NaNoWriMo 2023

[Fiberglass Cyborg]

Anyone planning on doing NaNoWriMo this year? Any veterans with advice to give?

I've been meaning to try it for years, but every autumn a series of Stupid Crises blow up that leave me with no free time or energy. Maybe this year.... I have a semi-developed plot for a rambling and slightly stupid fantasy novel that might be suitable. Anything to get me putting words down on paper instead of endless overthinking. I do the music equivalent, February Album Writing Month, most years. It has a great community and I've actually got a ton of usable material out of it.

 

[Muginns]

I tried it once, some 10 years ago. I did not complete it, but I managed to get 5k words down that I would not have otherwise. I do not know where the piece is now, but I feel like trying something new, or having a go, is always worth it.

 

[Fiberglass Cyborg]

I tried it once, some 10 years ago. I did not complete it, but I managed to get 5k words down that I would not have otherwise. I do not know where the piece is now, but I feel like trying something new, or having a go, is always worth it.

I suspect the full 50,000 words is way beyond me on a first attempt - if I go for it, I'll have to manage my expectations.

 

[Muginns]

I suspect the full 50,000 words is way beyond me on a first attempt - if I go for it, I'll have to manage my expectations.

It is a lot, and all you can do is try your best. Better to have a goal than no goal, I guess. I wish you luck. I hear some people plan out their story lines and chapters beforehand, but I don't know if that is still allowed.

 

[Fiberglass Cyborg]

It is a lot, and all you can do is try your best. Better to have a goal than no goal, I guess. I wish you luck. I hear some people plan out their story lines and chapters beforehand, but I don't know if that is still allowed.

The rules seem to be pretty relaxed. You can even use something you've already started writing, so long as you don't include the bit you've already done in the word-count.

 

[ColGray]

I've done it a few times now, to varying success.

My first go generated a lot of smoke and no fire-- lots of, OH, i should do THIS <furiously scribble notes> with little/nothing to show for it.

Second go I just sat and wrote. No notes. No, this would be cool. Butt in seat for 60-90 minutes with headphones on and wrote along a single narrative line. I got close to 30k words and actually quite liked a lot of it but it was a bit (okay, VERY) all over the place. It eventually morphed into what become my first novel, but the Venn diagram between what was in there and what ended up with in the current draft has maybe 8-10% overlap. It was helpful for ideas and finding some character voices and personalities, but, that was it.

My third go was actually just having a focused month of work on that novel. It had sat around 75k words for a couple months and i used the structure of the month to write 50k words and mentally target the end. It also just got me on a good schedule where writing was an every day occurrence.

I've got some ideas to explore and I'm trying to decide what to write, but I'm planning to do it again. Happy to build a little NaNoWriMo support and encouragement group.

 

[Fiberglass Cyborg]

I've done it a few times now, to varying success.

My first go generated a lot of smoke and no fire-- lots of, OH, i should do THIS <furiously scribble notes> with little/nothing to show for it.

Second go I just sat and wrote. No notes. No, this would be cool. Butt in seat for 60-90 minutes with headphones on and wrote along a single narrative line. I got close to 30k words and actually quite liked a lot of it but it was a bit (okay, VERY) all over the place. It eventually morphed into what become my first novel, but the Venn diagram between what was in there and what ended up with in the current draft has maybe 8-10% overlap. It was helpful for ideas and finding some character voices and personalities, but, that was it.

My third go was actually just having a focused month of work on that novel. It had sat around 75k words for a couple months and i used the structure of the month to write 50k words and mentally target the end. It also just got me on a good schedule where writing was an every day occurrence.

I've got some ideas to explore and I'm trying to decide what to write, but I'm planning to do it again. Happy to build a little NaNoWriMo support and encouragement group.

It's good to know that there's a worthwhile NaNoWriMo trajectory other than "aced it first time"!

 

[THX1138]

If you go for it FC, keep us informed as to how you're doing.

 

[Phyrebrat]

I forgot about this. I wonder. I’ve kind of been Jonesin’ to write a new novel that’s outside of my Sour Ground world.

I wonder…