Who's doing NaNoWriMo 2021?

[AW Admin]

Who's going to Nano this year?

I'm contemplating it; I did ersatz Nano last year (I don't write fiction so not "legit").

I'm thinking about doing it again this year.

I think it's one of the most helpful, and fun, things to do, even if you end up having to bail. Stuff is stressful right now, with holidays, and COVID, but writing freely can be enormously de-stressing.

* Because the emphasis on is words and forward momentum, there's a lot less pressure around style and structure, the operating principle behind Nano is that you write now, revise later.

* You can write for fun, without worrying about an agent, or editor or whether it's publishable.

* Write what you want, what you enjoy writing. Worry about the structure later.

I really encourage first timers to try. If life gets to hectic, you can bail, but having a daily writing session for a month can really stretch your muscles.

And the camaraderie as your fellow writers cheer you on can be super helpful.

* Who's game to try?

* What are you thinking about writing?

Remember you can't start actually writing/drafting, but you can jot down ideas, outlines, character back stories, etc.

 

[lizmonster]

I'm in. I'm working on something in progress, though. I am forgiving myself for slightly bending the rules.

I've got two WIPs I could use, and I'm not sure which one to write. One has been "almost" finished for a long time; 50K might legit get me to The End. The other I started last year, and it's been cooking in the back of my head ever since.

They both have to get done eventually.

 

[M.S. Wiggins]

I really, really, friggin really want to this year. I have an idea, have the Word folder (titled 'Geodesy') with only one Word document in it titled 'Outline' that consists of two piddly pages with character names, key terms, research avenues, a smattering of dialogue... and that's it. (It's pathetic). The rest is in my head.

But I really wanna do it this year. And the timing is perfect for me (knock on wood).

 

[AW Admin]

I really, really, friggin really want to this year. I have an idea, have the Word folder (titled 'Geodesy') with only one Word document in it titled 'Outline' that consists of two piddly pages with character names, key terms, research avenues, a smattering of dialogue... and that's it. (It's pathetic). The rest is in my head.

But I really wanna do it this year. And the timing is perfect for me (knock on wood).

Hey, you've got a start! That's actually rather a lot.

 

[M.S. Wiggins]

Hey, you've got a start! That's actually rather a lot.

Thanks for that. Means a lot actually, more than I'd rather bear my writerly soul to elaborate on in a public forum.

The only thing that has been holding me back from moving forward with this WIP is I can't decide on POV. I know it has to be past tense, and I'm thinking (pretty sure) it needs to be 3rd person, but I'm more practiced with writing 1st person (both in past and present tense). My biggest fear is that I'll make a mockery of 3rd POV, causing me to shy away from it forever.

(Ugh! Go ahead, ask me if I'd like some violin music with my self-flagellation.)

Anyway, I'm diving in. Come what may. I just need to register at the NaNoWriMo website, right?

 

[PastyAlien]

You know, I think I will. I bailed last year, but maybe I'll try writing an outline beforehand this time so I'm a little more prepared. There's this novel I really want to finish...

 

[Maggie Maxwell]

Let's go, ten years won in a row! (My only NaNo failure was 2011 after starting in 2010.)

I'm rebelling and doing an RPG script instead of a novel, but the goal is still 50k.

 

[AW Admin]

Thanks for that. Means a lot actually, more than I'd rather bear my writerly soul to elaborate on in a public forum.

The only thing that has been holding me back from moving forward with this WIP is I can't decide on POV. I know it has to be past tense, and I'm thinking (pretty sure) it needs to be 3rd person, but I'm more practiced with writing 1st person (both in past and present tense). My biggest fear is that I'll make a mockery of 3rd POV, causing me to shy away from it forever.

(Ugh! Go ahead, ask me if I'd like some violin music with my self-flagellation.)

Anyway, I'm diving in. Come what may. I just need to register at the NaNoWriMo website, right?

If you want to play "officially" and track word counts, yep. If you don't register you can't claim the coupons when you win.

But to the more important point: This is writing that is meant to be fun.

It's writing where the roughest of rough drafts that you later bury or gut to reuse scenes and characters, or revise.

This is writing where the journey is the point, not the destination.

I know that seems weird when there's a goal; your final destination at the end of the journey is 50K.

But it doesn't matter how you get there. It's fine to start out writing from third omniscient, and then when you realize 18 k in that you really want 1st and an unreliable narrator, you just switch and fix it later.

This is no-holds-barred-writing-for-the-sheer-exhuberance.

As someone who writes for a living and hates writing, I know what it's like when you feel like every word is having to come through a portal from the 13th dimension, with predators waiting along every stop.

This isn't that kind of writing. You can start out with an outline or basic plot bunny and half way through switch from writing steam punk lesbian romance to early 1920 detective noir, and it's OK.

The journey, not the the destination.

 

[Kat M]

I'm going to! Sort of.

I'm not starting anything new—Im' going to keep working on my current projects and keep track of the word count, to try to hit 50K. The discipline of word counting and allowing myself extra time to write gave me a boost last year and I totally want to do it again!

 

[CMBright]

I'll try it. I signed up on the site.

 

[PraiseRao]

I have a question. If you set your writing to only me, does it still count for the overall accomplishment? For example, I want to write something that I will continue to work on and publish later, I don't have to share it more or less correct?

 

[AW Admin]

I have a question. If you set your writing to only me, does it still count for the overall accomplishment? For example, I want to write something that I will continue to work on and publish later, I don't have to share it more or less correct?

Correct

 

[AW Admin]

I'm probably going to use Scrivener for this. I'm a regular user of writing-by-hand in cheap Composition notebooks, so I'm still contemplating writing by hand, in pencil and fountain pen.

But ultimately, pretty much anything over 10K ends up in Scrivener for me.

This might be a good time to check out the 30 day free trial of Scrivener for Windows or Mac, if you're interested.

The planning tools might really appeal to you. Go to Literature and Latte, and check out the core concepts and the intro video.

If you "win" NaNoWriMo, there's a killer discount coupon for Scrivener.

If you're a mind-map diagram sort, you might want to try Scapple.

 

[DarkWriter223]

Count me in! I will be doing it!

 

[Maggie Maxwell]

I have a question. If you set your writing to only me, does it still count for the overall accomplishment? For example, I want to write something that I will continue to work on and publish later, I don't have to share it more or less correct?

The only thing required for NaNo is to write 50,000 words. There's no obligation to finish the novel, no obligation to share it. You don't have to use the forums or even update your word count daily. All you have to do it write 50k by the end of the month.

 

[Sage]

I've had bad luck the past few years with NaNo, but I'm digging into a tried-and-true world with characters I love to write for, and I'm hoping to break my losing streak. I just wish I was feeling as jazzed for writing this story as I was in the summer before I got distracted by other things in my brain.

 

[Sage]

I have a question. If you set your writing to only me, does it still count for the overall accomplishment? For example, I want to write something that I will continue to work on and publish later, I don't have to share it more or less correct?

The only thing you have to share is your word count (if you want to be official). No need to even so much as describe your novel. 50K words is the goal; for many books that won't be long enough to finish, so if you just want to use NaNo as a launching point, it's good for that. It's just a fun event that lets you have a common(ish) writing goal as others all at the same time.

 

[PraiseRao]

Alright. Thanks for the answers. I've never done Nanowrimo before.

 

[Stytch]

I ❤ NaNo as a motivational tool. I dig checking in with folks and listening in on Twitter as everyone is going through the motions. For some reason, I've never warmed to the actual in-house forums they have there (that's not shade, just hasn't clicked for me before) but those are an interesting resource as well. I have only won the 50k goal once, last year, which I fully attribute to being unemployed and the pandemic. This year I will be working on year 3 of my current project, with much less free mental bandwidth, so my goal is to finish, and I don't think it'll take another 50k. But even if i don't get there, all words on the page are progress, and I find I make very good progress when I do NaNo as compared to the rest of the time. Good luck, everyone!

 

[Brightdreamer]

I did NaNo (and "won") six years in a row, then took some years off, but I'm considering giving it another go this year... admittedly for the potential Scrivener discount. I have a fragment I spitballed a while back that might have a larger story around it, which would make a decent novel seed if so, or it might be best left on its own... am still deciding...

 

[Helix]

I'm in.

I've got some non-fiction I need to finish and NaNo is the impetus I need to overcome this inertia. *wanders off to remind self of Newton's Laws of Motion*

 

[Lundgren]

I will give it a go.

So, I have registered on the NaNo site and picked out a project (kind of a prequel to a book I haven't written yet).

This means I have the rough ideas for the setting and general situation already done, and several of the main events. However, I need to figure out what character (or characters) I will follow, and how those events will affect those involved on a personal level.

 

[Yzjdriel]

I'm probably doing it this year, though I'd be working on something that I've already started rather than doing the traditional "from-scratch" NaNo.

 

[Catriona Grace]

I've done Nano two or three times over the years. The basic idea behind it is grand, but mostly I join up because I like the little gizmo that keeps track of my progress. If I could find a similar gizmo to download elsewhere online, I'd not bother with Nano.

 

[LJD]

I plan on it.