November 2021 Challenge - Build a Writing Habit!

[dansimmonds]

So here we are! Starting today (just after my coffee and bacon sandwich) here's the outline.

Flashpoint

November starting word count:- 38,774
November words per day target:- 500
November overall target:- 53,774

Good luck to you all doing NaNoWriMo - I think I'm just going to focus on this one for now at my pace and hope work, life, commitments etc... don't get in the way!

 

[Helix]

Day 1: Went well today. I don't expect every day to go this way!

• 1 piece for Medium (which is yet to be published)
• Hit my NaNoWriMo target.
• Made some notes about a piece that I'll be submitting before the end of the month.

 

[Taylor Harbin]

Happy National Authors’ Day!

Time to spell out some goals:

1. Begin research for new project. Develop a list of characters, look for plot ideas, brainstorm the effects time travel would have on society at large.

2. Edit short story draft after it sits a few more weeks.

3. Continue with writing prompts or at the very least daily journaling.

 

[djdrysdale]

I'm in! I find it hard to find time to get writing done each day, but I have a crappy first draft that's about half way finished and I want to get it done by the end of the year. My biggest challenge is resisting the urge to go back and edit or change what I've already written instead of just getting the story out. I signed up for NaNoWriMo, but I don't see myself hitting 1667 a day. If I get 1000 a day in, I'll be in excellent shape.

 

[RaiscaraAvalon]

Annnd it's the 1st. I plan on adding 6k words this month to each of my three main projects:

• The Emperor's Bride
• I'll Be Honest
• Video Game (Working Title)

I'll Be Honest is also my listed NaNo project. So we'll see how many of the 50k words I get done this month on that one.

 

[The Second Moon]

I wasn't really present her3e during October nor did I write a lot on my main project.

This month will be different. I will attempt to write everyday.

 

[cmhbob]

Best of luck to everyone this month, especially the NaNo writers!

 

[free turtle bear]

Hi everyone! I'm kind of new around here, but accountability and cheering are always good, so I'd like to be part of this thread if you'll have me. (Even though just reading through your goals has me humbled... I'll be looking up to you people as examples!)

My goals for November:

• write every day (0/30) (that's a huge one for me, I'll be happy if I reach 15/30)
• write/finish two short stories (0/2) (both have submit deadlines in December, so...)
• post on my blog once a week (0/4)
• check back here and interact on the forums once or twice a week (0/6)
• more research for WnyIP (work *not yet* in progress, as in I'm still in the research stage)

Happy November and good luck to everyone (especially those brave souls doing NaNo)!

 

[Woollybear]

Day one, 1157 new words and through beat #5. Total WIP at 5988 words.

 

[Imaginaryist]

Okay 1st of November and here I am, going to start with the same goals as last month which were (just for me mainly).
1) come out here once a day and make at least one post
2) write daily, not here
3) do some editing at least 3 times a week.
so here we go.... wish me luck.

 

[dansimmonds]

So here we are! Starting today (just after my coffee and bacon sandwich) here's the outline.

Flashpoint

November starting word count:- 38,774
November words per day target:- 500
November overall target:- 53,774

Good luck to you all doing NaNoWriMo - I think I'm just going to focus on this one for now at my pace and hope work, life, commitments etc... don't get in the way!

End of Day 1

Word count:- 39461
Total words:- 687

Solid first day but if I'd got my brain into gear a bit sooner could probably have chalked off even more. The next step is to back this up with more tomorrow.

 

[CMBright]

~1,000 on fantasy NaNoWriMo
~2,000 on sci-fi WiP

 

[Layla Nahar]

Woolly - nice 1157!
dansimmonds - great work
cmbright - way to 3K


Day 1 -

I did some revising in my WIP

 

[Pterofan]

Day 1 - 705 words on Book 2. There would have been more, but I had to deal with a tummyache after dinner. Thank you, Pepto-Bismol!

Most of those words were new. I had to rewrite the prologue because I now have a better idea of my witch's magic system and had to revise to reflect the changes. The rest of the opening I can probably salvage intact. Tomorrow I'll be a lot more careful about what I eat.

 

[Nether]

Day 1 was 2.527.

The first day was kinda crap. I expect I'll need to heavily rewrite almost everything from today when I start my revisions.

A lot of the problem comes down to the fact I didn't get much planning done beforehand or had any real time to get into the mindset for this one since I finished my last novel's first draft on Halloween. And given that 10/31 was a 6k+ writing day, today was going to be understandably spotty because there's a momentum shift between projects.

I fully expect that I'll be figuring out my character's voice throughout the early chapters. To that end, I should *probably* have started with one of the sections told directly from his perspective. (And I semi-broke a NaNo thing by going back and adding a thing or two to first chapter.)

The book's format is also unconventional (which I'll discuss down the road since, provided I can finish it, I might toss it in the SYW forum), so it probably wasn't the best project to pick for a speed-running challenge, but here we are.

************
*********
************

djdrysdale -- Any progress should get you closer to finishing. Plus *technically* NaNo doesn't have to be the 1,667 per day because you can do more some days to make up for the shortfalls (and vice versa). Plus the bigger part of the challenge is just finishing things.

Moon -- Welcome back

free turtle bear -- Welcome to the party

CMBright -- Grats on the successful multi-tasking

Ptero -- Good to see you again

And best of luck to everybody I didn't manage to mention

 

[Cindyt]

Good writing tomorrow, Everybody!

 

[Cindyt]

I’ve decided I can’t do justice to my newest subject in a short story, so—-against my initial judgement—-I’m researching what might be a book. It’s far from what I’m used to writing and will require really stretching my brain. But as someone recently told me “You have to tell yourself ‘I am the only one who can write this story.’”

So here I go.

Help.

Taylor,

Fan: How do you write your books?
Dean Koontz: One word at a time.

That's what it boils down to. My current WIP was once nothing more than a short story wannabe novel, but I could not lengthen it. Read books that are something like the shot story. If you want to share what it's about, we might be able to suggest books. As soon as you are roughly settled into what it's about,
come up with a plot sentence and keep adding to it until it turns into a summary that you can expand into a novel or at least a novella.

 

[Gatteau]

Day 1: 1973 words
Woo, met the NaNo goal for the first day! Now to keep it going...

 

[Cindyt]

Day 1

WORD COUNT 317

A DEADLY SPILL OF SCARLET (Draft 3) – Made a bit of progress with a scene in Chapter 2. Worked on some nuts and bolts.

HISTORICAL EBOOK (formatting for paperback version) –Edited Chapters 14-16

GEORGIA (and Georgia Genealogy) – Back to Buford

Helix – Congratulations on a fine day.

Dj –

Raisecara –

Moon – Glad to see you on here!

Bob –

Free –

Woolly – WTG on 1157 words!

Dan –

CMBright – Awesome word counts!

Layla – WTG on revising!

Ptero – Grats on 705 words!

Neither – Congrats on the 2527 word count!

TStarnes – house on Wednesday, November 3.

 

[PraiseRao]

I’ve decided I can’t do justice to my newest subject in a short story, so—-against my initial judgement—-I’m researching what might be a book. It’s far from what I’m used to writing and will require really stretching my brain. But as someone recently told me “You have to tell yourself ‘I am the only one who can write this story.’”

So here I go.

Help.

Hey, just don't get stuck on anaylysis paralysis where all you do is study and not do productive writing output. Good luck.

________

As for my first day of Nov I got in over 5k words. Huzzah. I hope to keep up the pace if I can.

 

[Layla Nahar]

Ptero - nice 705
Nether - w00t 2.5K!
Gatteau - excellent work
Cindy! Nice 137
Rao - damn! 5K excellent


Day 2

up early to do some revision in my WIP 'Teele'

 

[Helix]

Day 2: did okay in NaNo today, which is good because there will be days when I won't have a chance to write. Also worked on a non-fic piece to submit to an online mag. And now I'll be making some notes for a Medium piece.

You're absolutely smashing it, people. One word or ten thousand, they're all parts of a story.

 

[Taylor Harbin]

Taylor,

Fan: How do you write your books?
Dean Koontz: One word at a time.

That's what it boils down to. My current WIP was once nothing more than a short story wannabe novel, but I could not lengthen it. Read books that are something like the shot story. If you want to share what it's about, we might be able to suggest books. As soon as you are roughly settled into what it's about,
come up with a plot sentence and keep adding to it until it turns into a summary that you can expand into a novel or at least a novella.

Thanks, Cindy!

In essence: the story is about a time-traveler who went back to ancient Jerusalem to rescue someone who was stranded there and has an encounter with Jesus. The story begins after he’s come back and reported that he’s met God, and the world is thrown into turmoil. His employer is trying to gag him, and he wants to write a memoir about the experience for public release (while be hunted by factions who want to either kill him or exploit him).

I’d considered writing through the POV of a companion like a bodyguard or someone else who befriends him. The story isn’t meant to be super literary, so I thought maybe the plot ought to be their quest to get out of the city they’re in?

I hope that’s enough to work with. You’re very kind to offer help.

 

[Taylor Harbin]

Hey, just don't get stuck on anaylysis paralysis where all you do is study and not do productive writing output. Good luck.

________

As for my first day of Nov I got in over 5k words. Huzzah. I hope to keep up the pace if I can.

Oh yes, I agree. What I mean to say is that I’m used to writing historical pieces, but this one looks to the future and requires more imagination. I don’t even have a full list of characters or a plot framework.

 

[The Second Moon]

Day 1- No writing. No reading either. (I want to read more as a November goal).