NaNoWriMo '12

[Applegate]

My workload actually has me worried I'll be able to find the time to participate, but hopefully I'll be able to churn out those words no problem. Last year I tried writing on the bus in a notepad or something, but I never have the drive to actually copy them onto my computer... especially when I feel like I've only written like 300 or 400 words and my handwriting is all scriggly. Busses and cursive don't agree with each other much!

I'll probably try to put my story on Google Drive or something and keep backups on my computer so I can work during class or sometimes even meetings. The past years everyone's been sympathetic to my attempts so I'm assuming some sympathy this time around, too.

Weekends, though, will definitely have to see 5k word progresses. At the least.

[junna]

I won't be participating for NaNoWrimo but...I'd like to NaNoWriMo my VN script this November too

besides that I'll wish the rest of you luck.

[Miyuki]

It's kind of wonderful how many of us are starting to become buddies for this! I look forward to wishing everyone luck, and then failing miserably x.X

I hope that we manage to keep up with how we're doing and such during the actual month.

Just curious, but what are you guys doing to prepare? You can't actually write anything for the story officially, but do any of you cheat? How detailed do you outline? And that sort of thing. I'm trying to get a better idea of how to best prepare myself >.<

[Anna]

It's kind of wonderful how many of us are starting to become buddies for this! I look forward to wishing everyone luck, and then failing miserably x.X

I hope that we manage to keep up with how we're doing and such during the actual month.

Just curious, but what are you guys doing to prepare? You can't actually write anything for the story officially, but do any of you cheat? How detailed do you outline? And that sort of thing. I'm trying to get a better idea of how to best prepare myself >.<

I make sure I have character profiles (motivations etc), setting and an outline which states the most important events and goes from the beginning to the end. It's mainly so I don't start writing and then get stuck, don't get any plot-holes and to see if the plot is interesting enough and has good pace.

[Applegate]

Just curious, but what are you guys doing to prepare? You can't actually write anything for the story officially, but do any of you cheat? How detailed do you outline? And that sort of thing. I'm trying to get a better idea of how to best prepare myself >.<

I work out characters, setting and the general flow of events. Every writer prepares themselves in a different way: Some put post-its all over the wall, some write notes everywhere, others draw or make flowcharts, a rare few just write and put down a master piece that way... try out various methods and see what works best for you.

[mdchan]

Just curious, but what are you guys doing to prepare? You can't actually write anything for the story officially, but do any of you cheat? How detailed do you outline? And that sort of thing. I'm trying to get a better idea of how to best prepare myself >.<

I do a little outlining so I have organized notes...typically, I include character profiles (name, age, what they look like, etc), a brief summary of the plot, the direction I want the novel to go in (including any twists and turns, or things that I need to know, but the reader won't have revealed to them yet).

Since I typically write cozy mysteries, I also have to detail out how a trick is done and make a model of it (think shoebox diorama) to make sure it works if it (or a similar version) hasn't been used before (cause, let's face it, between the Golden Age of mysteries, Detective Conan, and today's mystery writers, every trick in the book has been used...and then some).
This includes how the killer got in and out (if it's a locked room murder), how they have a seemingly perfect alibi, or how they manage to pull off an "impossible crime".

It's all really just notes for me to follow so that I don't miss a detail or write something that has no basis in reality (that, and because mystery readers tend to be very observant; if you make a mistake, they'll catch it very quickly...trust me. I messed up on which side a character had a bandaid on their face, and had at least four people point it out).

[Sharm]

Outlines are a must for me, I hate sitting down to write and staring blankly at the screen because I don't know what's next. I use a 7 point outline which is also useful for outlining character arcs and sub-plots depending on how detailed I want to get before writing. I don't enjoy outlining though so this part is the hardest for me. I also try to get a good logline and elevator pitch because knowing how to explain my story in very few words helps me know what the point of it all is and where my holes are. I like to make a cover and banner ad, it's like a promise to myself of what's coming in the future and helps me feel excited. I'll also attempt to make up any names or spells or anything world building I'll need, but I find it hard to know exactly what I'll need for that until after I've tried to write it.

A lot of my preparation is mental. I make sure I've got the time set aside every day to do that much writing (I write about 24 wpm when focused so I'll be setting aside at least 2 hours a day). I spend time on the NaNo forums which makes my brain say "Oh, it's writing season again!" Writing buddies are great motivators but only work if you feel connected to them. On the first day I make a big push to write as much as possible. I don't do the special shopping for easy to make groceries or candy rewards or anything because I've found that if I unbalance my life to get this done I only last a few days before burnout.

[AshenhartKrie]

I spent an entire day fleshing out my world, creating characters, organizing the plot, figuring out where everything is set, researched the mythology I'm basing it on, decide on names, give it a history and all that. I don't normally outline things, but with something this long I needed to.

[Cidz]

Just curious, but what are you guys doing to prepare?

Well, now that I decided to be a rebel and do a VN. I started making out a small outline. I have the basic character info, and the synopsis. I'd like to outline the structure and a few plot ideas per route. I probably wont do any heavy outlining because I mostly make up stuff as I go along. But it's still a good idea to know where I want to go with this so I won't be stuck for 2 weeks and never finish.

[tigerkidde]

It's kind of wonderful how many of us are starting to become buddies for this! I look forward to wishing everyone luck, and then failing miserably x.X

I hope that we manage to keep up with how we're doing and such during the actual month.

Just curious, but what are you guys doing to prepare? You can't actually write anything for the story officially, but do any of you cheat? How detailed do you outline? And that sort of thing. I'm trying to get a better idea of how to best prepare myself >.<

Mayhap an outline on this round. Writing spontaneously for some may work and I think this event is intended to encourage spontaneous writing streaks. But I think when you sit down to write, knowing where you're going to start and where you want to end for the session is important.

The outline may help you reach those self-imposed benchmarks.

[Boomsickle]

Just learned of this NanoWriMo and im loving the idea , i think ill give a go with the story idea i dreamed of yesterday. How often do people actually meet the deadline?

[Sharm]

You mean what's the success percentage? No idea. If it helps I succeeded my first time. I also have failed every time since then but not because I couldn't do it those times but because I didn't do the things I needed to do to succeed like plan my story thoroughly and writing every day.

[CheeryMoya]

Oh yeah, NaNoWriMo should be starting soon for everyone or has already started for some. Good luck guys! I hope you've all planned out your stories.

[Blane Doyle]

I am patiently waiting for my clock to say 12:00:00 Nov. 1st.
Because I am determined to get a head start.

[AshenhartKrie]

NanoWriMo has started for me. (Yay Australia!)
I'm 800 and something words in already. I'm having so much fun writing this story.
Out of curiosity, how many of you are interested in, or are writing high fantasy for it? I'm looking for someone to exchange tips with. (None of my buddies are writing high fantasy.. I don't think.)