Post by: Fniff on October 19, 2014, 12:44:47 pm
A Basic Explanation
NaNoWriMo is simple in premise. It's a self-challenge to create a novel by the end of the month. The minimum word count is 50,000, though you can go beyond that. So why am I posting this thread when it hasn't started yet? One simple reason: planning. You should have time to think about what you're doing, though you can't write any main part of the novel until it actually begins. Character sketches and outlines don't count.
Helpful Links
NaNoWriMo Site (http://nanowrimo.org)
NaNoWriMo Countdown (http://nanocountdown.com)
Last Year's Bay12 Thread (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=132259.0)
NaNoWriMo Bay12ers
People on this very site who are doing NaNoWriMo! Just ask if you want to be put on this list.
Spoiler: List (click to show/hide)
Post by: Cryxis, Prince of Doom on October 19, 2014, 12:47:55 pm
Post by: TD1 on October 19, 2014, 12:57:37 pm
Ptw
Post by: Arx on October 19, 2014, 12:59:04 pm
Post by: GiglameshDespair on October 19, 2014, 01:06:45 pm
Post by: sjm9876 on October 19, 2014, 01:08:14 pm
Post by: Furtuka on October 19, 2014, 01:19:10 pm
Post by: Parsely on October 19, 2014, 01:31:19 pm
Post by: Prudent Viper on October 19, 2014, 01:33:02 pm
Post by: WillowLuman on October 19, 2014, 02:03:44 pm
Post by: Fniff on October 19, 2014, 02:04:20 pm
Post by: Kadzar on October 19, 2014, 02:22:32 pm
Post by: Willfor on October 19, 2014, 02:42:03 pm
So, this is actually my first attempt at NaNoWriMo. Any advice from regulars?If it starts feeling like you're writing crap, keep going. If it starts to feel like you could never in a million years make a good thing from it, keep going. If you begin to feel like you'd rather stab yourself in the eye than put another word down, keep going. You're likely going to hit all of these things, and the point of NaNo is to get past these points.
The biggest thing that participating in NaNoWriMo ever taught me was how to push through the crap. It's an extremely valuable skill.
Post by: Prudent Viper on October 19, 2014, 03:20:32 pm
So, this is actually my first attempt at NaNoWriMo. Any advice from regulars?If it starts feeling like you're writing crap, keep going. If it starts to feel like you could never in a million years make a good thing from it, keep going. If you begin to feel like you'd rather stab yourself in the eye than put another word down, keep going. You're likely going to hit all of these things, and the point of NaNo is to get past these points.
The biggest thing that participating in NaNoWriMo ever taught me was how to push through the crap. It's an extremely valuable skill.
This is going into my big list of "Great Advice From Strangers".
Post by: Darkmere on October 19, 2014, 03:30:31 pm
So, this is actually my first attempt at NaNoWriMo. Any advice from regulars?
Outline everything. Start now. I have my A and B plots done, with character sheets of the major players and most of the relevant world-building in progress. Every shred of work you put in now is that much less time you spend staring at a blank screen in panic in November. It's not critical that you stick to the outline, really, but having a plan will keep you from writer's block later.
Don't revise or edit anything in November - there's no time. Write your daily goal and if you have inertia, keep going.
Grab some cheerleaders if you can. Alpha readers are even better. Someone reading your story with a fresh perspective can point you in directions to help expand your story to meet wordcount or give you plotlines you didn't know you needed.
What you end up with won't be a masterpiece. The name "zeroth draft" gets tossed around a lot, and it's true. What you have will be an awesome framework for revision, if you choose to do so.
If you aren't on pace, don't give up. If you run out of ideas, drop some ninjas on your protagonist or something and let them spend a chapter dealing with random plot ninjas... but don't give up. If you aren't done by December first, DON'T GIVE UP! The greatest novel never written is worse than the shittiest first draft in the history of literature... because whoever wrote that shitty draft had the grit and vinegar to get it done.
Also a hearty +1 to Willfor... there will be a time when you hate everything you've written and want to burn the manuscript. The big secret is... everyone feels the same way. Everyone hates their work, no one feels like it's good enough. Doesn't matter, write anyway. For the record, I STILL don't know if my novel from last year is good or not, I simply can't tell. But I do have one, so I got that shiny winner's badge.
Post by: Worldmaster27 on October 19, 2014, 04:33:13 pm
Post by: inEQUALITY on October 20, 2014, 07:57:31 am
I'm thinking I might bump my goal up to 100k this year. I realized last year that 50k was barely half the novel I was working on. Did some digging and realized that 50k - 60k is half of a pretty average sized novel, at least by science fiction and fantasy genre conventions. I'd rather get the whole first draft out of the way in a single month than drag it out through December.
Anyone else going beyond 50k this year? Any 100kers, mayhaps? Or someone who tried/succeeded at more than 50k in the past who can give me some tips?
Post by: Digital Hellhound on October 20, 2014, 09:13:47 am
@Advice: Honestly, I have no clue how I breached 50k last time. I think the sweet, growing graph was motivating, along with the friends I did it with. So... talk NaNo with other writers every chance you get? Extensive planning is no better than minimal planning, so I don't think you should take that as definite advice either way - depends on your writing style. I came up with my idea one day before November last time, hohoo!
Post by: Sappho on October 20, 2014, 09:34:38 am
If I do it, I'll have to start a new book, since NaNo really doesn't work well for 2nd drafts. But I feel like I should finish my current project before I start a new one; I have a big problem with not finishing things. I really don't know what I should do. I'd love to do something different for a change, but then the chances of me ever actually finishing my current novel are slim to none... : /
Post by: IronTomato on October 20, 2014, 10:38:40 am
I just suck at thinking up a premise for a story, but when I have the whole idea of what I want, I can write it really well. Although I do have a bad habit of making people talk really formally.
Post by: Fniff on October 20, 2014, 11:46:02 am
Post by: Parsely on October 20, 2014, 11:48:16 am
Post by: inEQUALITY on October 20, 2014, 12:30:24 pm
Post by: flame99 on October 20, 2014, 04:47:59 pm
Post by: Sirus on October 20, 2014, 04:52:24 pm
Post by: Gentlefish on October 20, 2014, 07:14:37 pm
E: Woah the goal dropped to 50k? I thought it was always 100k.
Post by: pisskop on October 20, 2014, 07:15:56 pm
Post by: inEQUALITY on October 20, 2014, 10:01:15 pm
Sure, I'll give it another shot. Third time's the charm, right?
It was for me last year. I'm sure you can do it! :D
E: Woah the goal dropped to 50k? I thought it was always 100k.
Nope, it's always been 50k. Which never made much sense to me, given that's not much of a novel in terms of length. But it's easier than 100k, that's for sure.
Post by: Darkmere on October 20, 2014, 11:03:23 pm
Post by: Xantalos on October 20, 2014, 11:06:24 pm
I can't participate because of another goal coming up this November that I've been working towards for 12 years now, but I'll watch and be guilty.
Post by: Digital Hellhound on October 21, 2014, 02:34:52 am
Maybe try writing something set in the Victorian era, it'll sound perfectly natural then.
Last year, the majority of my characters were polite, well-mannered aristocrats. Do you have any idea how much wordcount I got out of their greetings and polite interjections and tactful word choices? So much.
I've gotten criticism on dialogue in general before. I don't quite know what's supposed to be 'natural'-sounding with dialogue, I guess - listening to how people speak in real life helps, I think, but no-one's ever been specific enough that I'd know what the problem is.
Post by: IronTomato on October 21, 2014, 06:53:16 am
I've got all sorts of ideas. Pertaining to robots.Metul... Gier?
Post by: GiglameshDespair on October 21, 2014, 07:42:09 am
Post by: Darkmere on October 21, 2014, 01:15:29 pm
http://nanowrimo.org/participants/darkmere
if anyone wants to friend me.
Also, another bit of advice: The local group I'm in does a lot of gimmicky stuff like word sprints or the plot twist filler handouts. For a while I'd try to do the word sprints to participate and they ended up screwing me over as I fumbled trying to keep up without doing dumb things.
If those kinds of things don't work for you, don't feel obligated to try them. Just work your own way and keep writing and you'll be fine.
Post by: GiglameshDespair on October 21, 2014, 01:57:49 pm
I kind of want to start writing now, but...
Post by: inEQUALITY on October 21, 2014, 02:36:58 pm
I kind of want to start writing now, but...
You can always plan and do character studies in the meantime! None of it should count towards your word count goal, but it can help! :D
Also, for anyone who would like to buddy me on the NaNo site:
http://nanowrimo.org/participants/hiddentruth
I think I've already buddied a few of you who participated last year.
Post by: GiglameshDespair on October 22, 2014, 05:03:12 am
Post by: Doomblade187 on October 23, 2014, 02:48:11 am
Post by: Doomblade187 on October 23, 2014, 03:00:15 am
Oh god not again.Sounds kinda impressive, whatever it is. The 12 years part, at least.
I can't participate because of another goal coming up this November that I've been working towards for 12 years now, but I'll watch and be guilty.
Post by: Prudent Viper on October 23, 2014, 01:38:09 pm
See, now I'm wondering what it is. You could do a lot in twelve years, ranging between organising the world's largest stamp collection to growing your own human clone.Oh god not again.Sounds kinda impressive, whatever it is. The 12 years part, at least.
I can't participate because of another goal coming up this November that I've been working towards for 12 years now, but I'll watch and be guilty.
Post by: sjm9876 on October 23, 2014, 01:39:36 pm
Post by: Caz on October 27, 2014, 05:23:47 pm
My NaNo name is CazP, btw.
Post by: Fniff on October 27, 2014, 05:25:50 pm
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: birdy51 on October 27, 2014, 05:26:15 pm
This is my way of saying PTW. : P
Post by: Caz on October 27, 2014, 05:30:48 pm
So, has anyone else got their covers prepped? I have!Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
...This is actually from 2 years ago when I was working on Maelstrom in the 2012 NaNo. Only got around 7k before life circumstances decided to implode around me and I had to abandon ship. :P Here's hoping to a better result this year.
Post by: flame99 on October 27, 2014, 05:33:50 pm
Post by: OREOSOME on October 27, 2014, 05:34:39 pm
Is it possible to clone eldritch horrors? Speaking of which, I wonder how long their gestation period is......Now, I'm no eldritch biologist, but if what I learned in school is correct, it's somewhere like... -9 months.
Post by: flame99 on October 27, 2014, 05:36:37 pm
Well, if what *I* learned in school is correct, the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.Is it possible to clone eldritch horrors? Speaking of which, I wonder how long their gestation period is......Now, I'm no eldritch biologist, but if what I learned in school is correct, it's somewhere like... -9 months.
Post by: Gentlefish on October 27, 2014, 06:04:42 pm
Post by: GiglameshDespair on October 27, 2014, 06:09:43 pm
Post by: Sirus on October 27, 2014, 06:12:27 pm
Post by: GiglameshDespair on October 27, 2014, 06:15:16 pm
Post by: Sappho on October 28, 2014, 03:37:50 am
I do need to decide on a start, at least, and a general idea of where the story will take place and who the characters are. If only I had time to figure that out...
I'm really not sure how I'm going to do this this year, though. I'm so strapped for time all the time now, and struggling to get videos done on a regular basis. And next week, in addition to my two jobs, I have to do a video interview Wednesday after work which will take a few hours, and on Saturday I have to travel to another city to do a stupid conference which will take all day. : /
Post by: Arx on October 28, 2014, 02:02:52 pm
If I get no writing done, I won't be surprised, but if I do I'll be happy. Win-win!
Post by: Doomblade187 on October 28, 2014, 11:55:47 pm
Yeah, I use this username a lot.
Also, I'm gonna start a RTD in their gaming forum.
Post by: Darkond2100 on October 29, 2014, 02:31:39 am
Hm. What if I simulate a dnd game and use it to drive a narrative?Better yet, run an actual D&D game!
life circumstances decided to implode around me and I had to abandon shipI'm already planning on being homeless come Monday.
This NaNoWriMo I'll be doing 5,000 words every three days for the Eberron game I'm DMing. It's about four artificers, much fun. Come December, I'll start on editing it all into a story that flows much better, should be around 70,000 words with everyone's writing.
Post by: Gentlefish on October 29, 2014, 04:41:32 am
Better yet, run an actual D&D game!
Heh. The story would have "intermissions" between chapters that would either be individual character's backstories, filling in the time between the players not playing.
Post by: Sappho on October 29, 2014, 07:17:48 am
Post by: inEQUALITY on October 29, 2014, 08:02:09 am
Post by: Arx on October 29, 2014, 08:33:53 am
Post by: IronTomato on October 29, 2014, 11:55:12 am
I have a really vague idea in my head, but I don't know if I should do it or not. It's an over-the-top story about a soldier on a big mission or whatever, kind of like Metal Gear, except it's nothing like Metal Gear. I dunno, I'm having a really tough time describing it, I feel like people would hate it.
Post by: TD1 on October 29, 2014, 12:09:08 pm
Post by: IronTomato on October 29, 2014, 12:18:02 pm
I just wonder if that's a good idea for a story. It would be suspenseful, and have action, not the way I made it sound a minute ago. It just doesn't feel very pizazz, but I can't think of any other good ideas. None that I wanted to write 50 thousand words about, anyway.
Post by: Sirus on October 29, 2014, 12:20:56 pm
Post by: Fniff on October 29, 2014, 12:22:25 pm
That sounds like a plan. Get it? Because. Heh. Heheh.I learned from the SCP Foundation that the stupidest of ideas can result in brilliance. The most affecting SCP I ever read was literally "Australian telepathic spiderbro". Just write it!
I just wonder if that's a good idea for a story. It would be suspenseful, and have action, not the way I just made it sound.
Post by: TD1 on October 29, 2014, 12:25:17 pm
Post by: IronTomato on October 29, 2014, 12:34:40 pm
As soon as I think of a name for the NaNoWriMo website that isn't IronTomato, I'll register.
Post by: Digital Hellhound on October 29, 2014, 02:15:21 pm
Post by: Yoink on October 29, 2014, 07:32:08 pm
Hrmm...
Post by: Fniff on October 29, 2014, 07:32:38 pm
Post by: flame99 on October 29, 2014, 09:34:30 pm
Post by: Sappho on October 30, 2014, 02:05:57 am
Post by: Arx on October 30, 2014, 05:37:18 am
Yoink, do eet. There are no downsides!
Post by: Malt_Hitman on October 31, 2014, 12:04:34 am
Post by: Darkmere on October 31, 2014, 01:09:58 am
I've got all the major characters sheeted, and about 12-13 scenes of the plot outline, so hopefully that carries me halfway through the month and past halfway through the book. By then I'm sure some more details will come up, but I'm way ahead of last year already.
Going back to add folks from the thread, and all that. Still there as this name if I miss anyone.
EDIT: And done. By the way, since I missed the Cover Page postings a few pages back:
Spoiler: Have a Cover (click to show/hide)
Post by: Sirus on October 31, 2014, 11:29:45 pm
Post by: bucket on October 31, 2014, 11:38:33 pm
Here's a preview:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulpa
Post by: Talanic on November 01, 2014, 01:20:49 am
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 01, 2014, 01:46:00 am
How are people considering approaching structure for their works? I was considering trying to break everything down into 3 parts, with ~3k words per chapter which would give me around 16 or 17 chapters. So 5 chapters per "part" and then maybe a epilogue to eat up whatever is left. First time doing this so I think I might be sweating the smaller details more than I should be. :-[
Post by: Sappho on November 01, 2014, 01:51:51 am
Actually, I'm just going to do it: http://meganleeprose.wordpress.com/
I've written an introductory post already. 500 words that don't even count towards my daily writing. I think I'm procrastinating wrong.
Post by: Kadzar on November 01, 2014, 03:02:55 am
Post by: Sappho on November 01, 2014, 05:39:06 am
http://meganleeprose.wordpress.com/
Post by: Digital Hellhound on November 01, 2014, 07:24:47 am
hnnngh
Post by: Caz on November 01, 2014, 10:45:10 am
But... they're words right? They still count? Please?
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 01, 2014, 02:19:10 pm
On the bright side, I easily passed the daily minimum for the normal 50k goal, which means I'm doing just as well as I was last year. So that's something.
Post by: GiglameshDespair on November 01, 2014, 02:47:55 pm
Post by: Darkmere on November 01, 2014, 06:05:53 pm
Gah. There's no way this is going to be possible... I am already having doubts as to my ability to write that much.
Everyone does. What do you lose by trying?
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 02, 2014, 12:38:25 am
But... they're words right? They still count? Please?
Everything counts if you're willing to write it down. I woke up this morning, reviewed what I wrote, and had a similar feeling about the quality of my output.
Sappho, I'd like to thank you for putting your writing up on a blog. I read a little bit of it and it certainly helped to motivate me. :)
My current count comes in at a little over 3,700. Also, I threw this up as my novel excerpt on the site. It's the "ending" to my chapter 1 so I'm not sure if it's good to represent but I think it's the best, and most recent, thing that I've written. If exposure to another's writings will help or motive you in any way please have a look. Tell me what you think if you'd like.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Sirus on November 02, 2014, 12:51:44 am
Only got 344 words done in my short spare time, and I can't summon the creative energy to do more tonight. Not a great start to the month :<
Post by: Kadzar on November 02, 2014, 04:03:02 am
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 02, 2014, 07:47:25 am
That's just my two cents though. I need to get started in on today's word count myself. Daylight Saving's Time is giving me an extra hour to work with this morning, since I forgot about it. :D
Post by: Caz on November 02, 2014, 08:17:54 am
For anyone struggling, remember: motivation is useless. It's fleeting. Discipline is what you need. To write even when you don't want to. You have to force those words to come out, no matter how bad they are. The Muses flock to the disciplined, not the motivated. It's not easy, but if it was, everyone would be doing it. ;)
Hell yea. No second guessing or editing. Just get the words out - you can mess with it later.
Post by: Fniff on November 02, 2014, 09:47:25 am
Post by: Darkmere on November 02, 2014, 09:50:39 am
If you aren't on pace, don't give up. If you run out of ideas, drop some ninjas on your protagonist or something and let them spend a chapter dealing with random plot ninjas... but don't give up. If you aren't done by December first, DON'T GIVE UP! The greatest novel never written is worse than the shittiest first draft in the history of literature... because whoever wrote that shitty draft had the grit and vinegar to get it done.
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 02, 2014, 12:47:33 pm
I really needed to hear that. :)
Good to hear it! Now get those words down on paper/word processing/flayed flesh/whatever works for you if you haven't already. Your story is waiting and it needs to be written! :D
Post by: Caz on November 02, 2014, 02:38:34 pm
Post by: Sappho on November 03, 2014, 01:07:06 pm
I'm still posting these on the blog. It would really help to know people are reading it, so please, have a look when you have a minute. It's turning out to be about a girl who sees ghosts, and it turns out that there are a lot more ghosts than you might expect. Inspired by Neil Gaiman, along with a lot of other authors and my own odd little head.
http://meganleeprose.wordpress.com/
If anyone else is considering doing the same, please post it here! I'll gladly read you guys' stuff as well. : )
Post by: WillowLuman on November 03, 2014, 01:13:41 pm
Post by: Arx on November 03, 2014, 01:46:02 pm
Post by: Caz on November 03, 2014, 02:41:30 pm
Yeah, I don't know either.
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 03, 2014, 03:23:42 pm
Seriously. I spent six hours struggling through today. That's almost twice what it took me yesterday. Admittedly, I took two thirty minute long breaks for food and such this time, plus a few smaller breaks. But at least I did it. I hit my goal and stretched just a little further, for a total of 3403 words today. Puts my grand total at 8918 words. I'm a bit short to hit my 100k goal by the end of the month still, but I'm confident I'll be able to make up for day one's inadequacies eventually if I just keep on writing like this.
I just really hope it doesn't take six hours every day. I can't do that all the time. It's exhausting.
Post by: Fniff on November 03, 2014, 03:34:47 pm
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 03, 2014, 11:47:05 pm
I'm still posting these on the blog. It would really help to know people are reading it, so please, have a look when you have a minute.
I did have a look here and there. Mainly skimming paragraphs until something caught my eye. Your part about the ghost girl on the tree was quite interesting.
Currently sitting at around 6,500 total but I'd really like to try and push for 8k total tonight, at least I'm ahead of my goal for a 2k average thanks to the weekend.
I'm willing to throw snipits of my stuff in spoilers but I don't want to mess around posting the whole thing anywhere.
Spoiler: Typos, bad dialogue, comma spam, and incorrect adjective use, ho! (click to show/hide)
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 04, 2014, 08:00:02 am
Hm, if everyone else is posting excerpts, I suppose I'll put a snippet up here before I get started in on today's word count. I'm not putting the whole thing up anywhere simply because I'd very much like the possibility of publishing in the future, after revising and revising and revising and... actually having some short fiction published first. But still, here goes showing off my less-than-polished mess (the first page, give or take a few dozen words, of the first chapter after the prologue), for better or worse:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: IronTomato on November 04, 2014, 08:02:58 am
Post by: Sappho on November 04, 2014, 10:53:39 am
It's a few days in and I haven't had the time, plan or motivation to write a single word. I'm not gonna be able to complete this.
It's only a few days in and you have nearly a month left. You're giving up before you even start! Definitely can't finish that way. Don't worry about putting together a coherent story. Try just improv writing something every day. Whatever you write, someday might be usable for something else. And you may surprise yourself and discover that just making stuff up as you go works out great.
Write when you can. Write instead of playing video games or reading or watching TV. Write stream of consciousness nonsense about what you dreamed about last night. Write anything. Just write. You can do it!
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 04, 2014, 11:26:34 am
Gah. There's no way this is going to be possible... I am already having doubts as to my ability to write that much.
Everyone does. What do you lose by trying?
I also have a feeling that this little gem will keep coming up every page so here it is again:
If you aren't on pace, don't give up. If you run out of ideas, drop some ninjas on your protagonist or something and let them spend a chapter dealing with random plot ninjas... but don't give up. If you aren't done by December first, DON'T GIVE UP! The greatest novel never written is worse than the shittiest first draft in the history of literature... because whoever wrote that shitty draft had the grit and vinegar to get it done.
Spoiler: As for me...(Possible demotivation ahead) (click to show/hide)
Post by: Sappho on November 04, 2014, 11:40:26 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drMuQqLLEe0&list=FL-6ss_82NoyYwPPilaBx58A&index=2
Post by: Caz on November 04, 2014, 11:40:44 am
Gotta get some extra words in, I don't think it's socially acceptable to write fiction while attending a funeral.
Post by: Darkmere on November 04, 2014, 11:42:22 am
It's a few days in and I haven't had the time, plan or motivation to write a single word. I'm not gonna be able to complete this.
Sappho's right. Just sit down and put words on a page, eventually if nothing else you'll get bored and make something up to fill the space, and it will probably be a story of some kind.
I finally got far enough ahead (6000 words) to do some reading, so I'm doing feedback to procrastinate and lose my lead! yay!
@Sappho:
I'm fascinated by your premise and I adore the girl. She reminds me a lot of Luna Lovegood, and the relationship with grandpa is sweet. I didn't make it through the third chapter though, because block after block of text and straight exposition is a little tiring on my eyes. More dialog would help a bunch.
@Malt_hitman:
The names are odd and pull me out of the story, but the mad science is intriguing and I laughed out loud at the end. The experiments sound horrible and the director is probably a bastard but I kinda like the guy anyway.
@inEQUALITY:
I'm taking notes about your action sequences, mine were terribly bland and boring last year. You manage to imply a great deal about the narrator through his reflections of the other characters, and that's great. I'd probably steal that skill, too, if I could. However, the big chunk of narrative exposition in there throws me out of the story, and I'd prefer if it was inserted subtly into the action instead by having the main character use the techniques he knows against his little bro, and describe them/his training that way.
And my contribution. I wavered between the foreword and first chapter, then settled on the first chapter.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: IronTomato on November 04, 2014, 11:53:42 am
It's a few days in and I haven't had the time, plan or motivation to write a single word. I'm not gonna be able to complete this.
It's only a few days in and you have nearly a month left. You're giving up before you even start! Definitely can't finish that way. Don't worry about putting together a coherent story. Try just improv writing something every day. Whatever you write, someday might be usable for something else. And you may surprise yourself and discover that just making stuff up as you go works out great.
Write when you can. Write instead of playing video games or reading or watching TV. Write stream of consciousness nonsense about what you dreamed about last night. Write anything. Just write. You can do it!
Well, for one, I lose time to do other more important things. I also don't have any private place to type, or even a reason to. Nothing will happen, even if by some fluke I manage to make time to do this, I have the support of nobody else in my family and absolutely no plan about what to write, other than the fact that it's apparently okay to write down random things.Gah. There's no way this is going to be possible... I am already having doubts as to my ability to write that much.
Everyone does. What do you lose by trying?
I wasn't asking for motivation, I was just trying to say that I'm not in the mood to participate.
Post by: Sappho on November 04, 2014, 12:01:55 pm
@Sappho:
I'm fascinated by your premise and I adore the girl. She reminds me a lot of Luna Lovegood, and the relationship with grandpa is sweet. I didn't make it through the third chapter though, because block after block of text and straight exposition is a little tiring on my eyes. More dialog would help a bunch.
...
And my contribution. I wavered between the foreword and first chapter, then settled on the first chapter.Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Thanks for reading mine! I understand what you mean about the exposition. Although I want some aspects of the character to remain ambiguous, one thing that's definitely clear for me is that she's autistic (like me). It makes it easier for me to write, especially since this whole thing is unplanned, because I can basically write the way I actually think in real life. This means that priorities are sorting through all the mess of details that are constantly bombarding the senses, as well as interesting information, with almost no focus on spoken words. I can't remember any conversations from when I was young because I didn't learn to properly process spoken conversation until much later (and I'm still not great at it).
I've seen some books using this sort of style, all observations and thoughts and not much dialogue, and it worked pretty well, but of course, that may be a matter of taste. I will certainly keep in mind that it might get boring for some people and try to work some more dialogue in. There will definitely be more action soon as the story kicks into gear (and as I figure out what the story is). If I ever do decide to clean this up and try to publish it, I definitely expect that a lot of these first few days will be cut down to their most interesting bits, so the final draft would be less slow and wall-of-exposition-y than the way it is now.
As for yours, thanks for sharing! I like your style. Somewhat reminiscent of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett, though without the over-the-top goofiness. More, please!
Now, enough procrastinating... I need to go do my word count for today. The Merriam-Webster word of the day is "demagogue." Hmmmm.....
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 04, 2014, 12:24:07 pm
@inEQUALITY:
I'm taking notes about your action sequences, mine were terribly bland and boring last year. You manage to imply a great deal about the narrator through his reflections of the other characters, and that's great. I'd probably steal that skill, too, if I could. However, the big chunk of narrative exposition in there throws me out of the story, and I'd prefer if it was inserted subtly into the action instead by having the main character use the techniques he knows against his little bro, and describe them/his training that way.
And my contribution. I wavered between the foreword and first chapter, then settled on the first chapter.Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Wow, I appreciate the compliments! Hopefully I can keep it up with other character's perspectives, since I'll be jumping about from chapter to chapter as the story unfolds. So different characters will likely see the others differently, and so forth. It'll be interesting to experiment with.
I agree, my exposition there at the end was definitely too much. I think I tried to really drive home some line of thought or another there and really overdid it, and it ended up becoming something I didn't intend. But no excuses. I think I do that too often, terrible technique though it is, to learn things about my own characters on the first drafts. I'll definitely keep your suggestion in mind when I clean that up next year, when I start revising.
And I like that snippet! As Sappho said, it's definitely reminiscent of Pratchett, or even a toned-down Adams. But it's unique enough not to feel like a mimic. Which is good. I did notice a few places where punctuation and pacing could be changed about a bit, but still: very nice!
Well, back to the grind I go. 1800 words down for the day; ~1600 to go.
Post by: Sappho on November 04, 2014, 02:42:04 pm
Today's section was a lot more interesting, I think, than the first few were. A plot is beginning to take shape, I dare to believe. Very interested in feedback, if anyone is able to spare the time to give it a read. (Link is in my sig if you missed it.)
Post by: Darkmere on November 04, 2014, 02:56:36 pm
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 04, 2014, 03:13:32 pm
The plot, of which I had absolutely nothing but a sketchy idea planned ahead of time, is starting to take shape on my end too. Too bad I'm intending for there to be a few plot threats, spread across even more perspectives, so I still have a few more things to come up with. It might get easier once I get everything going and starting to come to a head at the end, but that's a few 10000 word chunks away from now.
I think I'm going to have to reduce these chapter sizes a bit though, for future chapters, if I'm going to get to the end by 100k. Right now, both finished chapters are at 20 pages (assuming 300 - 350 words per page, industry standard) each, give or take. That's not going to work past the introductory chapters, I think, to have everything unfold at a proper pace. Then again, these sorts of chapters may just be slow by their nature and it'll pick up soon. I don't know. I'm a bit of a neophyte at writing novel-length fiction. This is all unexplored territory for me, sans last year's NaNo. Which hardly counts.
Post by: Kadzar on November 05, 2014, 01:20:34 am
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Sirus on November 05, 2014, 01:54:19 am
/me looks at his own <1000 word novel
/me curses his inability to use a computer while working
Post by: Sappho on November 05, 2014, 02:00:31 am
I finally got around to actually writing today. I was able get through it by repeating to myself that nothing is canon and I can always change things around later if I want. So here's the opening scene, as it is now:All things, including names, are subject to change. I'm at 822 words so far.Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Hooray for writing! Looks like you have a good start. Personally, I find it a bit difficult to read in the present tense, but that's just personal preference and doesn't mean it's wrong at all. I do have one tip for you, since you're using a lot of placeholders: choose a placeholder word for each of these things and stick with it. That way, later on when you figure out what they're really called, you can just search and replace all instances of that word. Much easier than going through manually and replacing each one. You can choose words that are sure not to come up in your story, such as "Robot," "Platypus," "Facebook," or anything that you know will never be a part of your setting. It also makes it easier to keep track of which character is which, and takes away the pressure to think of names now. As long as you have *something* to call them, you can keep track of who's who and work on their characters, and then easily change the name once you think of something suitable. If it makes it easier, pick a word which is related to their character. "Archington" instead of (archer dude), for example.
Keep up the good work!
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 05, 2014, 02:11:41 am
/me looks at some of these insane WPD counts
/me looks at his own <1000 word novel
/me curses his inability to use a computer while working
I can't use a computer for writing while I'm at work either but I try and get by working through stuff in my head. Get a good enough idea fleshed out and then you just need to type spam it out when you're free. If you can take the distractions that come along with that.
I'll be over my 2k/day goal when I finally get around to uploading this but I hit my first bit of writer's block-ish behavior. I have stuff to write but it would be out of order. That was one of my major faults last time so I really just need to push through and decided to try adding some humor for a change.
Spoiler: More bad writing, formatting, and some humor! (click to show/hide)
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 05, 2014, 07:43:24 am
/me looks at some of these insane WPD counts
/me looks at his own <1000 word novel
/me curses his inability to use a computer while working
I can imagine NaNo is a bit harder for those with jobs, but don't get discouraged! I only manage six hours of writing because I have nothing, at the moment. I'm lucky enough to be able to do that, if only for a while. Chasing dreams and such.
But honestly, even if you're as slow as I am some days, if you can find three hours you would normally just watch TV or something and use it to write: you can hit 2000 a day, easy. If you're much faster than me, then the minimum 1667 is doable in 1.5 to 2 hours. Just gotta sit your butt in a chair and type even when your mind protests the anguish of - ugh! - work you're not getting paid by the hour for. :P
Don't give up hope! You can do this.
*
In other news, I received a flood of plot ideas last night right as I was about to get to sleep. My mind literally pieced things together all on its own, with no input from me. It was absolutely wondrous! I just had to write everything down or risk losing the ideas. So I ended up filling three pages of my pocket-sized "idea" notebook.
Thanks to that, I think I finally have some idea of where I'm going with two of the major plot threads, though the third major one is still rather loose at the moment... and that's the one I know I need to push into motion today for Chapter Two. I guess we'll see how that goes!
You know (little motivational rant incoming), a lot of published authors will say that if you just write with discipline, every day, and don't worry about ideas or motivation, then both will come in time. That you'll end up with more of both that way than if you wait on them to find you. Ever since I resolved to write daily from before NaNo, I've really been starting to see that they're not only right, but consistently so. And last night really drove that point home.
Discipline, discipline, discipline is 95% of the craft. Talent is only 5%. So anyone struggling or wavering: just start/keep writing! :D
Post by: Kadzar on November 05, 2014, 10:02:50 am
Hooray for writing! Looks like you have a good start. Personally, I find it a bit difficult to read in the present tense, but that's just personal preference and doesn't mean it's wrong at all. I do have one tip for you, since you're using a lot of placeholders: choose a placeholder word for each of these things and stick with it. That way, later on when you figure out what they're really called, you can just search and replace all instances of that word. Much easier than going through manually and replacing each one. You can choose words that are sure not to come up in your story, such as "Robot," "Platypus," "Facebook," or anything that you know will never be a part of your setting. It also makes it easier to keep track of which character is which, and takes away the pressure to think of names now. As long as you have *something* to call them, you can keep track of who's who and work on their characters, and then easily change the name once you think of something suitable. If it makes it easier, pick a word which is related to their character. "Archington" instead of (archer dude), for example.Yeah, I suppose the present tense is a little weird, and it originally started out in past tense, but very early on I slipped into present tense, and I noticed the words flow more easily for me that way, so I kept on with it and changed the first few lines to match. And I can just as easily search for brackets in the document, but you're right that it will probably get hard to keep track of things if I don't come up with some sort of name for everything.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the encouragement!
Kadzar, wonderful start! :D I know having problems with names as I have plenty of trouble with them. In order to get going I just decided to make some up based on puns. I have character named Ahh and Ihd which I can have my MC work into puns if I can get that creative. Also, everything Sappho said while I was typing is awesome too.Thanks, Malt!
Post by: Sappho on November 05, 2014, 12:43:32 pm
Edit: Oohhhhh, I got my 10k word badge already! Yay! : D
Post by: Darkmere on November 05, 2014, 03:04:13 pm
(I made a ton of progress!)
Damn, I'm jealous. Did anyone else have a garbage writing day yesterday? My local group all fell on our faces with like 150-word daily counts and crap like that. Feels kinda early for that, tbh.
I did eventually make my count, but I've lost most of my early lead. Time to grind out another lead, I guess.
Post by: Caz on November 05, 2014, 03:13:38 pm
You know (little motivational rant incoming), a lot of published authors will say that if you just write with discipline, every day, and don't worry about ideas or motivation, then both will come in time. That you'll end up with more of both that way than if you wait on them to find you. Ever since I resolved to write daily from before NaNo, I've really been starting to see that they're not only right, but consistently so. And last night really drove that point home.
It's 'The Gap'. Most people will need to write about 3-5 million words before their stuff starts becoming 'respectable'. Those first couple million are like pulling teeth though, because if you have any self-awareness you'll realise how crap they are and be discouraged.
Own the crap writing, though. If you write enough of it, you'll eventually improve, so just see it as a necessary evil and not as a personal failing.
On that note, got another 2k for today.
Post by: Sappho on November 05, 2014, 03:25:18 pm
It also helps that I do actually write for a living now. It is absolutely true what people say, that the more regularly you write, regardless of whether it's what you *want* to write, and regardless of whether you're *inspired* or not, the easier it becomes to just sit down and write. I'm so used to my boss saying things like "we need an article on horse racing, a grammar page on even though vs. even if, and a Thanksgiving-themed puzzle page by Friday -- oh, and edit these 8 articles as well, making sure there are zero grammatical errors and all the language is below B1 CEFL level English," that when it's time to write something, I just sit down and do it. Most of the time there's a time limit and no option to slack off. Natural writing ability has surprisingly little to do with how successful a writer you will be. It's a 100% learnable skill, and the only reason so few people fully realize that is because most people aren't being forced or paid to write on a daily basis. It takes time for it to get easy.
Last year, I struggled all the way through November. I did manage to make it in the end, but only just barely, and there were a lot of tears involved. This year, I haven't had any trouble at all. I write all day at work, I come home from work, and I get to write something that actually interests me for a couple of hours. Just another item on the to-do list. Check it off, move on to making dinner. I'm actually amazed at how easy it is. I was worried it would be harder, since I write so much at work, I figured I wouldn't want to write any more when I got home. Turns out... not so. It's easier than it's ever been.
tl;dr: Make yourself write every day, all year, and writing will become easier than talking.
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 05, 2014, 05:03:39 pm
I finally fleshed out that third, bare-bones plot line that was bugging me. Now it's much, much juicier and has already been tied into the rest, though loosely. So at least I know where I'm going with everything. Hopefully the words start flowing a little easier now.
Post by: TD1 on November 05, 2014, 06:26:53 pm
Post by: Darkmere on November 05, 2014, 07:02:22 pm
Post by: Fniff on November 05, 2014, 07:05:18 pm
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 05, 2014, 07:28:32 pm
What genre is everyone doing? I'd assume fantasy/sci-fi would be the more common, but is anyone doing anything else?
I'm not really doing anything else. The only genre outside science fiction and fantasy I'd feel comfortable writing would be romance. Maybe a thriller or contemporary drama, though I'd just as soon write either of those in a science fiction setting.
Mine's Epic Fantasy, I suppose I'd call it. Lots of inspiration from history and a bit from contemporary fantasy. Trying to stay as free of Tolkien-isms as possible, but I have no doubt some will creep in.
Post by: Caz on November 05, 2014, 08:54:07 pm
What genre is everyone doing?
Fantasy. Pirates, ale, fireballs, nobles pushing down the common man, phantasmagorical rifts in space and time, monsters, battles, treachery, sieges, etc.
Post by: WillowLuman on November 05, 2014, 11:04:50 pm
Character is biking around town at night to visit friends, who later go missing. One might already be missing to quicken the plot. I've entirely forgot my character notes for them. Quick suggestions? And most pressingly, locations? Just left one friend working a late shift at a gas station store.
Post by: Darkmere on November 05, 2014, 11:13:52 pm
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 06, 2014, 12:08:56 am
Help me unslump :<
Character is biking around town at night to visit friends, who later go missing. One might already be missing to quicken the plot. I've entirely forgot my character notes for them. Quick suggestions? And most pressingly, locations? Just left one friend working a late shift at a gas station store.
If you're still looking for any inspiration you can try the stuff below:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Post by: Digital Hellhound on November 06, 2014, 01:12:48 am
Post by: Doomblade187 on November 06, 2014, 01:35:49 am
This was a mini-rant. I'm actually fairly happy with my progress. That, and busy embedding dwarf fortress and yu-gi-oh references into my story.
Post by: Sappho on November 06, 2014, 02:03:48 am
What genre is everyone doing? I'd assume fantasy/sci-fi would be the more common, but is anyone doing anything else?
Mine is something like horror. I don't want to give too much away about it because I'm posting it all online every day and spoilers. There's definitely quite a bit more to it than just a ghost story, but that will unfold with time. For once, there is no sci-fi or fantasy in it. Hooray for trying new things!
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 06, 2014, 02:19:23 am
What genre is everyone doing? I'd assume fantasy/sci-fi would be the more common, but is anyone doing anything else?
Well, I guess I'm trying to do sci-fi but swinging more toward a cleaner cyberpunk.
Sequence break in the writing because I was focused more with how my story should develop and characterization then actually typing it up but I jumped on an idea I had yesterday. Currently at 9,800-ish words and I should hit closer to 10k before I go to sleep.
Post by: Sirus on November 06, 2014, 03:08:17 am
Post by: Arx on November 06, 2014, 03:16:30 am
Post by: Darkmere on November 06, 2014, 04:27:04 am
When I get my lead back I'll come back to everyone's excerpts and post another one of mine.
I will say I think there's a lot more participants and motivation than last year, so that's pretty awesome.
Post by: TD1 on November 06, 2014, 12:37:30 pm
What genre is everyone doing? I'd assume fantasy/sci-fi would be the more common, but is anyone doing anything else?
I'm not really doing anything else. The only genre outside science fiction and fantasy I'd feel comfortable writing would be romance. Maybe a thriller or contemporary drama, though I'd just as soon write either of those in a science fiction setting.
Mine's Epic Fantasy, I suppose I'd call it. Lots of inspiration from history and a bit from contemporary fantasy. Trying to stay as free of Tolkien-isms as possible, but I have no doubt some will creep in.
Ah, yes, mine would be the same. I find it hard to avoid such things as are already over cliched. I try to think of a race, for example, and only Tolkien ones spring to mind. Well, not only those-I do have some imagination- but they clutter the mind and make original thinking hard.
Post by: Sappho on November 06, 2014, 01:01:41 pm
"If you want to be the next Tolkien, don't read big Tolkienesque fantasy. Tolkien didn't read big Tolkienesque fantasy, he read books on Finnish philology!"
In other words, if you want to be original, you have to draw your inspiration from somewhere outside the genre you're writing in. Otherwise you're basically doomed to write more of the same, and I have to say, I do get a little tired of all the Tolkien clones out there. I definitely support people who want to do something new. : )
Today has been the longest, hardest day I've had in a good long while. I'm just sitting down to write now, at 7 pm, and my head is full of bumble bees. I know I'm quite a ways ahead already, and I don't really need to write too much today to stay on target, but I like being ahead. It would be nice to not use up that lead so early in the month, especially knowing that on Saturday, I probably won't get to write at all. (Up at 4:30, traveling to another city, all-day boring pointless teaching convention where my boss will be breathing down my neck pushing me to try to get new subscribers, long trip home in the evening...)
So here I go, wondering how I'm going to work the word "chouse" into this segment, or whether it would be better to just abandon the word of the day thing for today, since I have other ideas already...
Post by: TD1 on November 06, 2014, 01:46:48 pm
Post by: Caz on November 06, 2014, 01:48:56 pm
That, and busy embedding dwarf fortress and yu-gi-oh references into my story.
I actually used the phrase "It was inevitable." by one of the characters in my novel. Too meta? Nope.
Post by: Arx on November 06, 2014, 02:11:50 pm
To chouse me, fate threw in my path....[something]
'Chouse' becomes 'chice' in my head, because of plurals and mice even though it's a verb. 'Chice' is Cape coloured slang for 'hit on'.
To hit on me, fate threw in my path...
Post by: Sappho on November 06, 2014, 02:22:13 pm
And it means "trick," basically. To chouse someone into doing something means to trick them into doing it. It's a word that's been out of use for over 100 years. It's an interesting word for a dictionary word of the day, but not particularly useful for a story about a child in a modern setting. So I think I'll just try to incorporate the meaning of the word, rather than the word itself, like I did with malapropism. Just have someone tricking someone into something.
Or I can just ignore it and write what I want. : )
EDIT: Or I can give up, go to bed, and write double tomorrow, since I'm working from home. I am soooooooo tired I could fall asleep right. now.
Post by: Fniff on November 06, 2014, 03:39:13 pm
This isn't going to be fun either way.
Post by: Sappho on November 06, 2014, 04:41:41 pm
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 06, 2014, 04:56:16 pm
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 07, 2014, 03:02:46 am
So here I go, wondering how I'm going to work the word "chouse" into this segment, or whether it would be better to just abandon the word of the day thing for today, since I have other ideas already...
You may have solved this already but I've found for dialogue you can have a character use a word as if someone had said it to them off screen as it were. Like, "Grampy used a strange word yesterday. I forgot about it since then but it popped into my head today and I asked him what it meant." Then when you have them "know" it they can make an example up to show they understand it. It works great with a younger character too as they are generally proud to show off that they learned something new and can use it right. That's the easiest way I've found to work around something like that.
That, and busy embedding dwarf fortress and yu-gi-oh references into my story.
I actually used the phrase "It was inevitable." by one of the characters in my novel. Too meta? Nope.
I think I've used the term planitive gesture, talked about booze, and made reference to something throwing a tantrum or likely will add that now. Whatever works for that motivation and word count! :)
Because I've been feeling kind of depressed recently and missed a day and today sort of, I am either going to need to write quadruple tomorrow when I might be able or write double today when I'm feeling like shit.
This isn't going to be fun either way.
Sorry to hear stuff isn't going well but you may not want to jump into a full 4x. Think about it like exercise. If you do 1 mile a day and miss 3 do you really want to go for 4 miles in a single day? It's your choice but you may want to try for a 1.5x or 1.8x thing where you'd write 2.5k or 3.5k or something in between unless you think 4x will really get you motivated. If it works for you that's great and more power and all that but the flame that burns brightest and all that.
Spoiler: No real excerpt today but I noticed some stuff about my writing. (click to show/hide)
Post by: Sirus on November 07, 2014, 03:05:05 am
If I can beat 2,217 words it'll be a personal NaNoWriMo best.
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 07, 2014, 08:23:42 am
^ Bah! Your word count is too large compared to my measily ~12k. But I still hope you have some fun with Savage Worlds and get some extra energy and possibly motivation. :P
To be fair, if you're going for 50k then percentage-wise of our overall goals, you'd be further along than me. :P And that I did, thanks! Savage Worlds is a refreshing change from Pathfinder/DnD 3.5.
Still feeling a little drained this morning, but that's probably more because I've now been invited to an air show Saturday and - since I really can't and don't want to refuse - that means I'm going to have to catch up even more somehow, just as I was a few days away from making up for my slip Day One.
I could just say screw it and lower my 100k goal to something more reasonable, but I'm not sure I want to. Or I can start aiming for ~3.8k for ten days afterwards to get back on curve, which wouldn't be too terrible, so long as nothing else comes up. I guess we'll see. :-\
On the bright side, something I've noted as I've written: I've been able to drag out my scenes a bit to respectable lengths. Not beating a dead horse by any means, but I'm giving lots of thought, action, and dialogue to really build the scene, hit the climax of it, and then fall back down - but not all the way - for the next one. It'll all need heavy revision, without a doubt, but at least I'm not resolving chapters in less than ten pages this year. My writing felt so rushed and forced last year, so I'm happy that I'm pacing things better this time.
Post by: Sappho on November 07, 2014, 11:05:17 am
Post by: Darkmere on November 07, 2014, 11:56:21 am
On the bright side, something I've noted as I've written: I've been able to drag out my scenes a bit to respectable lengths. Not beating a dead horse by any means, but I'm giving lots of thought, action, and dialogue to really build the scene, hit the climax of it, and then fall back down - but not all the way - for the next one. It'll all need heavy revision, without a doubt, but at least I'm not resolving chapters in less than ten pages this year. My writing felt so rushed and forced last year, so I'm happy that I'm pacing things better this time.
I did the exact same thing as last November went along. The first part of my book was terse and a little broken in places, but as I went along I got much more comfortable filling in little details like people moving around while talking or adding in body language to help in descriptions and mood. This year I started right off like that, and my first... 4? scenes are lasting me through the first week.
10,500 words and counting. Here's to hoping I hit a groove and retake some of that lead I lost two days ago.
I don't know if I can write today. I'm so stressed about tomorrow that I can't even think straight. So much for being ahead of the game.
What about a few 10-15 minute word sprints? I resorted to those last night to get my count back up, and two of them got me 800 words in 30 minutes. Better than nothing?
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 07, 2014, 02:03:52 pm
Post by: Sappho on November 07, 2014, 02:17:35 pm
I'm thinking that the weather also has a lot to do with it. It gets dark by 4 pm now, and it's been cloudy and rainy for the past week or two. It feels like nighttime all the time, and it's really getting to me.
Post by: Digital Hellhound on November 07, 2014, 04:30:13 pm
EDIT: I decided to go ahead and add this to the site at 11229 words. Shame I won't get the graph from the start, it's so pretty. I'm still not stressing about winning, so much other stuff to do it might not happen. Honestly, I'm just having a ton of fun. Having a ton of fun recommended for anyone struggling. Feel free to add Cycle on the site!
Post by: Darkmere on November 07, 2014, 06:50:36 pm
Feel free to add Cycle on the site!
7898 results for "Cycle" in authors on the site...
Post by: Digital Hellhound on November 08, 2014, 01:21:25 am
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 08, 2014, 04:30:33 am
I also worked through a few plot points in my mind and I realized the more characterization I end up adding the more I have to think about the key point that I don't want any of my characters to do something stupid without first trying to find a reason not to do so. I don't feel I have high standards on what I write but I'd really like to avoid a situation where I have character that does something stupid for no reason. I had to work through the next scene I want to write as I realized that I had two characters who had no real reason not to act intelligently. It's a strange thing to want to mess up a character only to realize that another character you have wouldn't logically stand aside and let that happen because, quite literally, that would make them stupid for doing so.
I did get some writing done but it was strange. The key point is below.
I don't really know what to do with it either. It's in my story at the end. Just there. I could have my main character write it just because. Yea...burnout and all that I guess.
Post by: Darkmere on November 08, 2014, 04:39:11 am
That's glorious and you should keep it forever.
Post by: Digital Hellhound on November 08, 2014, 05:27:39 am
Post by: TD1 on November 08, 2014, 07:50:59 am
Post by: Caz on November 08, 2014, 10:01:21 am
Post by: Sirus on November 08, 2014, 11:16:47 am
Post by: Arx on November 08, 2014, 02:51:57 pm
Hoping to shuffle things around, hack my current short chapter into a prologue and cut to something meatier to write about. If I have time.
Post by: TD1 on November 08, 2014, 02:56:02 pm
Post by: Sappho on November 08, 2014, 03:06:19 pm
http://meganleeprose.wordpress.com/2014/11/08/8-november/
Post by: Darkmere on November 08, 2014, 11:38:30 pm
Spoiler: Long Excerpt is Long (click to show/hide)
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 09, 2014, 04:40:54 am
Darkmere, your except may be long but it is also very well written. Sometimes it just can feel you write some of your best stuff when you grab an idea and run with it or push yourself along where you'd never intended to go.
For anyone struggling I tried to write my own piece of motivation for myself:
Write. Just write. If you can’t write a scene then write a paragraph. If you can’t write a paragraph then write a sentence. If you can’t write a sentence then write a word. If you can’t do that then write a single character. But write, just write. Then do it again, and again, and again. If you can’t create then paraphrase. If you can’t paraphrase then quote. If you can’t do that then write. Just write.
Also quoting this gem again since it's been a while:
If you aren't on pace, don't give up. If you run out of ideas, drop some ninjas on your protagonist or something and let them spend a chapter dealing with random plot ninjas... but don't give up. If you aren't done by December first, DON'T GIVE UP! The greatest novel never written is worse than the shittiest first draft in the history of literature... because whoever wrote that shitty draft had the grit and vinegar to get it done.
Spoiler: Also other stuff. (click to show/hide)
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 09, 2014, 07:03:20 am
Good on everyone else who has kept up their paces without a break so far! I just could not do it. :P
Post by: Caz on November 09, 2014, 10:46:53 am
Post by: Digital Hellhound on November 09, 2014, 11:02:05 am
Post by: Caz on November 09, 2014, 12:20:29 pm
I don't think so, but one should/could be created. Any objections to just kicking open a freenode channel?
Sounds good to me.
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 09, 2014, 01:19:50 pm
I don't think so, but one should/could be created. Any objections to just kicking open a freenode channel?
What's freenode? Sounds interesting.
I tackled my novel hard today and pounded out 3531 words in four hours, so I'm up to 22960 now. I'll be hitting the halfway mark for NaNo - and about 1/4 of my first draft - midway through tomorrow. I'm pretty pumped for it! :D
Post by: Arx on November 09, 2014, 01:33:33 pm
Post by: Digital Hellhound on November 09, 2014, 01:36:11 pm
Post by: Darkmere on November 09, 2014, 03:38:36 pm
Post by: Digital Hellhound on November 09, 2014, 03:53:36 pm
Post by: Caz on November 09, 2014, 04:47:43 pm
Can I get the full server info? I'm already op'ing a channel for my local region, so I can just hop in with mIRC at some point.
irc.freenode.net #bay12nano
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 10, 2014, 02:21:13 am
I tried a 60 minute word sprint and managed to get my total around 16k so I'm mostly back on track. Maybe a day or so behind where I'd like to be but it's better then where I was on Friday.
Spoiler: Sometimes even OM NOM NOM isn't enough to stop your badass determinator. (click to show/hide)
Post by: Digital Hellhound on November 10, 2014, 02:47:34 am
But yeah, I like the whole idea of a team watching their team-mate's (?) miracle survival from here.
Post by: Sappho on November 10, 2014, 10:57:39 am
I didn't write at all yesterday, exhausted by the conference on Saturday. Now I haven't written today. Can't miss work tomorrow either. I should rest... But I should write... Started out so strong, now I'm falling behind.
This happened last year too. I managed to succeed in the end after several 4000-word days. Ugh, even typing this is killing me. I want soup. I'll have to get up and go cook it...
Post by: IronTomato on November 10, 2014, 11:15:27 am
You can dooooooo eet
Post by: Sappho on November 10, 2014, 11:28:56 am
/me sends Sappho some soup, green tea and a cookie
You can dooooooo eet
Thank you!
Managed to cobble together some soup which is cooking now. Ginger, carrots, Chinese cabbage, and chili pepper with sesame seed oil and noodles. I thought I had mushrooms but they went bad. : (
Also drinking some homemade grog. One of the nice things about this country is when you get sick, everyone tells you to drink. This one is hot water, ginger, lemon juice, honey, and about two shots of spiced rum. It makes you feel better one way or another. Maybe I'll manage to write something today after all...
Post by: Caz on November 10, 2014, 12:30:28 pm
All I've written so far today is a huge, tedious info-dump about a city that's blatantly ripped off LotR's Minas Tirith.
Kill me now.
Post by: Parsely on November 10, 2014, 12:30:31 pm
And, inevitably, I'm sick. And I live alone, so I don't even have anyone to make me tea. : (Fund my kickstarter for the intercontinental tea cannon. Can deliver hot tea from point A to anywhere in the world within seconds, as long as you're okay with replacing your roof whenever you make an order.
Post by: Sappho on November 10, 2014, 01:08:17 pm
Post by: Parsely on November 10, 2014, 01:21:22 pm
2. Disguise as clever twist.
3. ???
4. Profit!
Post by: Sappho on November 10, 2014, 01:31:52 pm
I know everyone's been busy with their own writing, but is there anyone who's been following my story as I've written it? Any thoughts? Is it really going sour, or is there a way to save it? As a short story it might be fine, but I'm starting to feel like there just isn't enough here to make a novel out of it... And now I've got the grandfather concerned that she might be schizophrenic, and I've got myself concerned about the same thing, and I can't imagine anything happening now other than him sending her off to a shrink who will surely put her on meds and... this is not the story I was planning to write. : /
Also, I'm still sick, and I want to go to sleep now.
Post by: Parsely on November 10, 2014, 02:32:58 pm
Post by: TD1 on November 10, 2014, 02:38:54 pm
And, inevitably, I'm sick. And I live alone, so I don't even have anyone to make me tea. : (
I didn't write at all yesterday, exhausted by the conference on Saturday. Now I haven't written today. Can't miss work tomorrow either. I should rest... But I should write... Started out so strong, now I'm falling behind.
This happened last year too. I managed to succeed in the end after several 4000-word days. Ugh, even typing this is killing me. I want soup. I'll have to get up and go cook it...
:/ Get well soon! Best just to soldier on with it.
Post by: Darkmere on November 10, 2014, 02:47:50 pm
Keep the faith, I know you can pull through. One word after the other, same as the rest, eh? I've found hot showers help clear my head and get me back on track. Have you considered letting the ghosts interact with grandpa directly and spending some time seeing how he copes with it? You could have Princess be in the room so he can't just blame it on her, then have them both try to cope with it together.
* * *
And... I hate when people do this but I need to brag. I'm at 19,700 words right now, pushing strong now that the action in my story is picking up and I've got more characters in play being pushed out of their comfort zones. At the rate I'm going I'll end up with something like 80,000 words' worth of novel at the end and it's going so much better than last year, plus everyone I've showed is pretty enthusiastic with it.
Post by: Sappho on November 10, 2014, 03:00:37 pm
@Sappho
Keep the faith, I know you can pull through. One word after the other, same as the rest, eh? I've found hot showers help clear my head and get me back on track. Have you considered letting the ghosts interact with grandpa directly and spending some time seeing how he copes with it? You could have Princess be in the room so he can't just blame it on her, then have them both try to cope with it together.
* * *
And... I hate when people do this but I need to brag. I'm at 19,700 words right now, pushing strong now that the action in my story is picking up and I've got more characters in play being pushed out of their comfort zones. At the rate I'm going I'll end up with something like 80,000 words' worth of novel at the end and it's going so much better than last year, plus everyone I've showed is pretty enthusiastic with it.
You deserve to brag! Brag away! Well done! : D
As for my story, I really wanted to have only her ever be able to see the ghosts. I have... reasons.
I'm thinking maybe I'll just leave the story where it is, and backtrack a ways to tell other stories from earlier in her life. Then pick up this thread when I'm further into the story. Have two parallel timelines going on, half the story where it is now, half earlier. It would be better if I had a real plan for where I wanted it to go and could do something useful with it, but I don't even really have time to write without a plan, let alone to make a plan first.
I can take a look if you want. Is that the thingy in your sig?
It is indeed. Any and all feedback is appreciated.
Post by: Caz on November 10, 2014, 03:27:47 pm
Now I gotta go out, though really I just want to /pass/ out. Joys of life. Keep writing guys. Unless you're dead, there's just excuses.
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 10, 2014, 03:47:30 pm
And... I hate when people do this but I need to brag. I'm at 19,700 words right now, pushing strong now that the action in my story is picking up and I've got more characters in play being pushed out of their comfort zones. At the rate I'm going I'll end up with something like 80,000 words' worth of novel at the end and it's going so much better than last year, plus everyone I've showed is pretty enthusiastic with it.
Awesome! It's nice to see people get ahead of the curve and stay enthused about their novel! It's getting close to Week Three, the time when it really starts to slog down, so keep that up! :D
And so long as we're bragging a bit... I pumped out another 3480 words today, bring my total to 26440! I'm just short of closing out the fifth chapter and I've finally gotten things heating up a bit for it to all go to hell in the next so many chapters.
There will be lots of blood, character death, politics, drama, and even a wee bit of treachery! A civil war, at least one barbarian invasion, attempted monopolies by foreign merchants, tyranny of the Guild of Magi, and a minimum of two succession crises. These things won't exactly be resolved at the end of this book - not even close, really - even if the individual events that lead to/spawn from these will be, for the most part. This is most definitely the first of a trilogy, if not a longer series than that.
I've learned at least one thing about myself this NaNo: I much, much prefer to write short fiction. Even though a novel grants more breathing room and depth, I find that I prefer exploring ideas at a short depth rather than really diving into everything headfirst for a full 100,000+ words. I think I'm definitely more of a short fiction writer at heart than I would have ever thought.
Had someone told me that a year ago, I would have said short fiction was just a stepping stone for me to be published, network, and then be on my way to writing novels; now I think novels are just going to be something I do from time to time, when I run out ideas for smaller work or want to explore something in-depth. It's funny how that works.
Post by: Sappho on November 10, 2014, 04:33:15 pm
I wish they had Nyquil in this country. That would probably solve all of my problems in one go.
I want to promise I'll write double word count tomorrow, but tomorrow I'm not likely to be any healthier, and I have to teach first and second grade as well. Two batches of screaming kids who don't speak English. I suppose my only goal should be to write anything at all.
Sorry to rant, friends. I will shut up now. Find a way to force myself to get some sleep so for once I can be reasonably awake tomorrow.
Post by: Sirus on November 10, 2014, 05:25:44 pm
/me ponders sending a bulk package of the stuff to Sappho
Post by: TD1 on November 10, 2014, 05:40:51 pm
The random internet trucker turning up at your house with a cargo of drugs...
Bestselling material!
Post by: Sirus on November 10, 2014, 06:36:55 pm
I might have misplaced my flash drive, which contains my entire novel so far. Thankfully I do have a back-up of the file, but if I can't find the drive I've just lost about a thousand words.
Post by: Sappho on November 11, 2014, 02:50:47 am
Is Nyquil illegal, or do they just not sell it there?
/me ponders sending a bulk package of the stuff to Sappho
It just doesn't exist here. They have other kinds of cold/flu medicine, but they're just not the same. On the other hand, I remember they changed it quite a bit over the years because of nonsensical drug laws in the US, so maybe the Nyquil I'm thinking of doesn't even exist anymore. It certainly didn't work as well the last time I tried it, years ago...
Anyway, sorry for all the negativity last night. I was feverish and overwhelmed. I'm still feverish and overwhelmed, but at least I've had a bit of sleep. Enough to think logically: stress will make me sicker. Trying to force myself to write when I'm blocked is stressful, and is pretty much guaranteed to fail. Better to just write what I can, not worry about word count, and focus on getting well. Once I'm healthy again, I can write more and catch back up.
Pushing through when you're not feeling well and just getting it done without excuses is all well and good, if you're capable of that. But factor in two stressful jobs that involve an incredible amount of responsibility (from which you can't stay home sick), losing a weekend to do the most stressful part of the job for 10 hours straight and having no time to recover, as well as issues with anxiety and bipolar disorder, and there comes a point where you have to put your physical and mental wellbeing first. Push too hard, and you'll just break down -- and you won't be writing anything at all then.
There's value in telling everyone "just do it, no excuses," because it can be easy to find excuses during this event. But it's just as important to know the difference between and excuse and a genuine need to take it easy and look after yourself. Know the difference, everyone, and take care of yourselves first.
Post by: Darkmere on November 11, 2014, 03:50:08 am
Post by: Caz on November 11, 2014, 11:30:28 am
There will be lots of blood, character death, politics, drama, and even a wee bit of treachery! A civil war, at least one barbarian invasion, attempted monopolies by foreign merchants,...
Are... are we writing the same book? O_o That's seriously the three main events happening in my novel right now.
Post by: Sappho on November 11, 2014, 11:50:30 am
I don't think anymore meant write yourself sick(er). It is, after all, a voluntary thing.
Well, at least one person did say that unless you're dead, you're just making excuses if you don't write, but in any case, I wasn't responding to any pressure from you guys. The pressure was coming from myself. I had it in my head that I absolutely had to get this done, and to not do so was to fail, and that said failure would be my own fault and I deserved to feel bad about it. That sort of thing can happen easily during NaNo, the whole point of which is to force yourself to write even when you don't feel like it. So the last post I wrote was more me saying "hey, guys, I just realized that this attitude, while mostly productive and positive, can also be dangerous if you don't watch out for your own health and know your limits. So this is me, realizing I was pushing myself too hard, and advising everyone to be careful you don't push yourself so hard you make yourself sick."
I did actually manage to write about 500 words yesterday. I'm still not happy with how the story is going, but I think I'll stick with it and just finish out the month as planned anyway. Maybe it'll force me to get more creative and think of possibilities I that never otherwise would have occurred to me. I took a lot of medicine to get through today and it hasn't completely worn off yet, so I'm going to try to get something done before I crash. On the other hand, I also need to wash a lot of dishes and clean all the moldy stuff out of the fridge so my mild flu doesn't turn into the plague, so I'll have to balance that with the writing.
Post by: Caz on November 11, 2014, 01:05:22 pm
Well, at least one person did say that unless you're dead, you're just making excuses if you don't write, but in any case, I wasn't responding to any pressure from you guys.
Could be good excuses, though. At any rate, don't take my tendency to hyperbolise seriously. It was just intended as the writer ass-kicking-motivational boot. Mostly for myself. :P
Post by: Sappho on November 11, 2014, 03:35:49 pm
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 11, 2014, 05:29:31 pm
Are... are we writing the same book? O_o That's seriously the three main events happening in my novel right now.
To be fair, 3/5 of the major plot threads match your book AND a different 3/5 match the A Song of Ice and Fire series, so... I'd wager not. Great minds think alike though! :P
I actually resorted to making a spreadsheet to keep track of who was present for, a key player in, or not-present-but-still-involved-with each major event - on or off screen - and each chapter. It's getting really complex and interconnected, and it's only going to get worse by the end of the book.
I just wrote 2057 words! It took me hours and I didn't have time to do any of the other things I was supposed to do, but at least I'm starting to catch up on the two days I missed. I also wrote another entry on my NaNo blog about the process of deciding to continue with this story regardless of how it goes, and to finish out NaNo without caring if I create a publishable novel or not, and it immediately got 6 likes, which is a pretty good feeling.
Good to hear it! I hope you're getting to feeling better!
On my end, I only wrote 1713 words to bump my total up to 28153. Had to do some painting on a storehouse today, and will again tomorrow, so I'm splitting a single of my day's worth word count across two days. Still getting it over the minimum daily goal for NaNo and I really don't have any concrete goal to hit by the end of the month anymore, so I'm still feeling good about this. No matter what, I'm finishing this first draft even though it will doubtless mean writing on into next month.
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 12, 2014, 04:41:35 am
*All the stuff.*
It's good to see that you're getting better and are getting some writing done. Just remember that you don't need to write to live and you can catch up later if need be. :)
I actually resorted to making a spreadsheet to keep track of who was present for, a key player in, or not-present-but-still-involved-with each major event - on or off screen - and each chapter. It's getting really complex and interconnected, and it's only going to get worse by the end of the book.
I was too afraid of having my story spiral out of control with characters and events so I figured it would be better to keep my character list small and pretty much lock everyone up in a research facility. Then again you're going for 2x word count and an epic story from what I read so best of luck keeping those details in check!
I managed to break 20k tonight so that has me on track for 50k I think. If I could push past 25k tomorrow or the next day then that should strike my sunk-cost line and tossing away 50.1% would be worse then just not getting to 1/2 way. So here's hoping that will be acceptable motivation!
Post by: WillowLuman on November 12, 2014, 04:56:35 am
Post by: Darkmere on November 12, 2014, 11:17:12 am
Glad things are getting back on track for you. I did read your blog, but I don't have an account on there so I can't +1, but I personally shudder at trying to pants a project of this size, so I salute your pioneering spirit.
The month is very nearly halfway through and I'm sitting pretty at ~2000 words. I feel like giving up.
There was some quote about giving up elsewhere in the thread, I think?
@inEQUALITY
No idea if you're interested or not but there's a lot of tagging and organizational features like that in scrivener that may be useful for edits. I'm with you on the "write til it's done" bit, though. Last year I collapsed and ended up not finishing until March, and I hated that.
@Malt_Hitman
Halfway is a huge motivator, but every bit milestone after that gets even better. I have no doubts you'll charge on through at this rate.
* * *
I'm up to 26,450 words or so, and I finally fleshed out the outline for the rest of my book. The way is open before me, and only typing between me and the end. It's shaping up to be pretty brutal for all involved, so I'm looking forward to all the explosions. Excelsior!
Post by: Caz on November 12, 2014, 12:15:10 pm
...I'm gonna abruptly run out of material. What to do? :\
Post by: Sappho on November 12, 2014, 12:21:23 pm
Caz: You could try going back and adding more details and filler. Flesh out the scenes, hit some more senses. Include some behind-the-scenes stuff that doesn't need to be in there. Add a little more backstory. You can always cut that stuff out in the end, if you decide you don't want it, but you never know. You might stumble upon something really useful. Or you can add an epilogue, or a prologue. As long as you're writing something, anything, you're not wasting your time. You will learn *something* from the experience.
As for me, I'm still sick. Went home a little early from work today and canceled my private student (for the second week in a row... I feel like such a jerk.) Tomorrow I have to teach the little kids, but I've gotten permission to work from home on Friday. I do still actually have to work, but I don't have to do too much, and I can do it in my pajamas.
I just very nearly went to bed early without having written anything. I actually forgot all about it. I cleared my head a little by playing Kairo for a while, which for some reason really helps me focus and shake some of the cobwebs out of my brain. Now I need to write. If I can do 2000 a day, I'll have caught up within a few days... I don't think I'll catch up today. I'll see what I can do.
EDIT: Quick poll! I have two different ideas on how to continue with this story. One of them is my original idea, and the other is something I came up with today. The question is, which of these would you rather read:
A story where it's not clear if the narrator/main character is really seeing ghosts. It seems like she is, but it's never quite proven one way or another, and it remains possible that she's just crazy. Think Haruki Murakami, surreal stuff that never quite explains itself.
or
A story where it turns out ghosts are totally real, and it completely redefines humanity's conception of what reality is and how science works. Or if not humanity, then at least some people who find out about it. Think Neil Gaiman / American Gods.
I think I'll go with the majority opinion on this one. It's all improv, so I'm not particularly attached to one story, and anyway, both the ideas are mine.
Also, this story is rapidly returning to being fairly lighthearted and fun and not at all terrifying. For now. I suppose later on I'll have to go back and sort of fix the consistency there.
Post by: Arx on November 12, 2014, 01:51:10 pm
Post by: Doomblade187 on November 12, 2014, 02:45:01 pm
TL;DR: Doomblade was lazy-ish and started NaNo but odds are won't finish it. Also, I need to work on my time management skills.
Sappho- while I myself like both directions, the people finding out about ghosts can go through a surreal phase, if you want to test both out first. Personally, though, I prefer the finding out route, simply because it provides more closure and I like the opportunities for extra worldbuilding?
Post by: Sappho on November 12, 2014, 02:58:49 pm
Post by: Darkmere on November 12, 2014, 03:36:44 pm
Word count finished for today! Update posted! And so far public opinion is 100% for "ghosts are totes real," so I'll lean in that direction unless I get feedback to the contrary.
You have my +1.
Post by: Sappho on November 13, 2014, 11:48:40 am
Post by: Sirus on November 13, 2014, 11:51:17 am
Post by: Sappho on November 13, 2014, 11:52:49 am
Post by: Sirus on November 13, 2014, 11:58:16 am
Post by: Sappho on November 13, 2014, 12:03:49 pm
When you say the next hour, do you mean 57 minutes from now? Or shall we maybe start at :15 (so 11 minutes from now) and end at :30?
Post by: Sirus on November 13, 2014, 12:06:50 pm
Post by: Sappho on November 13, 2014, 12:10:03 pm
I think an hour is a bit too long for me to be effective. Let's check in at :30 and compare word counts. Sound OK?
Post by: Sirus on November 13, 2014, 12:31:48 pm
Post by: Sappho on November 13, 2014, 12:34:56 pm
Post by: Darkmere on November 13, 2014, 02:36:00 pm
Anyway, my local group is generally at least somewhat active most of the time and at nights central it's pretty busy. it's also on freenode so you can just hop in from the web client linked earlier, but I'm not going to give out the channel name in public.
What I will do is make a point to stay in the Bay12 channel and direct people from there, but this means odds are decent most of the day that I'm AFK. Just ask and if I'm there I'll pass info along.
EDIT: I should mention some of my group are doing erotica, so if that's something that you're not comfortable with, be warned that it does enter conversation from time to time.
Post by: Sappho on November 14, 2014, 01:46:08 pm
I am definitely starting to hate my story, but I remember that this is normal, so I think I'm just going to tell myself to forget my lame excuses and write anyway. And now I'm going to play video games, dammit.
Post by: Digital Hellhound on November 14, 2014, 02:44:46 pm
Post by: Darkmere on November 14, 2014, 03:24:12 pm
I'd appreciate if I could get the channel name PM'd.
Sent. It may be a little empty for a while since I'm not technically "back" yet but there you have it.
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 14, 2014, 06:33:53 pm
Post by: Caz on November 14, 2014, 06:35:08 pm
Gonna get some sleep, remember how to be a human bean and coming back to write tomorrow.
Post by: Sappho on November 15, 2014, 01:58:10 am
Never Forget Who You Are
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 15, 2014, 09:25:45 am
(http://th06.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/225/6/0/human_bean_by_suddendamage-d5azr2x.jpg)
Never Forget Who You Are
Oh my goodness, thanks for that. I needed a laugh today!
I shouldn't have jinxed myself in my last post. Almost as soon as I did, things went to hell. Turns out hell isn't conducive to writing. Who knew?
Post by: Sappho on November 15, 2014, 12:03:54 pm
And now I will try to get some work done on my next Commune video, at long last!
Post by: Caz on November 15, 2014, 12:50:38 pm
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 16, 2014, 05:41:27 am
Still, finally hit 25k after a few low productivity days so I'm just over halfway there! I have plenty of stuff I'd like to write but I know if I try and do too much out of order then I'll just end with a huge number of holes needing to be filled and stuff may begin to fall apart. I know edits are for December and all that but how many people here worry about writing out of order vs. just writing stuff up and going over it later?
Post by: Caz on November 16, 2014, 06:55:04 am
I know edits are for December and all that but how many people here worry about writing out of order vs. just writing stuff up and going over it later?
Eh, not really. Writing is really rewriting. Having a first draft done in November is a lot better than having a 'slightly' edited uncompleted draft. That and writing and editing don't really play well together - different skillsets/mentality or something.
Just keep writing, you. :P
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 16, 2014, 01:50:17 pm
Would you rather have a flowing/connected story that would be not finished or have a patchwork of dangling scenes that you’d then have to go back and string together?
I still have 25k to go but if I just keep slogging along through the filler I’m not sure I’ll hit an end for my story within the 25k as I tend to dive deep into tangents for word count. I’d like to have a road for a final product but if it doesn’t “end” then it may just wander off. If I have a patchwork I know I’ll run to problems with characterization and details not matching up. That will bug me but it’s not like it can’t be fixed in editing but it may take more time to do so.
Post by: Darkmere on November 17, 2014, 02:55:05 am
One of the key plot points I've been dreading all month finally came up today. I assumed I'd have to jerry-rig it or BS something to make it fit then fix in edits....
But it came out perfectly as I was writing the scene. Like I almost knew what I was doing. I'm not even going to tell people what it was. But it's awesome!
The momentum from that pushed me over to 40,045 words. I'll have no trouble getting the last 10k this week, then I can push forward to the end of my book the week after. Whee!
Post by: Sappho on November 18, 2014, 11:27:07 am
I'm working on getting a lawyer and figuring out how to prove my income, since they wouldn't accept bank statements, work contracts, or invoices. (They only look at taxes, and I won't be paying taxes on this year's income until the start of next year. Last year I earned far less money, which is what they're looking at now.)
Why am I telling all of you? Because NaNoWriMo is going straight out the window until I can get this sorted out. I'm going to be too busy curling up into a ball and sobbing during whatever time I'm not desperately sorting through paperwork and negotiating with lawyers and civil servants.
If you'll excuse me, I have a lot of beer to drink.
Post by: Caz on November 18, 2014, 12:53:17 pm
If you'll excuse me, I have a lot of beer to drink.
Hope everything turns out alright, Sappho.
Post by: WillowLuman on November 18, 2014, 01:02:18 pm
Post by: Sappho on November 18, 2014, 01:12:29 pm
Anyway, thanks for the support, guys. I wrote to my boss and he seems confident that he knows a few loopholes that should get me through this. Fingers crossed.
Actually, I may write anyway. I could use to lose myself in something fictional for a while. I'm also playing One Finger Death Punch, which is making me feel quite a bit better overall. Nothing like beating the hell out of stick figures without having to move very much.
Post by: Sirus on November 18, 2014, 01:20:52 pm
Do they not have the equivalent of W-2 forms in the Czech Republic?
Post by: Sappho on November 18, 2014, 01:31:55 pm
I suspect they are supposed to accept things like bank statements and invoices as proof of income, as long as it looks legit and everything has a stamp on it, but the woman I talked to last said she wouldn't accept it. You always get completely different information depending on who you're talking to.
The true root of the problem is that there are a lot of Vietnamese, Ukrainian, and African immigrants here, and the government doesn't want any more of them here. But they can't legally discriminate against only those particular groups of people, so instead they just make it as difficult as possible for anyone with non-EU citizenship to get a visa. Then they do ridiculous shit, like only considering your tax-free income when calculating if you have enough money. When I pay taxes, I get a 60% deduction as a business owner. The other 40% is low enough that I don't have to pay anything on it, but even if I did, the taxes would only be about 30% of that. But they completely ignore that 40%, and only look at the tax-free 60%. My monthly tax-free income last year was 400 kc lower than what they calculate my current monthly expenses to be (that's about $20), so they are rejecting my application. I now have to find a way to prove that I now earn far more money than that. Wheeeeeeee!
Post by: Sirus on November 18, 2014, 01:37:51 pm
Best of luck with the lawyer.
Post by: Sappho on November 18, 2014, 01:42:53 pm
Although none of that helps if I don't manage to prove my income and get a visa. A business visa is the hardest type to get. If I was an employee, I'd get one no problem.
Post by: Darkmere on November 18, 2014, 06:23:11 pm
I hope you get this resolved, and I salute your determination. Bureaucracy at its finest. =\
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 19, 2014, 12:20:35 am
Post by: Caz on November 19, 2014, 11:55:05 am
I guess I can go back and add things, but I have no idea.
Post by: Sappho on November 19, 2014, 12:33:19 pm
On the last chapter of the novel and we're only 19 days in. Uhm... Halp.
I guess I can go back and add things, but I have no idea.
Go back through the story and write a parallel storyline that isn't related to the main storyline. Something happening nearby, at the same time, that has nothing to do with the plot. At a few plots in the sub-story, have it intersect with the main story. Once it's all finished, go back and insert these intersections into your main story. Something that's happening in the background, that adds depth to your world. Count all of it towards your 50k, even if you only use a little bit of it in the final story.
I've decided to try to write today. It looks like I'll have to spend every penny of my savings to persuade the government that I earn enough money (by re-filing my taxes from last year). No new computer. No traveling. No Christmas gifts for my friends. It'll take months before I have any savings again. And even then, there's no guarantee that they'll approve my application.
So I'm going to try to write. I still want to finish NaNo one way or another. I also have a sudden influx of readers on my NaNo blog. No idea where they came from. I don't want to disappoint them.
Post by: Caz on November 19, 2014, 01:18:40 pm
Go back through the story and write a parallel storyline that isn't related to the main storyline. Something happening nearby, at the same time, that has nothing to do with the plot. At a few plots in the sub-story, have it intersect with the main story. Once it's all finished, go back and insert these intersections into your main story. Something that's happening in the background, that adds depth to your world. Count all of it towards your 50k, even if you only use a little bit of it in the final story.
I've decided to try to write today. It looks like I'll have to spend every penny of my savings to persuade the government that I earn enough money (by re-filing my taxes from last year). No new computer. No traveling. No Christmas gifts for my friends. It'll take months before I have any savings again. And even then, there's no guarantee that they'll approve my application.
So I'm going to try to write. I still want to finish NaNo one way or another. I also have a sudden influx of readers on my NaNo blog. No idea where they came from. I don't want to disappoint them.
Thanks!
Come do some word wars.
Post by: Doomblade187 on November 19, 2014, 01:29:06 pm
I wish you well in your ventures.On the last chapter of the novel and we're only 19 days in. Uhm... Halp.
I guess I can go back and add things, but I have no idea.
Go back through the story and write a parallel storyline that isn't related to the main storyline. Something happening nearby, at the same time, that has nothing to do with the plot. At a few plots in the sub-story, have it intersect with the main story. Once it's all finished, go back and insert these intersections into your main story. Something that's happening in the background, that adds depth to your world. Count all of it towards your 50k, even if you only use a little bit of it in the final story.
I've decided to try to write today. It looks like I'll have to spend every penny of my savings to persuade the government that I earn enough money (by re-filing my taxes from last year). No new computer. No traveling. No Christmas gifts for my friends. It'll take months before I have any savings again. And even then, there's no guarantee that they'll approve my application.
So I'm going to try to write. I still want to finish NaNo one way or another. I also have a sudden influx of readers on my NaNo blog. No idea where they came from. I don't want to disappoint them.
Post by: Talvieno on November 19, 2014, 04:01:52 pm
Post by: Darkmere on November 21, 2014, 02:51:38 am
Victory is mine, more than a week early and for the second year in a row. I'm going to go take a day off.
There's plenty of room up here, you should all come join me! :)
Post by: WillowLuman on November 21, 2014, 11:35:04 am
Post by: Caz on November 21, 2014, 12:28:07 pm
http://nanowrimo.org/participants/darkmere/novels/science-for-hire/stats
Victory is mine, more than a week early and for the second year in a row. I'm going to go take a day off.
There's plenty of room up here, you should all come join me! :)
Woooooo! Great job Darkmere. :) Hoping to join you soon.
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 23, 2014, 05:27:53 am
I guess that I’m still on track for hitting 50k in November even if I’ll be far from finished. I’d like to have gotten more done so far this weekend but had some issues with digging up and moving past old ideas and characterization. To everyone still plugging away, best of luck to you hitting 50k by the 30th! I know I’m still trying to get a day or two head to work past any downtime I might need for Thanksgiving.
Post by: Arx on November 23, 2014, 02:26:40 pm
"With a sigh and a regretful glance at the cruiser, Ibott shifted past, struggling a little as a swarm of Rays blasted past on borrowed fusion energy. I swear, space winds caused by exhaust are just possible enough to be used in a bad sci-fi flick. The real world, though?"
Post by: Caz on November 25, 2014, 03:42:17 pm
Post by: Darkmere on November 25, 2014, 03:46:35 pm
Reached 50k in 25 days. Wheeeeeee~ Now I can ignore the manuscript for the next month or ten.
Grab a seat in the winner's circle! Congratulations! I'm sure there's more on the way...
Post by: Sappho on November 25, 2014, 04:10:42 pm
I'm about 2000 words behind as of today. As long as I get something written each day, I'm cutting myself some slack. I'm willing to devote extra time on the weekend to finish it up.
Post by: WillowLuman on November 25, 2014, 07:14:29 pm
Post by: Sirus on November 26, 2014, 01:05:57 am
Post by: WillowLuman on November 26, 2014, 01:08:19 am
I wish NaNoWriMo were in August, or some other reasonably chill month. November starts off pretty easy to manage but as the holidays get closer I just have less and less time for writing. Or doing any other leisurely activity for that matter :<Not to mention being crunch time for uni stuff.
Post by: Sappho on November 26, 2014, 01:42:17 am
I suppose there are problems with every month, though. Many (most?) schools start at the end of August, so I don't think that would work well. December is obviously out. January might work, but doing anything in the middle of winter is asking for extra stress from depression.
I'd say the best month for this would be July, when I don't have any work pressures, but a lot of people travel during the summer, so that wouldn't work, either. Or maybe October. On the other hand, they do have Camp NaNoWriMo during some of these months. It's not exactly the same, since you set your own word count, but still, it does exist.
Spoiler: Calendar of Excuses (click to show/hide)
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 28, 2014, 05:35:44 am
Words for the word count desu! Text for the text document desu! :P
Post by: Sappho on November 28, 2014, 06:49:42 am
I've still been limping along with under 1000 words most days this week. This weekend is going to be rough, but I'll make it. I think I still have about 8000 words to write...
Post by: Caz on November 29, 2014, 12:04:41 am
A winner is me. On the morning of day 28 I was able to validate with just a little over 50k in words. I watched the video, downloaded that thingy, and clicked a link or something. Now I need to figure out an outline thing to keep going and make this hot mess of text start making some sense.
Words for the word count desu! Text for the text document desu! :P
Excellent man, well done. :) Now next job is editing the damn thing!
Congratulations!
I've still been limping along with under 1000 words most days this week. This weekend is going to be rough, but I'll make it. I think I still have about 8000 words to write...
You can do it. Buckle down the last couple days. Double buckle-down. Triple. Write, even if it's complete balderdash. Write, write, write!
Post by: Darkmere on November 29, 2014, 12:51:33 am
Excellent man, well done. :) Now next job is editing the damn thing!
You can do it. Buckle down the last couple days. Double buckle-down. Triple. Write, even if it's complete balderdash. Write, write, write!
+1 to both of these!
Post by: Sappho on November 29, 2014, 02:31:28 am
1. Breakfast
2. Write 1000 words
3. Video games
4. Write 500 words
5. Lunch
6. Write 1000 words
7. Video games
8. Write 500 words
9. Dinner
10. Write 500 words
11. Video games
12. Party
Edit: I just wrote 1000 words in 15 minutes. Awwwww yiss. Posted the first half of today's writing on my blog. Will post the second half later on. I think I can get 4000 words done. It helps that I know what's going to happen next.
Edit2: Just banged out another 1000 words. I am on FIRE.
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 29, 2014, 09:58:12 am
Edit: I just wrote 1000 words in 15 minutes. Awwwww yiss. Posted the first half of today's writing on my blog. Will post the second half later on. I think I can get 4000 words done. It helps that I know what's going to happen next.
Edit2: Just banged out another 1000 words. I am on FIRE.
Wooh! Get it Sappho! You got this. :D
I've got about 3300 words left total. I think I might just write all the rest of it today and use tomorrow to celebrate a bit. If I'm lucky, I can pump that out in two hours - I've been managing ~1700 words an hour lately, when I really buckle down, so to speak.
Post by: Sappho on November 29, 2014, 12:31:47 pm
I'll have less than 3000 words to write tomorrow. Easy peasy.
Now, to donate $10 in celebration of being sure to finish. Gettin' that donator halo.
Post by: Arx on November 29, 2014, 02:00:29 pm
Nearly four thousand words! I wrote something like a thousand of those in the last hour, so I'm reasonably happy actually.
Post by: Sappho on November 29, 2014, 02:27:32 pm
Epic space battles are much less fun in third-person limited than third-person omniscient.
Try using it to create tension. That's easier to do with limited perspective than omniscient. It's what you don't know that keeps you reading. Try using all the details available to the characters you're following and having them try to get a clear image of what's happening outside and plan their strategy, Captain Kirk style. It'll be all the more gratifying when they succeed -- and then you can always pull out a surprise attack at the last second that ruins their plans and makes the reader go "whaaaaaat!!!???" and desperately turn the pages to find out how the hero gets out of this one.
Post by: Arx on November 29, 2014, 02:52:51 pm
It's a good thing Ibott's not a real person. He'd probably shoot me if he realised that his mind works the way it does because it amuses me. :P
Post by: Sappho on November 30, 2014, 11:40:50 am
Posting the last part on my blog now. Wrapped up the story nicely, I think, though on the second pass I'll have to remove a few random things from near the beginning that I never got back around to. And make it a little more consistent in general. Still... I just wrote a whole goddam novel in one month. And it even has an ending.
If you'll excuse me, I'm off to cry tears of pride.
Post by: Arx on November 30, 2014, 11:42:03 am
Post by: Caz on November 30, 2014, 12:40:03 pm
FINISHED.
Posting the last part on my blog now. Wrapped up the story nicely, I think, though on the second pass I'll have to remove a few random things from near the beginning that I never got back around to. And make it a little more consistent in general. Still... I just wrote a whole goddam novel in one month. And it even has an ending.
If you'll excuse me, I'm off to cry tears of pride.
*claps* :D
Post by: Xantalos on November 30, 2014, 12:41:32 pm
Post by: WillowLuman on November 30, 2014, 01:53:23 pm
Congratz to everyone who made it! To everyone who's close, keep at it!
Post by: Arx on November 30, 2014, 02:10:15 pm
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 30, 2014, 02:11:40 pm
Congrats to everyone else who finished up already! It's nice to join the winner's circle with you guys today, at last. Two years in a row now; hopefully, there will be many more to come.
To everyone still struggling: keep going! You can do it!
And to those who won't make it: there's always next year! Hell, there's always next month. So don't despair! A writer's calling never ceases. Don't be afraid to answer it again, just because you didn't do this crazy challenge for the month of November!
Post by: Darkmere on November 30, 2014, 02:19:12 pm
FINISHED.
Posting the last part on my blog now. Wrapped up the story nicely, I think, though on the second pass I'll have to remove a few random things from near the beginning that I never got back around to. And make it a little more consistent in general. Still... I just wrote a whole goddam novel in one month. And it even has an ending.
If you'll excuse me, I'm off to cry tears of pride.
You've certainly earned it, congratulations to you!
And everyone else, of course! Good show. We had a much better turnout than last year if I recall, that's for sure.
Post by: Digital Hellhound on November 30, 2014, 02:45:36 pm
Post by: Malt_Hitman on November 30, 2014, 02:52:47 pm
Congratulations inEQUALITY! If you were still going for 100k then you did double what I managed to eek out in a single month. :P
Anyone who wrote anything this year did far more than I did last year and that’s wonderful! :) Like people have posted above. November can be a tight month to get in 50k worth of typing along with all the other months that are terrible but if you don’t even try and start then you’re sure not to finish so starting’s really the hard part. Now you just need to keep working at it bit by bit! :D
The ending to my story is still getting hammered out and I have huge holes to fill in so hopefully I’ll manage to get “done” at some point in December. :P
Post by: Sirus on November 30, 2014, 04:00:38 pm
2015 will be my year, surely!
Post by: inEQUALITY on November 30, 2014, 11:36:48 pm
Congratulations inEQUALITY! If you were still going for 100k then you did double what I managed to eek out in a single month. :P
Thanks for the congratulations! And congrats to you too on finishing! Sadly, I had to cut it down to 50k this year thanks to life interrupting (a full week without writing anything more than a page is tough on the overall word count, as it happens). But still, I'm just happy I finished off at the end of the month and never dropped below par for a single day. And for the second year in a row at that, even if I didn't finish early as I did in 2013. Maybe next year I can tackle that 100k challenge properly. We shall see!
Post by: Darkmere on December 01, 2014, 01:22:02 am
I just sprinted the last 5,000 words, ending with 5 minutes left before midnight. My first draft is complete at 62,000 words. In celebration (and exhaustion), I'm offering anyone who wants one a copy of my first draft, crappy self-done illustrations and all.
It's a noir-esque detective story about a mad science black market in a post-cyberpunk megacity. The summary and an excerpt are Here. (http://nanowrimo.org/participants/darkmere/novels/science-for-hire)
If you would like a copy, please PM me with the email address to send it to and a preferred format if you want something other than .doc.
Thanks for reading, and congratulations to everyone once again! Pat yourselves on the back!
Post by: Sappho on December 01, 2014, 01:29:35 am
Post by: Caz on December 01, 2014, 06:07:38 am
Post by: Sappho on December 01, 2014, 09:13:35 am
Post by: Fniff on December 01, 2014, 09:38:54 am
Yep, the OP actually completely failed NaNoWriMo. I wrote about 8000 words on the official counter before I crashed and burned. I then gave up at around day eleven.
Anyway, I have now written 12,000 words. It's a nice base and I think I can work off it.
Remember, kids. Failed crops make excellent fertilizer for the soil.
Post by: TD1 on December 01, 2014, 01:58:53 pm
Oh my god. I... I just got home from work and... And I don't know what to do with myself...
Make every day NaNoWriMo! :P
Post by: Darkmere on December 01, 2014, 03:02:19 pm
I am ashamed...
1) Re: Winner goodies!
For those of us who stand glorious in triumph (which is all of us, but the purple bar is what it is), the NaNo site will be sending you a list of delicious codes for sponsor offers. Be advised that most of these offers will end on December 31st, so claim them early!
2) Script feedback!
I crave manuscripts like zombies crave brains! If you want another pair of eyes to look over your draft, please PM me and I will give you my email address so you can send me a copy. I will do a read-over of all of them and send back a commentary-laden document menacing with spikes of opinion. Note that this is good for everyone, regardless of word count. Your story should be heard!
Post by: Willfor on December 01, 2014, 03:27:44 pm
Congratulations to everyone who did participate though, even if you didn't win!
Post by: inEQUALITY on December 01, 2014, 10:03:24 pm
2) Script feedback!
I crave manuscripts like zombies crave brains! If you want another pair of eyes to look over your draft, please PM me and I will give you my email address so you can send me a copy. I will do a read-over of all of them and send back a commentary-laden document menacing with spikes of opinion. Note that this is good for everyone, regardless of word count. Your story should be heard!
I am so, so incredibly tempted just to see thoughts on what I wrote from someone else. What I have is a really rough half of a first draft: the pacing is damn poor; it's almost entirely static and talk-y for the majority of it; many chapters feel similar to others; at times, I leave out too much internal processing while at others I give too much on a tangent; not enough description AT ALL, despite the words-per-chapter numbering anywhere from 4500 - 6000 word, save one shorter one I needed to expand a bit; I dump exposition way too often sometimes; characters seem to change personalities, whether by word or action, between chapters at times when they shouldn't; and at the worst, there were moments where dialogue or even prose were less my writing and more me thinking aloud with moments of fatigue-fueled immaturity/stupidity; some chapters have very terse prose, while others - namely later written ones, after I had started back into reading some C J Cherryh - have very wordy prose. Plus, it's not even finished, being half of what I have planned, and there's even a chapter or two in the middle of the thing left unwritten so far.
But man am I tempted. Outside feedback can be incredibly helpful, especially from someone who doesn't know me personally. I'll be thinking on it...
Post by: Caz on December 03, 2014, 08:52:41 am
2) Script feedback!
I crave manuscripts like zombies crave brains! If you want another pair of eyes to look over your draft, please PM me and I will give you my email address so you can send me a copy. I will do a read-over of all of them and send back a commentary-laden document menacing with spikes of opinion. Note that this is good for everyone, regardless of word count. Your story should be heard!
This sounds good, but my first drafts are rather embarrassing messes. :P
Post by: Sappho on December 03, 2014, 12:19:17 pm
2) Script feedback!
I crave manuscripts like zombies crave brains! If you want another pair of eyes to look over your draft, please PM me and I will give you my email address so you can send me a copy. I will do a read-over of all of them and send back a commentary-laden document menacing with spikes of opinion. Note that this is good for everyone, regardless of word count. Your story should be heard!
This sounds good, but my first drafts are rather embarrassing messes. :P
they are supposed to be that is the whole point of first drafts
Post by: Caz on December 03, 2014, 04:59:42 pm
2) Script feedback!
I crave manuscripts like zombies crave brains! If you want another pair of eyes to look over your draft, please PM me and I will give you my email address so you can send me a copy. I will do a read-over of all of them and send back a commentary-laden document menacing with spikes of opinion. Note that this is good for everyone, regardless of word count. Your story should be heard!
This sounds good, but my first drafts are rather embarrassing messes. :P
they are supposed to be that is the whole point of first drafts
Yeah, I prefer to hide them from others until at least the 2nd/3rd draft.
Post by: Sappho on December 03, 2014, 05:05:32 pm
Post by: inEQUALITY on December 03, 2014, 06:26:36 pm
Well, I don't know about you guys, but I've decided to keep up the habit of writing every day (though not necessarily very much). So if anyone is interested in something that isn't a story about a girl who sees ghosts, have a look. And if anyone else is going to try daily writing, feel free to share anything you post!
I've been writing almost daily anyway before and after NaNo since it's my goal in life to publish short fiction, at minimum. Can't share anything here though, for obvious reasons. Been taking a little break after NaNo to cool down and relax a bit though, but tomorrow I'm either going to start another piece or start on the second draft of one of my finished first drafts.
Post by: MarcAFK on December 08, 2014, 07:17:00 am
Post by: Xantalos on December 08, 2014, 08:09:55 am
He's also [insert innumerable details which distinguish Fniff from other things that exist here].
Post by: Fniff on December 08, 2014, 11:57:13 am
Who is Fniff?I could ask the same question.
Post by: MarcAFK on December 08, 2014, 12:04:15 pm
Very metaphysical of you.Who is Fniff?I could ask the same question.
I was wondering since yours was the only name listed under the OP.
Post by: Fniff on December 08, 2014, 07:50:15 pm
Yes, I didn't really get into recording everyone who was doing NaNo. It was a little pointless, really.Very metaphysical of you.Who is Fniff?I could ask the same question.
I was wondering since yours was the only name listed under the OP.