NaNoWriMo 2017

[Parallax Panda]

I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (for the first time) this year.

Anyone else doing it? Accountability can be a great motivator - so do tell!
Tell us about your novel, your progress, your problems and everything or anything that has to do with this years NaNoWriMo.
Let's tackle this challenge as a community!

 

[esterk]

I really want to, I always try every year but since it's posed around the holidays, it's hard to keep up with.

 

[Parallax Panda]

@esterk
But you say you want to do it, right? Unless you're super-duper-mega busy and KNOW that it would be impossible, why not give it a try? Worst case scenario; you don't write 50.000 words but even so, you've probably written a few words and that's better than nothing. And in that regard, even when you fail you succeed (at something).

Also, if your November schedule is really packed you could consider bending the rules a little. There is nothing wrong with that. I'm going to try to write the script for a visual novel (and not a traditional novel) so I've already done it myself. If 50.000 words seems impossible for you, how about setting your own goal at 25.000 words or something? It's still an equally good writing exercise and no one (sensible) would judge you for it.

 

[TeiRaven]

I did NaNo two years ago, and had a great time--but I was also not working that particular November, so I had plenty of brainpower and time available to me. Now I work in retail and haaaaa. Biggest shopping day of the year means worst customers of the year. I've little doubt there would be portions in my draft that went something to the tune of "[proper writing] AND THEN THERE'S THIS GUY, who demands an eighth of a yard of THIRTY DIFFERENT FABRICS at FIVE MINUTES TO CLOSING TIME [proper writing]"

I'd been toying with the idea, but I'm always unduly hard on myself if I don't meet goals like that. So I can't decide--I like the idea of doing NaNo again. But I really do not like the idea of not hitting the 50k, you know?

 

[Parallax Panda]

@TeiRaven
Welcome to the thread!

Hehe, nothing wrong with a first draft looking like that if you ask me. You might even be able to get some inspiration from all those weird and intolerable customers. Even negative emotions can be good fuel for creativity!
That being said I know what you mean by being hard on yourself when you've undertaken a task and end up failing. I've a lot of experience in failing and all those failures have slowly carved away at my self confidence, little by little. After ~15 years of (failed) creative endeavors I feel pretty shallow. It hurts worse every time! Speaking from an RPG perspective, I guess you could say that "Fail DMG" is cumulative in nature, aye?

On a personal note, I'm actually (kinda) unemployed this November so I do hope I'll be able to write those 50.000 words. But honestly, I'm not to confident about actually succeeding in doing it anyway. Probably because I've never, ever finished writing something so wordy before. But even if I estimate my chances of success being less than 50% (based on nothing but my own feelings and fears), I'm still going to do it!

If you do decide to participate I hope you'll participate in this thread as well and share your progress!

 

[Marquise*]

I will try to finish the last year one as practice for another year.

 

[Canini]

I actually managed to complete the nanowrimo in 2015 and I feel that it was enough for me, as I had a throughly miserable time. That said I definately understand its purpose. Just like I put up a new goal in the "monthly goal" thread and almost always fail it is not so much about suceeding but continually trying since it is always better than doing nothing. However, since proving I can actually do it once I feel that I should take writing at my own pace from now on.

 

[Parallax Panda]

@Marquise*
That's a noble pursuit! How many words in are you and how many are you aiming for? Feel free to share your progress here with the rest of us!

@Canini
It's funny you should say that. I'm positive I'll have a somewhat miserable time as well, but for me that's kind of the point of it. I'm going to suffer as I'll constantly have to resist the urge of re-writing bad sentences to please my perfectionist side. I also know that it will be hard to keep up and write ~1700 words every day so at some point I'm bound to fall behind, and that'll means sleep deprived late night writing ...ugh..

 

[Marquise*]

@Parallax Panda I think I was about 4 or 8 pages I don't know if I was at 2000 or 20 000 words. But I got tomorrow to finish October goals too.

 

[Parallax Panda]

In my timezone there is about ~6 hours left until November 1st 00:01... soon the agony will start!

@Marquise* Hehe, okey. There's a BIG difference between having written 2000 and 20.000 words though!
Anyway, whatever it is I hope you'll finish your Novel this November. Let's both do our best!

 

[starlight dream]

Well it's Oct.31 here (almost dawn) so I get the whole day to decide if I'll join and what to work on. I'll probably bend the rules to less words as a total & see how much progress I can do on a story in a month. Any progress is good.
Let's tame that Perfectionist!! ^^b

I've a lot of experience in failing and all those failures have slowly carved away at my self confidence, little by little. After ~15 years of (failed) creative endeavors I feel pretty shallow. It hurts worse every time! Speaking from an RPG perspective, I guess you could say that "Fail DMG" is cumulative in nature, aye?

I relate to that. This year I've been feeling pretty jaded to work on anything. But I find that all the creative energy on these forums, in a non-competitive setting has motivated me to write again.

To be fair, writers are only known for their successes. But the struggles and the "failures" are part of their life but there is so little focus on them that it's difficult for others to see the challenges they'll meet on that road. So you end up in a situation where you take 15 years of effort and learning and discard them as failures. It's certainly experience that you needed to gather anyway

I was thinking how most activities, you can learn about them by watching someone doing them. But writing is so private, that we don't get a first-hand sense of the activity, nor the lifestyle that surrounds it. We have to find our own jolly way.

Practice makes better. It improves the technical side, but also teaches us how to deal with our own body and mind. How to keep ourselves strong and healthy in the process. Have fun though.

Good writing to all participants!

 

[Parallax Panda]

@starlight dream
Bending the rules a little is totally fine, I think it's even suggested on the NaNoWriMo homepage as an alternative? As I mentioned earlier I'm not writing a traditional novel myself, but a script for a VN (but I'm still aiming for the 50.000 word count! God save me!).
Anyway. There are now ~2hours until midnight where I live and since I plan to start writing as soon as the clock strikes 00:01... I'm going to go for a walk and clear my head. Maybe stack up on some chocolate or something to keep me going for a few hours before I sleep.

By the way, happy Halloween!

 

[esterk]

Yeah I'm gonna attempt it, but I know I won't hit the 50,000 word milestone. Still, writing is a fun creative outlet and I've been wanting to gat back into it so this is a good excuse to at least jump back in.

 

[bgillisp]

Still debating, we will see. Still I wish this was in January instead as I'm usually off a high percentage of that month due to winter break. In fact, I'd say a high % ofmy game making productivity comes from that gap from New Years to when the term starts for me.

 

[Sami-Fire64]

I'm patiently waiting for NaNoWriMo to begin, I say as I casually stack up more and more projects for myself. I intend to continue a novel I started; it'll be nice getting reacquainted with that world after zig-zagging elsewhere for so long. I hope to make this year a winner- I've only won my very first year (that was... 2010, I think?). Came close last year, but life/my thesis tanked me at the very end.

 

[TeiRaven]

Ah, heck, I committed to it. Regrets will soon be had, heads will be banged on keyboards, and wails of "WHY, SELF, WHY" will soon echo through my town...but hey, it won't write itself. I am not starting at midnight, though--I have work in the morning and I value sleep a lot XD

Anyone else on the NaNo site? I'm Tei Raven, if you want to add me as a writing buddy over there. The Reference Desk forum is a gift from the gods.

 

[Marsigne]

Last year was my first time on NaNoWriMo. I thought I could do half of the goal at most due to my writing style and my inexperience, but I ended up completing the goal anyways due to the constant encouragament and motivation from reading their articles. Inspired by an author who had progressive higher goals per year, I'm going to write 100k this year instead of the usual 50k. Last year I was a plantser, but this year I'm going to be a pantser. Oh boy, wish me luck! Although it being a sequel to another (my first one last year) makes things significantly easier, lol.

Here's my profile if anyone wants to add me: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/marsigne/

 

[Parallax Panda]

Since a few of you mentioned your profiles on the official NaNoWriMo website, here's mine: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/leomyra
Anyone may feel free to add me as a writing buddy!

@esterk
You never know until you try, just write as much as possible and pat yourself on the back at the end of the month!

@bgillisp
I'll hope you'll join in. But in case you can't there is nothing stopping you from challenging yourself in January (although I personally find it easier to do it when I know a lot of other people are also doing it).

@Sami-Fire64
I guess we're in different time-zones when you wrote that I was already in Scrivener, panicking over my opening scene...

@TeiRaven
That's the spirit! Let's do this! I'm on their site too, and I've added you as a buddy!

@Marsigne
Wow! That's a hefty goal mate! I hope you make it! I wouldn't even dream of being able to put that many words down in one month but then again, I'm very inexperienced!I've added you as a buddy on the NaNoWriMo site though!

Okay, back to Scrivener and my (almost) blank page. My late night strategy was a mistake. I realized around 04:00 in the morning that I had only been eating candy the whole day (Halloween.. yaaay!) and not a single bite of real food. No wonder I was headbutting the keyboard.
Today (technically the same day) I'll make up for that! Fight!

 

[starlight dream]

@Parallax Panda Fight that evil perfectionist slime-monster!!! Only you can bring hope to the people of ScribbleTown!

All an excuse to munch on candy? Why didn't I think of that?

Oh and your latest comment was nearly 250 words! XD It's like typing a few wordy forum comments on each day... goal reached! ^^

 

[Parallax Panda]

@starlight dream
Haha, yeah I thought about that myself. I have a knack for writing text-walls on forums but fiction doesn't come as easy to me - unfortunately. However, that slime monster is going to feel my wrath today!¤=[]:::::> ⁾⁾