Wrimos, start your engines.
I write book good.
Who is joining me this silly season?
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Wrimos, start your engines.
I write book good.
Who is joining me this silly season?
I wish I had the creative energy to join you, considering I have so much TIME this year.
I am thinking I will follow you all along but I am going to try and go back and edit what I journalled and try finish writing all my PND journey up IYKWIM and I am also working through my birth so rather than a novel I might see if I can use my two collective 'works' mentioned as inspiration to participate in some way!
I think that's a great idea.
Last year, I wrote about my birth journey too ... about 70 or 80K in the end ... a very worthwhile process ... now to come to terms with it all, right?
This year, I'm going back to fiction. I used to love writing, and haven't really enjoyed it as much since my birth trauma - but it's been almost 18 months, and I'm going to try ...
we can wish each other luck!
I think I might actually do this. I've been talking about writing for ages and actually had a good idea with a super kick ass title in mind... so this seems the perfect oppurtunity and motivation to just start... bit nervous, never been involved but am checking the site out now... somebody give me a push!
I'm in.....eeek!
I might do it this year. I'll finally bow down to pressure and start to write :)
What programs are people planning to write in? I have heard there are some good programs specifically for novels, does anyone use one and if so, which?
I think it's whatever you're comfortable with. I've used Word for as long as I can remember and back it up by sending it to myself as an email.
Haven't decided if I'm going down the Mac or PC path - if I go Mac I'll have to find a software package to use (refuse to soil my Mac with microsoft products).
Have a notepad, that I'm scribbling down ideas into.
Jelly - push!!! :spit:
welcome to the club, Pak and Sop!!
this is where the cool cats hang ;)
I just use Word. I actually try not to read over what I've written while I'm going - to prevent myself from stopping every 5 words and editing. I just have to go with the flow, and keep typing!
Even to the point of finishing a thread of a story, and leaving another part for a few days, to make sure the current isn't interrupted.
What topis are people contemplating?
Grabbed some guides from websites today (I was bored writing at work so went hunting down things to help me write my novel at home) - can somebody see the insanity of this whole thing with me considering I write for a living and I'm going to be doing this in my spare time, just as well uni is finished for the semester or you'd be organising the nice men to bring me a coat that allows me to hug myself ;)
ha - write about that too, I say!
Found a great piece of software - for the mac - called scrivener
trial is for 30 days (that is 30 days of use, not 30 days from the time you open it)
It allows you all these sub sections within a project - things like character sheets, places, any research you've done & will then format it into the correct format at the end (manuscript, novel, e-book).
I'm taking today to put my character info in there, describing the location of the story etc.
I decided to write about something I know, places I know, work environments I either know about or friends have worked in.
Will be taking the laptop to work with me, with the glorious few hours of sunlight after work I can lay in the park and write before I have to head home and do the domestic stuff.
Hey, I am in! I think I have most of my ducks lined up to start writing :)
I've been thinking about getting myself a Mac book air so I can write on the train, I have a 1 hr each way commute every day which I have been using to long hand at the moment, then a couple of hours each night on the pc at home. How is everyone else fitting this in with real life??
600 words down in my first writing block :)
That is awesome sopdet!! I had about 3000 already written, but then started reading 'the 90 day novel' and have decided to chuck it and be more loose with my ideas, it definitely helped me to define the style of writing I want, as well as some under lying images I want to remain constant throughout. I have spent the last week absolutely consumed by my story and keep being completely surprised by where it leads me, I am loving the process of writing itself, having never really done it properly before. I am finding myself walking around with a smile constantly lately and not letting things that would have really bothered me before bother me now because I now know that I have this story i need to tell and it's more important than the other crap going on at work :)
Anyway, I had better stop blathering! That program sounds awesome, I should go and check it out!
My laptop had to go away last night to be serviced. 3 days max apparently but I'm itching to start... I wrote about 1500 words but really looking forward to getting my own comp back!!
Didn't get anything down yesterday, but have 1500 words done this morning! Woot! Found myself on a roll too, which was nice.
Realising what a strange life I've led when words from reality find their way into the story... trying not to get too caught up in being linear but so scared about the amount of editing this will require if I ever plan for it to be anything haha. Having a lot of fun though, some definite good pieces in amongst the sea of words. Oh and still no laptop yet :(
I'm so annoyed - I got a fair amount done yesterday, but then realised I was getting it all wrong, and so need to start again ...
Hard to explain, but much easier to jettison yesterday's now, rather than trying to "fix" it for the next three weeks ...
So my count is back down to zero.
Will get back onto it tonight, after work etc!!
So will need to do 3500 tonight ...
A tip I read is to just put a strikethrough things you don't want anymore so you don't have to lose the time you spent writing it. Never know what you could find coming back to it too.
Tip I've just read - which saved the 800 words from yesterday and has let me hit 2,000 words so far over the last 2 days - yesterday's writing needs a connection to what new story I started today, but at least I've got a chunk of words :)
:
Don’t Start OverIf you're only a day or two into NaNo, you can usually safely scrap the start of your book and start over, at least if you think you can make up the word count. A week into it and you're hitting dodgy ground.But for NaNo -- just keep going!
If you find that you really don't like the story you're writing then have the current characters meet the new characters, and the new characters take over and start a new adventure. Yeah, it's silly -- but there is no reason to drop all that writing, not in the case of NaNo. No, it won't be a coherent book or something you can sell in that format.
But if you are interested in publication later, you can hack off the first part, rework the opening, and make it into a better story.
Sopdet, that is great thanks! I was wondering what i was going to do with some of what i had written but no longer liked...
Jellyfish, what are you writing about?
Peannutter- good luck with your target tonight! I am averaging around 800-1200 words per session at the moment, plus a few hours each day of just thinking about different ideas and planning what i am going to write about :)
AFM, i managed 900 words today, i have been really unwell so have been home from work for the day so i got some extra writing time. I will probably spend some more time tonight when DF goes to his meditation thing and i have some peace and quiet. I hate it when he comes up behind me and starts reading over my shoulder, so so irritating! I really don't want him to read it!
Something i am finding a lot harder than i thought is dialogue. Anyone have any resources about how to write authentic dialogue? Evrything i write just seems really stilted, there is no flow and it is boring...
Appletree, you could invest in some Dragon talk to text software, then it would be natural sounding! LOL
I think the trick with dialogue is to break it up with pauses and include bits of what the character is thinking. Also, let their actions do some of the talking. (eg, character purses her lips instead of saying something). And describe what's happening around them at the time (eg character reaches for sugar, then stops, then pours it into her coffee anyway).
What I've been reading (tips etc) is to not think about it - just write it, editing/refining etc can be done in December :)
I stupidly went back and re-read my stuff at work today, just after I'd melded the two bits together and since I was in editor mode for work, all I wanted to do was edit/refine the storyline, characters etc. Luckily I stopped myself. I've got no dialogue as yet, which I don't know if that is a good or bad thing.
and when you get stuck, I skip chapters, with general desciptions (eg: [Gertrude locates the missing magic pony and the flying wheelchair poops out some silver pumpkin seeds]) and then carry one with another character's narrative.
or I start writing some backstory - it might end up being scrapped, or it might end up being a flashback, or earlier in the book! Or the start of an earlier book altogether :D
Give yourself an exercise to get to know your characters. Give them a box on the doorstep, write what they say and discover. Little exercises like that help to get into their heads and helps give them a natural voice.
Thanks guys, that is really useful :) PRMG i thinki that is half the problem, i don't really know a lot about my characters yet. Hoepfully it will get easier as i know more!
I don't know if i am in the mood to write anything today.
3000 words!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok I'm 2,000 behind schedule but I've written 3,000 words!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yay, sop!!
:confetti:
Sensational, Sopdet!
appletree - That was a tip we learned in my writing course years ago. When you feel like you're not getting your characters, not in tune, etc, just throw them into a random situation. Or write a quick biography or resume for them. It not only helps, but it's fun too!
I got another 1000 words down today which was good considering I had a family member visit all day. Happy with my progress so far :)
You ladies are awesome. I'm a NaNoWriMoWaNaBe for about the 3rd year running...one day *sigh*
I need a kick up the butt. I'm so far behind and have just dropped DD off at her Dad's for the night so perfect chance to catch up. I'm only at 3000 words so I need to double that and then some tonight.... eeeeeeeek.
appletree -- I'm writing a story that is sort of a self discovery thing and a lot of the inspiration has been in my life, the conclusion will be very different though but that's a mystery ;) To be honest at the moment I'm just chucking diff sub-stories/parts into new 'scenes' and can then order it a bit more later (using scivener). So far no dialogue here >.> mostly just a collection of memories or musings but yeah, bit afraid to tackle that aspect of things! Good thing internal dialogue can make up so much of a story!!
Sopdet -- I'm using the scrivener trial too, will probably buy it at the end as I'm impressed (using the Windows version, due to be released the 7th of Nov I think but the trial is around) and it is a motivation to get to 50k words as you can get it for 50% off if you do!
I'm writing at work during my lunch hour and I seem to be adding more to the start of the story than to the end. I've even done dialogue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Emailed the story home just before I left work and will upload it back into scrivener so I can work on it on my laptop over the weekend, honestly should have taken the laptop to work so I could have stopped off at the park on the way home since it is a glorious spring evening here.
I'm at 4k words now and will see how many I churn through this weekend.
OMG, NO!!!! Just started writing and had about 500 really good words when DS pressed the off button on the computer. Lost everything... :( Such a good reason to A, not write when I should be supervising my children and B, remember to save every few mins!
Gaaah, off to try and re-create it. Fantastic news though that as DS was doing it i had one of those great "where did that come from" moments where a characters story became a whole lot clearer!
That's sucks, appletree! But great that you have your story clearer!
How's everyone going? Much progress over the weekend?
I've written a big fat 0 words over the weekend. Brilliant. Got some catch up to do.
800 words tonight, would have been more but df kept coming up and trying to read over my shoulder and I was getting PO'd... Not great writing, but need to get something down! I am aching to buy a laptop so I can work on the train, but df is being annoying about it and making me research all different options, run around all over the place etc. I know what I want, I know how much it costs and I earn enough to buy it, so I really don't see why I need to waste my time. Anyway, sorry for the whinge...
My laptop is going to work with me today, if it isn't raining this afternoon I'm stopping off at the gardens on the way home to write for an hour or so, if it is raining, it will be a coffee shop instead.
Otherwise life gets in the way and I start on other things when I get home and don't get to write.
Well, I'm behind by quite a lot but I'm still determined. I'm only 7000 words in so about 7000 words behind with next weekend a complete write-off as we are going interstate for a wedding.
Today I decided to change POV also, from first to third which seems to be helping. The words are flowing a lot easier and I'm finding it a lot simpler to describe more things, build and set scenes. I won't bother changing what I have done, I can go back and do that in December although I might put some things in and around it. We will see. I'm not writing in much order anyway.
How does anyone ever publish a story that has parts influenced by their own experiences without insulting people around them? This might have to be for my eyes only forever haha.
Woohoo!! I did it! I ordered my laptop and it's due to arrive on Thursday :) that's 2 hours of uninterrupted writing time added to each of my days!
Jellyfish, just hope that they won't recognize their worst faults, and if they do they will probably be too embarrassed to say anything!