NaNoWriMo 2011

Melhael

Indie writer
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 13, 2011
Messages
70
Reaction score
2
Location
Brussels
Website
terrydock.net
Yesterday, I felt I needed to kill off a major character, the one I loved the most. Now, however silly it may be, I'm grieving. I still think the story needed it, though. (From this point on, I must resist the urge to bring him back. It's an urban fantasy, so I have several ways to do that. But I must not! ;))
 

bettielee

I'm a sparkly fairy princess!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 7, 2009
Messages
24,466
Reaction score
12,761
Location
Enchanted Forest and/or editing cave
Website
bettielee.wordpress.com
I know the feeling! I also grieve when I kill folk off, just like I'm having a mini grieve right now because of what I've done to my two potential lovers.

They haven't even gotten off the ground and I've thrown objects in their path. It's for their own good. They will understand later.

And I've won! I got 52,098, official! Whooo me!
 

HistorySleuth

Researching History's Mysteries
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 1, 2008
Messages
3,791
Reaction score
855
Location
Western New York State
Website
www.gahwny.org
Congrats Bettie!

I'm only 1/2 way there, so still behind BUT today is the official write-in at my local bookstore. Free coffee! Yeah! I plan on catching up!
 

Kricket

Chirp! Chirp!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 30, 2010
Messages
4,409
Reaction score
733
Location
Colorado
So I'm pretty sure that I won't be winning, not by a long shot, but I'm still plugging away at it when I can. Maybe a miracle will happen and I'll be able to get a lot of writing done in the next 9 days. :Shrug: Who knows. :)
 

LilliCray

Plot? What plot?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 17, 2007
Messages
728
Reaction score
179
Location
Coping
Website
mutteringsofascribe.blogspot.com
I had a 4.6k day on Saturday, and it actually did not turn me into a zombie the rest of the day, despite the 2 hours total it took of intense writing time.

I'm hoping this means I can put in some craaaazy wordage over Thanksgiving break, while still leaving time for studying for the final I've got the Thursday after Thanksgiving, and maybe for catching up on... um... watching a certain adorable show. (What, me, a total nerd? Surely not.)

Officially two days behind, because I spent all day yesterday first with 4 hours of church and then doing math. All. Freaking. Day. (With breaks between sections to watch adorable shows and thus have less stress, but overall the homework took a good four or five hours... *stance of anger*). Hopefully I will get much writing done tonight, after I write the paper I've got due tomorrow... eek. (Should've done that ages ago, except I actually forgot due to NaNo, and... yeah. Time crunch. O.O)

Also, I just realized that my NaNovel kind of requires some romance. And... I have no bloody clue how to write it. This isn't something I can draw on prior experience for. How am I supposed to develop these characters' relationship if I have no clue what romance is like?? O.O I'm slightly concerned.

Slightly. >.<
 

Kricket

Chirp! Chirp!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 30, 2010
Messages
4,409
Reaction score
733
Location
Colorado
Lilli: I'd say, that for the sake of NaNo, just make it up and don't worry over it too much. You can always fix it later. And draw on what romance you've read about or seen on TV, it might be cheesy but it will give you the words you need. :)
 

wishflower

blanket fort afficianado
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Messages
378
Reaction score
54
Location
Pittsburgh
Website
www.q-washburn.com
I have the opposite problem. My novel keeps building all these romantic undertones that I didn't intend. My lifetime of reading romance novels is catching up with me. I'm sure you've seen romantic movies, and maybe read a romance or two. Practical experience is always nice, but I've never piloted a glider or done the majority of things in my novel. Draw on what experience you have, and fill in the rest however feels right for your characters. You can always fix it later in revisions if it feels forced or cheesy. Good luck!


As for mine, I'm really excited even though I've lost some momentum. I've had a lot of those moments lately where an arbitrary choice of the moment 20k words ago is now crucial to the plot. Everytime I have one of these ah! moments I bounce in my chair like a kid. It's my first novel, so the joy of discovery is like Christmas. ^_^


Aaaaaand megabus all day tomorrow, so lots of time with nothing to do but write.
 

GreenEpic

...because you don't know yourself
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 3, 2011
Messages
562
Reaction score
103
Location
GA
Momentum comes and goes. If it were always there for us, it would be national novel writing week instead.

::shudders::

I am constantly writing about what I don't know. I'm on google a lot looking for the psychology of certain behaviors. I want to stay true as possible to human behaviors and reactions, since, obviously, I haven't experienced every situation my characters are in. I find it fun. And research helps with my motivation.
 

orion_mk3

Ne Cede Malis
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 22, 2008
Messages
1,458
Reaction score
82
Location
Mississippi
Wellp, I lost my word war. 500 words short of 50k when my opponent rolled across the finishing line earlier today.

Silver lining: only needing to write 55 words/day to finish on time.
 

Yeshanu

Elf Queen
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
6,757
Reaction score
2,410
Location
Up a Tree
Wellp, I lost my word war. 500 words short of 50k when my opponent rolled across the finishing line earlier today.

Silver lining: only needing to write 55 words/day to finish on time.

Can't be nearly as bad as mine. If you take a look at my widget, you'll see what I mean... :tongue
 

LilliCray

Plot? What plot?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 17, 2007
Messages
728
Reaction score
179
Location
Coping
Website
mutteringsofascribe.blogspot.com
Didn't write Sunday. Didn't write yesterday. Probably won't write today.

On the plus side, tomorrow, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be completely 100% devoted to writing (and studying, a little...). I can... still... make it... O.O
 

bettielee

I'm a sparkly fairy princess!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 7, 2009
Messages
24,466
Reaction score
12,761
Location
Enchanted Forest and/or editing cave
Website
bettielee.wordpress.com
too pooped to party dudes! Doing laundry (mostly by hand) and cleaning the apt has klled me. And thrown up too much dust - so I am all congesty. Wringing out clothes by hand has also killed my knuckles.

Damn you Thanksgiving. Damn you to hell.
 

Yeshanu

Elf Queen
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
6,757
Reaction score
2,410
Location
Up a Tree
Didn't write Sunday. Didn't write yesterday. Probably won't write today.

On the plus side, tomorrow, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be completely 100% devoted to writing (and studying, a little...). I can... still... make it... O.O

too pooped to party dudes! Doing laundry (mostly by hand) and cleaning the apt has klled me. And thrown up too much dust - so I am all congesty. Wringing out clothes by hand has also killed my knuckles.

Damn you Thanksgiving. Damn you to hell.

A little something I've learned from FLYLady.net has helped me get through this NaNo and still have a clean house, and still do all of my volunteer stuff (which is particularly heavy during November), and all of my orchestra stuff (two concerts plus dress rehearsals plus regular rehearsals), and still have time for my family, including cooking good dinners:

You can do anything for 15 minutes.

Do a few pieces of laundry by hand, or put a load in the machine. Do not get distracted--stay on task. Stop when the 15 minutes is up.

Then leave it. Go on to something else for 15 minutes. Do not get distracted from your second task, and stop when 15 minutes is up.

Then leave it. Go on to something else for 15 minutes. Do not get distracted, and stop when 15 minutes is up.

The last 15 minutes of the hour is the most important. Make a cup of tea or coffee, then sit down and have a break! Do not get distracted from this, either.

I'm truly floored by how much preparation goes into an American Thanksgiving celebration. Up here in Canada, it's much more laid back. We have a special meal, sure, but it isn't a huge honkin' feast with five main courses and a huge centerpiece and a whole lot of decorations that get put away the next day because it's time to prepare for Christmas.

To me, Thanksgiving is about well, giving thanks. Thanks for what you've got, including and especially your family. And you can't do that if you're so obsessed with everything being perfect that you forget to enjoy what you're thankful for!

Take at least 15 minutes every day to do something you love to do, whether it's write, or paint, or go for a walk in the crisp fall air.

Just one 15 minute writing period will help you stay connected to your novel so that when Thanksgiving is done with, you're not thrown out of the story.

15 minutes. That's all.

You can do it!
 
Last edited:

bettielee

I'm a sparkly fairy princess!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 7, 2009
Messages
24,466
Reaction score
12,761
Location
Enchanted Forest and/or editing cave
Website
bettielee.wordpress.com
I won't be home - but my sister is coming to pick me up and then my parents bringing me home - I didn't want them to see the state of filth my apt had gotten to, I also couldn't afford to put money on the "laundry card" we have to use for the machines at my complex, so I had to handwash a bunch of clothes. Wringing out just killed my poor hands... and having to get on my hands and knees to clean lino sucks - my mop is broken. So it was just hard on the body. I couldn't do anything yesterday, and today I go up North. Won't be back till Friday.

On a happy note, we got paid early - and I ordered my diary/daily calendar for next year. It's purty. Super purty. I'm rather stupidly excited.
 

LilliCray

Plot? What plot?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 17, 2007
Messages
728
Reaction score
179
Location
Coping
Website
mutteringsofascribe.blogspot.com
I get to shower today. I'm very excited.

I had no money for laundry and no clean towels, and was really starting to freak out about showering because by the time *I* know I need a shower, I can tell it's really, really bad. >.< But, I figured out how to add money to my laundry account by charging to my bursar account. So now I'm off to do laundry. And then I get to shower. And then I'll do some writing.

...and hopefully not get distracted by Skyrim videos on YouTube. I think I'll be disabling my WiFi soon... (Not quite disabling all Internet for a set period, but at least re-enabling it requires several steps so I can't just mindlessly switch over to something else, I have to actually *think* about going off to procrastinate. Hoping it'll help.)

I'm less than 2k away from beating my record of most words written on a single story, ever. EVER. I'm soooo bloody psyched!!! ('Specially since I don't think I'll run out of story before 50k, though how long it'll last after that is anyone's guess... I think the end result might be more novella length than novel length.)
 
Last edited:

VP_Benni

likes a colorful font
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Messages
5,337
Reaction score
242
Location
Probably the library.
The lovely Microsoft Word decided that it hates me. It deleted the last two Spanish assignments I did, which isn't good. But that's not the worst of it.

It deleted all 1500 words of my fucking history essay. :Headbang:

(Just needing to grumble... Carry on)

~Amber~
 

VP_Benni

likes a colorful font
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Messages
5,337
Reaction score
242
Location
Probably the library.
:tongue thanks, guys. Might do that later, Cliff. Trying to catch up on Spanish right now. I learned how to say "the pig is fat and ugly" and "dying" today. :D This course is entertaining...

~Amber~