I've been hearing a lot of talk about the mythical beast called NaNoWriMo.
To see this strange creature in its natural habitat is new to me -- yes, I am a NaNo virgin.
The idea I could ever write 50k in a month was a major WTFlip moment...until the wip came along and the whole 1k a day extravaganza. I said if I got the wip done by the end of October, then I'd take part in NaNo. So, now I'm nearing completion with wip (8k to go. WOOT), I think I need to keep my word.
Plus, I love a challenge.
So tell me...anyone got any NaNo tips for me? Anyone want to buddy me and hold my trembling little hand if I take the plunge?
Come on...share the NaNo advice. I need to pick your brains. :)
Oh, and before I go...tomorrow there is a special Operation Awesome event announcement. Squee is not the word.
And on Thursday I will be posting the interview with the lovely Lisa Desrochers, I mean Luc Cain. And you know how testy demons can get. :)
18 comments:
Only one way to go and very helpful for any writer. :0) Don't bother about punctuation, spelling, never let your personal critic near you! Just keep writing each day whatever comes into your head. Keep going, tell your story as if you are relating this personal adventure to a friend, and write and write. You'll need lots of stamina, and if you have a story you've been longing to tell, you will have the basis of a great novel to work with at the end of the month.
Good luck.
I know you can do it Lindsay! I've considered it myself, I have this little idea I've been kicking around in my head, but the idea scares the heck out of me.
I got scared my first time trying NaNo- I barely got a paragraph in before I gave up- you I know what a wuss- but this year I plan to make it happen even if I only do 2 paragraphs- I will write! I'll be you budyy- I don't really have many either- this is only my second time at participating...
Unfortunately, I've never done NaNo either, so I don't really have a lot of advice. I've been debating whether or not to participate this year as well. It's just such bad timing, as it comes up towards the end of my semester when all the big projects hit.
I think maybe if I can get all of my pre-writing phases completed by the end of the month, I might try participating. Maybe we'll end up being newbies together. :)
Ditto to what Carole said. Just treat it as a practice novel and push onward, even if it doesn't seem to be working. If you take time to rework it right then, you'll lose valuable writing time. :)
But who am I giving advice to? Not Lindsay, who just wrote the first installment of an epic dystopian in one month? Ahem. Because THAT girl should totally be giving ME advice. ;)
p.s. Can't wait for your OA announcement tomorrow! *Squees as quitely as possible* It's gonna be awesome!
Pph! I misspelled *quietly. Some motivator I am.
Go, Lindsay!! You KNOW I'm here to hold your cyber hand. I only wish I was doing NaNo with you. *sniff*
And MAJOR SQUEE for the OA announcement tomorrow! Can't. Wait. :)
This is my first year as well! I'm listed under my name - all one word.
Last year was my first year. I'm pretty sure I'm going to do NaNo this year too. Feel free to add me as a buddy. I'm currently trying to finish my WIP so I can start fresh in November. See you there.
Lisa ~ YA Literature Lover
You can do it Lindsay! I'll hold your hand! My username is Jen_Unedited, and I'm a NaNo virgin as well, lets test the waters together and see how everything turns out!
Good luck! I'm sure you can do it - just keep pushing forward, don't try to edit... you can fix it all later!
I know that you can do it! =) I agree with what everyone else has said...don't let your inner editor out! Just write.
Yay, congratulations on the awesome progress on your WiP! And I'd love it if you'd join NaNo, too.
If you have managed to write 1k a day, NaNo shouldn't be much different. The most difficult part is to keep writing 1700 words each and every day. Many NaNo-ers try to have some plotting done in advance, so you won't be stalled in the middle of the month and 20k in. :)
Good luck!
Emy Shin (my new blog)
Do it, Lindsay! I did it last year for the first time and had a blast. It was so fun writing with all these other people. It spurred me on, and gave me the fuel to finish. I'm doing it again this year, although I haven't even plotted much yet. I need to do that.
One piece of advice that they gave really helped me: start out strong with a bunch of words. That way if there's a day you come up short, it's ok.
If you do it, I'll for sure buddy up with you! I'm under Julie Musil.
I signed up last year for the first time, and I wrote exactly.... 0 words :S....
I will be signing up again this year though because I have to conquer it! They send you a lot of positive and encouraging emails through the entire process.
I hope you will decide to join. We can do it! :)
Oh, my timing is always off for Nano. Maybe next year! If you end up doing it, I hope it works out for you!
I've done NaNo the past 2 years, but the timing isn't good this year. Still haven't decided completely against it though. It's lots of fun.
As to advice - just have fun. Full steam ahead and no looking back!
I "lost" Nano last year but that's not going to stop me this year! I'm one of the laziest people I know, so if I can do it, you can do it!! *HIGH FIVE*
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