NaNoWriMo 2007

HELP!!!!

2007-11-30T17:31:14Z

Sickness, family issues, work craziness, etc. has prevented me from getting even 20k done by today. It's my third NaNo and the worst I've done on word count, BUT with the best idea/planning ever. I'm hoping to continue to write it until the story is finished, even after November is over.

Is anyone else in a similar sticky situation? Wanna be writing buddies so we can encourage each other? Any advice from others who have had this happen before?!

Phew!

2007-11-28T17:16:35Z

Thanks for all the support, guys! Uploaded 50,250 words today! Going to take a bit of a break from it now and going out for dinner to celebrate! Whoo!

Another little question (too be fixed in later editing...

2007-11-24T21:37:24Z

If I was writing about a queen, is queen capatalized in a sentence such as:

"The queen would not approve."

It is referring to specific person, but it's not her name.

I made it!

2007-11-24T16:35:19Z

I made it!

I actually wrote 50,000+ words which now resembles what looks like a novel. The characters are there, the settings are there and the plot is there. It needs tons of editing and rewrites but the feeling of accomplishment is unmatched.

I now realized what writers refer to as letting your character speak and the story will flow. The power of creating something out of nothing is exhilirating.

I encourage Nanowrimo participants to forge ahead, do not quit. WRITE ON!

2007nanowrimo @ 2007-11-22T15:01:00

2007-11-22T21:01:37Z

I need this for my plot and I am going to make a analogy to Charmed so if you have seen that it might help. In Charmed, there was a prophesy that starting with Melinda Warren who was burned at the stake that her line would pass from daughter to daughter getting stronger and stronger until it culminated in the Charmed Ones. How did the magic get stronger and stronger if each father was mortal?

A need an opinion

2007-11-22T02:45:21Z

So, I have a character who's name is Dirt. He was a fairy slave. He's re entered the human world and has officially changed his name. If you were reading a story like this, would it be too confusing if he was no longer referred to as Dirt. Since he officially changed his name, I've been writing the new name. I'm a little worried that it's not the best plan.

Basically, should I keep calling him Dirt or should I actually change his name to Jim (which I did)?

:DDDDDDD

2007-11-20T08:59:59Z

I don't even care :D This post is totally useless for all of you, and I really don't care.

I was stuck on 11k words. For eleven days. For almost two weeks I barely managed 800 words (that was bringing it up from 10,221)

I just hit 30,006. I've been writing since 11pm Sunday. The only break I took was a 1hour class, then I skipped the rest, took a 2-hour nap, and wrote more. I haven't eaten. I don't want to sleep.

I'm confident enough that I'll make it, that I went and changed all my shit on the NaNo website. The other novel I was working on was at over 36k, so it's thrown off my stats a LOT, but I don't care.

8D I really just don't effing care, I'm so ecstatic. Share your success pls. Maybe this post will help others who are struggling.

2898

2007-11-20T04:39:30Z

That's how many words I am supposed to write on my 2007nanowrimo NaNovel (which is set on myraworld, of course) per day in order to make the November 30 deadline. Not yet overpowering.

In other news, Myra is under attack - on Uthrin, the only english-language game shard on Midgard (read: Middle-Earth) in http://fight-for-midgard.com, the poorly translated version of http://kampf-um-mittelerde.de (where "Myra auf Mittelerde" is continuing to be a stable force on the 'expert shard' Miloth). So all my not-strictly-working time is drawn away from my NaNovel at the moment, to put some energy into a completely different part of the overall MYRA efforts.

Bear with me, for I will finish with a respectable wordcount, more or less in time, and later see what of the hastily typed material (most done in sprints) can be used, edited and published, possibly in bits and pieces, later.

What are your plans with your NaNovel, finished or not, once NaNoWriMo is over? Will you edit? Self-publish? Forget it?

2007nanowrimo @ 2007-11-19T16:19:00

2007-11-19T23:23:38Z

... okay so, I might be in a bit of a tight spot.

Primarily, aside from drawing, writing, and of course real life, I am a gamer. This, I've found, is very dangerous for people trying to write a novel this long in a one month timespan. Especially since my birthday was October 25th and I received three games then, but a highly-anticipated title was just released a week ago and I picked it up.

Now, less than a week since I got it, I've already fully completed that brand new game. But I'm still sitting at just under 13000 words.

What do I do? It seems like it's too late to finish. I'm not a quitter, so I intend to at least keep writing, but... anyone know a good way to break a habit that's holding me back right now, and convince me that my games will still be there in December? (It does not help that my novel was originally intended to be a roleplaying game parody, and will probably still end up being long enough to be one.)

2007nanowrimo @ 2007-11-19T17:30:00

2007-11-19T17:43:00Z

Odd question, I know, but how long is your average novel, wordwise? Is 50,000 a pretty average word count for a novel or is it short? I was wondering cos afterwards I was thinking about getting in contact with a couple of agents and publishers.

This is my wordcount so far

NaNo time, Ya'll 8F

2007-11-19T17:06:16Z

I'm happy :D I've been neglecting Anthony and Lorien, but the novel I initially began with is slowly catching up. I'm creeping up on 27,000 words now! It's not much, but I started at just barely 11,000.

I'd hate to jinx myself, but I think I'll be caught up by Monday! Especially considering the break.

Which brings me to this: How are you guys (who are actually visiting relatives etc.) going to get away with spending your whole vacation on your computer? I haven't told anyone in my family, and I know my grandma will be upset if I spend the whole time on my laptop (not that she'd ever show it). Still, I'm so close, I can't just leave it alone.

Another novel excerpt

2007-11-15T15:09:35Z

I posted a near-complete chapter excerpt on my journal if anyone is interested...

The whole burst thing has gotten me around 4k words in almost as many hours. I just need to find more hours, up the ratio a tiny bit, and I might be able to do this thing.

If I don't finish by November though, I'm not giving up. Even if I do and the story isn't finished... I don't think I'll stop.

"Casting" novels

2007-11-15T13:01:43Z

When I'm writing anything involving original characters, I always seem to end up basing my characters' physical appearances and sometimes voices on those of actors I like. I think this is mostly because it helps me to visualise the character in the early stages (and it's a fun way to procrastinate from writing, lol) I make alterations to the basic template, as it were, as is necessary/appropriate, but I almost always have an idea in my head of 'who would play this character in the movie version.' :)

Does anybody else do this or something similar? Anybody want to share their 'cast'? :D

Main character 1 (Tom) - late thirty-ish, police officer, educated Northern English accent, shortish, light build. Sort of combo of John Simm and a younger Frazer Hines, but sounds more like a younger Robert (or Phil!) Glenister (with a light northern (English) accent).

Main character 2 (Michael) - mid thirties, tallish and lanky, red-brown hair and beard, Scottish ancestry, slight Canadian accent. Looks and sounds quite a lot like Billy Campbell but a bit more ginger ;) Or possibly a taller and bearded Ewan McGregor with a touch of Joe Kucan in voice and manner.

Secondary character 1 (William) - elderly, senile Scottish peer, given to moments of paranoia. Looks like Derek Jacobi.
Secondary character 2 (Stephen) - similar to above but much more cadaverous; vulture-like. Michael Gambon or Ian McKellen.
Secondary character 3 (Freda) - elderly housekeeper, plump, beaming, warm-hearted and motherly. Fionnula Flanagan

Just Curious

2007-11-15T11:21:36Z

Thanks to everyone who replied to my last post. It was truly helpful. I was just wanted to get some opinions on characters with accents. One of the characters in my story has a strange accent that is probably unique to my world. What I did was write it in plain English, have my character think about how much she likes his accent, provide an example, and then continued writing in plain English again. I think it works for me and my story, so I don't really need any advice, I was just curious to see how other people handled characters with accents. Here an excerpt of what i did.

"I'm Sol Hausan and this class is Ethnic Studies 4, if you don't belong in this class, please leave. If you aren't planning to work or do the reading, please leave this class. I will not tolerate people slacking off in this class," the professor stated with a light Crescendian accent, which sounded like a mix between Jamaican and British. Sora liked his accent. She liked the way 'th' was more like just regular t's so his statement was more like "Tis class is Etnic studies 4... please leave tis class."

In my head I get the impression that he sounds a bit like a male version of Tia Dalma. just not as thick. Lol.

btw, does anyone know how to cross post these things so I don't have to keep copying and pasting all the time. lol.

Two Words

2007-11-15T05:32:57Z

"Chapter Thirteen"

No, I didn't post it. Those are the only two words I've written for it. My idea for this chapter is still mostly dim shapes in a fog. I think the first word of the chapter starts with an "L". But it could be a "G" or a "W". I know they don't look alike, but those are the letters that I'm seeing. I think it is "L". Now if I could just put the rest of the word together and then follow it by some more words that would make a complete sentence, I could start writing the chapter, but I think that for today my total word count is "2".

Why is it that "2" looks so much worse than "0"? I'm embarrassed to change my word count on Nano. It's a rounding error, not a word count. That is why "0" looks better. It is absolute. Nothing done, nothing tried, nothing accomplished. "2" looks like I just recounted and discovered an error, or I unhyphenated a couple of words someplace to squeeze out just a couple more.

"2".

I think there is something about an island and natives crossing the water to the mainland wearing feathered headdresses. Those are the only shapes I see in the fog.

And the letter "L".

I have two dilemmas

2007-11-14T09:18:20Z

Okay, first I have characters that are similar to demons in my story, but they are called animari instead. (demon being a derogatory term in my world). I was wondering how to introduce the society as whole without people getting confused. Do I create a little prologue or intro describing the world so people know what to expect, or do I give it in small doses throughout the story. I don't want my readers getting confused. Any ideas will be appreciated.

I also had another dilemma. I know alot of people write sex scenes to up their word count, but do you do it even if it might be out of place? I need to up my word count, but adding too many sex scenes might take away from the more important sex scenes in the story. I was wondering if anybody had this same problem or had a solution to it. Do you choose word count over scene?

2007nanowrimo @ 2007-11-14T02:59:00

2007-11-14T08:02:10Z

Is anyone else getting seriously depressed any time they look at their wordcount and realise they're only half way there?

It should be happy. I thought it would be :[ I'm hoping it'll go away by the next quartermark.

3: I'm sorry for such a useless post, I just need someone to gripe at <3

Author Search is Up and Running

2007-11-12T12:11:09Z

Now that the beloved Author Search is up and running, should we make another post of people's NaNoWriMo profile names. I know we've done this before, but for people who are still looking for writing buddies, it should be easier now that the author search is up.

Mine is sorakainomori. Add me up. ^_^.

2007nanowrimo @ 2007-11-11T20:56:00

2007-11-12T02:07:45Z

I think I may need to give into NaNoWriMo this year. The reason?
Last spring, I got a repetitive sprain in my right wrist from writing, typing and drawing too much. Now, my wrist has begun to hurt again and this time, I think I really should take a break from all unnecessary, non-school related things, like nanowrimo.

It sucks. This is my first year attempting and even though I'm 10,000 words behind schedule, I thought I might really have a chance.
Since I really don't want to give up so early, I was wondering if anyone else has problems with their wrist and typing and what they do to soothe the pain.
Or if anyone knows anything that could not make my wrist hurt when I type. I have a wrist brace but it's really awkward to type and write with so I'm hoping someone knows something less bulky.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

2007nanowrimo @ 2007-11-11T20:20:00

2007-11-11T20:27:29Z

I'm really pleased with my novel so far, I'm at a point where I can write and write and write about what's going on in it with no problem, whereas the past few days I've really struggled with the content because I feel like I was trying to write too many events too quickly. I think its because we've been working really hard in the evenings as well as at weekends and I've been lacking in concentration.

Here is my word count:

This is one huge mess.

2007-11-11T19:28:36Z

So right now my story is making me rather dizzy. 3 different plots, and only two of them are remotely related.

Main plot - Kelsey can't let go of her grudge towards Trevor, even though he's dead. She hurts people and herself in the process and she just needs to learn to let go. She needs to be reminded about Grace.

Brian/Anita main sub-story plot that's related to the main plot - under the guise of a pseudo Harry potter Original fic Brian is able to release his family's grudge towards his aunt and embrace his cousin as any other family member.

Severus Snape pre-DH fan fic - will bleed into DH after I'm done with this book that my MC likes doctoring, but totally unrelated to the plot. It's also hard to try and write this kind of fic since the main story is in 2005, after Half-Blood Prince had been released and theories about Snape were beginning to become more defined (e.g. Snape loved Lily, Snape: Good or Death Eater), and other theories began to sprout, like Harrycrux (I freely admit I thought this was too obvious and not in Jo's style and therefore it couldn't be true)

Story with in a story - Kelsey has to write a daydream story for her English class now. I'm going to have to help her write it since it isn't exactly in her style to do so, and that's how I typically write stories.

I can hardly keep 2 and 3 and 4 straight in my head. I might have to create separate documents for both stories just so that I can keep track of those two separately and not get dizzy at the thought of them just within the existence of the main story.
And on top of all this, she has to learn to forgive Trevor. Not just because of one small trespass, but because he tried to use her to cheat on his girlfriend, which makes her angry, bitter and resentful. It's all a lovely mess right now.
And on top of all this, the title has changed, and the genre has slightly changed. Still People fiction but it's also Religious. Holland is a church town. I should have known better when I was figuring out what genre this book was in. so yeah, here's the current rundown:

Title: Grace Anatomy
Genre: People/Religious
Word count: 30,020/50,000
Summary: Kelsey can't let go of her grudge towards Trevor, even though he's dead. She hurts people and herself in the process and she just needs to learn to let go. She needs to be reminded about Grace.

CAN ANYONE HELP?

2007-11-10T15:24:55Z

In my novel, which is set in 1995, I have a character who's a solicitor, and he's the consultant solicitor to the Metropolitan police (and maybe the home counties police) in the UK. The police contact him as an expert in gun law in this country, and he sometimes has to give evidence in court. He's not a ballistics expert though, just an expert on the firearms law. Does anyone have any ideas hat's his consultancy job title might be please? I asked on the Nano forums, but got no answers.

Progress reports

2007-11-10T14:01:08Z

Let's see 'em! They just opened up the widget part of the site, so I'm curious as to what other people's progress reports look like. To find yours, go here and scroll down until you get to progress report.

Mine is here.

And you can see my month so far in this little widget:

I'm very happy to see not one, but TWO dark green spots, which means twice so far I've done really well and exceeded the minimum. This is especially great as I sat down to write yesterday afternoon and just stared at it for awhile, clueless as to where to go, and then ended up writing nearly 2000 words in the next couple hours after that. I'm hoping that tomorrow will be one of those big days as well. My goal for the weekend is to get to 22k. It's completely doable if I just settle down and write, especially tomorrow when I have no plans.

Titles?

2007-11-09T20:53:35Z

Does anyone NOT have a title for their Nano piece yet? I'm over 17,000 words in, and I still can't figure out a good title.

And!, for those who do have a title, what is it? I'm quite curious. :)

gladiators, fight club, and concealed weaponry; oh my!

2007-11-09T20:17:55Z

plot question.

the world i'm building is *basically* primitive, with no mention of cars/computers/airplanes/etc. it's very middle eastern in feel (like saudi arabia or egypt, perhaps), a desert, and the weaponry used is pre-invention of the gun. so there's knives and swords and bows, but no gunpowder or modern weaponry.

so here's my scene: there's a gladiatorial-esque exhibition match between two assassins that is being viewed by a very noisy crowd of soldiers, assassins, mercenaries and warriors. one assassin uses knives exclusively. one uses brute force (with the force being accentuated by a set of... armored gloves, which also increases the force of his hits). they are to disarm and use something similar to yawara/pasak/dulodulo as a blunted method of exhibiting their skills and 'kills'.

now that that's been set up, here's the question.

is it possible to allow these to flare/light up/ding/make a *loud* noise/etc when they are used in a killing move? that is, to say, for example, if the stick made a motion that would be a throat slice on the opponent, could it light or flare or something? or, for a change of character, could it ding really loudly if mr. brute force made a punch that would stop the heart (for instance)?

or, because there is no mention of other technology, would we have to rely on the honesty of the assassins involved, and the judges of the match?

all help is greatly appreciated.