My fellow GAFers! Have you dreamed of writing a novel some day, but somehow never gotten around to it? Do you hate having free time? Then NaNoWriMo may be right for you.
http://www.nanowrimo.org
We're nearly there, but you've still got a little bit of time to think about what you want to write, and start outlining or worldbuilding or whatever kind of prep you want to do.
We had 150 (!) GAF participants and 54 winners last year. Let's see if we can beat our high score for another year!
I will keep the following post updated with participants and their word counts.
FAQ:
The internets are broken?
No, the site is just getting hammered. This happens every year.
How do I write 50k words?
One at a time. Seriously though, if you can keep up with the benchmark (1,667 a day) you're golden. If you can't, don't panic, just set aside a weekend day or days to play catchup.
Any other strategies?
If you can, aim for 2000 a day rather than just keeping pace with the benchmark. This leaves you some elbow room for a few bad days later on in the month, which is a huge help for the week 2-3 doldrums. Also, try the sprints and word wars! I've got plans to do some NaNoGAF Google hangouts for word sprints, but I'm not sure yet what form exactly that will take. Keep an eye out!
How do I update my word count?
Great question. In previous years, we've just posted them in the thread and then I drop them into the leaderboard. We're still going to do that this year, but I've built a tool to help me keep up. Please precede any wordcount that you want put into the leaderboard with "WC:", on a new line. Commas are fine, periods used as decimals are not.
Will work:
"WC: 5000" "wc:5,000" "wc:5k."
Will not work:
"WC: 5000 and 1000 more later" "WC:5.0k" "wc:1000 more than yesterday"
Yes, it's a little bit picky. Work with me here, I'm not an expert programmer.
Is there any reason to actually sign up on the site itself?
Yes! First of all, you can have your novel officially validated by the site (copy/paste from your word processor into their word counter). This lets you officially win, and gets you congratulations and all sorts of fame and glory. Second, by signing up, you will get "pep talk" emails each week from famous authors. This year, that list includes Brandon Sanderson, Jim Butcher, and Tamora Pierce!
Does my story have to be an original work of genius?
No. It's whatever you want to write. So write a Harry Potter/Thundercats slashfic that uses the story structure of Jane Austen's Emma to your heart's content.
Can I/Do I have to share a synopsis or excerpts?
You don't have to do anything in this thread except update your word count if you want to be on the leaderboard in the OP. But if you want to share any of your writing, or your plot, or your totally awesome characters, please do so! It adds to the fun.
Where's the old list of year-by-year winners?
Good eye! I've removed that as it took up a lot of thread space. But I'm keeping it updated and it's right here.
Has anyone on GAF had their NaNo professionally published?
Why, what a timely question! GAF's own H.Protagonist may not have technically won with her 2012 story, Dead Endings, but she damn well got it published! See here for the full details (plus way cool illustrations!).
Useful tools:
Hangouts:
We have two places to hang out. Google Hangouts, with a structured hangout planned for every Sunday from 2-4 PM Pacific time. I will post a link in the thread whenever those go live.
The second is the new GAF NaNo Tinychat room. It can be found here: http://tinychat.com/writinggaf The password is (quote to see):
The Tinychat should be always running and you should feel free to go in and hang out whenever you feel like getting some writing done, or maybe chatting a little. If people want to organize word sprints or anything using the Tinychat, that's totally cool!
Software:
Scrivener: a word processor that incorporates scene and character notes, outlines, research documents, and more. Get a free trial through December 7th for NaNo. (And a discount on the full version if you win!)
Q10: an alternative word processor which removes all distractions, helping you focus on your work.
Write or Die: start writing in a text box. And don't stop... or else. Give it a try, very motivating. (also has a newer downloadable version)
Sites:
Snowflake Method: a highly recommended system that helps you get from single-sentence plot to detailed outline. I have used this several times and it was instrumental in actually completing those novels.
Adoptions: on the NaNo forums, it's traditional to leave some ideas that other people can pick up and run with. Adopt a plot, adopt a plot twist, adopt a title, and many more!
NaNo Sprints: start your engines! Get off to the races with some NaNo sprints, where you compete with other NaNoers to write a bunch of words in a short interval. Also on Twitter.
Backwards NaNo: a slightly different way of managing your word count. It's amortized! That means for the first two weeks, you're writing a lot more than everyone else. But by the last day, you only have to write a single word!
Other:
How to Get and Develop Killer Story Ideas: Youtube video of a con lecture. Does what it says on the tin.
No Plot? No Problem: a book by the site's founder, intended as an aid for completing your novel and getting through the month.
The 90-Day Novel: sure we don't have 90 days, but a reliable source tells me this book is a "wildly useful resource." I'm using it myself this year, and it's great so far!
And, of course, this thread! Feel free to post questions here, or ask for feedback on your outline/structure, or just complain about how goddamn hard it is. We're here for you! The camaraderie is part of what makes it fun.
http://www.nanowrimo.org
Write a 50,000 word (175 page) novel in a month? Yes it's insane, but that's the point. Write like hell, shut down your internal editor (that can come later), and just get it done.NaNoWriMo.org said:
NaNoWriMo.org said:
We're nearly there, but you've still got a little bit of time to think about what you want to write, and start outlining or worldbuilding or whatever kind of prep you want to do.
We had 150 (!) GAF participants and 54 winners last year. Let's see if we can beat our high score for another year!
I will keep the following post updated with participants and their word counts.
FAQ:
The internets are broken?
No, the site is just getting hammered. This happens every year.
How do I write 50k words?
One at a time. Seriously though, if you can keep up with the benchmark (1,667 a day) you're golden. If you can't, don't panic, just set aside a weekend day or days to play catchup.
Any other strategies?
If you can, aim for 2000 a day rather than just keeping pace with the benchmark. This leaves you some elbow room for a few bad days later on in the month, which is a huge help for the week 2-3 doldrums. Also, try the sprints and word wars! I've got plans to do some NaNoGAF Google hangouts for word sprints, but I'm not sure yet what form exactly that will take. Keep an eye out!
How do I update my word count?
Great question. In previous years, we've just posted them in the thread and then I drop them into the leaderboard. We're still going to do that this year, but I've built a tool to help me keep up. Please precede any wordcount that you want put into the leaderboard with "WC:", on a new line. Commas are fine, periods used as decimals are not.
Will work:
"WC: 5000" "wc:5,000" "wc:5k."
Will not work:
"WC: 5000 and 1000 more later" "WC:5.0k" "wc:1000 more than yesterday"
Yes, it's a little bit picky. Work with me here, I'm not an expert programmer.
Is there any reason to actually sign up on the site itself?
Yes! First of all, you can have your novel officially validated by the site (copy/paste from your word processor into their word counter). This lets you officially win, and gets you congratulations and all sorts of fame and glory. Second, by signing up, you will get "pep talk" emails each week from famous authors. This year, that list includes Brandon Sanderson, Jim Butcher, and Tamora Pierce!
Does my story have to be an original work of genius?
No. It's whatever you want to write. So write a Harry Potter/Thundercats slashfic that uses the story structure of Jane Austen's Emma to your heart's content.
Can I/Do I have to share a synopsis or excerpts?
You don't have to do anything in this thread except update your word count if you want to be on the leaderboard in the OP. But if you want to share any of your writing, or your plot, or your totally awesome characters, please do so! It adds to the fun.
Where's the old list of year-by-year winners?
Good eye! I've removed that as it took up a lot of thread space. But I'm keeping it updated and it's right here.
Has anyone on GAF had their NaNo professionally published?
Why, what a timely question! GAF's own H.Protagonist may not have technically won with her 2012 story, Dead Endings, but she damn well got it published! See here for the full details (plus way cool illustrations!).
Useful tools:
Hangouts:
We have two places to hang out. Google Hangouts, with a structured hangout planned for every Sunday from 2-4 PM Pacific time. I will post a link in the thread whenever those go live.
The second is the new GAF NaNo Tinychat room. It can be found here: http://tinychat.com/writinggaf The password is (quote to see):
The Tinychat should be always running and you should feel free to go in and hang out whenever you feel like getting some writing done, or maybe chatting a little. If people want to organize word sprints or anything using the Tinychat, that's totally cool!
Software:
Scrivener: a word processor that incorporates scene and character notes, outlines, research documents, and more. Get a free trial through December 7th for NaNo. (And a discount on the full version if you win!)
Q10: an alternative word processor which removes all distractions, helping you focus on your work.
Write or Die: start writing in a text box. And don't stop... or else. Give it a try, very motivating. (also has a newer downloadable version)
Sites:
Snowflake Method: a highly recommended system that helps you get from single-sentence plot to detailed outline. I have used this several times and it was instrumental in actually completing those novels.
Adoptions: on the NaNo forums, it's traditional to leave some ideas that other people can pick up and run with. Adopt a plot, adopt a plot twist, adopt a title, and many more!
NaNo Sprints: start your engines! Get off to the races with some NaNo sprints, where you compete with other NaNoers to write a bunch of words in a short interval. Also on Twitter.
Backwards NaNo: a slightly different way of managing your word count. It's amortized! That means for the first two weeks, you're writing a lot more than everyone else. But by the last day, you only have to write a single word!
Other:
How to Get and Develop Killer Story Ideas: Youtube video of a con lecture. Does what it says on the tin.
No Plot? No Problem: a book by the site's founder, intended as an aid for completing your novel and getting through the month.
The 90-Day Novel: sure we don't have 90 days, but a reliable source tells me this book is a "wildly useful resource." I'm using it myself this year, and it's great so far!
And, of course, this thread! Feel free to post questions here, or ask for feedback on your outline/structure, or just complain about how goddamn hard it is. We're here for you! The camaraderie is part of what makes it fun.
