[Darkwatch]

November is coming up in a few weeks and that means that across the globe keyboards will start a clamour beyond the normal.
So great will this clamour be that it will awaken Enlil from his sleep and he will condemn us to deluge to silence us.

So for those of you who do not know, NaNoWiMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write a minimum of 50 000 words within 30 days. The lesson here is that quantity outranks quality. You have to let the perfectionist go. You will not write the perfect novel on the first go. You need that messy draft, that incoherent babble to get you to simply write.

Last year a few of us participated and won. Though I lost the subsequent Malazan based nanos to try and keep going.

To achieve the 50 000 words in 30 days you need to average 1667 words. We did so last year. This time I want to average 2000 per day and go for 60 000 words by month's end. It's only about 340 extra words per day.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/about

At any rate I'm signing up again this year and I'm hoping a lot of you do to.

I'm currently setting up my notes and plot line in preparation for the actual writing. So far the setting is taking shape and may change the story, who knows. A shifted plot doesn't matter.

Who's in?


The In:
Darkwatch
Silencer
JLV
Stalker
Loki
Sinisdar Toste
Isolde
Macros
Gnaw
Millionspots
Ain't_It_Just_

The Moral Support:
Use of Weapons

This post has been edited by Darkwatch: 05 November 2012 - 11:13 PM

[Silencer]

IN!

EXTRA CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!



Looking forward to doing this again this year.

[JLV]

in. gotta do this again

[Stalker]

I did this sucessfully 6ish years ago, at this point. I've been thinking that I want to start writing again, so yeah, I'm down.

[Darkwatch]

Glad to have you guys on board. Stalker I like your Avatar.
JLV what are you writing this time?
Silencer, Are you going to do 10 000 words within 3 days again?

I'm going Sci-fi again. Though this time with some near-mid future kind of thing. On Earth. I want to try and have some horror in it again. The story and concept is not at all the same as last year. Even if it's sci-fi horror again.

[Loki]

Silencer, how do you think you'll go with having a holiday during the competiton? I guess you'll be doing a few 10,000 word stints

Good luck guys and I hope to read your work!

[Darkwatch]

Loki, on 08 October 2012 - 04:26 AM, said:

Silencer, how do you think you'll go with having a holiday during the competiton? I guess you'll be doing a few 10,000 word stints

Good luck guys and I hope to read your work!

Join us Loki.

[Loki]

I haven't done creative writing since high school. And even then I used to have to get extensions because every page had to be 'just right'. I even do drafts for short answer response questions - there's no way I could successfully compete in a competition like this.

[Darkwatch]

I think you can. The competition is designed specifically for this.
You can eve make it a kind of stream of consciousness thing. An Epic Poem to the glory of Collingwood?

[Loki]

Darkwatch, on 08 October 2012 - 04:50 AM, said:

I think you can. The competition is designed specifically for this.
You can eve make it a kind of stream of consciousness thing. An Epic Poem to the glory of Collingwood?

I did write a poem about Collingwood for a high school english project once. You know me so well! (Though it was a series of haikus and not an epic poem)

Fiiiiiine....I'll sign-up but I can't help but feel like I'm setting myself up for failure.


EDIT:

Quote

2) Do not edit as you go. Editing is for December and beyond. Think of November as an experiment in pure output. Even if it's hard at first, leave ugly prose and poorly written passages on the page to be cleaned up later. Your inner editor will be very grumpy about this, but your inner editor is a nitpicky jerk who foolishly believes that it is possible to write a brilliant first draft if you write it slowly enough. It isn't. Every book you've ever loved started out as a beautifully flawed first draft. In November, embrace imperfection and see where it takes you.

This post has been edited by Loki: 08 October 2012 - 05:06 AM

[JLV]

Darkwatch, on 08 October 2012 - 04:15 AM, said:

Glad to have you guys on board. Stalker I like your Avatar.
JLV what are you writing this time?
Silencer, Are you going to do 10 000 words within 3 days again?

I'm going Sci-fi again. Though this time with some near-mid future kind of thing. On Earth. I want to try and have some horror in it again. The story and concept is not at all the same as last year. Even if it's sci-fi horror again.

I had an idea concerning the rising dissatisfaction of the general populace of the U.S. Set slightly in the future, 10 or 20 years. A month after the breaking point. Need to start outlining.

[Use Of Weapons]

I'm currently doing about 1000 words a day on the WIP. Doing NaNo would eat into that, so I'll just cheer you guys on from the sidelines this time!

Sci-Fi horror sounds like a very underdeveloped genre to me. I can't actually think of a single work that fits it, apart from (maybe) Stephen King's _Tommyknockers_. Some John Wyndham is creepy (_Chocky_, for example) but not really horror. Be really interested to see what you come up with!

[Sinisdar Toste]

ha, was just coming here to make a nano thread. i'll be writing again, probably in a sci-fi millieu. i've just finished peter f hamilton's commonwealth saga (holy shit), and am moving on to the void trilogy, so i'm in a space-head mood. probably not going opera-style like hamilton, but something a little more localized and character-driven.

just need to get a good outline like last year and i should be fine

[Darkwatch]

Loki, on 08 October 2012 - 04:59 AM, said:

I did write a poem about Collingwood for a high school english project once. You know me so well! (Though it was a series of haikus and not an epic poem)

Fiiiiiine....I'll sign-up but I can't help but feel like I'm setting myself up for failure.


EDIT:

Quote

2) Do not edit as you go. Editing is for December and beyond. Think of November as an experiment in pure output. Even if it's hard at first, leave ugly prose and poorly written passages on the page to be cleaned up later. Your inner editor will be very grumpy about this, but your inner editor is a nitpicky jerk who foolishly believes that it is possible to write a brilliant first draft if you write it slowly enough. It isn't. Every book you've ever loved started out as a beautifully flawed first draft. In November, embrace imperfection and see where it takes you.

I know it's hard Loki. I had the same problem. We'll be here to support you and get you through it. Might I also suggest looking up your region on the Nanowrimo site. Go to some of the events, gets you writing more. There's also pep talks abound during the month.

JLV, on 08 October 2012 - 05:05 AM, said:

I had an idea concerning the rising dissatisfaction of the general populace of the U.S. Set slightly in the future, 10 or 20 years. A month after the breaking point. Need to start outlining.

We'll have to compare notes. My plot is not yours, but my setting is rather close. Who knows we may be able to flesh each other's stories out.

Use Of Weapons, on 08 October 2012 - 09:34 AM, said:

I'm currently doing about 1000 words a day on the WIP. Doing NaNo would eat into that, so I'll just cheer you guys on from the sidelines this time!

Sci-Fi horror sounds like a very underdeveloped genre to me. I can't actually think of a single work that fits it, apart from (maybe) Stephen King's _Tommyknockers_. Some John Wyndham is creepy (_Chocky_, for example) but not really horror. Be really interested to see what you come up with!

Last year and I suspect this year will bring the same challenge. Actually integrating the horror aspect into the story. Last year I didn't find that I managed that so well.
We will cheer you on in your WIP UoW. So you can be our resident moral booster and we will be your cheer squad.

Sinisdar Toste, on 08 October 2012 - 02:53 PM, said:

ha, was just coming here to make a nano thread. i'll be writing again, probably in a sci-fi millieu. i've just finished peter f hamilton's commonwealth saga (holy shit), and am moving on to the void trilogy, so i'm in a space-head mood. probably not going opera-style like hamilton, but something a little more localized and character-driven.

just need to get a good outline like last year and i should be fine

Nice, will it be hard sci-fi? Will it be in the sol system?

[Sinisdar Toste]

Darkwatch, on 08 October 2012 - 03:07 PM, said:

Sinisdar Toste, on 08 October 2012 - 02:53 PM, said:

ha, was just coming here to make a nano thread. i'll be writing again, probably in a sci-fi millieu. i've just finished peter f hamilton's commonwealth saga (holy shit), and am moving on to the void trilogy, so i'm in a space-head mood. probably not going opera-style like hamilton, but something a little more localized and character-driven.

just need to get a good outline like last year and i should be fine

Nice, will it be hard sci-fi? Will it be in the sol system?

doubtful on both fronts. i've got a hard sci-fi WIP right now that's been beating my brain around the bush for months, and the research i've been doing hasn't helped much. this one will likely involve little high-tech, as i'm tentatively setting it in a massive market/carnival that sits on the edge of a mega-city. sort of a gypsy encampment mixed with a circus. there will be some opportunity to mix fantasy in too, since there are five 'gods' involved who are simply humans that upgraded themselves into a cloud-type consciousness with no physical form. they can be quite invasive, but i won't be explaining anything about them.

[Isa]

I could really do with an exercise that taught me to embrace the shitty first draft. Tonight for example, I've been writing for 3 hours. What do I have to show for it? 99 words. What's that, like 1.8 words per minute? And make no mistake, it's still shitty

[Silencer]

Darkwatch, on 08 October 2012 - 04:15 AM, said:

Silencer, Are you going to do 10 000 words within 3 days again?

Hah, I doubt it. I had a ridiculous amount of stuff already rattling around in my head and on paper in order to do that. I was honestly tossing up between continuing my NaNo from last year and starting something new, but I think new will be easier. The other one has already developed a bit and been proofed somewhat, so I'ma try not to cheat by using it (and that stupid creative burst of writing within a month is likely to be less helpful in this stage, anyway).

Loki, on 08 October 2012 - 04:26 AM, said:

Silencer, how do you think you'll go with having a holiday during the competiton? I guess you'll be doing a few 10,000 word stints

Good luck guys and I hope to read your work!

Well, yeah, I'm going to have trouble with that seeing as it's the last week or so of the challenge. Though given the hours I was keeping last time, I should still have plenty of time to write. Hopefully very inspired days, lol!

[Darkwatch]

Isolde, on 08 October 2012 - 07:19 PM, said:

I could really do with an exercise that taught me to embrace the shitty first draft. Tonight for example, I've been writing for 3 hours. What do I have to show for it? 99 words. What's that, like 1.8 words per minute? And make no mistake, it's still shitty

Welcome to the club. You'll see by the end of the month you'll be used to it. When you succeed you'll feel great. What are you planing on writing?

Silencer, on 09 October 2012 - 12:26 AM, said:

Darkwatch, on 08 October 2012 - 04:15 AM, said:

Silencer, Are you going to do 10 000 words within 3 days again?

Hah, I doubt it. I had a ridiculous amount of stuff already rattling around in my head and on paper in order to do that. I was honestly tossing up between continuing my NaNo from last year and starting something new, but I think new will be easier. The other one has already developed a bit and been proofed somewhat, so I'ma try not to cheat by using it (and that stupid creative burst of writing within a month is likely to be less helpful in this stage, anyway).

Loki, on 08 October 2012 - 04:26 AM, said:

Silencer, how do you think you'll go with having a holiday during the competiton? I guess you'll be doing a few 10,000 word stints

Good luck guys and I hope to read your work!

Well, yeah, I'm going to have trouble with that seeing as it's the last week or so of the challenge. Though given the hours I was keeping last time, I should still have plenty of time to write. Hopefully very inspired days, lol!

I'm sure you can do it. What are you planing this year?

[QuickTidal]

In other years I would get down on this, but with a current manuscript at 13,000 words and flowing nicely I feel trying to do something for NaNoWriMo would take away from the work I've been steadily completing.

I'll defo be watching and supporting you all though!

[Macros]

When you say won DW, do you mean you wo. The whole nanowrimo last year or just the malazan branch?