I'll be using all the drive and ambition NaNo gives me to hopefully complete Bakersfield, the hypothetical TV show starring Billie Piper and David Tennant that mylittlepwny and I developed. I've already started working on it, and I'm not aiming for 50k, so it doesn't REALLY count, but it will be my November project.
Oh, I just looked it up! I mean, I've HEARD people talking about NaNoWriMo since I've been involved in this fandom, but I never really knew what it was about.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft.. Interesting!
...the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
I'm intrigued! This is probably a great idea for an obsessive editor such as myself.
Why? To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work. Hee!
I'm intrigued! This is probably a great idea for an obsessive editor such as myself.
Exactly! I tend toward obsessive editing myself...which tends to slow things down, just a bit. And by just a bit, I mean a whole lot.
This will be my first year doing NaNoWriMo, and I love the idea of getting 50k down, and waiting to edit. In theory, anyway...we'll see how well I do putting that into practice. :)
I just signed up! It may not actually happen, but I'll give it a try.
I love the idea of getting 50k down, and waiting to edit.
Yes! This is totally not my standard writing style, but I'm looking forward to seeing what emerges! If it totally sucks, at least it was good practice. Anyway, there's got to be something salvageable in 50 000 words.
Practice is very good. Half the battle, and a big part of what appeals to me with NaNo, is getting into the habit of writing regardless of whether or not I feel inspired or what have you. Like exercising, whether or not you feel like it.
I can't get behind NaNoWriMo. I just...I'm not much of a "draft" writer. Like, when I come to the end of a story (writing it, I mean), that's basically the end for me. Like, I'm done with that story. Maybe in a few months or a year I'll "revise" it, but when that happens I'm basically producing a completely new story again, with a similar idea or similar characters to the original story. And I'll usually keep the first story because it's a separate thing for me.
And I have to take my time. I mean, it's not like I'm a slow writer, I just am also not a fast writer. Haha. I can't just sit down and write a twenty page story in a day, unless I have the idea fully formed in my head and I know exactly what I'm doing. which I usually don't. And the idea of sitting down to write a twenty page story in a day without a set direction is just not pleasant to me at all. Does that make sense?
I feel like if I forced myself to write 50k words in a single month I could probably do it, but I would hate what I produced, and I would never be able to
( ... )
I totally get that. Yes - it absolutely make sense, and now...
...in the spirit of full disclosure, I admit that my story for NaNoWriMo is one of been working on for, well, basically the last eight months. Not the actual writing of it - not the prose - but my characters, who they are, what the story is about (themes, symbols, etc.), the story world... I have playlists, and galleries full of images, I know their backstories like my own, I know how the air feels in October where they live, and when I think of their dialogue I hear it in their voices...
It's crazy, because I am not a writer who outlines...but I have to know my canon.
If I were going into NaNo blind, there would be no point. None, whatsoever. Some people can, and that impresses me no end. I am just not that kind of writer, though, and no doubt would hate what I produced and find it unusable like you said.
I totally understand the need to know your characters before starting. My first Nano was about two characters I had literally been living with for two years. They had invaded my headspace and Nano was a great excuse to write them finally. The second one was a fanfic using characters I was very used to writing and the third one was another story with the first two characters. I cannot contemplate doing something that fast without knowing who I'm writing. The world, in the case of my original characters, is the one I grew up in so I know it pretty well too :)
but my characters, who they are, what the story is about (themes, symbols, etc.), the story world... I have playlists, and galleries full of images, I know their backstories like my own, I know how the air feels in October where they live, and when I think of their dialogue I hear it in their voices... That is, like...wonderful, bb. It's beautiful. It makes me really excited for you. And like about you. I can't wait to see what you produce. Are you a writer? I mean like...do you want to write, in life and everything? Haha.
ALSO I still intend to write your Frail prompt, it just hasn't happened yet. v.v
I looked down at the comments and noticed that it'll be your first year doing NaNo too. I'm glad I won't be the only one new to it.
Are you going to write something original or fandom related? I've got an original I'll be woring on. Actually, if you look through my "10 fics in 10 days" tag, you'll see a few little snippets from that universe.
I am doing something original too (yay)! It's a story that I've had in my head for quite a while now, so I am very excited by the prospect of getting it down on paper (or laptop).
And I will definitely have to check out the snippets you mentioned...
I have done it for the last 3 years (twice with an original story and once with fanfic) and got to and/or past 50,000 each time, but I'm not sure about this year. I haven't written a word of fiction since our big earthquake and I just feel ... rusty. We'll see as the time inches closer though. I often try not to do it but find around the 28th October that I miss the idea of doing it ... and end up doing it again.
I do have a plot and characters that I worked out about 8 months ago that I could write and I have always enjoyed the process of writing so fast with so many others right through the month. I suspect I will probably give in and try for it again.
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Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft.. Interesting!
...the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
I'm intrigued! This is probably a great idea for an obsessive editor such as myself.
Why? To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work. Hee!
Reply
Exactly! I tend toward obsessive editing myself...which tends to slow things down, just a bit. And by just a bit, I mean a whole lot.
This will be my first year doing NaNoWriMo, and I love the idea of getting 50k down, and waiting to edit. In theory, anyway...we'll see how well I do putting that into practice. :)
Reply
I love the idea of getting 50k down, and waiting to edit.
Yes! This is totally not my standard writing style, but I'm looking forward to seeing what emerges! If it totally sucks, at least it was good practice. Anyway, there's got to be something salvageable in 50 000 words.
Reply
Practice is very good. Half the battle, and a big part of what appeals to me with NaNo, is getting into the habit of writing regardless of whether or not I feel inspired or what have you. Like exercising, whether or not you feel like it.
Reply
And I have to take my time. I mean, it's not like I'm a slow writer, I just am also not a fast writer. Haha. I can't just sit down and write a twenty page story in a day, unless I have the idea fully formed in my head and I know exactly what I'm doing. which I usually don't. And the idea of sitting down to write a twenty page story in a day without a set direction is just not pleasant to me at all. Does that make sense?
I feel like if I forced myself to write 50k words in a single month I could probably do it, but I would hate what I produced, and I would never be able to ( ... )
Reply
...in the spirit of full disclosure, I admit that my story for NaNoWriMo is one of been working on for, well, basically the last eight months. Not the actual writing of it - not the prose - but my characters, who they are, what the story is about (themes, symbols, etc.), the story world... I have playlists, and galleries full of images, I know their backstories like my own, I know how the air feels in October where they live, and when I think of their dialogue I hear it in their voices...
It's crazy, because I am not a writer who outlines...but I have to know my canon.
If I were going into NaNo blind, there would be no point. None, whatsoever. Some people can, and that impresses me no end. I am just not that kind of writer, though, and no doubt would hate what I produced and find it unusable like you said.
Reply
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That is, like...wonderful, bb. It's beautiful. It makes me really excited for you. And like about you. I can't wait to see what you produce. Are you a writer? I mean like...do you want to write, in life and everything? Haha.
ALSO I still intend to write your Frail prompt, it just hasn't happened yet. v.v
Reply
Are you going to write something original or fandom related? I've got an original I'll be woring on. Actually, if you look through my "10 fics in 10 days" tag, you'll see a few little snippets from that universe.
Reply
I am doing something original too (yay)! It's a story that I've had in my head for quite a while now, so I am very excited by the prospect of getting it down on paper (or laptop).
And I will definitely have to check out the snippets you mentioned...
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I do have a plot and characters that I worked out about 8 months ago that I could write and I have always enjoyed the process of writing so fast with so many others right through the month. I suspect I will probably give in and try for it again.
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