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Novel Writing-Age: NaNoWriMo 2013
- Thread starter Cyan
- Start date
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Musha_Soturi
Member
Well I'm going to try writing the novel that's been in my head for the last 10 years. I thought about maybe doing something different, but I can't put it off anymore, this book has to be written one way or another, and if NaNo can help me do that I guess it's worth a shot.
Still don't have a title though.
Still don't have a title though.
EverythingShiny
Member
Me! I work in Downtown Seattle and live in Kirkland. This will be the first time I'm doing NaNo in this area (moved here about a year and a half ago)
Like the hat?
Banned
If I want to post something here for opinions on, should it be posted the same way as in the challenges? (Password locked pdf on Dropbox)
MetalGuardian
Banned
That actually sounds pretty ace. Thanks for the insight, I'll try to check one out if there are any in my area. There aren't any events listed for my location yet, but hopefully some will get added the closer we get.I've been to several! They vary widely. One that I went to was the kickoff meetup (on Oct 31 shortly before midnight), and was fairly social until midnight when there was a group countdown and then we all started writing like mad. Very nice people, pretty nerdy crowd, highly non-pretentious.
I've been to one or two meetups at a pub, which was a blast. Small group, and we were mostly typing but once in a while we'd pause to complain about our respective novels and clink our pints together.
I've been to a few at a donut shop near where I live, which was really quiet and low-key. Just a group of people sitting at a long table, with donuts and/or coffees, typing away on our laptops or sometimes talking quietly so as not to bother others.
Like I said, varied. But one thing they had in common was that the people were pretty cool, but focused on writing, and that they were useful.
Forgot to mention this earlier, but if anyone wants they can friend me at http://nanowrimo.org/en/participants/xeris/
My writing group is doing write-ins (for NaNoWriMo, but not officially afiliated) in Everett on Saturdays. Kind of a trek from Redmond and Kirkland, but if any lurkers see this, they can feel free to hit me up for more info : )
Ooh, do we want to get a list of these in the OP?
http://nanowrimo.org/en/participants/mike-m
Jackben
bitch I'm taking calls.
How anyone is meant to do this with a job and girlfriend and school I don't know, but I know many of you have all of the above plus kids and more so hat's off to you. One day I hope to master time management and join in myself. For now I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines.
Honestly it's not nearly as scary as it sounds. A few words here and there during breaks and make-up time when you can get it gets you a good bit of the way there. And if you don't finish, then you have a running start on next year!
I'm cashing in my vacation days and informing my wife of my intent to neglect my family : )
I just thought about this as well and decided that I would make a post were I collect them which I keep updated and maybe Cyan can put a link in the OP. Might take maybe another half hour or so.
Valerie Cherish
Member
I might be interested in joining the write-in some time.
(I'm also in Kirkland!)I just found out I'll probably be on 60-70 hour work weeks for November. I'm going to sign-up anyway.
Let's see if I can write more than last year.NaNo-Profiles:
- toddhunter
- Like the hat?
- gazoinks
- SteveWinwood
- Pau
- ZeroRay
- Kimaka
- Plasticine
- bjork
- Shizzlee
- mu cephei
- Stuart444
- Nezumi
- EverythingShiny
- Dolla Dolla
- xeris
- Mike M
- Ashes1396
- viciouskillersquirrel
- Petit Melon
- Hop
- Valerie Cherish
- Sonicbug
- DurielBlack
- H.Protagonist
- LuffyZoro
- cloudwalking
- Atticus Forrest
- matthewwhatever
- bengraven
- Delio
- sqwalock
- SneakySneaks
- Box of Bunnies
- Dark FaZe
- GDGF
- Supermanisdead
- dramatis
- Dresden
- Bootaaay
- Wherearemahdragonz
- Sixmachine
- Aiko Heiwa
- Geido
- Dandy Crocodile
- Branduil
- Jintor
- MilkBeard
- Zelias
- The Smoking Bun
- Evilisk
- Ivan A Nguyen
- Sober
- InsaneZero
- Bananakin
- belucheez
- explorer
- ReiGun
superdeluxe
Member
If you have kids and work full time, how do you get it done?
EverythingShiny
Member
I might be interested in joining the write-in some time.
I just found out I'll probably be on 60-70 hour work weeks for November. I'm going to sign-up anyway.
Oh hey! Someone else in Kirkland! /high-five
I've never been to a write-in and I don't exactly have a laptop that functions so I'm not sure if I'll actually make it to one this year. But thanks for the head's up, Mike M. I'll keep it in mind.
You just write. It's not supposed to be quality or anything. Just word vomiting.
toddhunter
Member
Kids are in bed by 7:30-8:30pm. You then write for an hour or two and go to bed rather than watching TV or playing games.
People always have a lot more time then they think they do. You just need to want to do it.
I wondered if I was going to see a NaNoWriMo post in here. I actually completed it a couple of years ago, and I was thinking about doing it again this year. Not sure if I can do it this year though, because of school and work. I'll be watching from the sidelines, and if I decide to partake I will join you guys
Woa, lots of people from Washington here. I'm in Seattle also. Last I remember, Seattle had the highest number of participants. Is it still that way?
EverythingShiny
Member
Looking at the Regions page on the NaNo website, it says there are 11,587 members in the Seattle area. NYC has about 15,700 members but since the population of NYC is about 8.3 million and the population of King County (I'm including the Eastside since there seem to be a bunch of us) is 1.8 million, that's a whole lot of people from the Seattle area, comparatively.
Also, just had a bit of a breakthrough with my characters and an idea for a story. Re-reading the On Writing part of Stephen King's On Writing is helping me prepare quite a bit.
But that only works if the NaNo username is the same like the one on neagaf which isn't always the case (mine for example was already taken). Or are you talking about something different? I can't tell. Being awake for almost 24 hours makes my brain somewhat sluggish...
I'll add you to the list anyway.
Necromanti
Member
+1 for Seattle (although I just moved down from Bothell). And since I'm not even a native, I'm technically just inflating the number.
It almost sounds like we need a Seattle-GAF write-in at this rate.
No, you're correct. People might have different usernames. Sleep well. ;-)
viciouskillersquirrel
Member
I write using my phone. The iPhone keyboard is surprisingly versatile and the app iaWriter has some extra enhancements that make it better. It means that so can basically write while in bed, on the train, on the can and whenever I have a free moment. Plus, iaWriter syncs to Dropbox so when I do get access to a keyboard, I can just plop that into Notepad and keep on going.
But yeah, I don't expect to watch a lot of TV or play many video games during that time.
Edit: My NaNoWriMo username is viciouskillersquirrel
Petit Melon
Member
Username is petitmelon
I loved what I read of yours last year, I'm glad you're working toward completing it.
I dunno, I think this is the best advice in the thread.
bengraven
Member
No problem. Now let me get my foot out of my mouth and follow through myself.
It's up to you. Most people just drop excerpts in their posts as plain text. For a novel, this is probably fine, as long as you don't post the entire thing.
Hmm. Well, one year I did it while studying for the CFA exam, holding down a full-time job, and training for a marathon.
That was a crazy year.
Also, one GAFer actually had their baby born during NaNo and still finished. :O
Like the hat?
Banned
How do you all keep from starting early? I want to start now while things are fresh in my mind!
I find the easiest way is not to have any plans, or even an idea
Do what I did. Start writing anyway, get about 6k in, realize the idea wasn't very good, and come up with entirely new idea. Alternatively, start writing now but only count what you write in November for the 50k total.
Just a matter of discipline here. Might tweak an outline here or there going into it but otherwise it's just kinda relaxing and messing with other media (books/movies/games) now because I know I won't be able to have as much time next month.
toddhunter
Member
I agree with this approach. Planning to plan is also an excellent way to avoid starting anything.
Howzit going, ladies n gents?
Working on my outline still, and it's actually getting in decent shape now. Funny how this stuff multiplies. Thinking about a character's past gives me an idea for another side character, thinking out some of the world-building and adding locations gives me an idea for a whole subplot, thinking about ways to make the whole thing a little less static gives me all of the above. Still not all the way there, but I'm making progress!
Working on my outline still, and it's actually getting in decent shape now. Funny how this stuff multiplies. Thinking about a character's past gives me an idea for another side character, thinking out some of the world-building and adding locations gives me an idea for a whole subplot, thinking about ways to make the whole thing a little less static gives me all of the above. Still not all the way there, but I'm making progress!
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
Already have the gist in my head. Every time I go out walking I think of the nitty details and flesh things out little by little mentally. While this is great it distracts from getting the writing done on my previous NaNoWriMo.
fredrancour
Member
The conviction that writing has to be perfect or its not worth starting in the first place stops many people who want to write from ever doing so. Nanowrimo is about getting over it and just fucking writing, because if a person wants to write, then actually writing, regardless of quality, is more beneficial than planning or dreaming, or writing one chapter then revising it 50 times before moving on to chapter 2. Its a feasible amount of words if you can actually manage to not second-guess you self til the months over.
OK, going to actually participate this year instead of planning to participate, and then doing nothing (or like last year, how I decided to do my own plan of "National Short Story Writing Month," which let me get to mid-November before feeling guilty about doing nothing). It's been a few years since I did any serious writing, which is long enough for someone who plans to get published someday.
As far as planning goes, I've actually been avoiding that as well, since I tend to overplan and never actually get started. Only letting myself think about my story idea every now and then (though I did the other day because I was bored, and got most of the supporting cast out of it, so that was nice).
As far as planning goes, I've actually been avoiding that as well, since I tend to overplan and never actually get started. Only letting myself think about my story idea every now and then (though I did the other day because I was bored, and got most of the supporting cast out of it, so that was nice).
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
Good to hear this. I think it'll help me write to know that it doesn't have to be edited, final draft quality writing, more just a dump.
fredrancour
Member
Yes this is why nanowrimo exists. It's easier to say "fuck editing, make raw content" with a massive support group to drown out the internal editor in your brain.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
Well said. NaNoWriMo helps bridge that hesitation and makes you just do it. It's hard to let go but once you start writing and just keep bulldozing on (regardless of your inner screaming editor) you'll see some real fruits from that momentum alone.
Petit Melon
Member
I know the beginning, climax, and ending. I have no clue how to get from point to point. It's my first time writing a political thriller genre, and I don't want to make it sound too contrived.
I think I managed to get rid of one of my problems by changing my setting von cyberpunk to steampunk and using alchemy/magic instead of nanotechnolgy. Not sure if this fixes everything (probably not) but it is a start. I still have another project (doesn't that sound mighty important...) I want to finish till the end of the week. After that I'll be in full blown NaNo mode.
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
I really need to get started on that. How long is your outline?
OK, I've decided the basics for what I'm going to write.
I hate writing dialogue (as it always feels so unnatural), so I've decided my main character, Nathan, is mute.
He works at Amazon.co.uk in the warehouse, packing and shipping orders. He's incredibly lonely.
When Amélie orders a self-help book to try and combat her depression, Nathan (who struggles with communication issues for obvious reasons) reaches out by putting a note inside the book with his email address and "if you ever need to talk to somebody"
I have some really basic ideas for where I want the story to go from there & a few key scenes I want to write, but I'm not going to think too much about it so I don't go too heavily into edit mode in November.
We'll see, I guess
I hate writing dialogue (as it always feels so unnatural), so I've decided my main character, Nathan, is mute.
He works at Amazon.co.uk in the warehouse, packing and shipping orders. He's incredibly lonely.
When Amélie orders a self-help book to try and combat her depression, Nathan (who struggles with communication issues for obvious reasons) reaches out by putting a note inside the book with his email address and "if you ever need to talk to somebody"
I have some really basic ideas for where I want the story to go from there & a few key scenes I want to write, but I'm not going to think too much about it so I don't go too heavily into edit mode in November.
We'll see, I guess
So, bear in mind that different techniques work for different people... but I'll share what my process has been so far and where I intend to go with it.
I started off with the extremely vague idea that I wanted to do some kind of space opera thing, in a world I've written in a few times in short story challenges on GAF (note for fellow travelers: not the Georgie and Emmir stories, but the stories that mention "the Stream"). At this point it was just "space opera" and a few things I wanted to include: space battles, pirates, hand-to-hand fighting, secret ancient technology, an "odd couple" duo as the main characters, an expert illegal spaceship mechanic.
Talked about it with my sister, who's always a good sounding board for my writing stuff, and she suggested reusing (or refitting) an old character, an aging space pilot on the verge of retirement. He goes out to make a final delivery, but finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and gets caught up in wild intrigue and space battles and so on. The idea was that he'd continually wind up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that trying to dig himself out of trouble would just keep getting him deeper. (Incidentally, here's my "one sentence" Snowflake method descriptor: "An ex-smuggler courier pilot on the verge of retirement finds himself on both wrong sides of an empire in rebellion.")
Ok, but I also wanted another character for the "odd couple" thing. Who better to pair up with an grumpy old man than a young girl just finding her way around the spaceways? She's highly competent, but her knowledge is more theory than practice, as opposed to the old fellow's pure practicality. How to pair them up? Well, clearly he won't want her aboard at first, so maybe she sneaks onto his ship as a stowaway. How to tie her into the main "empire in rebellion" plotline? Maybe she's secretly an imperial princess, the next in line for the throne, who has to flee from both the rebels, who want her dead, and the imperials, who are led by a faction that's trying to control her so they can take over.
From there I did some work on character backgrounds and a bit of world-building, which led to a few ideas for subplots and events. The old pilot was a former smuggler who went straight years ago. How? He betrayed a close friend and was rewarded with a pardon. Ok, so maybe he's looking for redemption. Maybe betrayal is a theme in this story. Maybe he has to face a decision at some point, of whether or not to betray the princess. Maybe he fails that choice too and has to make up for it.
Which leads me to where my outline is right now, step 2 from the Snowflake method, the paragraph length summary:
"An ex-smuggler courier pilot on the verge of retirement goes out to make one last delivery, and finds himself carrying a stowaway and with some powerful people chasing him. His ship is commandeered by a group of rebels who force him to carry them and their supplies to a planet under naval blockade, but he winds up on the wrong side of the rebellion as well as the empire. While trying to escape out-system, the ship is damaged and then redirected by pirates to a small, pirate-controlled system. At last the pilot discovers the real reason everyone is chasing him--his stowaway passenger, now a friend and copilot, is the princess and future ruler of the empire, and he makes the fateful decision to betray her to the empire. In the end he changes his mind, confronts his greatest enemies both in the empire and in the rebellion, and helps the princess defeat the faction within the empire that's been trying to kill or control her."
From here I'll go to the next step in the Snowflake and expand each sentence into its own paragraph. Along the way I might find that I don't like one of the parts of the story and decide to change it. Also, since this outline is clearly from the perspective of the old pilot, and I want the princess to be a frequent POV character, I'll flip it around at some point and write it again from her perspective. This will help me come up with some other subplots and will probably cause me to change some of the things in the first outline.
By the time NaNo starts, I expect to have a list of scenes and some idea of what happens in each one.
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