[NaNo] -National Novel Writing Month- Over for another year. :(

Count me out this year. I couldn't finish my last one and I still can't get myself to even be in the same room with it. I'm considering taking what I have, chopping it down to a novella, and salvaging it that way. I just couldn't sustain the idea for a novel. And this year, I can assure you that I have no ideas to sustain for a novel, either.

I'm in for my third attempt. I got up to 18,000 last year, so hopefully I can make it a bit closer this time around.

I think, somewhat regrettably, that I'll have to sit this one out. Having just begun a new work of some size, I'm not inclined to put it on hold for NaNo. I have succeeded in the past, twice, with mixed results: the first efforts resulted in a 100,000 work I was quite happy with, the second resulted in me discovering, 70,000 words in, that I as writing for characters who I truly did not understand or empathize with and had to be completely junked. Pushing that hard and fast brings a fairly substantial risk/reward factor with it.

I'd still encourage everyone to try though, and will make a point to try and accumulate 50,000 words worth of prose during the month, even if I may not match the contest rules in doing so.

Haven't decided yet for this year, November promises to be a chaotic month already. *sigh* But I did finish in 2010 after an 'attempt' (quickly abandoned) in 2009 at the urging of a friend. Took last year off as I was quite immersed in a big fanfic at the time.
I haven't tackled any serious original fic writing in a LONG time though so I'm hoping I can encourage myself to jump into this.

I've wanted to do NaNo since I found out about it in 2009. Sadly, because of Darth High School and now her big sister Darth University, I have yet to be able to participate. I just looked at my calendar and November is already looking crazy. I have one research project due in the middle of the month and two papers due at the end, on top of preparing for exams. Plus I already have a novella on the go that won't be 50,000 words anyways and won't be finished by novemeber. It looks like I will have to cheer on from the sidelines yet again.

However, come July, I'll probably be ready to start my first novel, so hopefully I'll be able to participate in JulNaNo!

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know of someone who actually won NaNo while going to school full time (and lived to tell the tale)? I'm sure there has been, and it would be interesting to talk to them.

Yah, my friend who got me into it in 2009 finished it in 2008 while a sophomore at college. Unfortunately, she is not a Star Wars nerd or fanfic writer, but I do know that she was very conscious of her day-to-day word count, and made a big effort to make up the extra words if she did not hit 1,667 on any given day. She had post-its all over her desk with her daily and total word count, and how many she would need to stay on track.

She did start it in 2009 and 2010 and never got very far off the ground, so I think it really can be dependent on your school workload, not to mention extracurricular and job factors on top of it.

I was perusing the website and there's a forum area just for students.

Hypothetically, if I were to do it, I'd probably set a 25,000 word goal and try to finish my novella (I'm already at 8000 words in). I may still try it knowing it will be a personal victory if I get to 25k. I guess I have a month to decide and I'll see how much I can get ahead on my school work in that time. It might be an experience to try.

@Briannakin I've won it five years running so far, and three were while I was at uni doing a full time degree. I never really went out though and I suffer from insomnia a lot, so spending all evening and night writing was something I did a few times. But yeah, take your time with it and don't worry about daily goals. I've had days where I've not written a single word and days when I've written several thousand. Just keep your eyes on the prize and don't fret if you're behind.

Oh, and count me in. I first did it a decade ago but didn't get very far as I didn't know about the website and stuff. A friend just mentioned it on her livejournal and I thought 'ooh, good idea'. The last five years have all been winners for me though, and the only other times I've done it.

Right, advice. Hrmm. Don't worry about word count too much, would be some good advice. Obviously you're going to want to get 50,000 at the end, but don't worry if you don't meet the daily goal or you fall behind. Some days will be good and some will be bad. And don't feel disappointed if you can't make it either. I think you're a winner just for trying, because it's something most people will never do.

Oh, and this is my stats page for last year. As you can see I was way behind for most of the month but I still won.

I'm going to try Nano this year, even though I'm not sure if I can win since I'm going out of town one weekend. I need to start writing the sequel to my original novel, and I figure this will be a good kick in the pants for me.

I did Nano and won in 2010 and 2011, writing fanfic. This will be my first attempt writing original fiction.

Advice for newbies? Find friends and challenge them with word wars.

When you submit your story to them for verification do they post them online? What if you write something and you don't want it publically posted? Can you still compete then?

Nothing is posted online. They don't even keep the story in their servers.

(Trust me, I know. I lost four chapters of my Nano story last December and tried desperately to get them back. The Nano people said it wasn't possible.)

Good, because if I try original fiction I don't want to embarrass myself. If fanfiction is okay I think I may try it. I wanted to write a sequel to Second to None. Maybe this will force me to do so.

I have ideas for my new character Ivano Arvedai now appearing in "Inferno"

The obligatory first question and answers

Have you done NaNo before? Absolutely! I can't believe it took me so long to jump into NaNo.
How many times? I believe this will make it my third year.
Have you won? Yeah, but I set my own goals - 80K first year and 100K the next - and met /exceeded them. This year I'm just going to try for the 50K since life's been interesting and weird.
What is your advice for someone who has never done NaNo? Write! Write write write! It doesn't have to be good or up to standard or even make sense initially - that's what revision is for *after* you've finished it - but the big thing is to get the ideas down. So yes; write write write - even if you don't like it initially, later you can always go back after the end of November [never edit during] and cut and crop and rewrite to your heart's content!

As for name at NaNo? The same

I'll take part if I can finish plotting this story before November... it'll be original fiction again this year for me. I've done it before, I think I've done it four times now, and won every time.

I actually got into it at college, so yes, it's possible to do it while at uni full-time! Actually, I was a grad student when I did NaNo for the first time. I was writing my thesis in the second year. I wrote my thesis about fantasy and fanfic writers, though, so NaNo sort of counted as research. Sort of. (Not really.) But it's definitely possible! It just takes a bit of time management, and fast typing, both of which I had to learn at uni anyway, so yeah.

My advice to someone who's new to NaNo is - write notes beforehand! Some people like to make it up as they go, which is fine too, but if you're someone who needs an outline and so on, make sure you have one before you start. I get completely lost without one, and that's not good when the pressure's on. I always write out plot notes and character files and do some research during October so that I know what I'm doing once November starts. Aside from that - just write. Keep writing. Don't worry about quality, don't worry about anything except the next 100 words. You can edit later.

I'm going for it again this year and will be making a much more serious attempt than I have the last couple times. I'm preparing to be a recluse in November. This year I also will be trying much harder to have some sort of outline or list of plot points done ahead of time-- I inevitably get stuck if I don't feel confident of where the story is going, and I run out of plot steam very fast. My NaNo account name is chrononaut67.

I'm going to try again... though all I seem to have is poetry right now.

-DaenaBenjen42 (who, no, isn't switching user names...)

I'm in. I've got to go sign up. Maybe this will be the first time I don't get distracted by something else. "It's all about the writing!" Woot! Woot!