National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) 2010: is over. :( Come in and see who won!

Are you pre-planning? Outlining? Or are you a fly by the seat of your pants NaNoer and have no idea what your writing about, much less who your characters are? Have you used this method of writing before? If yes, how did it work for you? If No, why are you changing your method?

I use character sheets and a rough diagram. I like to figure out the beginning, climax and end. Following a strict outline limits my creative process.

 

As am I...

 

I suppose I'll bite on this, maybe it will give me the motive to stick with a Kalat Arm novel long enough to make it complete.

 

I'm thinking of writing NaNo on my Google Docs, since my computer is getting older and the hard drive is really full. I've been meaning to back up my computer anyhow- my old computer died right after NaNo two years ago. It was scary.

 

blech. I went back and read last year's, and I can't stand it. That's going to make it even harder now--I know I don't write half as well without going back and editing. I'm going to have to do some serious planning so it doesn't get to me this time. grrr...

 

I read my completed novel from my first year a while ago and it was so laughable in a few ways, but mostly these horse-riding magic users were throwing around medical terminology like they were ER fanatics.

 

Ish, that sounds awesome.

 

This would be my sixth year participating.

The stories from the past few years are so horrifyingly awful that I just have to do better this year.
And maybe actually not write a fanfic.

Fanfic tends to distract me from original stories.

 

They say third time's the charm. This is my first time attempting. Hopefully, I'll actually write something this time.

 

LOL, I just discovered something worse than an internal editor: an external sister-in-law. I read her manuscript last year and gave her some helpful tips and then betaed her last 50 pages for a manuscript submission. So in recompense/retaliation, she is betaing mine. Luckily, she does have some good things to say, but she is incredibly good at pointing out what I should be doing in revisions.

 

Honestly, I wish I had someone to do that for me. You're lucky, Ish. Flat out and painful truth when your stuff sucks is sometimes the best way to go, me thinks. Plus when you're beta has great ideas too, what else could you possibly wish for?

 

I'm a real novelist now. I just got my first rejection--"Declining with my regrets." w00t?

 

Rejections can be a good thing, though. Save them and stick them to a wall. Stephen King did that. If I remember correctly, he had received over sixty rejections until someone published his first book.

Did they at least give you a reason as to why they're rejecting your book?
Just out of curiosity, what are you writing about?

 

A good beta/editor is hard to find. A person might be skilled, but you have to be able to work with that person. The more you work with them, the better the communication. I've beta'd for people before where they don't tell me anything at all.

Rejections are a learning process. Learn from what they said, and don't take it personally. It's difficult, yes, but all you can do is dust yourself off and press forward. Leave it alone for a day or two. When I get rejections at work, I have to sleep on it before I decide to appeal.

 

The problem I've had with beta's in the past is that some don't give you an honest enough opinion, thinking it might hurt your feelings or some such. There is no written text in the world that is aboslutely perfect. Because every reader has a different opinion so it's just not possible.

Sure, I love to know what I did good in a story but I'd also like to know what sucks. How else are you going to improve yourself?

 

Things I learned from the rejection...she can't say yes to every great idea, but thanks for applying.

 

Ah well...was this for an agent or publisher?

One of my writing magazines mentioned Writers Services - you might want to check the site out.

 

Agent.

 

I think I'm gonna join in on the fun again this year and see how far it goes

 

Participants list updated.

Sorry it took me so long to respond, I've been feeling under the weather and thing at work are awful. I'll absolutely share! I'm gonna have to find my notes though so I can make sure I'm getting things right. I thought put them on my desk but evidently not. They've got to be with all my stuff from CV somewhere! If I can't find them I can always hit up dp4m for things he remembers, he was at all of them as well.


Congrats Ish on your first rejection letter! (I know that must sound sarcastic, but it's not!) Every author I've talked to say its a great accomplishment to get anything back at all!

 

Thanks, Mav. It does mean that I 1) have finished my novel and 2) am gutsy enough to be out there to face rejection. It's not as bad now.

 

I'm starting to reconsider NaNo this year. I'm hoping to go to the US when I've got my passport and I've also submitted a short story that I might need to write if it gets accepted. I don't know if any of this will happen, so I'd like to stay on the list for now. With any luck I can juggle everything and complete NaNo, but I'm not some kind of super-human.

 

mavjade: I remember you guys! I was at all the panels too and it was because of them I started writing again. And all that info I got from them is going to hopefully help me out with NaNo.

It was a crazy week for me, but hopefully starting tonight I can sit down and outline some for NaNo. I am attempting a original fic for my first time.

 

I should be working on my NaNo plot but instead I keep getting sucked into making other NaNo stuff... calendar wallpapers and spreadsheets and allll kinds of stuff. Who knew you could do so much non-novelling NaNo-related things?

If anyone wants to have a look, by the way, all the wallpapers and stuff are linked over on my writing blog, don't want to spam this thread with all of it. But I thought I'd share!

And ohhh wow, you guys, I'm getting a netbook for my graduation! And with any luck I'll have it by November! I'm REALLY excited for NaNo now.

Also, congrats on the rejection, Ishtar! It probably doesn't feel all that great, but it's an awesome first step! Getting a reaction, even a non-interested one, is brilliant!

How's everyone's plot coming along?

 

Vague main plot, a couple of characters and ideas - about the same as all the other times I've done it. I was hoping to have more time this week but we'll have to see. Tomorrow's project is to finish taking the storage heater in the bedroom apart to find out which heating element blew at 5am this morning so I can order the part. (The heater is still too hot to do it tonight). Then it will be in pieces in the bedroom til the part comes when I get to reassemble it again. Getting about 3 hours sleep and being awoken with light and sound effects isn't real conducive to Nano plotting! (Well, the light & sound effects might be.)