Any books would help? Something that can help me write.

BlueLucario · Nov 25, 2008

Do you guys know of any books that can help me write a full novel in less than 30 days? I failed NaNoWrimo, and I want to try again. I don't want to spend any longer than a month to finish a book, (without outlining) because that's how long it takes to do it. I don't want to spend 10 months writing, when I could have finished by now.

No Plot? No Problem! has motivated me into doing it, but there's more to it than what the book says, or else I would have won by now.

Anyone know of any good books to get on Amazon or the bookstores? I hope I'm not asking too much.

Thank you all. I am considering taking a month's break from this forum. Starting December 1st, so I might see you again in January.

scarletpeaches · Nov 25, 2008

There's not a book written that can make you write a novel unless you really want to do it.

"Writing a book in 30 days" is a popular theme for the 'How to Write' bookshelves, but the most important ingredient is your own desire to do it.

mscelina · Nov 25, 2008

If you don't want to spend any longer than a month to finish a book, then you're wanting to write a piece of crap book. Books take as long as they take, Blue. I can crank out thousands of words per day, but I've yet to complete a book in under six months by the time you count in numerous rewrites and hard edits.

Why set yourself up for failure? You're not going to be able to write a book in 30 days, submit it to one agent, and get rich and famous. It won't happen. Just write. The book will get done when it gets done. Period.

zornhau · Nov 25, 2008

BlueLucario said:
Do you guys know of any books that can help me write a full novel in less than 30 days? I failed NaNoWrimo, and I want to try again. I don't want to spend any longer than a month to finish a book, (without outlining) because that's how long it takes to do it. I don't want to spend 10 months writing, when I could have finished by now.

No Plot? No Problem! has motivated me into doing it, but there's more to it than what the book says, or else I would have won by now.

Anyone know of any good books to get on Amazon or the bookstores? I hope I'm not asking too much.

Thank you all. I am considering taking a month's break from this forum. Starting December 1st, so I might see you again in January.

No outline?

Stephen King's "On Writing" is the book you want.

Judg · Nov 25, 2008

Sorry Blue, but this is silly. Novel-writing requires patience and perseverance. The thirty-day challenge of NaNo is good primarily to get you actually writing. It isn't a realistic timeline for most people to write a novel in, particularly if you want to write a good one. I know there are exceptions, but most novels written in thirty days are trash.

Just be disciplined in your writing and take the time it takes. It's not like you're 95 and running out of time.

scarletpeaches · Nov 25, 2008

mscelina said:
If you don't want to spend any longer than a month to finish a book, then you're wanting to write a piece of crap book. Books take as long as they take, Blue. I can crank out thousands of words per day, but I've yet to complete a book in under six months by the time you count in numerous rewrites and hard edits.

Why set yourself up for failure? You're not going to be able to write a book in 30 days, submit it to one agent, and get rich and famous. It won't happen. Just write. The book will get done when it gets done. Period.

How very dare you!

*strikes mscelina off her NaNo beta list*

mscelina · Nov 25, 2008

LOL--you know exactly what I meant, scarlettpeaches.

scarletpeaches · Nov 25, 2008

Yes. You were insinuatifying that my smexy book is crap and I ain't havin' it. NOT HAVIN' IT, I TELLS THEE!

(And there's one T in scarletpeaches, DoomBunny). :rant:

ETA: BlueLocario; if you're disciplined you could write a first draft in a month, but a manuscript-standard novel? Uh-uh. Doubt it.

BlueLucario · Nov 25, 2008

I...did sound a bit silly didn't I?

To me, this is like taking the final exam. I never want to be the last one finished. I doing things when it usually takes a lot shorter to get it done.

mscelina · Nov 25, 2008

Sorry, I'm stuttering today. Another five hours of work and I might actually manage to settle in for my first full night's sleep in ten days.

And smexy books are never crap.

mscelina · Nov 25, 2008

BlueLucario said:
I...did sound a bit silly didn't I?

To me, this is like taking the final exam. I never want to be the last one finished.

No, dear, you sound very young. You're impatient to reach a point that you don't have the tools to get to yet. We've been advising you on this for a long time now and our original advice still stands--you can't hurry the process, Blue. You've just got to learn to sit down and just DO it. Don't talk about doing it, don't dream about doing it, don't bitch about NOT doing it. Take all of that energy and apply it to your writing and you will find your way.

scarletpeaches · Nov 25, 2008

BlueLucario said:
I...did sound a bit silly didn't I?

To me, this is like taking the final exam. I never want to be the last one finished.

Blue - I'm going to call you that for short.

Blue - do you want to write a novel to beat someone else in a race, or because you can't not write?

If the former, tough. There's always someone faster and better than you.

If the latter, then who the hell cares how long it takes you to write a novel? As your career progresses you'll become more disciplined and learn to write to a deadline anyway, so for now...just pace yourself, dude.

mscelina said:
Sorry, I'm stuttering today. Another five hours of work and I might actually manage to settle in for my first full night's sleep in ten days.

And smexy books are never crap.

My book haz Farrell sprinkles.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

BlueLucario · Nov 25, 2008

scarletpeaches said:
Blue - I'm going to call you that for short.

I'm used to it.

Judg · Nov 25, 2008

Ah, I like my monikers short. Call it laziness.

Blue, we're all entitled to a little silliness. Now go write.

James D. Macdonald · Nov 25, 2008

Try Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.

Kitty Pryde · Nov 25, 2008

Can I suggest that it is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea to attempt to write a novel in the month of december while simultaneously being a student. And, if I remember your previous posts correctly, a college student who has to undergo finals, her very first college finals ever? I'm all for setting goals, but that one has fail written all over it. Why not set a goal of writing X words per day, every day, until your novel is finished? it seems less madness-inducing.

Red-Green · Nov 25, 2008

From a Red to a Blue:

You can write a draft of a novel in a month. I did. Wrote 75,000 words in August, because I could not stop. My brain was on fire.

You know what I've done since August 31? Revised and rewritten. Cut, added, juggled, dissected, and pieced back together. Recruited 9 people to read a draft and then spent weeks poring over their notes and marking up the manuscript again. Right now the book is resting for two weeks before I start back on more edits. Soo...that puts me at 4 months, and I'm 4 months ahead of you if this is a race.

Go write already. Read some books on writing, but don't be expecting some magic system that's going to help you write a book in 30 days. You just have to light yourself on fire with the urge to finish a story.

BlueLucario · Nov 25, 2008

Kitty Pryde said:
Can I suggest that it is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea to attempt to write a novel in the month of december while simultaneously being a student. And, if I remember your previous posts correctly, a college student who has to undergo finals, her very first college finals ever? I'm all for setting goals, but that one has fail written all over it. Why not set a goal of writing X words per day, every day, until your novel is finished? it seems less madness-inducing.

I...do have finals next week, and after that no more class until next year.

Thank you James MacDonald.

BlueLucario · Nov 25, 2008

I learned that the hard way. I had to put off some classwork so I could get my Nano project done.

scarletpeaches · Nov 25, 2008

Had to? No, no, no.

NaNoWriMo is about encouraging each other to write more. Yes, it's a crazy idea, but you're not meant to drop important stuff like...breathing, going to work, studying, that sort of thing.

You drop the non-essentials like a social life, or...chores.

Kalyke · Nov 25, 2008

The 50,000 word book NaNo writer's write is often a very small book. Your typical novel runs about 100K. Even the books that are done in NaNo, providing you don't cheat, are not ready to publish without a lot of editing. I am one of those who think the first draft is about creating raw material, and the subsequent edits are where the writing really happens.

Reading a book on writing is not going to really make much of a dent in anything but teaching you some techniques-- often those that you can learn in 10th grade creative writing classes. You still need the Idea, the plot, the characters, and the linguistic skills, a dictionary like memory for details and facts, a sulky turn of phrase, a hot little mind, plenty of good judgement-- and frankly-- The heart and the will of a fire-breathing dragon.

Mad Queen · Nov 25, 2008

Redzilla said:
You can write a draft of a novel in a month. I did. Wrote 75,000 words in August, because I could not stop. My brain was on fire.

And a bloody good novel at that, too.
[/Redzilla fan]

I can't write a decent manuscript in a month either. I've been outlining my current WIP since May or June 2008 and writing bits of it since a few months ago but I still don't know most of what happens with two main characters. The beginning and the end are taking shape, but the middle is a wasteland. Why am I telling you this? So that you know you've got company or no matter how slow you are, some people are even slower than you.

Dale Emery · Nov 25, 2008

BlueLucario said:
I failed NaNoWrimo

What kept you from writing? What kept you from writing enough words per day?

Dale

benbradley · Nov 25, 2008

BlueLucario said:
Do you guys know of any books that can help me write a full novel in less than 30 days? I failed NaNoWrimo, and I want to try again. I don't want to spend any longer than a month to finish a book, (without outlining) because that's how long it takes to do it. I don't want to spend 10 months writing, when I could have finished by now.

No Plot? No Problem! has motivated me into doing it, but there's more to it than what the book says, or else I would have won by now.

Anyone know of any good books to get on Amazon or the bookstores? I hope I'm not asking too much.

Thank you all. I am considering taking a month's break from this forum. Starting December 1st, so I might see you again in January.

Here are a FEW of my writing books, I probably have five times as many (counting things like a few style manuals):
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2907854&postcount=16
And as I say, I've actually read many of them.

If anything, I should ask advice from you, you're ahead of me for this month's NaNoWriMo...

zornhau said:
No outline?

Stephen King's "On Writing" is the book you want.

AKA "How to drink your way through your first 20 published novels" or something like that.

scarletpeaches said:
Had to? No, no, no.

NaNoWriMo is about encouraging each other to write more. Yes, it's a crazy idea, but you're not meant to drop important stuff like...breathing, going to work, studying, that sort of thing.

You drop the non-essentials like a social life, or...chores.

No social life? I should have won it by now. The every-other-week f2f writer's group doesn't even meet anymore.

Kryianna · Nov 25, 2008

I'll echo Dale. You've written almost 250 words in this thread this evening. This could have been an additional 250 words in your novel. The month isn't over yet; I certainly haven't heard the fat lady. I'm still writing on my NaNo book until the very last minute. I'm not saying that you can't spend any time here on the forums, but if you want to write, you need to dedicate yourself to it.

Use the write-or-die (on NORMAL!), and write in 10 or 20 minute increments. Take 10-30 minutes between writing sessions, and browse the forums. You may find that structure like this could work well for you -- a few minutes of writing to get some words on paper, and then a few minutes of reward of browsing/posting.

No one can give you a magic formula to writing a book. No book is going to tell you how to write fast. It may be that you aren't geared for fast writing -- there's no fault with that. Any words you write a day are more than you had the day before. Set yourself a goal, and stick with it. Even if it's 10 minutes/250 words a day.

Any books would help? Something that can help me write.

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