Entering NaNoWriMo. Should I enter?

[BlueLucario]

I heard about NaNoWriMo the moment I started writing the first book. It's in November, I'm currently working on it and If I kept going without loafing around and without any road blocks, I should get the book finished by November. I know that, because I keep setting deadlines for each chapter. The first three chapters took me a month each. The rest took me 1-2 weeks. I'm on chapter 8, and plan to write 18-24 chapters.

I'm going to finish the book, and enter the contest. I want to see what I'm made of.

I"m going to keep researching these contests. Are there any prizes involved if you did win?

[James81]

I'm doing it on my own next month actually (not officially, but for myself).

I'm not interested in the contest aspect of it. I am interested to see if I can do it.

So, yes, by all means enter it.

[mscelina]

The only prize is the knowledge that you can writer 50k in a month--and a .gif image.

NaNo is a great tool for a young writer. It frees your mind to write without self-editing and teaches you to just let the story flow. I hope you can approach it in that way. You also get these great email advice articles from well-established authors. We got one from Neil Gaiman last year which tickled me right down to my boots.

[JustJess]

NaNoWriMo is a lot of fun. I did it two years ago. I hadn't written a single piece of fiction in a decade and still managed to write 51,000 words in those 30days (I found Chris Baty's book No Plot?No Problem! to be helpful) . The progress bar (shows your current word count), set deadline and supportive community were all great motivators. There's also a book in a week website where you choose a goal (minimum of 10 pages) and have exactly 7 days to reach it. It runs every month. Like previous posters have mentioned, it's not about creating a masterpiece but rather getting your story out of your head and down on paper without self-criticism and nonstop editing.

[Sonneillon]

I'm doing NaNo. You should add me as a NaNo Buddy! My name is Sonneillon, same as it is here.

[BlueLucario]

i thought money was involved. Not that I'm looking for money, or a chance to be published.

I would love advice.

[Toothpaste]

Also the contest isn't about finishing a book by November. It's about starting one AND finishing it all in one month. THAT'S what makes the contest unique. I think it can be an interesting experiment and writing exercise, especially for people who have problems finishing what they start. Could be fun!

[BlueLucario]

Also the contest isn't about finishing a book by November. It's about starting one AND finishing it all in one month. THAT'S what makes the contest unique. I think it can be an interesting experiment and writing exercise, especially for people who have problems finishing what they start. Could be fun!

That's impossible(for me). It takes a month to write a novel? It took me a month to write a chapter.

[Cranky]

That's impossible(for me). It takes a month to write a novel? It took me a month to write a chapter.

I thought it was impossible, too, Blue. And for me, it was, because I didn't prepare well enough. :)

That said, it was the fastest 28k I've ever written. Scratch that, it's the MOST I've ever written. The point is to push yourself, to gag that internal editor, and just write.

[Joycecwilliams]

That's impossible(for me). It takes a month to write a novel? It took me a month to write a chapter.

Hi
I entered NaNo for the first time last November and completed my novel 3 days ahead of time.

I will never write a book a chapter at a time again. The reason behind NaNo is this and it works...

You need to keep writing and eventually the story starts flowing. You are not to go back and edit, just keep writing. I was amazed at how about half way through every thing fell into place.

Since NaNo I have been editing my book and rewriting various parts. However it is great knowing I have the ending while reworking a chapter.

I had several drawbacks while writing also.

1. Originally my book was to be about two women detectives I was fielding ideas off my friend and she decided she didn't want me killing her husband off, and that she didn't want me to show her cusrsing... so mid way I had to change the entire concept.

2. Then my computer crashed and I lost 1/3 of my work that could not be retrieved.

When you do NaNo you are not going to end up with "finished" novel ready for publication but a good first draft....

I wasn't prepared when I started I had no idea what I was going to write. It can be done. I did it.. and so can you...

[Harper K]

The 50,000-words-in-a-month goal breaks down to 1667 words per day -- which, IMO, is much more manageable-sounding. I'm typically a slow writer too (lately I've been trudging through about 500 - 1000 words a day on my WIP), but the energy of NaNo helps me pick up speed. I usually start slow during the first week of November but get the momentum going as the month goes on. By the end, I can usually hack out between 3000 and 4000 words a day.

What I like most about NaNo is the social aspect of it. We have some fairly well-attended NaNo meet-ups in my area, and it's always fun to hang out with other writers and do some speed-writing together.

I think I may be "retired" from NaNo after 7 straight years of doing it, but I always recommend it to friends who express an interest in writing but who may not write on a regular basis. It's also a great way for more experienced writers to bang out a first draft of a new project.

[ChaosTitan]

I"m going to keep researching these contests. Are there any prizes involved if you did win?

i thought money was involved. Not that I'm looking for money, or a chance to be published.

I would love advice.

My advice: research more carefully.

NaNo is a contest that pits you against yourself. A careful check of their website (http://www.nanowrimo.org/ ) will answer all of your questions about it.

[DamaNegra]

I also thought NaNo was impossible, especially after I failed miserably the first time. But the second time around I managed to finish it, and finish it ahead of time! I was so proud of myself... and that's the best prize in the world.

[BlueLucario]

Do I have to start my novel from scratch on November 1?

Yes.

This sounds like a dumb, arbitrary rule, we know. But bringing a half-finished manuscript into NaNoWriMo all but guarantees a miserable month. You'll simply care about the characters and story too much to write with the gleeful, anything-goes approach that makes NaNoWriMo such a creative rush. Give yourself the gift of a clean slate, and you'll tap into realms of imagination and intuition that are out-of-reach when working on pre-existing manuscripts


So do I have to write a novel in one month? Or just turn in what you have? I started my novel on October 29, 2007 :)

I read the rules, (The first thing I do the moment I see the word "rule")

[Daimeera]

You have to write a brand new novel in one month (or at least 50,000 words of a brand new novel). You do not have to submit the novel anywhere, except to an automated word count verifier. You're free to encode the novel by using the "search and replace" function in word if privacy is a problem (but no one reads them).

It's really fun--I've participated and won three years counting. I definitely recommend it; it gets your butt in the chair and forces you to just write.

[BlueLucario]

Awww :(

[ChaosTitan]

So do I have to write a novel in one month? Or just turn in what you have? I started my novel on October 29, 2007 :)

I read the rules, (The first thing I do the moment I see the word "rule")

Yes, Blue, that is exactly what the material you quoted says. You can start writing it 12:01 am on November 1st and can write until 11:59 pm November 30th. Thirty days. Write as much as you can in those thirty days.

It doesn't have to be great. It doesn't even have to make sense. It's a challenge to put your butt in a chair and write as much as you possibly can in thirty days. No one reads what you wrote. No one judges it. It's a personal challenge. Some people write 5,000 words, some have written 90,000.

It isn't about "winning." It's about challenging yourself.

[BlueLucario]

Yes, Blue, that is exactly what the material you quoted says. You can start writing it 12:01 am on November 1st and can write until 11:59 pm November 30th. Thirty days. Write as much as you can in those thirty days.

It doesn't have to be great. It doesn't even have to make sense. It's a challenge to put your butt in a chair and write as much as you possibly can in thirty days. No one reads what you wrote. No one judges it. It's a personal challenge. Some people write 5,000 words, some have written 90,000.

It isn't about "winning." It's about challenging yourself.

Oh! So this is a test. A race perhaps. Nothing to do with good quality

[ChaosTitan]

Oh! So this is a test. A race perhaps. Nothing to do with good quality

In a way, yes.

Spend some time on their forums. There are thousands of people who participate in NaNo, and for dozens of reasons.

Some folks want to write good quality work and they do.

Some folks like the freedom of NaNo, to write anything and be as goofy or off-the-wall as they possibly can be.

Some folks write with an eye on revision and potential publication of their NaNo novel (and a couple have gone on to have their books legitimately published).

Some folks write the same line over and over and over again until they hit 50k, because they want that nift little JPEG.

Different strokes.

[dempsey]

I did it once in 2001. It was a good exercise for me then, as I self-edit a lot.

It's not an exercise for everyone. If you already are able to get your ass in a chair and write, get words on paper, then you probably don't need NaNo. But it can't hurt to try. If nothing else, you'll find out if NaNo is for you.

PS - Blue, you don't need approval for everything you do. One of the marks of an adult is doing things without having to ask permission first, knowing that you have the right to do certain things.

You ask a lot of permission, a lot of "Should I-?" questions here. Just do it if you want.

[Cranky]

Some folks write the same line over and over and over again until they hit 50k, because they want that nift little JPEG.

Different strokes.

*goggles*

Seriously? Who would do that? That doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever. Different strokes for sure, I guess. :)

[JustJess]

Yes, NaNo is definitely about quantity rather than quality-but that's ok! It's just a first draft, and even if it's not salvageable, it was only 1 month. In the meantime, you've gotten into the habit of "doing", as opposed to being stuck on planning or editing (which is a personal stumbling block) and you come away with an idea of your strengths and weaknesses.

[bluntforcetrauma]

Just so newbies won't be confused, 50,000 words is rarely considered a book.

[BlueLucario]

PS - Blue, you don't need approval for everything you do. One of the marks of an adult is doing things without having to ask permission first, knowing that you have the right to do certain things.

You ask a lot of permission, a lot of "Should I-?" questions here. Just do it if you want.

I can't help it if I'm a careful writer. Trying not to do something that I'm going to regret later on. I might do something stupid, like sending a typo-infested first draft to an agent.

wow, I thought it was, best story, most well written etc.

[dempsey]

I can't help it if I'm a careful writer. Trying not to do something that I'm going to regret later on. I might do something stupid, like sending a typo-infested first draft to an agent.

You are careful when you are editing, and submitting.

During the first draft? Just get it down on paper. Don't worry on whether or not people think you should or shouldn't have a talking cat. Write the cat if you want. If she doesn't work, you can edit it out later.

[James81]

Just so newbies won't be confused, 50,000 words is rarely considered a book.

I'm targetting a children's/young adult audience cause they tend to be smaller books.

Granted I don't know anything about the publishing business, but my best guess is to target a younger audience where 50K words might be considered ample.

[BlueLucario]

Just so newbies won't be confused, 50,000 words is rarely considered a book.

I know a novel that may be less than that.

"Of Mice and Men"

[Phaeal]

The whole point of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words of one novel in 30 days. That's it. Your prize is meeting the goal. The precious lesson that you learn is to write a first draft as fast as possible, whether from a prepared outline or simply off the top of your head. It teaches you that a crappy first draft is perfectly acceptable and that the worst enemy of the writer at this stage is his Internal Editor, who will stop him short if it can, as it revels in stories and novels that never get completed.

I used NaNoWriMo in 2007 to get a running start on my most recent novel. I hit around 58,000 words in the 30 days of the event, then kept writing at a slightly slower pace (1000 words a day) through January 16, when I found myself with a completed draft of 132,000 words. I would never have believed before this that I could write a first draft of that length in two and a half months. It was a fantastic experience.

[BlueLucario]

I wanna try out NaNoWriMo! I think the idea of it is awesome. Some people can't let themselves write "suck" which is the point of a first draft. Even I can't write sucky, it's hard to make myself do it.

Awesome!

[Mel]

Blue, a lot of AW members do NaNo and there are threads to post in here as well as the NaNo site.

[Yeshanu]

Blue, a lot of AW members do NaNo and there are threads to post in here as well as the NaNo site.

In fact, there's a whole forum, a sub-forum of Writing Exercises, Prompts and Games. And I'm partly to blame... :D

Go have a look-see. (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=87) Most of the activity takes place from October to mid-December or so, not surprisingly.

I've entered and (sort-of) failed three years running. I say sort-of, because although I didn't write 50,000 words, I did write a lot of words that wouldn't have been written otherwise. I have to win this year, though. My eldest entered two years ago, and won. My middle child has entered twice (she didn't last year because of school) and beat me with the word count both times.

I have a reputation to salvage! Onward, brave souls!

(And I second the person who said Chris Baty's book, No Plot, No Problem was helpful. Great read, and doesn't take to long to digest.)

[BenPanced]

I've entered and won the last four years in a row. My prizes? Four certificates of completion and four first drafts. Well worth it, IMHO.

And, yes, it's perfectly acceptable if you go over the 50,000 in November. The record holder stands at almost 600,000 words. Just don't start before November 1, or the trained NaNo guilt monkeys will jump on your shoulders and eat your candy and sing Broadway show tunes when you're trying to sleep at night.

And I third reading No Plot, No Problem. Wonderful advice that helps you get through it.

[choppersmom]

Even I can't write sucky, it's hard to make myself do it.

Really?? Wow! You're lucky. I write sucky all the time. Now I'm all envious and stuff.

[dreamsofnever]

My advice is that you should finish your book, go through at least two revisions, and THEN consider competitions. However, I think NaNo would be a very positive experience for you, Blue. It's about discipline. I tried to do it last year and failed miserably, but it showed me exactly what I need to do to be productive in my writing and since then (and since I've done a lot of evaluating the reason why I write) I have become 100% more productive.

But please keep in mind that looking for places to submit your unfinished work is a way of procrastinating. While it's good to have goals and to see the big picture, it's not good to spend all your writing time searching for contests.

And you should NEVER send a first draft to an agent. Ever. Nor should you send a second draft usually. If you ask most people on here who have been published, the draft they sent out to agents was at least a fourth or fifth revision (if not more). It takes a lifetime of writing and truly honing your craft to be able to have a perfect, submittable draft on the second revision, and it is not possible to have your book be the best it can be on the first draft.

[Sonneillon]

Yes, Blue, that is exactly what the material you quoted says. You can start writing it 12:01 am on November 1st and can write until 11:59 pm November 30th. Thirty days. Write as much as you can in those thirty days.

It doesn't have to be great. It doesn't even have to make sense. It's a challenge to put your butt in a chair and write as much as you possibly can in thirty days. No one reads what you wrote. No one judges it. It's a personal challenge. Some people write 5,000 words, some have written 90,000.

It isn't about "winning." It's about challenging yourself.

Didn't one very insane person write something like 500,000 words?

[Sage]

I love NaNo. My NaNo novels actually seem to turn out better than those that I write the first draft of over the course of several months. Of course both need a bunch of editing ;)

I tend to stress over what I'm writing as much in NaNo as the rest of the time, I just don't let it slow me down as much. Writer's block? No, sir, must press on. I once had a line "PLOT NINJAS OF DOOM" that I headed a chapter with because I didn't know what was coming next. And then I figured it out (ninjas were not involved), so I just left the line there until the end of NaNo, when I cut it.

NaNo's fun, whether you're writing something that you hope to be published or just taking on as many dares as possible to see how you can put them all together in a plot. :D

[Birol]

I love NaNo. My NaNo novels actually seem to turn out better than those that I write the first draft of over the course of several months. Of course both need a bunch of editing ;)

Why do you think that is? Do you think it's because you're working on it consistently throughout the month, and therefore keep the details in your head, rather than laying it aside and coming back and working on it in a less dedicated fashion?

[Sage]

Why do you think that is? Do you think it's because you're working on it consistently throughout the month, and therefore keep the details in your head, rather than laying it aside and coming back and working on it in a less dedicated fashion?
I think part of it is getting caught up in the excitement of the novel. For my two better NaNo novels, I did have a really good idea what was going to happen (they were ideas I had long before November), but both had many scenes that were surprises to me.

I write scenes best when I've been daydreaming them all day, but when I take more time to write a novel, usually I'm daydreaming scenes I might not get to for a few months (I have skipped ahead in the past, but I tend not to be as inspired for the stuff that comes before when I go back to it) and not in a situation where I can sit down and write the vital things down (like if I'm working) and it's easy to lose that passion for them that I felt the first time I went over it in my head. But in NaNo, things that I work out one day are usually only a day or two away from when I'm going to write them so they're pretty fresh in my mind, and more importantly, I'm still really excited about them. And I guess that shows in the novel.

I think it also helps because it allows me to take risks. My last NaNo novel was out of my genre (sci-fi instead of fantasy) and the whole way through, I wasn't sure I was doing my MC justice or that anybody was going to like him. But I was determined to finish for NaNo. Not only do all my betas like him (:)), but those that have read my other stuff are saying it's my best novel yet. But I probably would have given up if I hadn't NaNo'd it just because of those frustrations I had while writing it. NaNo gave me the determination (the same determination I have to hit 50K), but I also always figure that at the end, if it doesn't work out, at least I only took a month from writing something else.

[L M Ashton]

I know people who normally write in one genre, but for NaNoWriMo, they write in a totally different genre. Or they write fanfiction. Or they otherwise write something that is a complete departure from their regular writing life, something that is for them and them only to have fun. Other writers I know use it to get a first draft that they intend to submit for publication kick-started.

Yes, one woman wrote 600,000. Very very cool woman. She writes for herself, for fun, not for publication. I asked. :D

And in my opinion, and in the opinions of others, even if you only write 5,000, if that's more than you've written before in a month, you still won. But seriously, go for the 50,000 and go for NaNoWriMo. It's a lot of fun. :D

[blueobsidian]

I can't help it if I'm a careful writer. Trying not to do something that I'm going to regret later on.

Blue, the things that I have regretted the most in life were the things that I didn't do out of fear and second-guessing. The times that I put my heart into something and worked my hardest I have never regretted, even if I made mistakes along the way. Those mistakes are how you learn. My first novel is never going to see the light of day. It's REALLY bad. But I will never regret writing it because I learned so much in the process. That experience is making my current WIP stronger. You just have to write your novel the best that you know how to do, and grow from the experience.

I think NaNo could be a great experience for you. It might force you to stop asking people's opinions on every move and just write your draft. You will never have a "typo-infested first draft" if you can't set aside other people's expectations and write. I've participated four times, although I've only won twice, and it was a great experience! It forced me to ignore my inner critic and stop questioning myself when I'm working on a draft.

You need to start believing in yourself. You have gotten farther into your first draft than many people ever will. That's an accomplishment in and of itself. Forget about being careful, just finish the first draft! Once you have done that, plus a couple of rewrites and revisions, THEN you can worry about being careful.

[mada]

I wanna try out NaNoWriMo! I think the idea of it is awesome. Some people can't let themselves write "suck" which is the point of a first draft. Even I can't write sucky, it's hard to make myself do it.

Awesome!

I think this may be the most important lesson of NaNoWriMo. You need to let go of that internal editor. How do you know that what you think is "sucky" with your editor turned on won't turn out to be the best work you've written?

I started this past year, my first attempt, and then took a job at the mall. I know they say writing when you're busy actually helps you stay focused, but a mall job, a two year old, working from home, and writing was too much!

The first of the month is coming up, I think I'm going to challenge myself to do my novel in April! In the meantime, I'm off to read Chris Baty's book again and prepare!

[BlueLucario]

I guess I should enter. Is this why novels tend to be finished in a month?

[choppersmom]

I guess I should enter. Is this why novels tend to be finished in a month?

No novel worth reading has EVER been finished in a month. Novels can take years to write, edit, rewrite, scrap, get mad and throw away, rescue from the garbage, rewrite again, edit some more, edit again, edit yet another time, etc.

NaNo novels aren't "finished" at the end of the 30 days. They are a bare-bones story, that's all. There is still much work to be done on them before they are "finished," and most writers never ever think their works are "finished." I don't know where anyone would get the idea that novels get finished in a month, but they don't.

Also, just so it's clear, you don't "enter" NaNo. You participate in it. It's not a contest in any sense. There are no prizes, no judges, no competition except, as someone pointed out upthread, against YOURSELF. Can you sit your ass in a chair and write 1667 words, every day for 30 days? Or, can you sit your ass in a chair and write 13,000 words in a weekend, for four weekends? That's the only challenge in NaNo - CAN I DO THIS? You won't be finished with the novel at the end of November, but you will have a story you can work on afterwards to perfect and lengthen and maybe eventually submit for publication. But that won't happen on December 1.

[Polenth]

And in my opinion, and in the opinions of others, even if you only write 5,000, if that's more than you've written before in a month, you still won. But seriously, go for the 50,000 and go for NaNoWriMo. It's a lot of fun. :D

I ended up writing about 30,000... but it was a complete story, and the longest I've ever written. So even though it didn't 'win', I learnt lots. It might end up nearer 50,000 once it's edited, but I decided to leave it at least a year before edits.

[Birol]

Blue, before participating in any challenge or enter any contest, you need to be certain you know exactly what you are entering, its value, what you may or may not get out of it. As others have already said, NaNo is not a contest. It's a challenge. You're only competing against yourself and what you get out of it is learning new habits that have longterm value.

Other contests, true contests, may or may not be reputable or may not have any value. Evaluate them carefully.

[NovelistByNight]

NaNo is awesome. I've done it 3x now. Once on my own...kind of a pseudo-NaNo and then two true NaNo stories after that. There's a lot of support in the forums on the site. I can't describe the accomplishment of completing such a task. It's phenomenal. At the end of the month you end up with a pile that needs to be edited, but at least the whole story gets out on paper. That deadline is what helps me the most. If I didn't have that, nothing would ever be written. It does take a little getting used to...the whole "not editing anything until the 50k words is on paper" thing, but it's great fun. :)
This year, I participated in my first NaNoEdMo and finished today. It's where you edit 50 hours of your NaNo in the month of March. For me, that was a daunting task!
Good luck if you decide to NaNo. If you want to add me as a NaNo buddy, my name is NovelistByNight. :)

[bluntforcetrauma]

Thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding. It sounds like fun.

[Dale Emery]

Didn't one very insane person write something like 500,000 words?

There's one woman there (Kate something-or-other?) who, once a week or so during October, writes a 50,000 word novel in 24 hours.

Dale

[Dale Emery]

I wanna try out NaNoWriMo! I think the idea of it is awesome. Some people can't let themselves write "suck" which is the point of a first draft. Even I can't write sucky, it's hard to make myself do it.

One of our local NaNoWriMo organizers starts our yearly kick-off meeting with the mantra, "Embrace the suck!"

Dale

[Lyra Jean]

I've participated for 3 or 4 years now and hit 30,000 words last year. I'm going to enter again this year. I've been planning a novel and will try it out for this Nano. That is what went wrong with my other novels no planning. So although I do not have a formal outline I do have a plan and I hope to hit 50,000 words this year.

[Sonneillon]

Good luck if you decide to NaNo. If you want to add me as a NaNo buddy, my name is NovelistByNight. :)

Can I?

[IceCreamEmpress]

No novel worth reading has EVER been finished in a month.

At least one of Raymond Chandler's novels was written in a month. And Philip K. Dick often wrote at hyperspeed.

[L M Ashton]

Ah, but written in a month and finished in a month - not the same. :)

[timewaster]

I've never done it officially but I have used the idea as a way of getting myself going. In general I set myself one of three different targets, 1000-1500 a day if I'm going through a bad patch 2500 if I'm OK and 3500 if I'm flying.
As I write at around 80k I tend to do first drafts quite quickly - except when I don't .

[Lyra Jean]

I lost my research!!! Now I really do need to clean my room. I can't do Nano without it. Doing research up to November and writing the first draft using Nano to keep me on track. And I lost my research.

I feel like Sean Connery in medicine man except it's not the cure for cancer.