Nanowrimo 2023

[M_K_Babalon]

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.

I think it'd be nice to meet some local writers. I wonder how many would be writing on a phone like me? There is something to be said sbout writing on a laptop in public, exuding all that smugness and self-importance. Too bad all mine need be plugged up.

 

[TxRad]

Plugged up as apposed to plugged in. Are you back to the butt plug thing or the laptop thing?

Back when I did NANO last, we had a large group of Lit writers that hung out together on a chat program. Not very work productive but a hell of a lot of fun.

 

[oneagainst]

The local chapter have a discord server but I dunno about registering yet another alt to avoid the back trace if it's just banter.

So, how many are actually doing nanowrimo this year?

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

I am trying, but I'm way behind right now. If I can get to 25k words I'll be happy.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Nope, never do. I may write enough words for it, but not interested in trying to!

The local chapter have a discord server but I dunno about registering yet another alt to avoid the back trace if it's just banter.

So, how many are actually doing nanowrimo this year?

 

[oneagainst]

Just got to 26.5k - with 3 days to spare for the halfway. I read about one author doing the 50k / 24h challenge... which seems ludicrous. I'm not sure how much sense I'm making after 3k words in a session, let alone what million-monkeys garbage would be coming out by the end of 50k....

 

[onehitwanda]

author doing the 50k / 24h challenge.

that sounds monumentally masochistic. My carpal tunnel is screaming in sympathy.

 

[Euphony]

what million-monkeys garbage would be coming out by the end of 50k....

I have some idea...

 

[EroticCupcake]

I may be doing this on accident. 22k words in.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

I may be doing this on accident. 22k words in.

that's great! congrats!

 

[33RPMVinylPants]

I tried last year, got to about 30k and stalled out.

I kept going back to restructure the story, and eventually I was re-plotting acts 2 and 3 with every rewrite.

This year some personal stuff got in the way, but I may try challenging myself to a Dec-wri-mo.

Just need to make a plan and stick to it, instead of throwing out the blueprint halfway through the build...

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

I tried last year, got to about 30k and stalled out.

I kept going back to restructure the story, and eventually I was re-plotting acts 2 and 3 with every rewrite.

This year some personal stuff got in the way, but I may try challenging myself to a Dec-wri-mo.

Just need to make a plan and stick to it, instead of throwing out the blueprint halfway through the build...

I have the same problem. I love going back and rewriting. The key for me last year was to just keep writing terribly, knowing that it was going to be terrible.

 

[33RPMVinylPants]

I have the same problem. I love going back and rewriting. The key for me last year was to just keep writing terribly, knowing that it was going to be terrible.

My process:

- carefully craft an outline with each chapter and a compelling conflict.
- write chapter 1.
- have a better idea for chapter 2 than the outline had, so I write that instead.
- twist chapter 3 into a pretzel to accomodate the new chapter 2.
- throw chapter 4 outline in the garbage and make it up on the fly.
- realize that I've changed the central conflict of the entire story and now chapter 1 makes no sense because it no longer lays the foundation for the new conflict
- rewrite the outline with the new conflict
- return to step 1

It's... not great, and explains why my entire library of work consists of a single short story I posted to Reddit three years ago.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

My process:

- carefully craft an outline with each chapter and a compelling conflict.
- write chapter 1.
- have a better idea for chapter 2 than the outline had, so I write that instead.
- twist chapter 3 into a pretzel to accomodate the new chapter 2.
- throw chapter 4 outline in the garbage and make it up on the fly.
- realize that I've changed the central conflict of the entire story and now chapter 1 makes no sense because it no longer lays the foundation for the new conflict
- rewrite the outline with the new conflict
- return to step 1

It's... not great, and explains why my entire library of work consists of a single short story I posted to Reddit three years ago.

I feel your pain. My best suggestion is to take to heart the aphorism that perfect is the enemy of good.

 

[33RPMVinylPants]

I feel your pain. My best suggestion is to take to heart the aphorism that perfect is the enemy of good.

Yup. I've got to take those 'better ideas' and jot them down somewhere far away from the current draft, and just write to follow the damn outline.

 

[Stimtheone]

This thread got me interested mostly because it was about the word count and I have to say I never really "measured" in words, rather in pages, usually google doc pages. Got me interested to see how much I have in word count. Hm, that 80 page work had just shy of 40k words and that was... hm, maybe a week.

Though I'm not one to go for challenges.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I've never joined in the competition. However, I have used the month of November to write the required number of words in multiple short stories. I could compete that way but chose not to. My father isn't in the competition this year. He usually does write a novel in NaNoWriMo. But he decided not this year, and maybe he won't in the future. His hands have arthritis in the joints, and typing is excruciating.

 

[oneagainst]

My process:

- carefully craft an outline with each chapter and a compelling conflict.
- write chapter 1.
- have a better idea for chapter 2 than the outline had, so I write that instead.
- twist chapter 3 into a pretzel to accomodate the new chapter 2.
- throw chapter 4 outline in the garbage and make it up on the fly.
- realize that I've changed the central conflict of the entire story and now chapter 1 makes no sense because it no longer lays the foundation for the new conflict
- rewrite the outline with the new conflict
- return to step 1

It's... not great, and explains why my entire library of work consists of a single short story I posted to Reddit three years ago.

I've resigned myself to putting one single thread end to end through the story, not worrying about pacing or subtexts, just to get the skeleton down. I'll go back and start to hang the poster and do the paint work after. I think the trick is to just accept that the first run through is going to read like a traffic accident, but at least the bits are there....

And there's that frigging Nanowrimo completion graph showing progress against the ideal rate. It's OCD sniping in its finest form.