NaNoWriMo 2011

[Mighty Jalapeno]

National Novel Writing Month - November 2011
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Write 50,000 Words!

Here we go again! Eschewing grammar, spelling and sometimes even cohesion, the goal is to bash out 50,000 words, an entire novella, in just one month. This gives you a sizeable manuscript to work on and polish in the future, it allows you to explore ideas more fully than you normally would be able to, and perhaps most importantly it shows you that you CAN actually write 50,000 words in one month.


I've competed seven times, won three times, and plan to tie this bitch up this year.

WHO'S WITH ME?!?!?!?!?

[AngrySquirrel]

I am with you as usual. This year I think I'll rewrite one of my old stories, maybe even come up with an ending for once! If that fails I'll probably write a whole bunch of short stories instead.

[AvatarIII]

i competed in 09, and won*, just, i had to write 8000 words on the last day, and managed it somehow, by resorting to putting a character in a coma, and for some reason making my other characters recite lists to them.... but it kicked the shit out of me, kind of put me off doing it again, and i already had a pretty good outline and several pages of worldbuilding before starting that year, so no, i won't be competing.

* i have the first few chapters posted online for criticism if anyone is interested http://hivenovel.blogspot.com/

[The EGE]

I'm in. No hope of 50k but if I can beat last year by a sizable margin I shall be pleased.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

50,000 words = 1667 words per day = 28 wpm for one hour per day. My three year old can do that!

...

In her own language.

[AvatarIII]

50,000 words = 1667 words per day = 28 wpm for one hour per day. My three year old can do that!

...

In her own language.

The writing is easy, the hard bit is turning off the inner self critic.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

50,000 words = 1667 words per day = 28 wpm for one hour per day. My three year old can do that!

...

In her own language.

The writing is easy, the hard bit is turning off the inner self critic.

Very true. This is the one month per year when I shut him up with booze.

My blog, which I will try to update much more often as NaNo approaches.

[Kewangji]

I am so in! I'll have a main November project, for now entitled The Anywhere Machine, which I think will land around 35k words. That leaves 15k words for assorted drabbles, vignettes, other short stories, and work on my main background project. I will be keeping track of my progress, at least over the Anywhere Machine, here: http://kewangji.tumblr.com/november2011

I've won the last two years despite murderously insane conditions, so I expect to win again. Of course, since I expect that, I expect to lose by vainglory. But that, too, is expected.

Last year I teamed up with a bunch of Internet people from another forum to share a dropbox folder where we could have our works-in-progress to be read by others, but I was the only one writing anything longer than five pages, I think, unfortunately, so I didn't find out whether that worked well or not.

Nano is one of my favouritest things. :3

AvatarIII: I'll read through a couple of chapters and send you some feedback later, and I'm telling it here so I'll commit to it.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

For better or for worse, I've committed to working on my *deep breath* post-apocalyptic horror/comedy Pokemon novel.

...

You heard me.

[AvatarIII]

AvatarIII: I'll read through a couple of chapters and send you some feedback later, and I'm telling it here so I'll commit to it.

Thanks Kewangji, I've had a few people read a bit, but never really got any objective or constructive criticism, if you can have a read of it, that would be awesome, I stopped uploading chapters when I realised no one was really commenting on it, but I can upload more if required.

[Bassoon]

I'm doing it again this year. Dunno how well I'll do, as I haven't finished in the previous two years...but we'll see! I've got a good feeling!

[Kewangji]

For better or for worse, I've committed to working on my *deep breath* post-apocalyptic horror/comedy Pokemon novel.

...

You heard me.

This sounds all kinds of awesome. Will you have people becoming fridges? You should have that. The only other person I have talked to who wrote Pokémonfic refused to have people's minds stuffed into the mind of a fridge, which is a shame.

Thanks Kewangji, I've had a few people read a bit, but never really got any objective or constructive criticism, if you can have a read of it, that would be awesome, I stopped uploading chapters when I realised no one was really commenting on it, but I can upload more if required.

:)


I have been getting October doubts here – perhaps my plot isn't as awesome as I thought. So I decided to dial down the scope and add in the exploration of a ghost world. Currently I only have two characters, I should probably work on that.

Oh, if anyone would like an "I'll read and comment a bit on your story, if you do the same with mine" deal with me, please PM!

[Mighty Jalapeno]

Why the fridge logic?

[Kewangji]

No no, fridge horror, y'see.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

Granted, but... maybe I just don't get the reference. Why would someone become a fridge?

[Kewangji]

http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/ ... k%C3%A9mon) <- that pokémon can possess fridges, therefore I think it should be able to shove other people's consciousnesses inside fridges as well. I may be alone in this opinion. I also think that would be excellent horror.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

That will definitely have to happen now.

(Please note, that as of today, I only know the names of six Pokemon).

[Kewangji]

Fuck yes. Will you show it to the internets?

I have such a strong urge to write but I can't work on my story until November, and starting early makes for complications. *gnaws at things*

[AvatarIII]

Fuck yes. Will you show it to the internets?

I have such a strong urge to write but I can't work on my story until November, and starting early makes for complications. *gnaws at things*

write some brain storming or world building stuff then.

[Kewangji]

Doing that only makes it itch more.

I'm working on two separate and unrelated stories, one about watches and one about terraformation.

[AvatarIII]

ooh terraforming, i like it!

and i'm kind of intrigued about the watches one.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

You are far too easily intrigued.

[AvatarIII]

You are far too easily intrigued.

It's nano, where anything goes and Kew is writing about watches, there must be more to it, hence integument.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

You are far too easily intrigued.

It's nano, where anything goes and Kew is writing about watches, there must be more to it, hence integument.

Really? You're protecting yourself with a defensive outer layer because of watches?

[Kewangji]

ooh terraforming, i like it!

and i'm kind of intrigued about the watches one.

Terraforming story's up here, for the curious: http://kewangji.tumblr.com/post/11689220202/burn-rome

I'll send you the watches one when I'm done with it, if you'd like. It's more secret, planning on sending it in to an anthology thing.

[Chaoszerom]

Damn, I forgot about this until just now. I have exams on through November, so it will be a bit of a test. I probably won't make it, but I'll certainly try.

I forget, are we allowed to plan before the date? I shall have to do that during boring school time. Screw QCS English practice - It's a year away and I've got it under wraps

Anyone doing the Killer Shovel thing?

[Mighty Jalapeno]

Plan all you want, yeah. I'm outlining like crazy.

[Bassoon]

I really want to do it this year, but I'm swamped for plots, people, and places. It seems like I'm either going to have to give up for this year, or do a dry start and see where we go.

[Kewangji]

Anyone doing the Killer Shovel thing?

I am only fleetingly familiar with the killer shovel thing. Could you explate?

I really want to do it this year, but I'm swamped for plots, people, and places. It seems like I'm either going to have to give up for this year, or do a dry start and see where we go.

What usually inspires you? Any particular work of fiction or art/state of mind/piece of music?

Currently I've dreamt up enough details that don't go away for the first three days of writing to go very rather smoothly, I think. And day 17-20 should go smoothly as well.

[Bassoon]

I dunno, I guess just being alive inspires me. I just haven't thought of anything yet. I really like House of Leaves, but I think that's not really a NaNoWriMo-compatible style to emulate. I kinda like starting with a basic concept and writing it through fiction. Like taking a philosophical question and posing it in prose.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

Woodchuck Silviculture: An Economics Analysis

[AngrySquirrel]

Anyone doing the Killer Shovel thing?

I am only fleetingly familiar with the killer shovel thing. Could you explate?

The travelling shovel of death is a popular dare on the nanowrimo-forums. Basically, you have to write a scene where someone is killed by a shovel. You decide context and how important it is for your story yourself.

[Jessica]

I am planning on trying this again this year. I'm still working on a premise, but I hope to have something by Nov 1st.

[limb]

I did this in 2006, I completed it in 2 1/2 weeks as I didn't start on the 1st November.

The book I made was appallingly bad, but I've rewrote it countless times since, and I actually think it's pretty good now. The basic theme and some of the characters are intact, but I can only remember flashes of skin crawlingly clichéd nonsense from that original, and night after hung over embarrassed what did I do? What was I thinking? I hope no one else saw me/remembers me feelings of regret.

I'm not negative about NaNoWriMo, I think it's cool, I wouldn't do it again though.

[ShootTheChicken]

Well I just found out about this, so... ego-search'd.

I really like this idea so I'm going to go for it and see how far I get. I have a few ideas kicking around in my head that I'm going to try and flesh out over the next few days before the Nov 1st start time. I'm not too confident about actually completing 50k words but I'd like to try. I will poke in here often for encouragement.

Also: a killer shovel is so easy to work into my novel idea. Definitely going in.

EDIT: Unless it has to be a sentient shovel that kills people. Then it'll be slightly more difficult. If it's someone simply using the shovel as a weapon, I can totally do it.

[meridian]

I plan to write more stuff this year during November, but I've too many time constraints to actually commit to a number.

I am mostly posting here to volunteer to read other people's progress, if links are available in a language I understand.

[ShootTheChicken]

Well I've decided which story I want to write. It's going to be an adventure novel that combines a few things I've been interested in lately. The inspiration comes largely from reading a historical account of piracy in the Caribbean, as well as some Alexandre Dumas. I love the protagonists in the Three Musketeers because they're not cut and dry heros, they're really flawed characters and they don't follow lofty moral ideals, they just look out for eachother and their own best interests. I want to try to write something like that.

Then I saw Stardust, and the ship in it.

Spoiler:

So I'm going to basically hijack the idea of that ship and try to work it all together. I am 60% excited and 40% absolutely terrified.

[Kewangji]

Angry Squirrel: Aha! Right. Unfortunately, I don't think murdershovels will be very easy to work into my idea, unless I write it as a side story.

ShootTheChicken: Awesomeness. That is a good combination. Best of luck.

I've been working on outlining my novel because I can handle the itching now. If I write exactly as many words as I plan, chapter 5 will land me at 23k words. Not entirely sure what happens in chapter 6, that one might need to be written sans planning.

Omigosh it's soon here. It's less than 24 hours away from where I'm sitting.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

30 hours 34 minutes 15 seconds for me.

...

Not that, I'm, you know... counting...

[The EGE]

I finally have an idea!

In 2017, designer babies suddenly became affordable to the middle class. Intelligence, looks, athletics, the works - and no regulations. Half the population can suddenly afford to have their children become superhumans - and because they're made precisely in the image of their parents, they stop changing socially. Eugenics gone wrong, complete with enforced heteronormativity and gender roles.

And, because it's genetic, these superbabies pass their traits on to their children, and pretty soon we start seeing two divergent, genetically separated subspecies - the rich, and the other half - the proles, for lack of a better term at the moment. The proles are smart, and affable; they are for all intents and purposes us. They have been rendered genetically inferior, to the point where one cannot go from poor to rich. Social mobility has ended: the proles cannot compete for college admissions, or job skills, or any intellectual abilities. There was a war - brief and one-sided, as all the plucky heroes can't compete with a race of musclebound geniuses who have all the money and toys. The poor are scattered and impotent. Who needs oppression to keep you down, when you've just become inferior?

Out of this world, two generations into the separation, comes our heroine. Her name is Savannah, and she is a miserable post-goth misanthropic manic depressive. She is also the one-in-a-billion shot, with the brains to match the upper class and the body to blend in with those who were manufactured that way. She comes from nowhere. In a world filled with normal proles and a few of the original parents who were rejected by their perfect offspring, it's easy to hide. But instead, she is going to infiltrate.


...Yeah, so it's like a horrible mashup of 1984 and OWS and Pretties. But I plan on entertaining myself.