• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Novel Writing-Age: NaNoWriMo 2014

Status
Not open for further replies.
It's almost 11pm here, done writing for the first day for me.

WC:2915

Funny thing is, I was gonna stop at like 2000 words and then 2500 words, but I just kept writing.
 
WC: 1244

I kind of wish there was more to add to the first chapter, but I didn't feel like dragging it out too long. The second chapter will more than likely be around 2000 though since that one will be filled with exposition regarding the main concept in the story.
 
WC:3806




It's fun just wingin it. I have an overall idea of where my storie will end, but the journey is going to be fun.

Novel is titled "The Easy Express".
 
WC:2548


As was the case last year, I think I'm going to spend half my writing time actually writing, and the rest agonizing over every name.

Also, I'm not totally sure how I'm getting from my beginning to my end. I have a vague idea, but I'll have to see where it takes me, I guess. Maybe the end will be completely different.

Oh, and if anyone wants to add me on NaNoWriMo, I'm matthewwhatever there as well.
 
Notrollious said:
Finally shut my internal editor up so I'm progressing pretty quick. I had to restart like 3 times because I was so unhappy.



This is my current issue right now. I hate it.
Click to expand...


I've been there, but I've kind of come to terms with it by just picking a culturally appropriate name from http://www.behindthename.com/names/gender/masculine/usage/russian that I hate and then making a mark of it in another document. Every time I notice I've written something I dislike and can't find a way around it within a few minutes, it just goes in the future edits document and I move on.

Naturally, I've ended up becoming attached to a bunch of the names I disliked at first.
 
WC:2007

Not quite the fast start I was hoping for but I started the day with no idea at all and now I'm pretty happy with where this is heading. Less than 48,000 left to go :D
 
A lot of my names are puns. The main character from my last (still not fully polished) Nano novel inadvertently starts a war as part of the plot.

I called her Cassia Bellum.

One of my other characters is named after the Roman emperor who had to take the reins after Julian the Apostate went and got himself killed. He's basically a priest of a dying religion and he has to reconcile that with the reality of the times.

Basically, I follow the Pokémon naming rulebook.
 
WC:1243

Aon said:
I've been there, but I've kind of come to terms with it by just picking a culturally appropriate name from http://www.behindthename.com/names/gender/masculine/usage/russian that I hate and then making a mark of it in another document. Every time I notice I've written something I dislike and can't find a way around it within a few minutes, it just goes in the future edits document and I move on.

Naturally, I've ended up becoming attached to a bunch of the names I disliked at first.
Click to expand...

There aren't many names in mine yet, but a lot of them are a weird mix of english and latin in a way. We'll see how long they last.
 
Finishing the night at.

WC: 4362

Basically main char meeting his future love interest who helps him through a hard day thinking about his mom who passed away a year ago. CUE EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY FROM SHADOWY CREATURES.
 
WC: 9134

Probably still going to tinker a bit to hit my 10k goal before stopping, but I figure I should at least stop the count for the day at Midnight proper and roll over the total into tomorrow's figure.
 
WC: 835

Writing this first day was a little difficult. I know I have to learn to write in other forms other than script. Hopefully the next day is a little better to me.
 
WC: 1889

Got started real late so that's all I got for day one, but I'll do some more writing post-midnight. I'm happy so far with it, though beginnings are always my best work.

EDIT: I hate CheesecakeRecipe ;_;
 
CheesecakeRecipe said:
WC: 9134

Probably still going to tinker a bit to hit my 10k goal before stopping, but I figure I should at least stop the count for the day at Midnight proper and roll over the total into tomorrow's figure.
Click to expand...

Reveal your secrets to me!

WC:5064

I wrote way, way more than I was originally intending to. :P I'm feeling good about this story so far though, hopefully my plot doesn't fall apart later on.
 
WC:3624

I found myself awake at 1:00 this morning and resolved to go for it again. I stuck to my brief outline but I feel like my tone is sort of all over the place and I'm having a trouble balancing the hard sci-fi feel I want to create with the less grounded plot elements. Overall I'm in a better position than last year considering I didn't start until 2 days in but I'm lacking the enthusiasm for anything I've written thus far. Seeing everyone else's word counts is definitely going to keep me going though.
 
WC:3390

Was kind of hoping to hit 10k this weekend (5k per day) but that may have been a bit much. I'm fine with hitting 6k-8k though.

I was worried my opening scene wouldn't last long enough, but it's still going. Doing an outline is pretty useful.
 
WC:2108

Happy with that, but really I only hit my target because I had all day to write - I definitely need to pick it up if I want to stay on track.
 
WC:5060

I will probably write more tomorrow.

Sheesh, lets get it to 7500 tomorrow. I've got a basic outline and moving the plot along brisk fully.
 
Got home from work today, went on a dinner date with my wife, and came home and wrote for day 2.

My final word count for tonight is 4775. I'm hoping to do another 2200-2500 tomorrow. I'm definitely enjoying myself so far.
 
WC: 323

DAY 1

Slow goings on my front. I've rediscovered my obsessive habit of proof-reading everything as I go, not leaving lines alone until they seem final-draft acceptable to me...

:I

I've got a clean slate on my schedule tomorrow, so I hope to catch up after some sleep.



btw, my NaNo ID is blargonaut, if anyone wants to add me :o
 
WC: 1837

Had some plot kinks to work out (I was a bad person and didn't do enough prep) but was able to get past that and start writing. Over par for the day, which is a good enough start for me.

(Also, I'm apparently the very last person on the leaderboard until updates come through!)
 
WC:5630

Not my highest weekend score ever, but I got two chapters done today, which was my goal (and honestly I didn't think I would make it.).

Puts my grand total at 39,500ish if we count all my October cheating.
 
WC:1234

Had a few more minutes but decided that was a good place to stop. I think I understand why it's easier to start with a fresh story, but I'm really just using NaNo to keep me motivated on my project. I wish I could've started something new, but I've done the equivalent of like 3 NaNos this year already with different things. Need to stick to one thing for a while.
 
WC:1632

Upshot is I got some ideas on how to get past where I was stuck last year so I should be able to get a decent run for the next day or two.
 
WC:1113

I may end up writing some more before going to bed (thank you, end-of-daylight-savings-time), but I'm at a good stopping point for the day. I might have been able to do more, but my fantasyland elf-dude story became a human time-traveler story, so... yeah.
 
wc:4760

Making progress. Don't forget, guys, we're going to be doing another Google Hangout tomorrow at 2 PM Pacific tomorrow. (And don't forget daylight savings time.) Anyone who wants to join is welcome, and it should be a good chance to get some work done.
 
3175 at the end of my second day (Australia), so I'm still a touch behind what I need to average daily. I'm going to cut myself some slack though, as I forgot to write at all yesterday.

Like I imagine at least someone else here is, I'm not starting a new piece but rather adding to a piece I've been writing more casually over the last year. I'm starting at 40k, finishing at 90.
 
Huw_Dawson said:
Because this is the first serious bit of writing I've done in a long time, I'm going to put it up here. Mock it! :D
Click to expand...

Riding off to the sunset new day.

besada said:
Phew. I haven't written anything since my massive nervous breakdown nearly three years ago. I've been terrified that I'd forgotten how to do it. Apparently not.
Click to expand...

miscegenation. I'll have to try and use that word in my novel at some point.

Cyan said:
All right, time to post an excerpt: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/68747405/NaNo excerpt 1.pdf

Quote to see password: .
Click to expand...

Nano isn't a for crits, but I thought your middle section sagged a bit. Notes for later perhaps.* An interesting piece.

Sign said:
The grammar is not great. I mean, can we just get rid of the comma. Who needs commas anyway? What have commas ever done for anyone, ever?
Click to expand...

:P I thought it was cool enough.

CheesecakeRecipe said:
WC: 9134
Click to expand...

How you do this is bewildering. o.O

*For everyone else, note that I am more familiar with some people's work than others. And that in some cases, I would hold people, rather unfairly perhaps, to a much higher standard comparatively speaking.
 
WC:4625

I can't believe how great having planned stuff out feels right now. Actually having chapter outlines ahead of me is like magic or something, brain doesn't get caught up worrying about how I'm going to get from A to B. At least for now anyway, I'm sure by next week I'll be flailing about as usual.
 
WC:2422



The internal heckler sure has been polite so far. Conversations ultimately made the word count go by pretty quickly. I'm wondering if I'll have to add more non-dialogue stuff here when revising. I'm worried I'm going to develop talking head syndrome if I'm not careful.

The first few hundred words were definitely writing myself into it and will be axed upon revision. All their information can easily be delivered a little later, after a more interesting part.

If this chapter so far is any indication, the book will not be done by work 50k.
 
WC:5064

I'm proceeding nicely but man, this outline I've written hasn't really helped a whole lot. I mean all the world building notes I wrote for it have come in handy, but the stuff about actually planning the novel, I've done a terrible job of following it lol
 
Oh such a bad start for me. My outline plan crashed and burned due to life. I dithered all yesterday as to what to do. Faffed about. Scratched myself. Got distracted.

After a night spend dreaming about different solutions I woke this morning and started re-writing an old scifi story I had started for an old GAF writing challenge and never submitted.

I have an idea of where the story is going for the next 10k, after that I've no idea, but it gives me time to try write a bit of an outline in parallel with writing the first fifth.

wc:1111

The seal has been broken!
 
wc:1333

Pretty atrocious first two days, but that's what I get for now planning anything out.

I've got the next couple of chapters drafted up now, so hopefully the week is kind to me.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

I need your opinions... I'm writing a book
34
543
DeafTourette replied
Stephen Colbert is co-writing "The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past"
2 3 4
169
1K
TintoConCasera replied
cologne-age 2.0: Recommend and share fragrances here.
2
74
1K
IDKFA replied
MacBook Pro (Retina 2014) connected to Wi-Fi but no internet access
15
651
LordCBH replied
Catherine O’Hara has passed away at 71 years of age
2
96
1K
TerribleAtThisGame replied
Top Bottom