Topic: National Novel Writing Month

Has anyone participated in this before?
http://www.nanowrimo.org/

It's essentially a month-long freeform writing exercise. No charge, no judges, no prizes...just an exercise in creativity, deadlines and self-discipline. And it's a lot of fun.

Basically, the idea is to write at least 50,000 words between November 1 and November 30...not starting early and not finishing late. And while the wordcount makes for a very short novel and the daily sprint lends itself to dropped threads and not-entirely-thought-through plotlines, the creative rush of it is quite fun. It's essentially a month-long improvisation, and when it's over, you've got a novel to show for it.

Over the past few years I've participated three times, and hit the goal twice. But it's been a while, and I'm thinking I might do it again this year.

I'm posting this to let folks know who may not have heard about it, and hopefully to draft a few other participants. It's always more fun when you know people who are doing it with you.

I'll probably set up a blog to post my daily writings, and any of you are certainly welcome to do the same. Perhaps if there's interest, we can even read each other's work afterward and offer feedback and suggestions.

So...anyone out there planning to participate? The website linked above has plenty of information, but I'll be happy to answer any questions that I can as well.

my best friend from my undergrad talked about this very thing a month ago.... i would love to do this but i'm trying to finish my graduate degree this school year... but best of luck!... don't they bind a book for you or something like that?

I suppose I could adapt one of my comic book series into a novel. If work and college don't get too much in the way, I could try it out. Of course, I've never been a huge fan of writing, so maybe not...

If I remember correctly, they had some kind of arrangement with lulu.com the last year I did it, which was a few years back. I'm not sure what it entailed that differed from lulu's normal services, because I didn't actually finish my novel that year and so had no reason to explore...

But it's possible that they still do it. I can do some research on that and find out for sure. Personally, I'm not sure I would want to keep a bound copy of my first-draft, but I wouldn't dare speak for anyone else on that. I can see that being a cool souvenir.

I'd say give it a go. I worked and went to college when I used to participate, and it was never a hindrance. 50,000 words divided by 30 days is only 1,667 words per day, which is nothing at all.

If it turns out you really dislike the project, you can abandon it at any point. (No penalties, except that you don't get the bragging rights.) But translating a comic book into a novel could give you new insight into your characters, and new ideas on where to take them. It's a writing exercise, and if you stick with it, I can guarantee it'll benefit anyone who participates.

I started a novel last year but it has been in limbo recently. This would certainly be the month to finish it!

a few of my friends do this every year. if i was some kind of writer, i might participate too, but i've never been able to stick with anything for very long before getting bored and wanting to do something else instead, like draw or paint, lol.

Go for it! I used the second year I participated to finish the novel I started the previous year. It's not technically what they were looking for, but I hit the 50,000 word goal (and then some) each time, so I was happy.

Also, it's designed as a writing exercise more than anything else, so I figure that as long as you are getting something out of it creatively, you shouldn't feel guilty about working on an otherwise dormant project.

Hmm. Half tempted. It's been a heck of a long time since I did any creative writing (about 3 years or something), so saying I've gotten 'rusty' would be putting it mildly, haha. But I used to enjoy it, so if I can grab the free time I might give it a shot. Final year of uni, gonna be busy xD

On the other hand though, there's a short story I've had floating around in my mind for a while, and the format of this sounds like a perfect match.

I think I may try this. I've been thinking about possibly writing a play for some time... really, I've just been interested in trying to write a longer work, but I've been trying to figure out original ways to present an idea on stage... perhaps, however, a novel would be simpler and a better starting point... and it would definitely be something to be proud of. I'll say, Chicken, you've got my interests piqued.

There's a month for this? I write novels every day.
PRAISE ME!!!

Several years ago I tried to write a novel in a month (but not in November, as I was busy) and came up at about half of the suggested word count. I'd love to participate but seeing as I'm on course to rack up about 40,000 words for NL and Movemodo this month I don't think I have room for another 50,000. Best of luck to those who take part though

Glad to hear there's some interest. You've still got a month and a half to brainstorm, so hopefully by the time November rolls around you'll have ideas you're comfortable with. But even if you don't, I recommend participating anyway. The regimented daily writing can bring some great stuff out of you, and you can always return to it later to make it stronger. Or even just extract the good stuff and use it in a completely different context later on.

Also, James: that's a valid excuse. I'm pretty sure The Black Dragon is skipping out, too, on the grounds that she already writes 50,000 words worth of ban summaries a month.

I've been considering it, but I'm not sure how much time I'll have to do anything that month.

omg that's exactly how i am~

_{we should hang out some time}

Anyways I'm thinking about it, but... I don't know, I never expect anything outta myself so I doubt I'll try.

sad but true :3

Anyone else who's participating: do you pretty much know what you plan on writing? Or do you intend to just go into it with good intentions and hope for the best?

I spent about an hour today at my local police station doing research for my story. It was definitely eye-opening.

i'm tossing some ideas around. i've got a while till november, though. plenty of time to settle on one and mentally flesh it out pretty well.

Just an hour? Guess they had to drop the charges pretty quickly then.

I'd personally go into it completely blind and just hope something amazing comes to mind, but then that's how I've always written. Planning and plotting are for losers - I'd just enjoy getting stuck in and wrapping myself up in a tangled web of storylines and plot holes. Damnit, you're making me want to get involved now...

That's how I write. I never plan and plot because I get too caught up in changing what I've already done, which leads me to change everything else as well, and then I get too sick of the story to write it anymore. So I'm going to try and think of a concept a couple days before it starts and hope for the best.

I've officially decided to do it this year. My idea's are being narrowed down, but I think I've got a good one. I just need to sort out some plot points and figure out what tricks to use to help me reach 50,000 words.