I am writing this post in the very last hour of October for two reasons. One, because I really need to talk some things out and what better place to do it? And two, because I can't seem to do anything else whilst waiting to write that first line of prose tonight at midnight. I'm sure most of you are off having fun talking plots and characters and settings at the midnight write in and I wish I was there, but perhaps next year.
Today, I kind of had a mini-freak out. This is because I realized that I have absolutely no idea what my book is going to be able. I mean, I know the very, very, very basics of it, but I don't actually know what the conflict is, let alone how it's going to resolve itself. After two or three stress filled hours of frantically trying to string a plot together, I realized that that's exactly what NaNoWriMo is about: writing something, even if you have no idea where it's going. Let your characters take you where there going to go.
Literary abandon. That's the journey we're about to embark on and I'm sure I feel exactly like the pilgrims coming over on their boat, this time so many, many years ago. That epic excitement of what is to come and yet the apprehension of not really knowing where you're headed, just knowing you're headed to somewhere great.
Have an awesome and fantastic November writers and don't let any thing getting in the way of making it to the top! See you at the finish line (and several places in between).
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
Less than an hour to go. I'm tired after playing 36 holes of disc golf (and getting up too early to play) today, but I'm determined to make it to midnight. I'd like to make it to two and see the changing of the time, but that's a different battle.
Another cup of tea for me? Probably.
The notes are open, the spreadsheet is waiting. Open a new Word document. File some papers. And wait with bated breath.
Another cup of tea for me? Probably.
The notes are open, the spreadsheet is waiting. Open a new Word document. File some papers. And wait with bated breath.
And so it begins...
And I'm off! Being in South Carolina for NaNoWriMo start means that I get to begin 3 hours earlier than all of Portland! Problem is that this year I'm starting off alone and I'm just not feeling the beginning of this book. *sigh* Oh well. Just push through it and make it work. 3k minimum word count every day. I can do this.
Good luck, Portland!! I'll be back soon!
Good luck, Portland!! I'll be back soon!
Nugget
My music room has been transformed to a writing room; I just created Nugget, my trusty plot bunny and November companion; I've set my clocks back and cleared the to-do list...now I wait.
In just under seven hours...
originally posted by Dot at The Writing Vein on 10/31/09 at 5:05 pm
I will have been working on my new, 2009 NaNoWriMo novel for 6 minutes. I will have six minutes of ...
of...
...something. I will be there at the midnight write-in, with my friend, Jenny, and the 20 or 40 or 60 or more people gathered in east Portland to kick off this thing called NaNoWriMo.
My next post will be after midnight, after the fun begins, after I know where my novel starts. I have a summary - that you can read on my NaNoWriMo author's page (username is dot.). The working title of my new novel is "Cascade Lakes Footnotes." Other than the summary (which I already posted here on my website), I don't know what's going to happen or who will be there or who the guilty parties are. I've been promised a "struggle for survival" - so there does seem to be a bit of a mystery and at least the threat of death, if not one or more actual deaths. We'll see!
I've had to forego the nap I thought would be a good idea since I am excited and there's no way I'd sleep. I thought the 11 miles walk with half-marathon partners this morning would help with the napping - but, no. Now my partner and I are headed off to a dance for a couple hours. Then back home to change into the 2009 NaNoShirt I've had hanging on the wall since it arrived a couple weeks ago. NaNoNerd that I am, I promised myself I'd not wear it until....tonight! Now the only question is: which one? The official 2009 NaNoShirt or the official Camp NaNoWriMo shirt?
*grin*
It's nearly NaNoTime!
NaNo Eve
Ahh, the day when all novellers are nestled up tight at their computers, eagerly counting down the seconds to the beginning of the frenzy. The first days are the easiest in some respects. The ideas are still fresh, the words flow like Niagara Falls, and it seems you could finish your novel that same week.
Then the wall comes. The ideas come with more difficulty, the words dry up, and excuses abound. Like, say, checking the forums 8 times a day. You just need to keep at it, get some words written, and I assure you it will get better. Trust me. This has happened to me many times. Sometimes it led to me not getting my full word count. Last year, my second win, it almost seemed a few times like I wouldn't make it. But I kept at it, wrote at least a little each day, and then sometimes inspiration struck and I was able to catch up on my wordcount. You can to!
So, NaNoers, get ready. We start tomorrow. Or tonight, at midnight. After the Halloween parties are over, after all the kiddies have come and gone, grab a drink and sit in that chair. Warm up your typing fingers and get set. Then at midnight, go!
Then the wall comes. The ideas come with more difficulty, the words dry up, and excuses abound. Like, say, checking the forums 8 times a day. You just need to keep at it, get some words written, and I assure you it will get better. Trust me. This has happened to me many times. Sometimes it led to me not getting my full word count. Last year, my second win, it almost seemed a few times like I wouldn't make it. But I kept at it, wrote at least a little each day, and then sometimes inspiration struck and I was able to catch up on my wordcount. You can to!
So, NaNoers, get ready. We start tomorrow. Or tonight, at midnight. After the Halloween parties are over, after all the kiddies have come and gone, grab a drink and sit in that chair. Warm up your typing fingers and get set. Then at midnight, go!
I Don't Wanna Stop
(If I can borrow a phrase from Ozzy)
As if cranking out 50,000 words in thirty days isn’t enough of a challenge, I’ve taken the bait and volunteered to do some blogging here about my NaNoWriMo experiences. Which are limited, so it shouldn’t take long. This is only my second attempt at it. I took the plunge for the first time last year at the urging of an online buddy, and signed up at T-minus 4 days (October 28, 2008) with nary a thought in my little pea brain as to what I was going to write. But that didn’t stop me. Oh no. Common sense was nowhere in sight. My friend’s enthusiasm for the miasma that would become life during NaNo was infectious (in a good way) and so I took up the challenge.
This year, however, I am resolved to tough it out to the bitter end, even if I don’t make the full 50k. I’ve even conned …err… convinced two friends to join in the fray, and am putting the thumbscrews to a third. I have no pearls of wisdom if you are new to this, except to Plant Butt In Chair and write. Turn off the internal editor, first drafts are supposed to be crap. Get some good music to tune out the sound of the dishwasher running, and the dog barking, and your neighbor continually gunning the engine of some antique muscle car he’s been trying to restore for the last ten years…
As if cranking out 50,000 words in thirty days isn’t enough of a challenge, I’ve taken the bait and volunteered to do some blogging here about my NaNoWriMo experiences. Which are limited, so it shouldn’t take long. This is only my second attempt at it. I took the plunge for the first time last year at the urging of an online buddy, and signed up at T-minus 4 days (October 28, 2008) with nary a thought in my little pea brain as to what I was going to write. But that didn’t stop me. Oh no. Common sense was nowhere in sight. My friend’s enthusiasm for the miasma that would become life during NaNo was infectious (in a good way) and so I took up the challenge.
This year, however, I am resolved to tough it out to the bitter end, even if I don’t make the full 50k. I’ve even conned …err… convinced two friends to join in the fray, and am putting the thumbscrews to a third. I have no pearls of wisdom if you are new to this, except to Plant Butt In Chair and write. Turn off the internal editor, first drafts are supposed to be crap. Get some good music to tune out the sound of the dishwasher running, and the dog barking, and your neighbor continually gunning the engine of some antique muscle car he’s been trying to restore for the last ten years…
Friday, October 30, 2009
stats update
Twitter post just after noon (PST) today:
2009 Tally: 100,335 authors signed up. WOW! $116,887 on the fundometer.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Going Into It
Let me preface this by stating that this is the first year I will actually be able to attempt this without being interrupted by work. As such, take any advice I might dispense with whatever amount of skepticism you see fit, considering it is all coming from a newbie. That said, I shall endeavor to limit my advice to previous experience in writing rather than this particular event. Most of my posts, such as this one, will not be to offer advice, but rather to state some of the challenges I face along the way in this process.
I think that the greatest challenge I am facing at this point in the game is the desire to actually write in the novel I plan on writing next month before the month starts. I think this stems from my having thought out what I want to write so far before I can actually allow myself to commit any of it to type. This is both frustrating and interesting at the same time. Frustrating for all of the obvious reasons, and interesting as this is the first time in my life where I have not been able to immediately transcribe my thoughts upon their occurrence. Whether this will be better for the novel's coherence or not I will not know until I get to the review process on the other end. I do suspect, however, that this forced pause between imagination and composition might actually instigate some measure of ponderance on the subject matter I intend to address. It has certainly given me generous opportunity for research which I rarely do beforehand.
I am unsure if I will be able to complete the goals of the competition as stated, as I really cannot imagine writing without some manner of review along the way, given the nature, tone, and complexity of the subject matter of the novel. If it were of a lighter nature, perhaps in a farcical style, I could imagine not taking it seriously enough to simply flow through fifty thousand words without regard to measure, continuity, and pace. As it is, I am struggling with myself over the concept of creative literary abandon. I realize that that is indeed one of the stated intents, to force authors to simply push themselves to produce quantity at risk of quality, but the snobbish artistic side of me demands that I do both or forsake the quantity if it at all compromises the quality. Obviously, this is a conflict I will be confronting as next month progresses.
Toward the purpose of preserving quality, I have set about pre-plotting the entire story in my head. I know that many, such as Nibo, would suggest an outline, but I have never excelled at writing about what I want to write, or writing about what I have written. While I know that outlines, even extensive ones of thousands of words, might help, I find myself unable to conjure up more than a seventy-one word summary. My issue is, I would much prefer to write a book than write about a book. An issue I have had since high-school book reports. However, I have no problem weaving the scenario of the book in my head, as long as I do not have to commit it to paper in any other form than the final product. I have run into this problem a few times before when trying to compile my extant writings into book form. I could not work up a short summary for the book cover or the inner jacket to save my life, despite having written the stories contained within it.
Another problem I am facing is, while I have written a lot since childhood, the longest completed work I have ever authored was just shy of twenty thousand words. The daunting goal for next month is more than twice that. I have written stories that long, but they have never been completed. I am certain I do not want to start a work with that as an acceptable outcome. As such, I am determined to finish the novel I start next month, somehow.
I think that the greatest challenge I am facing at this point in the game is the desire to actually write in the novel I plan on writing next month before the month starts. I think this stems from my having thought out what I want to write so far before I can actually allow myself to commit any of it to type. This is both frustrating and interesting at the same time. Frustrating for all of the obvious reasons, and interesting as this is the first time in my life where I have not been able to immediately transcribe my thoughts upon their occurrence. Whether this will be better for the novel's coherence or not I will not know until I get to the review process on the other end. I do suspect, however, that this forced pause between imagination and composition might actually instigate some measure of ponderance on the subject matter I intend to address. It has certainly given me generous opportunity for research which I rarely do beforehand.
I am unsure if I will be able to complete the goals of the competition as stated, as I really cannot imagine writing without some manner of review along the way, given the nature, tone, and complexity of the subject matter of the novel. If it were of a lighter nature, perhaps in a farcical style, I could imagine not taking it seriously enough to simply flow through fifty thousand words without regard to measure, continuity, and pace. As it is, I am struggling with myself over the concept of creative literary abandon. I realize that that is indeed one of the stated intents, to force authors to simply push themselves to produce quantity at risk of quality, but the snobbish artistic side of me demands that I do both or forsake the quantity if it at all compromises the quality. Obviously, this is a conflict I will be confronting as next month progresses.
Toward the purpose of preserving quality, I have set about pre-plotting the entire story in my head. I know that many, such as Nibo, would suggest an outline, but I have never excelled at writing about what I want to write, or writing about what I have written. While I know that outlines, even extensive ones of thousands of words, might help, I find myself unable to conjure up more than a seventy-one word summary. My issue is, I would much prefer to write a book than write about a book. An issue I have had since high-school book reports. However, I have no problem weaving the scenario of the book in my head, as long as I do not have to commit it to paper in any other form than the final product. I have run into this problem a few times before when trying to compile my extant writings into book form. I could not work up a short summary for the book cover or the inner jacket to save my life, despite having written the stories contained within it.
Another problem I am facing is, while I have written a lot since childhood, the longest completed work I have ever authored was just shy of twenty thousand words. The daunting goal for next month is more than twice that. I have written stories that long, but they have never been completed. I am certain I do not want to start a work with that as an acceptable outcome. As such, I am determined to finish the novel I start next month, somehow.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
4 Days - Finding inspiration in strange places.
4 days to Nanowrimo!
So this post is about finding inspiration in odd places. Two years ago, my husband and I walked into an IHOP 9:00 on a Tuesday night. The doors were open, the lights were on, but there was no one in the restaurant to greet us. We heard some noises in the kitchen and called out. Eventually, a waitress came to seat us. But that was what inspired me to create my 2007 nan novel, A Roll of the Dice.
Today, I was driving home and found myself behind someone in a small late 80's early 90's car. The car was at least two car lengths behind the car ahead of it, and going so slow that I was only able to do 30 in a 45 zone. He was in the right lane, so I simply went around him. But still, he was going really really slow. I thought he might be taking the cutoff, but he didn't. My guess is that he was looking for an address. I've encountered it a time or two driving home, though generally they don't drive that slow.
I turned off the main road, and the white car followed me up the hill, but it soon disappeared from view. I started thinking about my 2009 nano novel, and decided to add a part where the MC passes a slow moving car, and soon realizes that this car was intercepting them to follow them. A car chase ensues, perhaps ending with the MC being boxed in and getting a warning to back off.
So stories and plot devices are out there. Just keep your eyes and ears open at all times. :)
So this post is about finding inspiration in odd places. Two years ago, my husband and I walked into an IHOP 9:00 on a Tuesday night. The doors were open, the lights were on, but there was no one in the restaurant to greet us. We heard some noises in the kitchen and called out. Eventually, a waitress came to seat us. But that was what inspired me to create my 2007 nan novel, A Roll of the Dice.
Today, I was driving home and found myself behind someone in a small late 80's early 90's car. The car was at least two car lengths behind the car ahead of it, and going so slow that I was only able to do 30 in a 45 zone. He was in the right lane, so I simply went around him. But still, he was going really really slow. I thought he might be taking the cutoff, but he didn't. My guess is that he was looking for an address. I've encountered it a time or two driving home, though generally they don't drive that slow.
I turned off the main road, and the white car followed me up the hill, but it soon disappeared from view. I started thinking about my 2009 nano novel, and decided to add a part where the MC passes a slow moving car, and soon realizes that this car was intercepting them to follow them. A car chase ensues, perhaps ending with the MC being boxed in and getting a warning to back off.
So stories and plot devices are out there. Just keep your eyes and ears open at all times. :)
Monday, October 26, 2009
countdown: 5 days, 3 hours, 41 minutes
originally posted at The Writing Vein, by Dot.
...but who's counting? oh, me... right... and thousands of other hopeful writers
And so I've entered the final week before NaNoWriMo. Am I prepared? Maybe. Am I ready to jump into this novel? Yes, definitely.
Maybe I should be making lists. What I need and when and where. Or maybe not. Life has been hitting me from right and left these last two weeks and I feel like I've been in a battleground. I won't bore you with the details nor expose personal garbage by spilling it here *grin. So the one thing I have done is put out a request to the universe to stop with the messes and get those stars aligned because I am going to write another novel beginning at midnight:01 on November 1st. And I need a little help getting things straightened out before that time.
Despite all the drama and the too many things to do in too little time, I am excited. I am excited to see where this idea leads me. All you see on my author's page synopsis is what I know. I don't have specific characters in mind nor specific incidents. I don't know if what I wrote as a synopsis will be a scene, the start, or the setting in general.
But it will happen. It will go somewhere. It will be completed. As I work, and teach (which is work, yes) , and finish out the last three weeks of the writing group I'm facilitating, and wrap up the final two weeks of the writing workshop I'm taking, and train for and walk my first half marathon. I can.
...but who's counting? oh, me... right... and thousands of other hopeful writers
And so I've entered the final week before NaNoWriMo. Am I prepared? Maybe. Am I ready to jump into this novel? Yes, definitely.
Maybe I should be making lists. What I need and when and where. Or maybe not. Life has been hitting me from right and left these last two weeks and I feel like I've been in a battleground. I won't bore you with the details nor expose personal garbage by spilling it here *grin. So the one thing I have done is put out a request to the universe to stop with the messes and get those stars aligned because I am going to write another novel beginning at midnight:01 on November 1st. And I need a little help getting things straightened out before that time.
Despite all the drama and the too many things to do in too little time, I am excited. I am excited to see where this idea leads me. All you see on my author's page synopsis is what I know. I don't have specific characters in mind nor specific incidents. I don't know if what I wrote as a synopsis will be a scene, the start, or the setting in general.
But it will happen. It will go somewhere. It will be completed. As I work, and teach (which is work, yes) , and finish out the last three weeks of the writing group I'm facilitating, and wrap up the final two weeks of the writing workshop I'm taking, and train for and walk my first half marathon. I can.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
October Pep: Living without the Outline!
I've heard the words ringing out since my last pep talk. They follow me around wherever I may go, haunting my every move. "But.. what if I don't wanna outline? Feh!" Well, in that case, I have a little secret I would like to share with you.
NaNoWriMo Dares Threads (1 and 2):
http://www.nanowrimo.org/node/3264019
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3300262
YOU DON'T HAVE TO! (Please initiate party now.)
Outlining is (or can be), as was stated on a recent forum thread, "for the process oriented person." There is definitely a certain freedom that comes from not having one. You will never feel the constraint of writing certain scenes in a certain way with certain characters in attendance. Also, you get to have the pleasure that all spectators enjoy of finding out what happens as it happens on the page.
My first year participating in NaNoWriMo happened because a friend IM'd me on November 3rd and asked me if I'd be noveling with her this year. My reaction was, of course, "huh?" So, this lovely young woman sent me a link explaining the insanity that could be the month of November if only I was brave enough to partake in its joy. I offered up body and sound sleep to the NaNo'ing gods that day and have never once felt that the offering was given in vain.
That year, my novel grew from nothing through sleepless nights spent at my dorm room computer. Characters I had never imagined were born in the heat of the moment. The plot curled around and twisted back on itself in ways I could never have planned. It was truly a novel of self-exploration. The experience of a lifetime.
So, isn't the point of the outline-less novel that it's a beautiful, organic experience? What could I possibly tell you about doing an "unplanned" novel that could be useful in any way? Isn't the whole point that there is no planning involved? Well, in short, yes!
One of the hardest things about writing without an outline is that you have little-to-no direction for where to go next if and when you hit a literary roadblock. This is one of the things that you can attempt to avoid with a little preparation in October! Here are a few options for things you can prep in October but don't actually count as a dreaded outline:
The Writing Box: This is a box/notebook/Google doc of handy prompts and information. A friend of mine had one in a flashcard box with dividers that said things like: "Subplots" "Characters" "Places" "Objects" and so on. It's no more nor less than a location for you to store away the plot bunnies that are tugging at your heartstrings now so that they might be called upon again when they're actually needed (as opposed to right now when they're just cluttering things up). "Characters" might include a name, occupation, little quirks, or a 10-page back story of the town's jester who's really an undercover agent for the forces of the evil empress Luxuria!
Links of Usefulness: When you hit a roadblock, it is quite handy to have your own version of the WritersBlock5000Bulldozer on hand to clear away such a mess. I have my own in the form of a folder of useful URL bookmarks that will spur on my brain to greater heights. Find name generators that will fit your theme; bookmark a couple of Google Image searches of Steampunk Computers or French Country Homes or whatever will fit your genre for visual reference; and of course, a straight link to the NaNoWriMo dares thread! The people over on the dares thread are better at getting your novel going again than a jackrabbit with jumper cables! (See Below)
Mid-Month Breakdowns: Nothing kills your novel like a little mid-month mental breakdown. We all suffer from them. Yes, every last one of us, whether we're willing to admit it or not. Last year, mine happened on November 14th from exactly 10:19-10:24 P.M. somewhere through my first beer of the evening as I realized that I was COMPLETELY out of story. Thankfully, I'd done some pre-planning of my own for such an event and whipped out my safety stash of JustInCase left-over Halloween chocolate and opened up Wikipedia. (In case you are ever wondering, Wikipedia is one of the most amazing places to go for plot ideas. This is how my MC managed to contract influenza and die from exposure at the end of my novel, scoring me just enough wordcount to finish!) So, take a deep breath, remember we've all been there, and dive into those links, that writing box, or onto the forums for some suggestions and a little jumpstart.
Those are my pro tips! My very best pro tips, even! I spared none. Kept none for myself. Hopefully, they will prove useful and enlightening for those of you who have taken the adventurer's challenge and will plunge into the coming month with little more than a dream and a guiding star. Personally, I'll stick to road maps and my compass, but perhaps once again the wild nights will call to me and beckon me into the fray with a nothing more than sabre 'tween my teeth and a burning outline on the path behind!
Until next time,
One of the hardest things about writing without an outline is that you have little-to-no direction for where to go next if and when you hit a literary roadblock. This is one of the things that you can attempt to avoid with a little preparation in October! Here are a few options for things you can prep in October but don't actually count as a dreaded outline:
The Writing Box: This is a box/notebook/Google doc of handy prompts and information. A friend of mine had one in a flashcard box with dividers that said things like: "Subplots" "Characters" "Places" "Objects" and so on. It's no more nor less than a location for you to store away the plot bunnies that are tugging at your heartstrings now so that they might be called upon again when they're actually needed (as opposed to right now when they're just cluttering things up). "Characters" might include a name, occupation, little quirks, or a 10-page back story of the town's jester who's really an undercover agent for the forces of the evil empress Luxuria!
Links of Usefulness: When you hit a roadblock, it is quite handy to have your own version of the WritersBlock5000Bulldozer on hand to clear away such a mess. I have my own in the form of a folder of useful URL bookmarks that will spur on my brain to greater heights. Find name generators that will fit your theme; bookmark a couple of Google Image searches of Steampunk Computers or French Country Homes or whatever will fit your genre for visual reference; and of course, a straight link to the NaNoWriMo dares thread! The people over on the dares thread are better at getting your novel going again than a jackrabbit with jumper cables! (See Below)
Mid-Month Breakdowns: Nothing kills your novel like a little mid-month mental breakdown. We all suffer from them. Yes, every last one of us, whether we're willing to admit it or not. Last year, mine happened on November 14th from exactly 10:19-10:24 P.M. somewhere through my first beer of the evening as I realized that I was COMPLETELY out of story. Thankfully, I'd done some pre-planning of my own for such an event and whipped out my safety stash of JustInCase left-over Halloween chocolate and opened up Wikipedia. (In case you are ever wondering, Wikipedia is one of the most amazing places to go for plot ideas. This is how my MC managed to contract influenza and die from exposure at the end of my novel, scoring me just enough wordcount to finish!) So, take a deep breath, remember we've all been there, and dive into those links, that writing box, or onto the forums for some suggestions and a little jumpstart.
Those are my pro tips! My very best pro tips, even! I spared none. Kept none for myself. Hopefully, they will prove useful and enlightening for those of you who have taken the adventurer's challenge and will plunge into the coming month with little more than a dream and a guiding star. Personally, I'll stick to road maps and my compass, but perhaps once again the wild nights will call to me and beckon me into the fray with a nothing more than sabre 'tween my teeth and a burning outline on the path behind!
Until next time,
Yours in prose (almost!) and insanity,
-Lauren (aka nibo, the Ninja ML)
-Lauren (aka nibo, the Ninja ML)
NaNoWriMo Dares Threads (1 and 2):
http://www.nanowrimo.org/node/3264019
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3300262
Monday, October 19, 2009
Odd Looks and Look Backs
I'm not sure if someone else has mentioned this (I've been busy the past week or so and I haven't had chance to catch up on the recent blog pots), but I'd like to talk about talking about NaNoWriMo.
Last year being my first year, I not only had to figure what exactly I was doing in this crazy month of insane writing, but also the explaining of what exactly it was I was doing to those closet to me. Two of my best friends I recruited to writing, so that wasn't hard. The hardest thing was my parents and brother: the people that are around me most of the time. The ones who didn't know where I was for 30 days. My routine became wake up, write some before heading off to school in the morning, writing in between classes and any free period I had, coming home doing a fair-to-midland job in my homework and just writing for the rest of the evening before dragging myself to bed at all hours of the night. TV shows went unwatched, dinner was shoveled in at record speeds, and a fair amount of snapping on my part went on.
Because I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo about three days before it actually started (I actually didn't even know it existed, much less something I'd want to do, until the middle of October 2008), not only was I unprepared, but so was my family and everyone around me. This year, I've had a year to prepare and everyone knows what I'll be doing in November (my parents decided it would be a good idea to include this in the Christmas letter they sent out. That was a nice holiday of answering novel related questions) and I'm more mentally prepared instead of the freak out I was having on Halloween whilst handing out candy. I know what my story is about, I have a pretty strong bond with my characters already even though they've spoken not a word, and it's not as spur of the moment.
The only thing I feel I'm ill-prepared for is the onslaught of odd looks I'll be receiving throughout the month from classmates. I know that I'm one of the youngest members of this blog, but you've all been there right?Most of the time, I'm so "into" what I'm doing that I don't may attention to anything around me, but it's those few moments when my teacher calls me to attention that I hear the snickering and see the gaping. It's like when I bring Harry Potter to school, but that's a different story. Hopefully I'll be able to ignore them and brush it off like I do with the Potter stuff, but you never know.
*sigh* I'm sorry for that rant. I just felt like I needed to post something and that's what my thinking about, NaNoWriMo wise, at the moment.
Till next time: Have a lovely day.
Last year being my first year, I not only had to figure what exactly I was doing in this crazy month of insane writing, but also the explaining of what exactly it was I was doing to those closet to me. Two of my best friends I recruited to writing, so that wasn't hard. The hardest thing was my parents and brother: the people that are around me most of the time. The ones who didn't know where I was for 30 days. My routine became wake up, write some before heading off to school in the morning, writing in between classes and any free period I had, coming home doing a fair-to-midland job in my homework and just writing for the rest of the evening before dragging myself to bed at all hours of the night. TV shows went unwatched, dinner was shoveled in at record speeds, and a fair amount of snapping on my part went on.
Because I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo about three days before it actually started (I actually didn't even know it existed, much less something I'd want to do, until the middle of October 2008), not only was I unprepared, but so was my family and everyone around me. This year, I've had a year to prepare and everyone knows what I'll be doing in November (my parents decided it would be a good idea to include this in the Christmas letter they sent out. That was a nice holiday of answering novel related questions) and I'm more mentally prepared instead of the freak out I was having on Halloween whilst handing out candy. I know what my story is about, I have a pretty strong bond with my characters already even though they've spoken not a word, and it's not as spur of the moment.
The only thing I feel I'm ill-prepared for is the onslaught of odd looks I'll be receiving throughout the month from classmates. I know that I'm one of the youngest members of this blog, but you've all been there right?Most of the time, I'm so "into" what I'm doing that I don't may attention to anything around me, but it's those few moments when my teacher calls me to attention that I hear the snickering and see the gaping. It's like when I bring Harry Potter to school, but that's a different story. Hopefully I'll be able to ignore them and brush it off like I do with the Potter stuff, but you never know.
*sigh* I'm sorry for that rant. I just felt like I needed to post something and that's what my thinking about, NaNoWriMo wise, at the moment.
Till next time: Have a lovely day.
October Pep: Outlining
This is similar to a post I made earlier, but I thought other MLs and regions might be interested to see the Portland Super Secret(tm) pep talk emails. Here, therefore, is the one from October 15th.
October Pep: Outlining
[Brought to you by nibo, the Ninja ML]
Today's pep talk (sent out from here on out on Thursdays, NaNo-Gods Willing) is brought to you by the following entry in the official NaNoWriMo FAQs:
Do I have to start my novel from scratch on November 1? Can I use an outline?
Yes.
This sounds like a dumb, arbitrary rule, we know. But bringing a half-finished manuscript into NaNoWriMo all but guarantees a miserable month. You'll care about the characters and story too much to write with the gleeful, anything-goes approach that makes NaNoWriMo such a creative rush. Give yourself the gift of a clean slate, and you'll tap into realms of imagination and intuition that are out-of-reach when working on pre-existing manuscripts.
Outlines and plot notes are very much encouraged, and can be started months ahead of the actual novel-writing adventure. Previously written prose, though, is punishable by death.
Writing With an Outline
Outlining is one of those touchy subjects in the vast history of NaNoLand. The FAQ say that it's perfectly okay, even possibly encouraged, for you to pre-plan your novel. Outlines, character sketches, even backgrounds for those tricky antagonists are all perfectly okay as long as you don't cross that line in the sand that leads to actually writing your novel's prose before November 1.
There will, however, always exist that vast divide between those who write their NaNoNovels by outline and those who take upon themselves the courage to simply "wing it." Although for years, I (nibo) counted myself as one among their number, advancing age and personal wordcount stipulations have forced me to rethink this strategy. I come to you today as a fallen 'Wing'er.'
I have come to discover that a certain beauty exists within a well drafted outline. First of all, in my experience, it allows you to achieve a considerable higher rate of sleep in November when you cross into the dreaded, mythic Week Three. Also, it's something to bring to write-ins and Meet and Greets and wave around beneath everyone else's noses, proclaiming how very committed you are to NaNoWriMo and how well you're going to do because of all of this outlining you've done. After all, doesn't a good outline mean that you're destined to win and go on to Noveling Greatness(tm)?
Well, not exactly, but it can help. While many will forever and always NaNo by the seat of their pants, those who swear by the pre-November outlining and planning will also likely continue to do so. Here, for those of you who are outlining this October, I offer the following description of my own outlining methodology, as a moment in the mind of a fellow outliner:
It's similar to the Snowflake Method*, but a little less structured.
First: Get the idea of your novel. Anything will do. Monkeys take over a call center in Victoria, B.C. as a bid for world domination? Sure. Sounds good to me! The next big thing!
Next, figure out a very loose plot. Basic point A to point B. At this point, I usually look at the wordcount requirement I've set for myself and try to figure out about how long I want my chapters to be so I know approximately how many I'm going to need. (I usually err around the 2500-4000 words mark for chapters.)
I write out the chapter numbers in a blank document and create goals for each one (the plot of the chapter in a sentence or two). This is the main chunk of my outline until the beginning of November. Just something to stew over until things really get going and I can meet my characters.
As the novel progresses through the month, I'll take a little time to outline the scenes I want for each chapter before I get to it. This gives me a pretty easy "Connect the Dots" way to get through my daily writing. I don't often hit any serious road blocks, unless they're plot-based, and it gives me something solid to refer back to later if I want to edit the piece as a bid for that afore-mentioned Noveling Greatness(tm).
It might work for you or it might not, but this is how I outline and pre-plan my novel. Sometimes, I'll also hunt down pictures to use for each character and, if I'm feeling really nerdy, I'll create roleplaying character sheets for them. It gives me something to reference during the month if I can't decide what to make the character do next.
Yours in prose (well, not yet) and insanity,
-Lauren (aka nibo, the Ninja ML)
Hostess of "The NaNo Project" (http://thenanoproject.blogspot.com/)
*The Snowflake Method
Heavily relied upon every year by a large number of outliners, The Snowflake Method suggests that creating an outline for a novel is comparable to creating a snowflake using fractals.
http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php
October Pep: Outlining
[Brought to you by nibo, the Ninja ML]
Today's pep talk (sent out from here on out on Thursdays, NaNo-Gods Willing) is brought to you by the following entry in the official NaNoWriMo FAQs:
Do I have to start my novel from scratch on November 1? Can I use an outline?
Yes.
This sounds like a dumb, arbitrary rule, we know. But bringing a half-finished manuscript into NaNoWriMo all but guarantees a miserable month. You'll care about the characters and story too much to write with the gleeful, anything-goes approach that makes NaNoWriMo such a creative rush. Give yourself the gift of a clean slate, and you'll tap into realms of imagination and intuition that are out-of-reach when working on pre-existing manuscripts.
Outlines and plot notes are very much encouraged, and can be started months ahead of the actual novel-writing adventure. Previously written prose, though, is punishable by death.
Writing With an Outline
Outlining is one of those touchy subjects in the vast history of NaNoLand. The FAQ say that it's perfectly okay, even possibly encouraged, for you to pre-plan your novel. Outlines, character sketches, even backgrounds for those tricky antagonists are all perfectly okay as long as you don't cross that line in the sand that leads to actually writing your novel's prose before November 1.
There will, however, always exist that vast divide between those who write their NaNoNovels by outline and those who take upon themselves the courage to simply "wing it." Although for years, I (nibo) counted myself as one among their number, advancing age and personal wordcount stipulations have forced me to rethink this strategy. I come to you today as a fallen 'Wing'er.'
I have come to discover that a certain beauty exists within a well drafted outline. First of all, in my experience, it allows you to achieve a considerable higher rate of sleep in November when you cross into the dreaded, mythic Week Three. Also, it's something to bring to write-ins and Meet and Greets and wave around beneath everyone else's noses, proclaiming how very committed you are to NaNoWriMo and how well you're going to do because of all of this outlining you've done. After all, doesn't a good outline mean that you're destined to win and go on to Noveling Greatness(tm)?
Well, not exactly, but it can help. While many will forever and always NaNo by the seat of their pants, those who swear by the pre-November outlining and planning will also likely continue to do so. Here, for those of you who are outlining this October, I offer the following description of my own outlining methodology, as a moment in the mind of a fellow outliner:
It's similar to the Snowflake Method*, but a little less structured.
First: Get the idea of your novel. Anything will do. Monkeys take over a call center in Victoria, B.C. as a bid for world domination? Sure. Sounds good to me! The next big thing!
Next, figure out a very loose plot. Basic point A to point B. At this point, I usually look at the wordcount requirement I've set for myself and try to figure out about how long I want my chapters to be so I know approximately how many I'm going to need. (I usually err around the 2500-4000 words mark for chapters.)
I write out the chapter numbers in a blank document and create goals for each one (the plot of the chapter in a sentence or two). This is the main chunk of my outline until the beginning of November. Just something to stew over until things really get going and I can meet my characters.
As the novel progresses through the month, I'll take a little time to outline the scenes I want for each chapter before I get to it. This gives me a pretty easy "Connect the Dots" way to get through my daily writing. I don't often hit any serious road blocks, unless they're plot-based, and it gives me something solid to refer back to later if I want to edit the piece as a bid for that afore-mentioned Noveling Greatness(tm).
It might work for you or it might not, but this is how I outline and pre-plan my novel. Sometimes, I'll also hunt down pictures to use for each character and, if I'm feeling really nerdy, I'll create roleplaying character sheets for them. It gives me something to reference during the month if I can't decide what to make the character do next.
Yours in prose (well, not yet) and insanity,
-Lauren (aka nibo, the Ninja ML)
Hostess of "The NaNo Project" (http://thenanoproject.blogspot.com/)
*The Snowflake Method
Heavily relied upon every year by a large number of outliners, The Snowflake Method suggests that creating an outline for a novel is comparable to creating a snowflake using fractals.
http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php
Authors Anonymous
Hi, everyone, my name is Gloria and I'm a nut-cased author. It's been 2 years since my last story, though only hours since my last prose.
I've never done this before. I'm starting to feel the thrill of a nerve-wracking challenge, an uphill climb I'm not so sure I can endure. I've got a business trip in November and, of course, the holiday, for which I'll have guests for 5 days.
But I've got a rough outline and a few characters that I'm starting to like. They're beginning to speak to me; their stories are insisting that they be told. I can't imagine what else could push me through to the last word in one short month....to uncover the characters as if they were already written, piece by piece, page by page.
I've never done this before. I'm starting to feel the thrill of a nerve-wracking challenge, an uphill climb I'm not so sure I can endure. I've got a business trip in November and, of course, the holiday, for which I'll have guests for 5 days.
But I've got a rough outline and a few characters that I'm starting to like. They're beginning to speak to me; their stories are insisting that they be told. I can't imagine what else could push me through to the last word in one short month....to uncover the characters as if they were already written, piece by piece, page by page.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
non-writing preparation
But then, doesn't everything we do relate to our writing?
True.
What I mean is non-writing tasks to prepare for the writing.
In November, you mean.
Yes. {sigh} In November. The Big Month. The Month of Writing Dangerously.
Oh. So?
The non-writing tasks to-do list:
True.
What I mean is non-writing tasks to prepare for the writing.
In November, you mean.
Yes. {sigh} In November. The Big Month. The Month of Writing Dangerously.
Oh. So?
The non-writing tasks to-do list:
- - sleep, since I will be getting less of it in November.
- - buy some instant coffee to stash in the car, my backpack, by laptop bag, my purse (okay, okay - I'll try the Via, a jar of Caffe d'Oro won't fit in my purse) - for those times when I don't have time to make it or buy it, or maybe not enough money to buy it (I'm working less in November to give me time to write)
- - buy extra underwear and do all laundry on October 30th to minimize laundering needs
- - schedule a sleep-in for December 1st
- - buy snacks, nuts, quick meals, and electrolyte tablets and a lot of popcorn; okay, and some peanut M&Ms and/or Snickers
- - food prep: hard boil some eggs on October 31 and cook up a bunch of rice; slice some veges; make sure have soup and crackers, cereal, soy milk, coffee and coffee
- - make sure ibuprofen is stocked
- - make "writing, do not disturb" signs
- - send an email announcement that I will become unresponsive to emails, phone calls, letters, and so on for a month
- - get extra exercise since it will be tough to keep logging the miles while I'm logging the words (unless I can figure out how to work even less)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
NaNoWriMo Brown Travel Mug, Reviewed
In preparation for NaNoWriMo this year, I needed to replace my leaking travel mug. Coffee is as beneficial for the Day Job as it is for my writing sessions. I also want to support The Office of Letters and Light, so I ordered the official NaNoWriMo Brown Travel Mug.
The mug is indeed brown. It holds coffee without leaking. It has the words "NaNoWriMo" and "Author" on it, as well as a viking helmet.
It is worth every last red cent. I would suggest paying via credit card, however, as gathering that many red cents into an envelope and posting it is not listed as a payment option. Save the large envelopes for story submissions.
Which reminds me, I have a story to submit. I'll go do that, and you should consider ordering the travel mug.
(14 days left to go!)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Organic Writing
As Nibo mentioned, I tend to have characters, setting, and situation. Everything else grows from there. And sometimes it really doesn't make sense as things change while writing. So, this year I have a vague outline of the major plot points in order, plus a few random scenes that I think might happen given the characters, situations, and for just amusement value.
The main character is Theonious [Theo] March, human explorer for Logistical Transport Interdimensional. His job to hunt around for new dimensions and see if there's anything worthwhile or the occasional transport of goods to settlements.
There'll be a few other minor characters & the big 3 Alien races - Carnivorous Bunnies that are skilled in Quantum Mechanics [Magic], Biotech Raptors, and a reclusive race of pacifistic Hedgehogs. All 4 empires are currently static in size as no new gates have been found in over two decades. There's a cold war between the races that turn hot when Theo stumbles upon a gateway to Somewhere Else in the midst of a shared space. Going to try to make the aliens, ALIEN. Yeah they might seem to have human motives, but why does that Raptor look at you sideways all the time. Is he paranoid? Sizing you up for lunch? Or maybe he likes your hat and thinks that it's a sign of royalty. Need to start working out the quirks.
The main character is Theonious [Theo] March, human explorer for Logistical Transport Interdimensional. His job to hunt around for new dimensions and see if there's anything worthwhile or the occasional transport of goods to settlements.
There'll be a few other minor characters & the big 3 Alien races - Carnivorous Bunnies that are skilled in Quantum Mechanics [Magic], Biotech Raptors, and a reclusive race of pacifistic Hedgehogs. All 4 empires are currently static in size as no new gates have been found in over two decades. There's a cold war between the races that turn hot when Theo stumbles upon a gateway to Somewhere Else in the midst of a shared space. Going to try to make the aliens, ALIEN. Yeah they might seem to have human motives, but why does that Raptor look at you sideways all the time. Is he paranoid? Sizing you up for lunch? Or maybe he likes your hat and thinks that it's a sign of royalty. Need to start working out the quirks.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Process of Outlining: Timelines
Every year I seem to take the outlining process just a little bit further. Sometimes this means that I have pictures for my characters. Other years I will roll up roleplaying character sheets so I can "fudge" the fight scenes by just running a scene of Hunter: The Reckoning (not that I'm planning to do that this year, oh no...). This year, I opted to do a full timeline of my novel before I ever started the thing. This, I think, is going to be a seriously useful device.
Novel Title: Magdalena Crane, Rogue Zombie Hunter
I'm pretty sure this book needs a solid outline and timeline if for no other reason than it's set in 19th century US and Europe with cowboys, steamships, zombies, China, and Lesbian Zombie Exterminators. Also, I'm aiming at a minimum of 90,000 words next month, so I need a pretty solid idea of where I'm starting and where I'm going so that I don't get too stumped mid-novel.
Right now, most of my chapters have a specific day that associates with the content of the chapter. A few happen over several days and one or two take the place of several years or a month or more. The goal after all of this, however, is going to be to keep all of this side information together. I have a couple of old NaNos from past years that I don't have any of the support documentation for and have had to reverse engineer things like dates and timelines and maps for just to make things make sense when I go back to edit. Ugh.
Novel Title: Magdalena Crane, Rogue Zombie Hunter
I'm pretty sure this book needs a solid outline and timeline if for no other reason than it's set in 19th century US and Europe with cowboys, steamships, zombies, China, and Lesbian Zombie Exterminators. Also, I'm aiming at a minimum of 90,000 words next month, so I need a pretty solid idea of where I'm starting and where I'm going so that I don't get too stumped mid-novel.
Right now, most of my chapters have a specific day that associates with the content of the chapter. A few happen over several days and one or two take the place of several years or a month or more. The goal after all of this, however, is going to be to keep all of this side information together. I have a couple of old NaNos from past years that I don't have any of the support documentation for and have had to reverse engineer things like dates and timelines and maps for just to make things make sense when I go back to edit. Ugh.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Simms' Introduction
NaNo Screenname: Simms
Genre - Sci Fi [maybe Fantasy]
Location: Beaverton
Goals: 50k & a real ending
Hi, my name is Doug [aka Simms] and this will be my 4th year attempting NaNo. Year 1 & 2 were plagued by running out of story and the flu respectively. Year 3 was a success in a rather unorganized fashion for 3 interconnected stories that morphed into a 10k introduction, 30k of story, and 10k epilogue.
I've lived in the NW for the past 30-odd years except for a 3 year stint in college. By day I'm an accountant [I get to spend other people's money] & the rest of the time I'm writing or gaming with the occasional forays into cooking. My reading of late has been sparse, mostly zombie books [World War Z / Pride & Prejudice & Zombies] plus a reread of Good Omens. And the next sales person that recommends Twilight is going to get hurt...
This year looks to be a stab at a dimensional travel/war/apocalypse story. It's suppose to be Sci Fi, but there's a chance it might turn into a Sword & Sorcery story. Everything's in flux until Nov 1st.
Genre - Sci Fi [maybe Fantasy]
Location: Beaverton
Goals: 50k & a real ending
Hi, my name is Doug [aka Simms] and this will be my 4th year attempting NaNo. Year 1 & 2 were plagued by running out of story and the flu respectively. Year 3 was a success in a rather unorganized fashion for 3 interconnected stories that morphed into a 10k introduction, 30k of story, and 10k epilogue.
I've lived in the NW for the past 30-odd years except for a 3 year stint in college. By day I'm an accountant [I get to spend other people's money] & the rest of the time I'm writing or gaming with the occasional forays into cooking. My reading of late has been sparse, mostly zombie books [World War Z / Pride & Prejudice & Zombies] plus a reread of Good Omens. And the next sales person that recommends Twilight is going to get hurt...
This year looks to be a stab at a dimensional travel/war/apocalypse story. It's suppose to be Sci Fi, but there's a chance it might turn into a Sword & Sorcery story. Everything's in flux until Nov 1st.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Introducing....Myself!
Hi there, my name is Antonia, and I'm a Nanowrimo participant. My user name on the forum is jademage, feel free to add me as a buddy if you like.
I've lived in Portland since a little before the turn of the century, and this will be my 6th year doing Nano. I've won every year, so this year, to make things a little more challenging, I'm going to go to Vegas for 4 days. At least I can work on the plane. :)
Let's see...what else? I've decided on light science fiction again this year. I've never been into the hard science fiction...just not enough of a geek. ;)
I've lived in Portland since a little before the turn of the century, and this will be my 6th year doing Nano. I've won every year, so this year, to make things a little more challenging, I'm going to go to Vegas for 4 days. At least I can work on the plane. :)
Let's see...what else? I've decided on light science fiction again this year. I've never been into the hard science fiction...just not enough of a geek. ;)
Introducing John
Hello everyone, I am John and I'm a NaNoWriMo addict. I'm treating my condition with caffeine and peanut M&Ms.
This will be my third year sacrificing 50,000 words. I managed to pants my way through two years of NaNo and completing the requisite word count on the final day both times. Then I promptly stopped. Well, to be fair I did finish that particular paragraph, so one year I might have even clocked in around 50,043 words.
I do think that everyone should try completely pantsing a novel at least once in their lives. This year I'm going to try something different, though. Every year I try to pick one thing to really work on during NaNoWriMo that will improve my writing. This year I want to try some outlining beforehand, so I have decided to give the snowflake method a try.
I'll be writing a fantasy novel this year, unless I change my mind on November 1st.
If anyone is looking to add writer buddies to their NaNoWriMo account, please feel free to add me! My nano name is jpstarr.
-JPS
recruiting
Is anyone else recruiting? I am!
I have one returning NaNo-er convinced and she's coming along with me. Jenny and I met last year during NaNo (she's the one I met through our mutual connection of Ariel Gore) - and we've been writing together since. It started slow, our meeting to write - kids, work, schedules, working out/training, home. Later we aimed to meet weekly - which we do for a while, then it drops off when one of us adds something else into our schedule or a job comes up (darn that money making necessity!). But we are doing regular meet-ups and have recently added a third person to our group. Jenny is just finishing up a new draft of last year's nanonovel (go, Jenny!) and I get to read it - yay. So, unless something changes between now and November 1st, Jenny will be along with me.
There is another writer I met through Ariel and NaNo last year, who I think is going to do it, again, too - Christi. She's still a little undecided, I think - but it would be great to have her along for the ride. She's not local - so we won't be meeting in person; although we have set up an online writing group with Jenny and the third person who sometimes joins Jenny and I.
I tried to recruit Steve. A friend and writer and we share our income generating profession, as well. He replied to my question the next morning with "I don't like to use the F-bomb before 10 AM. No. But I'll be here to cheer you on." It was a long shot, since linguistics is his thing and he is a writer who searches for the precise word - each and every one of them - pretty much on the first draft. But I thought I'd try.
Alexander is the third person who sometimes meets with me and Jenny. Actually, Alexander and I also share the money-producing profession. And Alexander and I have known each other many years. We have met to talk about writing and done some writing together in the past - we never really got it to a regular schedule and sometimes go months without seeing each other. But he may also be joining us in the pursuit of a nanonovel. His primary thing is film and radio script, although he also does incredible short story work. I hope he makes the leap and I look forward to seeing what comes of it.
I also tried to bring in Suzanne. But she thinks she can't write. She wants to write but hasn't done any creative writing for a very long time. I know she can. And I think she'd be great at nano-ing. And she's currently between jobs so she's got the time. I don't know if she'll jump in the nanopool or not - but I'll try her again in a week or two.
Who are you recruiting?
I have one returning NaNo-er convinced and she's coming along with me. Jenny and I met last year during NaNo (she's the one I met through our mutual connection of Ariel Gore) - and we've been writing together since. It started slow, our meeting to write - kids, work, schedules, working out/training, home. Later we aimed to meet weekly - which we do for a while, then it drops off when one of us adds something else into our schedule or a job comes up (darn that money making necessity!). But we are doing regular meet-ups and have recently added a third person to our group. Jenny is just finishing up a new draft of last year's nanonovel (go, Jenny!) and I get to read it - yay. So, unless something changes between now and November 1st, Jenny will be along with me.
There is another writer I met through Ariel and NaNo last year, who I think is going to do it, again, too - Christi. She's still a little undecided, I think - but it would be great to have her along for the ride. She's not local - so we won't be meeting in person; although we have set up an online writing group with Jenny and the third person who sometimes joins Jenny and I.
I tried to recruit Steve. A friend and writer and we share our income generating profession, as well. He replied to my question the next morning with "I don't like to use the F-bomb before 10 AM. No. But I'll be here to cheer you on." It was a long shot, since linguistics is his thing and he is a writer who searches for the precise word - each and every one of them - pretty much on the first draft. But I thought I'd try.
Alexander is the third person who sometimes meets with me and Jenny. Actually, Alexander and I also share the money-producing profession. And Alexander and I have known each other many years. We have met to talk about writing and done some writing together in the past - we never really got it to a regular schedule and sometimes go months without seeing each other. But he may also be joining us in the pursuit of a nanonovel. His primary thing is film and radio script, although he also does incredible short story work. I hope he makes the leap and I look forward to seeing what comes of it.
I also tried to bring in Suzanne. But she thinks she can't write. She wants to write but hasn't done any creative writing for a very long time. I know she can. And I think she'd be great at nano-ing. And she's currently between jobs so she's got the time. I don't know if she'll jump in the nanopool or not - but I'll try her again in a week or two.
Who are you recruiting?
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Pre-Planning with nibo
I know that a lot of writers are on those sides of this debate. Some, like myself, use October as a time to hone their craft and prepare for the break-neck pace that will be November's writing challenge (especially those WriMos, like myself, who have opted to set an even higher wordcount goal). Others prefer a more organic approach to noveling. Many use November as a way to explore themselves by becoming just another observer of what their novel is going to become. A good friend of mine particularly seems to enjoy this method as we were talking about it today during our weekly Thursday Writing Night.
I met Simms last year at the NaNoWriMo kickoff party in what was possibly Portland's kitschiest coffee shop ever (sadly, it's no longer operating and has been renovated by new management with better coffee and furniture with a little less character). He was my table buddy for the overnight crazy-fest that is Portland's usual kickoff. I was there in blue flannel pajamas and, as a token of my goodwill for sharing his table (and powerstrip) with me, I gave him a small, hand-knit, green bunny that looked possessed and just a little bit demonic. With all due gravity, I informed my new friend that this was, in fact, a Plot Bunny(tm) and it would bring him wordcount. As a note of interest, up until at least recently, he still carried it in his laptop bag to all of our writing meetings.
Anyway, back to the story at hand. Simms and I have very different approaches to NaNo. He's a partaker of the organic approach to writing, immersing himself in the story and letting it tell him where it's going to go. For the first few years that I did NaNo, I was the same. I'd come up with some ideas and maybe a character or two, but never really outlined. The last couple of years, however, I've started outlining! I have characters, locations, a plot, and lots of other things that seem a little un-NaNo created by the end of October to aid in the writing process. This year, I'm telling myself that it's all okay, because I'm aiming for 90,000+ words in 30 days and that means averaging a bare minimum of 3,000 words Every. Single. Day!
I don't know if this all really had a purpose except for me to come onto this communal blog, talk about outlining, and simply brag a little bit that I got A LOT of outlining done tonight. I'm aiming for somewhere around 35 chapters when all is said and done. So far, I have a basic plot idea for 26 chapters and a pretty good idea of where the rest of them are heading! I couldn't be more pleased. It's going to be the best crazy zombie book I can come up with!! And I'm already planning several gratuitous PG-13+ scenes to keep my interest when I'm writing next month.
Oh, and I know for a fact that some more plot bunnies are going to show up in Portland this season. I have a wonderful friend working on making a whole warren for raffling off!
Atalanta's Intro
NaNo Screenname: Atalanta
Novel genre: Science Fiction
Location: SW Portland
Goals: 50k + sanity intact
My name is Mel and this will be my sixth NaNoWriMo. I was a Municipal Liaison in Western New York (Bath/Hornell) for two years and moderated the Newbies Forum as well. I moved to Portland last spring and absolutely love it here -- and look forward to another blessedly rainy winter.
I'm not technically supposed to be doing NaNoWriMo this year -- I made a big deal out of quitting after 2008 -- but I just couldn't stay away. Instead I've decided to use the motivation to push through my intimidation at writing sci-fi in long-form for the first time (astrophysics and quantum-particles being a tad more complex than the swords and magic horses I'm used to working with).
So, here I am with half a plot about a misanthropic scientist at a research facility in orbit around a neutron star. There will be intrigue, suspense, shocking revelations... and hopefully at least one truly spectacular explosion.
Alas, I won't be writing any of it at the local coffee-house write-ins. I could possibly borrow a laptop, but the idea of trying to write surrounded by so many distractions doesn't appeal to me at all. Instead I'll make an effort to show up to at least one of the meet-and-greets planned for this month, probably in the Beaverton area -- that is, if I can overcome my own inner misanthrope.
I'm also part of the AIM NaNo Circle for virtual support (non-local), if anyone wants to join us.
Novel genre: Science Fiction
Location: SW Portland
Goals: 50k + sanity intact
My name is Mel and this will be my sixth NaNoWriMo. I was a Municipal Liaison in Western New York (Bath/Hornell) for two years and moderated the Newbies Forum as well. I moved to Portland last spring and absolutely love it here -- and look forward to another blessedly rainy winter.
I'm not technically supposed to be doing NaNoWriMo this year -- I made a big deal out of quitting after 2008 -- but I just couldn't stay away. Instead I've decided to use the motivation to push through my intimidation at writing sci-fi in long-form for the first time (astrophysics and quantum-particles being a tad more complex than the swords and magic horses I'm used to working with).
So, here I am with half a plot about a misanthropic scientist at a research facility in orbit around a neutron star. There will be intrigue, suspense, shocking revelations... and hopefully at least one truly spectacular explosion.
Alas, I won't be writing any of it at the local coffee-house write-ins. I could possibly borrow a laptop, but the idea of trying to write surrounded by so many distractions doesn't appeal to me at all. Instead I'll make an effort to show up to at least one of the meet-and-greets planned for this month, probably in the Beaverton area -- that is, if I can overcome my own inner misanthrope.
I'm also part of the AIM NaNo Circle for virtual support (non-local), if anyone wants to join us.
Dot's intro
NaNo Screenname: dot. (oooh, I love originality)
Role: writer
Novel genre: 2008 was literary fiction, ghost story, mystery, lesbian/gay; 2009 : probably mystery, adventure, lesbian (since I don't have a plot or characters, I can't really say!)
Location: SE Portland (Mt Tabor/Montavilla area)
Goals: to be winner before the Seattle Marathon, where I'll be walking the half marathon, on November 29th.
This is my second NaNoWriMo. Last year I became a winner the day before Thanksgiving. I had, I think, 56,001 words by midnight November 30th. I completed the novel on December 1st with another 3,000 words in that one day.
Come to think of it, it's funny that I didn't have a plot, characters, setting - anything - when I opened my laptop at midnight on November 1st -- and I didn't have an ending at midnight on November 30th.
But, see, it all came together! And I'm very pleased with my ending and like the storyline in the rest of it.
Right now, to prepare for November, I am *not* making an outline or researching characters or periods or anything. I like the surprise of seeing who shows up at the beginning. I will, again, be armed with my word bag (thanks to Ariel Gore) and a list of prompts (thanks to my Write Around Portland facilitator training) just in case nothing comes to me at the magic 12:01 AM time.
To prepare for November I *am* blocking out time in my work schedule. I sent some proposed dates for getting together to write with my writing buddy so we can have it on our books and not forget to do it. Actually, she and I met during the 2008 nano-adventure. And I did arrange to go up to Seattle 2 days before the marathon so I have time to not only relax and view the course and do all the other things I need to do two days before, but also to give myself time to write by being away from work and home and all of the distractions which tempt me away from my writing. I will also be staying in Seattle until Monday afternoon - either hastily typing away to cross the nano finish line or basking in the glory of being done!
Oh - and I think I'm going to take the train up and back so that I don't lose those precious 7 hours of writing. Which reminds me, I need to see if there are electrical outlets on the train. Hmm?
I'm not doing any writing training right now, other than being in my 4th Lit Star Training writing course with Ariel Gore and by writing weekly with the Write Around Portland group I am facilitating.
I will also be doing postings on my website as things go along from now until November 30th! Some of them will be duplicates and many will not. Last year's nanoposts are archived. If you want to take a look, I'm at The Writing Vein.
Role: writer
Novel genre: 2008 was literary fiction, ghost story, mystery, lesbian/gay; 2009 : probably mystery, adventure, lesbian (since I don't have a plot or characters, I can't really say!)
Location: SE Portland (Mt Tabor/Montavilla area)
Goals: to be winner before the Seattle Marathon, where I'll be walking the half marathon, on November 29th.
This is my second NaNoWriMo. Last year I became a winner the day before Thanksgiving. I had, I think, 56,001 words by midnight November 30th. I completed the novel on December 1st with another 3,000 words in that one day.
Come to think of it, it's funny that I didn't have a plot, characters, setting - anything - when I opened my laptop at midnight on November 1st -- and I didn't have an ending at midnight on November 30th.
But, see, it all came together! And I'm very pleased with my ending and like the storyline in the rest of it.
Right now, to prepare for November, I am *not* making an outline or researching characters or periods or anything. I like the surprise of seeing who shows up at the beginning. I will, again, be armed with my word bag (thanks to Ariel Gore) and a list of prompts (thanks to my Write Around Portland facilitator training) just in case nothing comes to me at the magic 12:01 AM time.
To prepare for November I *am* blocking out time in my work schedule. I sent some proposed dates for getting together to write with my writing buddy so we can have it on our books and not forget to do it. Actually, she and I met during the 2008 nano-adventure. And I did arrange to go up to Seattle 2 days before the marathon so I have time to not only relax and view the course and do all the other things I need to do two days before, but also to give myself time to write by being away from work and home and all of the distractions which tempt me away from my writing. I will also be staying in Seattle until Monday afternoon - either hastily typing away to cross the nano finish line or basking in the glory of being done!
Oh - and I think I'm going to take the train up and back so that I don't lose those precious 7 hours of writing. Which reminds me, I need to see if there are electrical outlets on the train. Hmm?
I'm not doing any writing training right now, other than being in my 4th Lit Star Training writing course with Ariel Gore and by writing weekly with the Write Around Portland group I am facilitating.
I will also be doing postings on my website as things go along from now until November 30th! Some of them will be duplicates and many will not. Last year's nanoposts are archived. If you want to take a look, I'm at The Writing Vein.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
And Brooke Introduces Herself...
Hey everyone! My name is Brooke (brookerochelle on NaNoWriMo) and this will be my second year participating it (and hopefully winning) NaNoWriMo. I've lived in Portland (area) for my all fifteen years of my life. Even though, I'm younger that most that doesn't make me any less excited for the coming month of November.
I'm currently making a massive playlist that I will listen to when writing on a computer that is not mine. Whilst I write on the computer I will listen to the Harry Potter audio books, but that's beyond the point. I'm also making a brief outline of my book. I'm writing a YA Fiction book, because why would a 15 year-old write a book for anyone but her own age group (grated, they could write it for a younger audience, but my point is I won't be writing for an older audience). The description on NaNoWriMo is weird and I need to rewrite it, but I have other, better things to do.... so another time.
I can't wait to be reading everyone's posts as well as posting my own! Toodles.
I'm currently making a massive playlist that I will listen to when writing on a computer that is not mine. Whilst I write on the computer I will listen to the Harry Potter audio books, but that's beyond the point. I'm also making a brief outline of my book. I'm writing a YA Fiction book, because why would a 15 year-old write a book for anyone but her own age group (grated, they could write it for a younger audience, but my point is I won't be writing for an older audience). The description on NaNoWriMo is weird and I need to rewrite it, but I have other, better things to do.... so another time.
I can't wait to be reading everyone's posts as well as posting my own! Toodles.
Hey everybody! I guess it's introduction time. I am Michael, also known as Starfollower on the NaNo forums. This going to be my 6th year doing NaNoWriMo, and hopefully my 3rd win. Clearly, I've had much less success with this than many, but that's okay, it's always a good time (plus in 2007 I had technical difficulties that necessitated me getting a new computer).
As with my previous two wins, I am once again writing a science fiction story. I love that genre in particular since I am a biologist with a wide interest in scientific topics, and writing gives me a chance to explore what I see as the promise and limitations of current research through extrapolation. This year, for example, I intend to explore the dangers and potential benefits of commercial level cloning.
A new twist for me this year, however, is the addition of a mystery element to my story. It's something I've never tried before and I'm honestly a little bit nervous about it. It seems a very difficult genre to write well in, since so many plot points need to fit together in just the right way to create the proper atmosphere of suspense. Still, this story has been sitting in my head, waiting to be told for some years, and this year it's going to get its chance!
As with my previous two wins, I am once again writing a science fiction story. I love that genre in particular since I am a biologist with a wide interest in scientific topics, and writing gives me a chance to explore what I see as the promise and limitations of current research through extrapolation. This year, for example, I intend to explore the dangers and potential benefits of commercial level cloning.
A new twist for me this year, however, is the addition of a mystery element to my story. It's something I've never tried before and I'm honestly a little bit nervous about it. It seems a very difficult genre to write well in, since so many plot points need to fit together in just the right way to create the proper atmosphere of suspense. Still, this story has been sitting in my head, waiting to be told for some years, and this year it's going to get its chance!
Intro for nibo on Youtube
So, given that this is a multi-blogger adventure, I figure that it would be a good idea for people to introduce themselves. Forgive me if things seem a little rough to start out with; I've never done something like this before.
NaNo Screenname: nibo
Role: writer/ML
Novel genre: action/adventure, western, Zombie, lesbian
Location: SE Portland
Goals: As always, I have a general goal of "to win," but this year I'm also aiming for a goal of 90-110k words and it feels a little INSANE!
I opted to do a little intro, talk about myself, and discussion of The NaNo Project on YouTube and I've put it on here! I want to try to do more videos this year with thoughts and impressions and griping about NaNo. I know there's a whole group who does them every year over on Viddler. We'll see how that works out. Maybe I'll still my friend's Flip instead of trying to do them all with my iPod Nano (although, the video quality is really nice, even if the sound's a little soft).
NaNo Screenname: nibo
Role: writer/ML
Novel genre: action/adventure, western, Zombie, lesbian
Location: SE Portland
Goals: As always, I have a general goal of "to win," but this year I'm also aiming for a goal of 90-110k words and it feels a little INSANE!
I opted to do a little intro, talk about myself, and discussion of The NaNo Project on YouTube and I've put it on here! I want to try to do more videos this year with thoughts and impressions and griping about NaNo. I know there's a whole group who does them every year over on Viddler. We'll see how that works out. Maybe I'll still my friend's Flip instead of trying to do them all with my iPod Nano (although, the video quality is really nice, even if the sound's a little soft).
So! I invite anyone with access to this blog to start posting about the planning process. Feel free to introduce yourself! What are your goals? Who are you? Why did you decide to join The NaNo Project?
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The NaNo Project
My name is Lauren and I'm the (ninja) ML for the Portland, Oregon region of NaNoWriMo.
For the last two years, I've used a blog to write about the process of doing NaNoWriMo. This year, I think it would be a lot of fun to get a whole bunch of authors to make blog posts in the space and really see what it's like writing a NaNo from many perspectives.
You can write as few as 1 post and as many as 100! (Note: 100 was arbitrarily chosen, I will not complain if you write 101 posts.) You can write about your over-caffienation, you MC who just mucked up your climax, the pink-haired pixie that won't leave your love interest alone, or post small excerpts from the text of your great project!
Limitations: For starters, this will be a project specifically for writers located in the Portland and Greater Portland Area.
For the last two years, I've used a blog to write about the process of doing NaNoWriMo. This year, I think it would be a lot of fun to get a whole bunch of authors to make blog posts in the space and really see what it's like writing a NaNo from many perspectives.
You can write as few as 1 post and as many as 100! (Note: 100 was arbitrarily chosen, I will not complain if you write 101 posts.) You can write about your over-caffienation, you MC who just mucked up your climax, the pink-haired pixie that won't leave your love interest alone, or post small excerpts from the text of your great project!
Limitations: For starters, this will be a project specifically for writers located in the Portland and Greater Portland Area.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
