What I learned from NaNo....

Soccer Mom · Nov 29, 2006

I can do 2K a day quite comfortably. That always sounded like a lot, but it isn't. On a good day, I can do 4. WOW. I had no idea. Seriously. I was a 1K a day gal. Now that I know I can push myself, I'm gonna keep at it.

I learned I can write without an outline. I'm just keeping a day or two ahead on the plot, but it's cool. It's fun to fly by the seat of my pants.

Oh, and if you get stuck, just throw some plot ninjas into the mix and keep going.

What about you? What did you learn from your NaNo experience?

smiley10000 · Nov 29, 2006

I was thinking of starting a thread like this once I finished. Great idea Soccermom!

I learned that writing works best when you write.
I learned that characters really do surprise their authors.
I learned that my Internal Editor is one evil little trickster that needs to be tied up in the corner while I write.

And most importantly:
I learned that I have the world's most supportive hubby! (who can be a real nag when I haven't written enough words...)

10000

Tienci · Nov 29, 2006

Soccer Mom said:
I can do 2K a day quite comfortably. That always sounded like a lot, but it isn't. On a good day, I can do 4. WOW. I had no idea. Seriously. I was a 1K a day gal. Now that I know I can push myself, I'm gonna keep at it.

Same here! While I was aware that it could be done (write 2k in a day), I didn't realize it could be done in one or two hours! So I learned it is definitely a comfortable number, while in a good day I can also do 4k.

Consequently, I've learned that I can write a novel in a month.

I've also learned that I can do better; although I have a soft spot for my first novel, I think my NaNo novel is loads better and will probably be ready to be shopped around for publishing first.

So I've learned I can really do this (write novels that actually have the potential to be good)!

I've also learned that beginning outlines really do work for me, i.e., an outline and general idea for at least the first couple of chapters. It has been my method so far, although for my first novel, I only knew how things began whereas for my NaNo novel, I knew the beginning and ending; therefore, it was probably one of the reasons I could get to the end easier and sooner.

I've also learned how great and encouraging it is to have a whole lot of people aiming for the same goal!

Cath · Nov 29, 2006

I learned that I write better to deadlines.

I remembered that writing can be fun.

smiley10000 · Nov 29, 2006

Tienci said:
I've also learned how great and encouraging it is to have a whole lot of people aiming for the same goal!

Forgot that one.

You guys are amazing! Icouldn't have done it without you!
:e2grouphu

10000

ProsperitySue · Nov 29, 2006

I learned that I could write a novel (very powerful for me) and that when I send my inner critic on vacation writing a novel is a lot of fun.

I learned that writing without the inner critic is a way to try new ideas and find my voice.

I'd never gotten to midbook before and I learned that Uncle Jim was right about it -- it seems to stretch on forever. But when I kept writing daily I made it through.

I loved the whole energy of the NaNo staff, the encouragement and fun of talking to you about it in the AW forum, and just the idea that I was joining with people from all over the world -- writing as individuals but working toward a common goal.

MidnightMuse · Nov 29, 2006

I learned that just because you can no longer FEEL your butt, doesn't mean it's going to turn blue and fall off.

I learned that Aleve is good for sore fingers.

I learned that my cat can open his own bag of kibble if I'm late getting in to the kitchen when he's whining.

Oh, and I, too, learned to have fun with writing again. And that felt GREAT

TheIT · Nov 29, 2006

Ditto the 2K per day. I learned I can still write even if I'm not feeling well (I was fighting a cold for the first couple of weeks).

If I trust my characters and write this scene, the events of the next scene come into focus.

If I force myself to stick to the high points of the story on the first draft and not worry about detailed description, I get through the actual storyline much quicker.

Dialogue is still my strength, but I'm beginning to get the hang of action sequences and how to carry the story forward in narrative.

Writing a storyline is like sewing a seam. Something in this scene should hearken back to the previous and hint at the next, and most of the thread holding the seam together is hidden under the cloth of the whole story.

And it helps me greatly to have a cheering section. Thank you all for the encouragement and camaraderie this last month.

:e2grouphu

ChaosTitan · Nov 30, 2006

I learned that writing 16k words in two days will result in wearing a wrist brace for a week.

I learned that sometimes it's okay to not know where a scene is heading.

I learned that brainstorming over several glasses of wine is great fun, and often quite productive.

I learned that my cat wants to be a typist.

Yeshanu · Nov 30, 2006

I was going to start this thread!

I'm not going to cross the finish line today.

I am, however, not going to take the DVD's back to the store just yet. I reasoned that because I was working a sixty-hour-plus week up until the sixth of November, when I was abruptly laid off my full time job, that I should give myself another week to at least come close to fifty thousand words.

But I learned a lot in the twenty three days (I took a day off to sulk) that I've been actually doing NaNo.

I learned that by applying seat of pants to chair, I can get 10,000+ words a week done, easy. Due to family and job and volunteer committments, I can't write seven days a week, five has been usual, but I do 1,500 to 2.000 words in a day, and it usually takes less than two hours total of my day.

I figured out a way to balance my writing and working time. Having a full-time job and trying to write in spare moments never really worked all that well for me. It kept me in the game, but I wasn't moving forward. So I've decided that my part time job (working at a movie theatre) will be my main job, and I'll temp for an extra forty hours per week for a month or two, until my bills are paid up and my bank account has a wee bit of cash, and then I'll take another month off to write. I figure I should be able to take one month off out of three, with the money from my part time job carrying me through the lean month.

I learned that two computers is better than one for me. I've got one up in my office, with my games on it, and I've got one in my dining room with my NaNo writing on it. I alternate between the two, playing a game when the well runs dry, and writing when I get sudden inspiration. I've worked in some piano practice, too, and doing dishes, and cleaning the cat litter, but when I'm ready to write, the NaNo computer is on and ready for my burst of inspiration. Or burst of determination, if the inspiration hasn't come yet. Whatever. It works for me, and I've learned three songs on the piano, and done all my dishes, and the house is clean and the cats are fed.

I learned that if I have a problem with my plot, I need to talk to my characters and get them to tell me what's up. I need to especially be mean to my MC and get her to spill the beans, which I haven't had the heart to do up until now.

I learned (re-learned!) that what I really want to be is a full-time writer of novels, and that I need to focus my energies on making that happen.

I can say that this NaNo, unlike the past two, has been a watershed for me in terms of attitude and structure. I now not only know what I want to do, I finally beleive it's possible.

Sarashay · Nov 30, 2006

Stuff What That I Learned

I learned that losing an entire day to moving into a new place doesn't mean that all hope is lost.

I learned that having Thanksgiving and the day after off from work is a godsend in terms of boosting a lagging word count.

I learned how to break through the clogged feeling of not wanting to write by doing a little bit at a time until momentum took over.

I learned that doing the idea that scares me the most can be very rewarding.

I learned that a little handwritten brainstorming can work wonders for figuring out what exactly to do next when I'm at the murky part of my outline.

I learned it can be fun to throw in things from real life into my novel.

yanallefish · Nov 30, 2006

Huh, what'd I learn...

1)I don't after all have to write the darned book all in one linear path; it seems to actually work better for me in some ways if I do different chunks at different times

2)I learned to let characters speak for themselves more - I was starting to do that with stories; it just kind of emphasized it to have it happen with a novel (and wow, you find out the damndest things)

3)I learned that yeah I can actually push myself to do this in a month without having a (complete) nervous breakdown... (more or less*g*)

See ya next year!

MarkButler · Nov 30, 2006

I've learned that outlining produces a much more complex plot. Last year I started without anything but an opening scene. The novel was finished but ended up a completely linear series of action sequences. This year I worked out a broad outline and found that I was able to add in some branches and extra pieces while still following the outline.

I've learned that I want to try other genres. While writing action scenes was exciting, I found I liked writing the romance stuff just as well and that gives me an incentive to try something different next year.

I've learned that I am quite capable of churning out a complete novel!

I've learned that given a chance, the story develops differently from what I thought - I suppose this is what people mean by letting the characters do what 'they' want to - but when writing, things fall into place and the story does something different than I expected. I tracked this in my blog and I encourage you all to try it. At the start of your story write down where its going, what the characters are like, etc. Then when you get to the end,go back and look at it!

I discovered that I like the people at AW, and hanging out here waiting desperately for someone to post so I can reply was my single greatest threat to finishing Nano.

ProsperitySue · Nov 30, 2006

How do I upload the NaNo graphic into my signature?

I posted this question in the FAQs forum:

I've passed the winners line for NaNoWriMo and want to upload a GIF winner graphic rather than use the one I have now which is linked to their server.

I feel like an idiot, but I couldn't copy and paste their GIF image into my signature. The only option I saw was Insert Image on the menu. When I did that, it wanted a URL, but the image is on my C drive.

I looked in the AW FAQs and did a search of the forums, but didn't pull up anything that told me how to insert this image.

I know this must be really simple. Your advice is appreciated.

No one has answered so I'm not sure it is common knowledge. Anyway, your advice really is appreciated!

Pomegranate · Nov 30, 2006

I learned that I really need to have some idea of where I want things to end if the middle isn't going to be a torturous slog.

I learned that I can write 4k in three hours when I'm on a deadline.

I learned not to let my muse take two weeks vacation in the middle of November

I learned my DH makes a GREAT thanksgiving dinner without my help! Yay!

Sue -- I think you have to right click on the icon, save it on your desktop. Then you have to find someplace to host the image like photobucket or flicker or a personal website, then insert a link to the image in your sig file.
If you've already done that, the problem might be that you've used HTML instead of PHP code in your sig.
Hope that helps!

ProsperitySue · Nov 30, 2006

Pomegranate said:
Sue -- I think you have to right click on the icon, save it on your desktop. Then you have to find someplace to host the image like photobucket or flicker or a personal website, then insert a link to the image in your sig file.

If you've already done that, the problem might be that you've used HTML instead of PHP code in your sig.
Hope that helps!

I don't know beans about HTML or PHP, and have never used flicker. I'd like to though so I'll research this further. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. If anyone else has tips, I posted this question in FAQs at

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47684

I don't want to get us off topic here, it's just that no one was answering at FAQs. Thanks for your help, Pomegranate.

maddythemad · Nov 30, 2006

Okay, I'm finishing up with only 20k this year, but maybe next year will bring better results. Who thinks we should have a NaNo in Feburary as well? NOTHING ever happens in Feburary and it's the perfect month for sitting inside with a nice, warm cup of mulled cider and your novel.

*Ahem*

I learned that I am basically incapable of BIC for more than two hours. My neck, wrists, and back start to ache like hell! And this is really sad, as I'm only fourteen.

I learned that I can get through those "I hate everything about my book" days and still come back to it with a fresh look, thanks to the help of everyone on this board and everyone at my house.

I learned that you can at least be (semi) proud of 20 thousand words, even if most other people are clocking in with 50+.

I learned that trashing ten or twenty pages is sometimes necessary, but NOT DURING NANO! (Might've finished at 30k if it wasn't for the "oh but this section really sucks" syndrome.)

Anyway, I had a great time doing NaNo this year, and anyone let me know if you want to start one up in Feburary as well. Except it could be, like, "ADD 50k to your WIP novel" month. NaNoAdMo?

Scribhneoir · Nov 30, 2006

I learned that I'm definitely an outliner. I tried winging it and found myself mired in the mud with my characters throwing looks of disgust my way. As soon as I gave them a target to shoot for, they sprang into action and took me along with them.

I learned that I can write 800-1000 words during my lunch hour, as long as I eat at one particular Jack-in-the-Box. Other fast food joints and the company cafe are not as productive for me -- I'm lucky to crank out 200 words at those places. Go figure.

I learned that giving each character the opportunity to star in a chapter of their own leads to interesting and sometimes startling revelations.

I learned that it's possible to resist going back and cleaning up the stiff, stilted Dick-and-Jane prose that I just finished writing. And when I dipped into it later to pick up where I left off, I found it wasn't as stiff and stilted and Dick-and-Janeish as I thought.

I think I'll spend December working on Uncle Jim's new assignment from the Learn Writing thread for a change of pace. In January, I'll revisit my NaNo mess and start turning it into a real novel. All in all, it was a really fun experience.

Sage · Nov 30, 2006

Let's see. Last year I learned that I could go into a novel with no clue what would happen in it, & it would be okay. I also learned that I could do a pretty steady pace of 2K a day if I actually BIC'd like I was supposed to, & make 50K in less than a month.

This year I learned:

I can do about 7K in one day, but I have to spend several hours in the Borders cafe to get most of it done.

NaNo-ing w/ friends is okay... as long as you aren't hanging out in person. Once someone's around to distract you, they will.

Sometimes what the story needs to really come together is to take a male character & make him female instead.

Going in with an idea of where the novel is going is great... but being flexible with what's going on is also important.

That Dr. Who is awesome! (sorry, we watched it a lot this month, & it gave me an idea for a part of the finale at one point)

That I can set my fantasy novels in the "real world," as long as it's part of the real world I'm familiar with (& even then, I'm typing "look up a lighthouse near here " 'cuz I'm going there for Christmas).

If I aim for 50K, I'll probably end up w/ a 60K novel.

If I'm at 42K & nearing the finale, I'll probably still be okay (second year in a row that I started freaking out in the 40Ks because I didn't think I had enough story).

Sometimes all a story needs for me to get over the "this sucks" doldrums is a goal of 50K/30 days. I mean, I started this novel back in May ('cuz I was working on it on the way to a wedding), & abandoned it shortly after, having written 2 chapters (& 3 separated paragraphs 'cuz I kept restarting chapter 3). Then in September I was talking to a friend about the WIPs that I had floating around & about maybe finishing one for NaNo, & as I described it, she thought it sounded good, & I realized that of all my WIP plotlines, it really was the best. And once late October came around, I was really excited about it.

That a quickly written novel seems to also have its soundtrack quickly developed... but always with one extra song than a CD has room for. :e2bummed:

A novel I wrote in a month is probably going to need a lot of editing... but really no more than the one I took a year & a quarter to write. With the exception with some grammar problems I'll get in the first pass of editing (probably), the problems I have with writing (especially description) are always there whether I stress about them as I go or after I'm done. As long as the plot is strong, I'm okay with it. And really, with only a month to write, I have less time to take side trips through Background Land or whatever else I felt like adding for fun, even if it just barely furthers the plot.

But on the slightly more negative side, I will say that while I love both sets of my NaNo characters dearly, I know I'm much less attached to them than the ones I spent over a year on. Last year, I killed off my favorite character of that novel without a second thought. There are moments where I really get involved & feel for my characters, but it's not the same as my other novel. I mean, I did horrible stuff to my MC in that one's finale & I walked around in a daze for a full day. I was even meaner to my MC in this WIP, but I never felt the same heartbreak I did for my non-NaNo MC (well, except when I listen to the soundtrack. Music does that to me). I was excited by what happened in both finales, but there's still a big difference.

Pomegranate · Nov 30, 2006

maddythemad said:
Okay, I'm finishing up with only 20k this year, but maybe next year will bring better results. ...
I learned that I am basically incapable of BIC for more than two hours. My neck, wrists, and back start to ache like hell! And this is really sad, as I'm only fourteen.

Maddy 20K is a huge accomplishment! Good for you! I don't know that I ever wrote that much at a stretch when I was your age.

If you are hurting after sitting at your computer for a while, you are probably hunching up (I do that at work and have to be mindful about it.) Here are some suggestions.
Make sure your work area is ergonomic -- that the chair is the right height, the keyboard isn't too high, and the monitor is at the right level. That will help a lot.
Take regular breaks. Every 20 minutes you should get up and walk around for a minute or two and stretch.
Consider taking yoga classes. That will help strengthen the muscles that help good posture.

And keep writing! :-D

Saanen · Nov 30, 2006

I learned that dictating is a great way to spend driving time and results in just as good a result as if I'd hand written or typed the draft instead of talking it into a tape.

Sage · Nov 30, 2006

Saanen said:
I learned that dictating is a great way to spend driving time and results in just as good a result as if I'd hand written or typed the draft instead of talking it into a tape.

That was an awesome idea. Wouldn't have worked for me, but for someone who can actually think & talk at the same time, it'd be perfect!

MarkButler · Nov 30, 2006

I experimented with using a dictation program on my laptop in the car. I could talk into the headset and it would auto-type it in. Unfortunately the laptop was so wimpy it couldn't handle it but I still think the concept is valid.

allion · Nov 30, 2006

What I learned:

I can compose on my computer. Usually I write longhand.

I get more done if I know there is a deadline involved.

I can reach a goal if I know someone, somewhere is seeing my word count.

Using an outline (even if I veered off at some points) is a helpful device to keep me going.

Writing does NOT take a huge chunk of my day. It usually took an hour or two to get the day's work done.

Writing is fun.

At about 20K, I will hate my book, my plot, and my characters. This will pass by the 40K mark.

Nano was a marathon, not a sprint (at least for me).

I can write under the influence of cold meds and antibiotics. (I think. I haven't gone back to read that part yet)

Congratulations to everyone!

Karen

akelsey333 · Dec 1, 2006

I learned that although I was trained in non-fiction writing, I can be very creative when I turn off my inner editor.

I learned that when my wordcount is being used as part of a local fundraiser, I can type even more quickly than usual.

I learned that I'm actually very competitive (although this surprised no one but me).

I learned that woman really can live by chocolate alone (but have to admit my waistband is now just a wee bit snug).

Congrats to all who tried NaNo and best of luck on your editing

What I learned from NaNo....

Crypto-fascist

What do we do? We write...

Lost in the Land of Giants

The mean one

What do we do? We write...

All is well @>----

Midnight Reading

Infuriatingly Theoretical

Around

Elf Queen

Shut Up and Write

Part Time Fool

All is well @>----

All is well @>----

Reinventing Myself

Supreme Guessinator

Supreme Guessinator

Part Time Fool

Character assassin

Peace...