Entering NaNoWriMo. Should I enter?

BlueLucario · Mar 28, 2008

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 · Mar 28, 2008

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 · Mar 28, 2008

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 · Mar 28, 2008

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 · Mar 28, 2008

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

BlueLucario · Mar 28, 2008

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

I would love advice.

Toothpaste · Mar 28, 2008

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 · Mar 28, 2008

Toothpaste said:
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 · Mar 28, 2008

BlueLucario said:
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 · Mar 28, 2008

BlueLucario said:
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 · Mar 28, 2008

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 · Mar 28, 2008

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

BlueLucario said:
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 · Mar 28, 2008

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 · Mar 28, 2008

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 · Mar 28, 2008

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 · Mar 28, 2008

Awww

ChaosTitan · Mar 28, 2008

BlueLucario said:
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 · Mar 28, 2008

ChaosTitan said:
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 · Mar 28, 2008

BlueLucario said:
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.

geardrops · Mar 28, 2008

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 · Mar 28, 2008

ChaosTitan said:
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 · Mar 28, 2008

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 · Mar 28, 2008

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

BlueLucario · Mar 28, 2008

dempsey said:
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.

geardrops · Mar 28, 2008

BlueLucario said:
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.

Entering NaNoWriMo. Should I enter?

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