe start the first chapter or so.
it depends on what set of rules you go by but in general.
you just need to write 50k words in the month of nov.
it's not like the goal is to have hard enforced rules so that the winners can stand around and mock the losers.
it's merely to push yourself to write more.