Are you Ready for NaNoWriMo 2014?

I changed my entire plot because of an awesome dream I had last night.

I'm so fucked Nov 1st.

I may have just the opposite problem.

Having just read two and a half novels of backstory, and a fat folder of plot arc notes, I need to boil it all down and finish the story arc this year.

Continuity is a pain, especially with the story spread out over half a galaxy....

Regards,
Kevin

Last night - yeah, there's this thing about the character, but it's not a big deal.
This morning - that aspect of the character is HUGE DEAL.

Well, looking right now, fingers crossed.

Forbidden Snowflake said:

Well, looking right now, fingers crossed.

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I came across this tumblr post last week that seems like a pretty solid way to develop something when you've got nothing. I plan to use it the next time I'm totally stuck for ideas.

It might help you out.

Ok, I'm trying this right now, thanks for the helpful link

Last year I just wasn't feeling it, so I skipped NaNo. This year I want to play, but have no ideas at all. Time to brainstorm ... maybe I'll pay a visit to the adoption and dare threads and see if anything catches my fancy.

KateSmash said:

I came across this tumblr post last week that seems like a pretty solid way to develop something when you've got nothing. I plan to use it the next time I'm totally stuck for ideas.

It might help you out.

Click to expand...

Ooh, that's a neat tumblr post. I'm going to try to remember to share it with my library workshop folks.

Someone needs to ban me from the Beyond 50k forum. I don't need to up my word count goal again.

TNK said:

Someone needs to ban me from the Beyond 50k forum. I don't need to up my word count goal again.

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I've played that game before. I did 107k one year. I wouldn't do it again, I was a basket case by the end.

I've done 70k+ a couple of times. That's not so bad. But I don't aim at any more than 50k these days.

I think I’m finally ready to commit this year. I signed up a couple of years ago but never really got around to it.

I think I’m like some others here – I can’t bare not succeeding and instead of being proud of what I do get I shy away from it before hand.

I once did 86k in a 2 1/2 week period, not for NaNoWriMo. That was... headache inducing. To be kind.

Becky Black said:

I've played that game before. I did 107k one year. I wouldn't do it again, I was a basket case by the end.

I've done 70k+ a couple of times. That's not so bad. But I don't aim at any more than 50k these days.

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I'm aiming for 70k. The most I've written in a month was around 55k.

It's just all the excited people on the forums makes me think I could do that.

Of course, I have more time on my hands than most people.

KateSmash said:

I came across this tumblr post last week that seems like a pretty solid way to develop something when you've got nothing. I plan to use it the next time I'm totally stuck for ideas.

It might help you out.

Click to expand...

This is brilliant! I went from no clue on what to write about, to a story I'm excited about. Thanks!

TNK said:

I'm aiming for 70k. The most I've written in a month was around 55k.

It's just all the excited people on the forums makes me think I could do that.

Of course, I have more time on my hands than most people.

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My first NaNo was back in 2009 and I aimed for 75K. I made it with two hours to spare! (I have a small business where I had to take several days off writing to work it.) You CAN do it!

If you haven't started one yet, I recommend a calendar with the day's minimum work count (2,334 words a day). That helped me know if I was falling behind and how much I needed to write to catch up. And if you want more of a nudge and incentive, that novel was trade published last year!

Snowstorm said:

My first NaNo was back in 2009 and I aimed for 75K. I made it with two hours to spare! (I have a small business where I had to take several days off writing to work it.) You CAN do it!

If you haven't started one yet, I recommend a calendar with the day's minimum work count (2,334 words a day). That helped me know if I was falling behind and how much I needed to write to catch up. And if you want more of a nudge and incentive, that novel was trade published last year!

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Awesome! Congratulations.

And thanks for the advice. I started out wanting to write a 70k novel. Now I'm toying with the idea of two novels. (One would be a MG book at around 25k.)

I have a calendar as my laptop wallpaper that is for 75k since there wasn't any for 70k. I like to put stickie notes over the days when I reach my daily goal saying 'done'.

*sighs* I have a plot and everything, and now I find myself wavering over the exact nature of the bad guy. Who it is, and where they came from, that kind of thing. Couldn't I just be content with what I had?

Alma Matters said:

I think I’m finally ready to commit this year. I signed up a couple of years ago but never really got around to it.

I think I’m like some others here – I can’t bare not succeeding and instead of being proud of what I do get I shy away from it before hand.

Click to expand...

You can do it!

The secret to NaNoWriMo is that moment somewhere in week two where you're behind and you haven't slept more than a couple hours a night in days and you're at some cafe, amped up on coffee and/or energy drinks and/or sugar, and you just snap and suddenly the only thing that matters is words. Good, bad, totally irrelevant to the story... doesn't matter, as long as you can clock in more words. There's something gleeful and free about that moment.

Oh, and if there are write-ins in your region, you should totally go to them. It's a great way to meet people, but more importantly, it turns NaNoWriMo into more of a 'real' event. I've found that if I don't go to write-ins from time to time (I'm a misanthrope, so I don't do many) I don't take it as seriously.

Good luck!

Finally wrote down a half-page of notes. I have a setting. A main character (without a name). Two other characters (also have no names). And a general plot.

Yay. I'm ready! (not really)

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I don't know how people manage to write 100k+ during Nano. My muse would murder me in my sleep if I tried to write 100k words in a month. My mind feels like jello by the last week with only writing 50k.

The kick-off party for my region was announced something like a half hour or ten minutes *before* it was to take place. That's one of two posts that the ML has posted on the NaNo forums this year. Somehow, I don't think there's going to be a whole lot going on. Either she's swamped or she doesn't care any more. /whine

I've fallen down a rabbit hole. I found a topic that I find interesting, so I've created the setting for the story. But I don't know what the heck the story is for this particular setting.

I've got tons of other story ideas, but this one is the rabbity hole one...

L M Ashton said:

The kick-off party for my region was announced something like a half hour or ten minutes *before* it was to take place. That's one of two posts that the ML has posted on the NaNo forums this year. Somehow, I don't think there's going to be a whole lot going on. Either she's swamped or she doesn't care any more. /whine

I've fallen down a rabbit hole. I found a topic that I find interesting, so I've created the setting for the story. But I don't know what the heck the story is for this particular setting.

I've got tons of other story ideas, but this one is the rabbity hole one...

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That keeps happening to me. Setting and premise, no story!

Thanks for the kind words Princess!

Good to know you have others here going through it with you and that you're not completely on your own.

Forbidden, thing is, I have plenty of other ideas that do have a story. So why can't I have a story to go with this one, too? /whine

L M Ashton said:

Forbidden, thing is, I have plenty of other ideas that do have a story. So why can't I have a story to go with this one, too? /whine

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I don't know, any other story ideas that you already have that might work in this setting as well? So you just steal another idea's story?