I challenge YOU!

arainsb123 · Jan 12, 2007

UPDATE:

The roster is full:

arainsb123
farfromfearless
icerose
hope to the horizon
alaskamatt17
swvaughn
elektra

The winner, on second thought, will be the one with the highest words-per-day average. Each competitor will tabulate his total once he's finished his novel, so be sure to keep an accurate tally of how many days you've been working on your project.

ORIGINAL:

I'm running hotter on this novel than I have on anything I've written in many months. Granted, it's been two days, but I have a great feeling about this one, and I've returned to my first-person roots and am working outline-free and developing characters and world completely by ear. It's working marvelously.

To that end, I challenge any and all to a word war of the highest order. It shall run as long as it needs to, with the victor being the novelist who ends up with a completed rough draft of greater than sixty thousand words, first. You're eligible for the competition regardless of how long you've already been working on your novel: just make a note that you're starting on "Day 19494894" or whatever, and go from there.

I'll check into this thread daily to report my own stats.

As of Day 2: 3317 words.

C.bronco · Jan 12, 2007

ha HA! I would take you on in this comely duel, were I not in the throes of seeking new employment! Some other time, some other day.... our paths shall cross againe!

arainsb123 · Jan 12, 2007

I look forward to crossing swords (pens? keyboards?) with you.

C.bronco · Jan 12, 2007

Kinky!

arainsb123 · Jan 12, 2007

Well, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but if you say so ...

;P

C.bronco · Jan 12, 2007

Me? No, never. I'm just slightly unhinged after a bad day at work.

icerose · Jan 12, 2007

I would but I'm buried under projects as is. Sounds fun though.

farfromfearless · Jan 12, 2007

I'm at 158K+ last rough count - can I play?

maddythemad · Jan 12, 2007

Sounds fun but I'm afraid I'm already working on my second draft.

*Grins*

Already working on my second draft. That has such a nice ring to it.

PeeDee · Jan 12, 2007

I did this sort of thing with my last novel, and it was terribly fun. I would love to do it again.

Except that novel's done, and I'm doing a serial novel now, which would end up being well over 60,000, but doesn't quite count as a novel.

icerose · Jan 12, 2007

I guess I can participate if it doesn't really matter when you started.

I started January 3rd. Page count is at 50. I've been hitting 4-6 pages a night.

Chasing the Horizon · Jan 12, 2007

I can play, even though I know I'll never win because my completed draft is going to be 300,000+ words. Maybe I'll get a consolation prize for having the highest overall word count by the end.

Day 54
97,958 words

Shades of Humanity · Jan 12, 2007

copy paste copy paste copy paste

does this novel have to be sensical? (edit: I swears that was a real word. I swears.)

*continues copying and pasting*

Chasing the Horizon · Jan 12, 2007

Shades of Humanity said:
copy paste copy paste copy paste

does this novel have to be sensical? (edit: I swears that was a real word. I swears.)

*continues copying and pasting*

And here I was being so honest.
In that case, I actually have 107,000 words completed, since I haven't erased my first attempt at chapters 1 & 2 yet, even though they've been rewritten.

If the novel doesn't have to be sensical, then I declare myself the winner, since I have well over 60,000 words.

alaskamatt17 · Jan 12, 2007

Oh no I don't need this not right now please no no No NO!

I've been trying to put off writing my next novel for months now, and I really don't want a reason to start on it now, as I'm happily mulling over my year-old short stories without producing anything new.

Unfortunately, I am not one to leave a dropped gauntlet lying.

Novel: The Blight
Concept: Dark Fantasy Medical Thriller
Current Word Count: 0 (soon to change).

Prepare to meet your maker, arainsb123.

PeeDee · Jan 12, 2007

You guys better provide regular updates, because the loser gets taunted by me.

(so you'd better all win)

alaskamatt17 · Jan 12, 2007

Well, I'm through with the first 1,000 words. Everything seems to be going well so far, but that's what I always think when I start a novel. I'll hopefully have more to report tomorrow.

Given the plot of this novel, it might be a good idea to write the whole thing in a multiple day, sleepless typing binge, but I think I'll opt for the path that preserves my health.

Anyway, I gotta get back to work. I'll check in later.

arainsb123 · Jan 14, 2007

As of the end of yesterday (Day 3) I was at 5197. Have not yet started today beyond a few sentences.

"I'm at 158K+ last rough count - can I play?"

Of course. Have any idea how long you've been working on it?

Huh. The diversity of novel lengths makes it difficult to set this up so the most deserving person ends up winning. Okay, how about this:

The first six people to reply to this thread (so seven total, counting me) are in the race. That means our roster so far is as follows:

arainsb123
farfromfearless
icerose
hope to the horizon
alaskamatt17

Shades to the Horizon: Yes, it must be sensical. Copying-and-pasting, or typing random nonsense text, etc. do not a novel make. It must have a coherent storyline and a beginning, middle, and end. (Though not necessarily in that order. You'll know what I mean if you've read Telling Lies for Fun and Profit.

) It does not have to be perfect, of course, so typos and inconsistencies an even patches of mediocrity don't disqualify you.

The only thing that's bugging me is the issue of some people writing 150K whales and others writing 60K eels. Huh. We could split it into categories ... a 60-70K range, 70-80, etc. but the problem there is how few people there will be. (And I don't want to go over seven people. Too many will make this thing unwieldy and confusing, with frequent drop-outs and join-ins and whatnot.) Suggestions?

alaskamatt17 · Jan 14, 2007

I don't know. Mine will probably come in around the 90,000-100,000 word range. If it weren't so important to get the draft FINISHED, I'd say we should just say whoever covers 60,000 words from the time of their first post fastest. But finishing is important.

Maybe whoever, when finished, turns out to have averaged the most words per day?

swvaughn · Jan 14, 2007

Can I play?

I started my current WIP a week ago, January 7. My current word count is 9401. I am not working as feverishly as I'd like to, and this thread may help keep me on target...

I estimate I'll end up around 80K when I'm through, I hope.

arainsb123 · Jan 14, 2007

Swvaugn: You're in.

"Mine will probably come in around the 90,000-100,000 word range."

Same here. Though I'm not working from an outline, so there's no way of knowing. It could explode into some mammoth doorstopper large enough to act as a door itself.

Which would be kind of cool.

Words-per-day is a working solution. Once all of our seven have either finished or dropped out (hopefully nobody will!) or whatever, we'll each tabulate our words-per-day average.

See the first post for all the updates.

swvaughn · Jan 14, 2007

Hooray!

I'm in! This'll be fun. Good luck to us!

arainsb123 · Jan 14, 2007

Day 4: 7274 words.

Elektra · Jan 14, 2007

Is it too late to join? I haven't started yet.

alaskamatt17 · Jan 14, 2007

Well, I'm lagging behind a bit at around 4,000 words as of day 3 for me. However, I know from experience that I can kick it in gear for about 5,000 words a day on the home stretch. I'll consider myself still in the running.

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