NaNoWriMo 2009- Over for another year!

*pours a gallon of coffee into the IV drip*

Have you participated in NaNo before?
Yes, for the last two years.

Have you ever won?
Yes, both times. It was insane but very rewarding.

Any advice?
Write. Write. Write. Don't worry about plot holes or that much of it is complete nonsense. There are eleven more months for editing. Don't panic. Realize you may go through large amounts of coffee. People may think you're crazy. Winning is very rewarding, but so is being crazy enough to try it. Go for it. Enjoy your story.

Of course I'm in. I'm writing complete crack- a crazy story about dinosaurs and dragons, mad scientists, Sharpie on expensive wallpaper, and an opportunity to kill off my evil boss in literary form.

This is probably a hideously bad idea what with my course load and other obligations, but I see no reason not to at least try.

 

Well, I finally signed up this year. Don't know if I'll actually finish or not, but I'm going to try. My id over there is KristinOhman.

This is my first time.

 

I am still mulling over the question.
I did it last year and won.
Since I didn't achieve waht I wanted (a completed first draft) despite getting to 50k I didn't feel like winning, though.
I consider picking up where I left off last year. I'm only half to two-thirds through the story...

 

I'd like to participate...I've got several good ideas, nothing concrete. I just don't know if I should or have the time. Any ideas?

 

They have a Script Frenzy in April.

Hm... I may change my mind about the Pokemon story... I may do a Harry Potter story, but the thing is, I'm not sure the plot for the HP story will take 50,000 words to write! It's a love triangle between three very unlikely characters: Hermione/Dudley/Luna Lovegood. Obviously, it's mainly going to be a humor piece if i do write it, but like I said, I don't think it'll be a 50k story... though giving an explanation of how Dudley would actually meet Luna, let alone fall in love with both her and Hermione could take up half of it

 

This is my first year trying. I heard about this for the first time last year, I believe, but I didn't feel up to the challenge. I think I have a bit more experience writing now, though, and besides, the original-fiction plot bunnies have been beginning for release!

 

I haven't had much homework and have been finding my nights filled with tinkering on old fics that I think I might finish someday but wonder if I ever will.

I so want to sign up, though.

I would really like to actually complete something all the way through in my life.

 

Wow, those all sound interesting, Ish. Very interesting. That Harry Potter-esk one sounds really interesting in particular...and the Matchmaker's Apprentice sounds like it'll be funny, too.

Mine are all set in the same fantasy world, each with about two hundred years between them. It's not standard fantasy, though. It should prove to be very interesting...

 

Thanks, Rau. The Harryesque one was inspired by a scene in one of the Matrix movies where Neo and the Oracle are talking, he asserts that he knows she's on his side and she just gives him this look and asks how he knows. Then my brain wanted to write a story about someone who didn't realize that their mentor was actually their adversary. From that came the plotline of someone having lost short-term memory in a car accident and not realizing that the people trying to help her were actually the people she opposed. Then, one night, I had this really funky dream about my main character being chased across the streets of Philadelphia by a group of attackers. During the dream, there was no dialogue, but my brain kept up a running commentary on "By the way, the reason she's running away from them is _____." I'd never had a dream where my villain was explained to me. I was quite amused and thrilled by it.

Matchmaker's Apprentice was inspired by, what else, Fiddler on the Roof. And one of my main characters, cursed be his name, decided that he wanted to change the ending on me.

 

I've updated the participants list. I went ahead and put the people who said they were thinking about it on the list... you all know you'll do it anyway!


I guess I should answer the questions. This is my third NaNo, I failed pretty spectacularly the first year with only a little over 8K. Last year I failed with around 20k, which I guess is still a pretty spectacular fail as well. Those two years I was still in college and getting ready to take finals so I hope to have much more time this year!

My advice for the noobs would be to turn off your automatic spell checker; you can check spelling in December. Also, don't let yourself get settled into a false sense of security. You may be ahead now but soon you may find yourself way behind... write every single day, even if it's crap and doesn't make any sense.

 

My problem is that, since I'm an English major, a beta-reader and someone who is obsessed with good literature, I am incapable of turning off the internal editor. So I nitpick my stuff to death and then end up writing crap for the last 5 chapters.

 

Put me down! I've got some new icons for this year, but no internet connection so I can't upload them.

 

Sign me up. Again

This will be my fourth NaNo and, hopefully, third win. This year I'm doing steampunk time-travel with the odd whale, which is actually fairly tame compared to some of the idiocy I've spewed in the past.

Only advice I can offer is to use the NaNo forums' regional lounges - get a group going in your area. Last year, having a group of similarly crazy people around helped immeasurably. I also met my boyfriend, so . . . yeah. Who knows?

EDIT: I'm Atheling on the NaNo forums.

 

Well, if you've gone and signed me up already, I might as well ...


Oh hey, advice for newcomers:

- plan it out in advance if you can. I stuck 30 Post-Its to a wall, each with a plot point on it, with the intention of writing 2000 words per plot point every day - it didn't quite work out that way (the first few ended up as more like 5000 over 2 days each, or something) but it definitely helped.

- word wars! regional forums! word wars with your regional forum!

- Write or Die <3

 

I've mentioned the icons in MS. NYCitygurl says she has some but I'll bet most of them have 2008 dates in them. Moosemousse - when you get yours loaded you or one of the Fan Fic mod can let her know where they are. I've also put a note in this week's MS Update pointing people to this thread if they are thinking of doing NaNo.

 

Hm... I'm considering posting my Nano story as I write it - misspellings, grammar mistakes, retcons placed pelmel and all (that is if I don't decide on writing an original story).

Oh, I forgot to say in this thread that I am now considering 3 different stories for this year's nano. They all will be in the young adult category. I am having trouble deciding which one to go with. Help me out and vote here!

 

Voted. Lot of people participating. Nifty.

 

I like the advice on finding your regional group! I was on my regional boards last year, but never went to any of the meet-ups. I think now I will, seeing how my BF who normally does NaNo with me is in the Navy and therefore incomunicado at present. I think it will help to have the support of other crazy people!

Btw, my name over on NaNo is soaringsoprano

~Celeste

 

Idea overload...somebody help! I really need to get it down to one good one instead of three.

 

I can give suggestions/brainstorm.

 

Well, thanks to those who gave their two-cents worth on which story to write, I will be writing my original story... so, I won't be posting it here. It's a diary of a girl who's family goes camping and they don't come back to civilization when WWIII breaks out.

 

Yay. So, who is WWIII between?

 

On the one side, I have USA, England, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, South Korea, Japan and Israel.

The other side consists of Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan, (pretty much most of the other Arab countries}China and North Korea.

 

I've been tempted to do this for the last few years and I've probably lost my mind but...I signed up.

It'll be interesting to see how I do...

 

Anyone who signs up has lost their mind, KELIA! At least you're not alone!

It's been a few days so here's a new discussion question:

What are your must haves for NaNo? Food, Beverage, Candy, Music, writing implements? etc.



Mav's list:
MacBook Pro
My new trial version of Scriviner which I've promised myself I would buy as a reward if I win! If you have a mac and haven't tried it out, you should, it rocks!
Dots/M&M's/twislers
Diet Dr. Pepper/coffee/tea
Notebook for when I can't use my laptop
prescription drug pens- because they write the best!
post-its for making random notes at random times and being able to stick them somewhere!
iPhone for writing while at work/music
Robin Hood Prince of Thieves soundtrack, Jurassic Park soundtrack