Nanowrimo 2023

[Jackie.Hikaru]

Anyone doing the nanowrimo 2023 challenge?

For those who don't know, it's a challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November.
It's something I've done before - last year I ended up with 64k word draft of a story that I ended up paring down to about 30k final which I posted here on Lit. I started this year, but 2 days in and already way behind par lol (1667 words a day to reach 50k words by the end of the month).

It's an interesting challenging. To reach the goal, I find I'm forced to let go of my innate perfectionism to meet the word count, which is exactly the sort of kick I need.

 

[TxRad]

If you start today your already 1666 words behind.

I've done it three time. Got to 50k twice. It helps if you decide to write novel length pieces. BTW, 50k equals a Young Adult novel.

 

[Euphony]

It's an interesting challenging. To reach the goal, I find I'm forced to let go of my innate perfectionism to meet the word count, which is exactly the sort of kick I need.

This is a brilliant (and I'd argue the best) use for NaNoWriMo. Kudos for recognizing a weaker area and seriously working on it with the motivating tail wind.

My current big issue is writing 20 words when 8 would suffice. NaNoWriMo is throwing gasoline on an already raging fire. (and my dopamine would doom me each and every word count mile marker I passed )

 

[alohadave]

Nanowrimo is what motivated me to start writing last year. I didn't follow it at all, and didn't do any of the related activities, but I figured if other people could start writing, so could I.

Personally, I'd hate following a strict writing schedule, and I'd give up real quickly. This is supposed to be a fun hobby, not a job with deadlines.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

Every November I see this and say, next year. Then by December I have forgotten about it.

 

[Bamagan]

I'd never heard of this. Kudos if you can keep to the pace. That's longer than what I usually set out to write, although sometimes tales grow in the telling.

 

[AchtungNight]

I doubt I’ll ever do it. Definitely not this year. I’ll try to get at least volume one of the three (maybe more) part Biker Fantasy series out, though, before the end of the month. It will be a First Time story about a girl joining a biker gang. Volume 2 leads to swapping and E/V stuff, then when our biker girl gets back home she will be the fantasy for a classmate. An Incest follow-up will happen later.

Still outlining it and trying to tie up other projects at this time. I may not even get to finish Volume 1 before November ends. :sigh:

Enough of my other projects are novel length as it is according to some fans.

 

[samhasstories]

I've always been very impressed with anyone who manages to get even close to this. That wordcount goal just sounds so beyond what I think I can output that I've never given serious thought to it. I'm sure I could benefit from the attempt, but to even get past that initial overwhelm I think I'd have to go for Nanowrimo: the novella edition.

 

[StillStunned]

I wrote about 40,000 words of stories here on LitE in October. I think I'll give this one a miss.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I've never managed Nanowrimo since I first heard of it maybe 20 years ago? November is generally a difficult month for me. That said, I have written over 8k words in the last 2 days, so might get that Christmas novella done.

 

[Devinter]

I sort of do "Nanowrimo" every month - though rarely with all of the words in just one singular story. Most days where I have free time I aim to write 5000 words, and I try to do so about 5 days a week. 50,000 words written - and properly edited - per month is my minimum goal.

I find that putting objectives like these, with self-imposed criteria to meet and arbitrary deadlines hanging over my head, is the best way to keep me productive. If I remove this pressure, I could work on the same story for months or years, trying to "perfect" it - and yet never being truly happy with the outcome. I feel less suffocated by trying to meet the word count than by trying to write the perfect story.

So stressful as it may be, this is the only way I can work. Learned that after working on the same damn book for three years in my early 20's and not being happy with it regardless. I'll never be able to please myself fully with my creations, but that doesn't mean that others will feel that they aren't good enough to be worth their time reading.

 

[LilyWaters]

I got to 36,000 one year, which I'm still pretty proud of. November is a bonkers month for me at work, so now I approach it like - let's see how much I can write in November, rather than shooting for 50,000. The year I retire, maybe.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

I sort of do "Nanowrimo" every month - though rarely with all of the words in just one singular story. Most days where I have free time I aim to write 5000 words, and I try to do so about 5 days a week. 50,000 words written - and properly edited - per month is my minimum goal.

I find that putting objectives like these, with self-imposed criteria to meet and arbitrary deadlines hanging over my head, is the best way to keep me productive. If I remove this pressure, I could work on the same story for months or years, trying to "perfect" it - and yet never being truly happy with the outcome. I feel less suffocated by trying to meet the word count than by trying to write the perfect story.

So stressful as it may be, this is the only way I can work. Learned that after working on the same damn book for three years in my early 20's and not being happy with it regardless. I'll never be able to please myself fully with my creations, but that doesn't mean that others will feel that they aren't good enough to be worth their time reading.

That's amazing. I wish I could have that output.

 

[TxRad]

BTW, it doesn't have to be one story. It can be any number of stories that add up to 50k. I did it on my second try with eight stories.

 

[oneagainst]

November is not a good month, timing-wise. Did the 50k last month instead.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

November is not a good month, timing-wise. Did the 50k last month instead.

Congrats!

 

[EroticCupcake]

I also (mostly) did it in October. I feel kind of lost because nothing is grabbing me like it did in October, but that was probably a unique moment for me.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Dad wrote 64,000 words last year and hasn't gone back and polished it yet. He isn't participating this year. I've never done the challenge and probably never will.

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

In Nov. 2021 I wrote about 55k words of something that didn't come close to a finish. I then embarked on NaNoEdYe, National Novel Editing Year, and didn't make much headway. There's so much worldbuild and backstory that I doubt I could get a single coherent first-of-a-series novel out of it, in what remains of my time as a breath-drawing organism (I'm a third of the way through my eighth decade). Nonetheless, I've decided that when I finish with The Other Project I'm Involved With And Won't Describe, I'll spend some of the rest of November looking at the two-years-ago thing with fresh eyes.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

I've never done it. I found out about it years ago, made an account and checked it out, because I didn't get what it was, then never did it. I just didn't get it. I don't know if I kept my account or not, it would've been nice to talk to local writers. Even if I did wanna do it, I don't have time for something new. I have that story to finish for my other account, and two to finish, that are gonna be posted under this one.

 

[oneagainst]

November is not a good month, timing-wise. Did the 50k last month instead.

So, I lied. Got sucked in. 13k words so far. Keeping to target. Anyone else giving this a go?

I had a look at the local meet-ups but not sure how I'd fit in around a table at a coffee shop discussing my latest efforts....

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

I had a look at the local meet-ups but not sure how I'd fit in around a table at a coffee shop discussing my latest efforts....

That would be so fun to see

The NaNoWriMo organization really tries pushing the social aspect, but I cannot see myself in any writing club. Writing is a solo journey for me. Especially when butt plugs are involved.

 

[FeralSmile]

Writing is a solo journey for me. Especially when butt plugs are involved.

I'm trying to process this and keep running up against "more data needed". Are you using butt plugs as part of your writing process? If so, I can understand why some social activities might be discomfiting, but then other social activities ought to work out fine (depending on your relationship status and comfort with sexual acts in public, among other things). I mean, you don't need to tell people about the butt plugs, or you can use them at home with loved ones.

Or are the butt plugs part of the story? In that case I can see why you'd be reluctant to share with a group of strangers, but again, the right people in your life should allow you to share this.

Writing is hard enough without having to do it all alone, is my feeling. Put a pin in that one because irony alert...

I'm doing NaNoWriMo. I have a novel I've been putting off for a while and I'm going to get a huge chunk of it done this month, though it's going to end up well over 50k. But then... despite all my talk above, it's something I'm doing alone. No butt plugs are involved on any level, but I still don't really want to do a social writing club thing. Not my scene.

But then again I have COVID right now so that'd also be terribly antisocial of me.

"Say, have you folks ever read The Masque of the Red Death, because you'll be amazed how pertinent it is right here and now" is a hell of a conversation stopper.

 

[oneagainst]

That would be so fun to see

The NaNoWriMo organization really tries pushing the social aspect, but I cannot see myself in any writing club. Writing is a solo journey for me. Especially when butt plugs are involved.

"So, that's so neat you're writing about this wizard who's got a dragon he's taming. Uh me? Kinda the same. There's a magic, uh, staff and it's um, erect and...."

...and at which point they get back to talking about themselves some more and I breathe a sigh of relief.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

I'm trying to process this and keep running up against "more data needed". Are you using butt plugs as part of your writing process? If so, I can understand why some social activities might be discomfiting, but then other social activities ought to work out fine (depending on your relationship status and comfort with sexual acts in public, among other things). I mean, you don't need to tell people about the butt plugs, or you can use them at home with loved ones.

Or are the butt plugs part of the story? In that case I can see why you'd be reluctant to share with a group of strangers, but again, the right people in your life should allow you to share this.

Writing is hard enough without having to do it all alone, is my feeling. Put a pin in that one because irony alert...

I'm doing NaNoWriMo. I have a novel I've been putting off for a while and I'm going to get a huge chunk of it done this month, though it's going to end up well over 50k. But then... despite all my talk above, it's something I'm doing alone. No butt plugs are involved on any level, but I still don't really want to do a social writing club thing. Not my scene.

But then again I have COVID right now so that'd also be terribly antisocial of me.

"Say, have you folks ever read The Masque of the Red Death, because you'll be amazed how pertinent it is right here and now" is a hell of a conversation stopper.

I always research what I write.