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Author Topic: NaNoWriMo time!  (Read 4461 times)

Jenett

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NaNoWriMo time!
« on: October 28, 2020, 03:36:42 pm »
Past time for this year's post? Who else is doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year?

(And if you're eyeing it sceptically, come hang out in the thread anyway.)
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Jenett

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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2020, 03:44:03 pm »
Past time for this year's post? Who else is doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year?

(And if you're eyeing it sceptically, come hang out in the thread anyway.)

I'm in, as I have been since 2017.

(On the other hand, I have a daily writing habit already, and I have been managing NaNo pace for 2020 so far, so ... that's different this year.)

My project is likely going to be a novel called Sailor's Jewel, where my brief blurb has been "Taking a magical gem across the Atlantic. Alas, leviathan!" My outline adds pelagic mermaids, a ship running aground on Sable Island, and a kraken. Basically, I feel every series written at this point in history needs an ocean liner novel.

(I've mentioned elsewhere, but I am writing and self-pubbing 1920s and the occasional Edwardian romance novel with magic: Darkhawk is my editor. They are ridiculous, fun to write, and people I don't know enjoy them, so hey! They have a lot of disability rep in general, and Christianity is decentralised in the magical community culture though still in the mix. This is my 12th book in that world, and I've got a pretty good sense of what I can accomplish with the writing time I have, and NaNo has been part of figuring that out for me.)

Doing this one for NaNo because I'm still thinking about the other next book in the current series sequence. (which is me playing with the villain redeemed trope, historical banking families, at least one dragon, and some other bits of worldbuilding. Which probably explains why I need to think about it more.)

I do my writing on 4theWords, which I am glad to chat about if anyone's curious (writing gamification site: $4 monthly subscription, but they do a trial for NaNo and extra time for winners.)
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Sefiru

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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2020, 06:50:35 pm »
Past time for this year's post? Who else is doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year?

(And if you're eyeing it sceptically, come hang out in the thread anyway.)

I am still working on the Fanfic That Ate My Brain which I started on ... 2 1/2 years ago? Yikes. At this point I'm sure I'm going to complete the series as planned, and Nov-Dec is an 'on project' period. I'll be editing/posting Part 10 of the series and drafting Part 11, of 12 planned installments. I'm aiming for 15000 words for Part 11. Link for those interested.

It's strange to think that by this time next year, I'll be done with this beast. I'll have to think of another project to keep me busy  :P
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Aisling

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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2020, 07:52:25 pm »
My project is likely going to be a novel called Sailor's Jewel, where my brief blurb has been "Taking a magical gem across the Atlantic. Alas, leviathan!" My outline adds pelagic mermaids, a ship running aground on Sable Island, and a kraken. Basically, I feel every series written at this point in history needs an ocean liner novel.
That sounds awesome, Jenett!

I'm in for this year's NaNo - # 14 for me. 

I'm in the midst of writing a fantasy trilogy set in a contemporary world deeply divided by magic - philosophically, culturally, and geographically.  The series follows a family through the resulting upheavals (and isn't nearly as boring as I just made it sound).

My plan for NaNo is to start the first draft of book #3 in the series, working title Fen (the MC's first name).  I'll also be revising the first few chapters of book #2, so I don't expect a win for this year.

"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you." -
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Kylara

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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2020, 03:11:29 pm »
Past time for this year's post? Who else is doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year?

(And if you're eyeing it sceptically, come hang out in the thread anyway.)

I'm in again this year.  I started doing NaNo in 2007, and I've won 11 times since then.  It's funny, the two years I didn't finish (the past two years), I still felt I learned a lot, and in some ways walking away took more effort than just pushing through might have (it's really hard for me to deliberately CHOOSE to not finish something).  I think I just was trying for too much and not giving myself enough recovery time (between the Patron work, blog work, community stuff and then just life....so much going on!)

This year, I just feel like I need to get back into pushing myself beyond where I am again.  It's not like I have less work this year (I actually have two more writing projects this year than I did last year...I added a once a month dice blog post and I'm doing the writing for a video game project with some friends), but I definitely am feeling stuck in what I'm writing.  My monthly short story series gets swapped each year, so I just started a new series this year, which helps, but still it feels like I'm just on a hamster wheel sometimes.

But I also know that adding anything onto my current work load will be rough, so I'm going wacky this year.  In a previous year I did a tarot inspired story (drawing two cards every day to help give me story prompts), and this year I'm doing dice inspired.  I collect dice, so I have a ton of them, and I particularly love unusual dice, so I have a good selection of creative dice:  story cubes, GM dice, writer's dice, Dungeon Dressing dice, divination dice.  I figure anytime I get stuck or end up somewhere new in the story, I'll toss some dice and see where they take me.  This also means it will be helpful in my goal of someday figuring out a better way to make solo RPG'ing work for me (I gave it a go, and it's a bit clunky right now...but it has potential!)

Unfortunately, we are having family visit at the end of the month.  It was originally going to be the last two weeks of November, but now it's been pushed back one week, so they will be here for the last week in November (and the first week of December).  So, I'll be trying to push a lot of my other writing ahead, something I almost never do.  I hope to have two blogs pre-written (again, I normally sit to write my blog on the day I post it), have my dice blog finished (haven't started November's yet, just submitted the one for October yesterday), and have my Patreon story done (she says as she is still wrapping up October's story...)  I tend to be a procrastinator, and NaNo helps me light a fire and get more stuff done, so it typically helps me be more organized, but we'll see with all the rest.  Who knows, writing may end up being my escape from family visit!
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Aisling

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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #5 on: November 01, 2020, 07:27:40 am »
Past time for this year's post? Who else is doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year?

(And if you're eyeing it sceptically, come hang out in the thread anyway.)

It's hereeeeee! How's the first day going?  I'll be starting as soon as the coffee brewed. 

"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you." -
Neil deGrasse Tyson

Kylara

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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #6 on: November 01, 2020, 12:19:35 pm »
It's hereeeeee! How's the first day going?  I'll be starting as soon as the coffee brewed.

Same (well I have a few other things to work on too....bills still gotta get paid lol).  I normally don't do much preparation, but this year I'm even less prepared than usual, which is sort of terrifying.
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Aisling

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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2020, 01:31:20 pm »
Same (well I have a few other things to work on too....bills still gotta get paid lol).  I normally don't do much preparation, but this year I'm even less prepared than usual, which is sort of terrifying.

Yes it is.  I'm in that same boat, normally a pantser anyway, but woefully unprepared for this year.  I managed to drift back off after a quick check of all things internet this morning, so it's probably not going to be a highly productive day. 

"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you." -
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Darkhawk

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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #8 on: November 01, 2020, 01:40:02 pm »
It's hereeeeee! How's the first day going?  I'll be starting as soon as the coffee brewed.

I did a day 0 write (1800 words right after midnight) and we'll see how that carries me through.

If I actually manage to do a full nano I will finish ITS, a manuscript I have already nanoed twice. :P
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we shine like stars    - Covenant, "Bullet"

Jenett

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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #9 on: November 01, 2020, 04:24:17 pm »
I did a day 0 write (1800 words right after midnight) and we'll see how that carries me through.

I have a first chapter, which feels really great.
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Aisling

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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #10 on: November 01, 2020, 04:52:27 pm »
I have a first chapter, which feels really great.
Congrats on the accomplishment!  I've managed to get down about 900 words in between other activities today.  Going to stop for a bit to wrap up my Samhain celebrations, but will hit the keys again this evening.

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Wanderer894

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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #11 on: November 01, 2020, 05:22:35 pm »
Past time for this year's post? Who else is doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year?

(And if you're eyeing it sceptically, come hang out in the thread anyway.)

I am. I really want to finish this first draft I've been plugging away on, and that's all I want to focus on. I have a terrible time finishing first drafts because I keep getting distracted by other ideas, or because I get tired of the project and start working on another. I don't even have a name for the story, and I don't think I will until after the first draft is done.
I love a good metallurgical take on the phrase "What the F---?"

Aisling

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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #12 on: November 02, 2020, 12:11:11 pm »
I have a terrible time finishing first drafts because I keep getting distracted by other ideas, or because I get tired of the project and start working on another. I don't even have a name for the story, and I don't think I will until after the first draft is done.

I can sympathize with all of this. 

I managed to get down the bones of the first chapter yesterday and woke up the morning hating what I'd done with it.  I don't usually rewrite during Nano, but I'm going to make an exception for this chapter. 

"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you." -
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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #13 on: November 02, 2020, 12:26:59 pm »
Same (well I have a few other things to work on too....bills still gotta get paid lol).  I normally don't do much preparation, but this year I'm even less prepared than usual, which is sort of terrifying.

I pushed through and embraced the weird (because yeah, basing a story on dice rolls is bound to get wacky), and ended yesterday with 2201!  The first 500 went quick then it was like pulling teeth for the next 500...then it kinda flowed.  I still get stuck in my head and spend way too much time staring at the screen agonizing over details that ultimately don't really matter...and somehow I ended up in a very awkward "What's in your pants?" conversation with an alien (who has all the things in their pants lol).  We'll see where today's dice take me...
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Re: NaNoWriMo time!
« Reply #14 on: November 02, 2020, 03:07:43 pm »
I don't usually rewrite during Nano-

That's probably all I'll manage this year. I just did 6th draft on my first novel and sent off a review copy about a month ago. I'm about 30K into a new piece but it's not feeling right. It needs to be weirder. So I'll probably spend the next few weeks on getting the setting/tone right before trying to move the story forward.

We'll see.
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