5
Oct

Do You NaNo?

   Posted by: Faith   in NaNoWriMo

IT'S A MONKEY!!! Yes, it’s that time of year again… the time when aspiring novelists from all over the globe turn off the TV and pick up the laptop (okay, okay… or pen and paper, if you want to be all old-fashioned about it) to write that novel they’ve always wanted to write.

My question today is simple: Will you participate in NaNoWriMo 2010?

I will. I’m going for my fourth year of participating, and here’s why:

(Well, aside from the fact that I’m running my region for a second year. Yay!)

National Novel Writing Month is the only time that I’ve been able to consistently produce 1500-2000+ words per day, every day, for 30 days straight. I’ve tried in other months… can’t do it. I’ve tried other ‘boot camps’… still can’t get that amount written.

Why is this? I’m not sure, but I think it might have something to do with the thrill of the event AND the giant support network that takes off around October 1st and keeps on trucking until about the second week of December.

The forums on the NaNoWrimo site are amazing. Not only are they great for procrastinating, but they’re full of other writers who are also panicked about their plots, care for their characters, and who have great suggestions for times when you get stuck or feel like you can’t write anymore.

And the support is immediate… post about your troubles, you’ll get a response within the hour.

Where else and when else can we get that?

nanowrimo_01_120x90No, the greatest quality of work may not be produced during NaNoWriMo, but look at it this way: You can’t edit words that aren’t there.

It’s easier to rewrite crap than write a whole novel from scratch… so why not get those words down all at once so you have something to shape and mold in the months to come?

Plus, write-ins are a lot of fun and a great excuse to drink sugary lattes that you might not be able to afford (or bother with) during the rest of the year. And you’ll meet a lot of fun people in the process.

So… are you NaNo-ing this year?

Have a plot lined up and ready to go, or are you going to just jump in and wing it? :D

Come join me in the madness!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 at 1:31 pm and is filed under NaNoWriMo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

23 comments so far

Misha
 1 

I would love to sign up, but it falls beautifully over my final exams. so there is no way in hell I’m that insane.

Maybe next year, though.

October 5th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Su
 2 

At this moment I’m winging it. But a plot may come to me in the next 26 days (I hope!!).

October 5th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Lisa Galek
 3 

I just added you as a writing buddy! Good luck!

October 5th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Susan R. Mills
 4 

Still haven’t decided. I should. I know I should. I’m just not sure that with Thanksgiving (which is at my house every year), I’ll be able to accomplish it.

October 5th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Alison Stevens
 5 

I’m in for this year (first time). Nothing but a loose plot in mind at the moment, but I have (a little) time. :) And since I”ll need all the help I can get, I’ve added you as a writing buddy.

October 5th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
Cinette
 6 

I’m in. Tried it for a couple years now, but haven’t won yet. I have a rough outline, so we’ll see what happens this year:0)

October 5th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
jennee
 7 

This will be my second year and it’s true…the support and whatever else is in the air helps you write more in the month of November! I’ve never looked forward to November…but now I can’t wait!

October 5th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Carolyn Abiad
 8 

I’ve gathered some thoughts and roughly outlined a bit, but anything else is coming off the cuff. I think the freedom to let yoursef write the crap keeps the words flowng.

October 5th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
S.C. Wade
 9 

I’m gonna pass. I’ve won a few times since 2004 (I think that’s the year I discovered NaNoWriMo) and I failed some years too. But lately I’m working diligently on completing my folder of short stories I have. Oh, and I’d like to edit the NaNoNovels I have already. :-P

October 5th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
Barbara Ann Wright
 10 

I am definitely nanoing this year! I think I already added you to my buddies. My username is zendra.

October 6th, 2010 at 1:27 am
Alison
 11 

I’d like to get involved in NaNoWriMo this year. I’ve just started writing after many many years away. Mostly I do fanfiction, but I’m using that as a vessel to practice for my own original fiction some day. NaNoWriMo might help me force myself to write steadily, even if I don’t actually do a novel.

October 6th, 2010 at 3:29 am
Culbert Dunn
 12 

I’d like to get involved in NaNoWriMo this year. I’ve just started writing after many many years away. Mostly I do fanfiction, but I’m using that as a vessel to practice for my own original fiction some day. NaNoWriMo might help me force myself to write steadily, even if I don’t actually do a novel.
+1

October 6th, 2010 at 7:18 am
Lydia Kang
 13 

I’ve never done Nano. The timing is always off. I’ll be doing revisions in November. Still, I hope it goes well for you! It’s an exciting month!

October 6th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
Faith
 14 

Misha – Ack, I know what that’s like! I could never have done NaNo during university. Good luck with the exams!

Su – I ‘winged it’ for my first year, so you never know! It can make things… interesting…

Lisa – Yay! Thanks! I’ll add you back! What’s your username?

Susan – That’s why I’m happy to be Canadian… our Thanksgiving is next week! Okay, that’s not the only reason. LOL. Maybe you could do a few hundred words extra in the days leading up to it, so you can have a few guilt-free days off during the holiday…?

Alison – Whoo-hoo, a first-timer! I’ll add you back (if you don’t see me, give me a poke in case I’ve missed your username). You’ll have a great time!

Cinette – Good luck! I’m just going in with a brief outline too, I think. Not enough time to do more!

Jennee – I think the support network is one of the best parts :) And you’re right, it finally makes November EXCITING.

Carolyn – Agreed! My second time around I planned too much… and third time, not enough. I’m going for the sweet spot this year (I hope)…

S.C. – Makes perfect sense! I have a pile of NaNo ms’s that I haven’t edited yet, and it’s pretty overwhelming when I see them sitting there on the shelf. Good luck with completing the short stories, that’ll be work enough!

Barbara – Excellent! I’ll add you back. It’s going to be crazy good times, I can feel it.

Alison – I’m pretty sure some people among the NaNo ‘rebels’ write fanfiction during the month… you’re right, it’s great practice. I have a good friend who writes craploads of fanfiction and has finally switched to her own writing, and she felt the fanfic was great practice.

Culbert – You’re in the same boat, eh? Maybe you two should team up in the forums and start a fanfic thread!

Lydia – Revisions are a worthy task indeed! Truthfully, I *should* be doing revisions… but I can’t resist the lure of NaNo… can’t… resist…!

October 6th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
Patricia A. Timms
 15 

Yay! I NaNo, or I mean, I will be NaNo-ing for the first time this year. 25 days left. I’m going to add you as a writing buddy if that’s okay.

Good luck to you!

October 6th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Faith
 16 

Yaaaay! Yes, add me! It’ll be fun to see how all my bloggy friends are doing during November… and why we don’t get as many posts up, inevitably. Haha. Make sure you try and connect with a NaNo group in your area, esp. since it’s your first year. Write-ins are AWESOME motivators!

October 6th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
Chicklit
 17 

Buddy’d! I think I’m going to NaNo again this year. I’ve done it the past two years now and there is something magical about the process. I have no idea what I’m going to work on, though. AND I have two trips planned during the month. This will be interesting.

October 6th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Holly Bowne
 18 

Every year I THINK about it, but have never done it. But boy, you sure make a great case for it. I had no idea there was so much support included. Nor a legitimate excuse for consuming delicious caramel lattes! :o )

October 7th, 2010 at 12:54 am
Patricia A. Timms
 19 

On November 5th me and my NaNo writing group are going to attempt to write for 16 hours. It’s kind of a long story but to make it short my husband is hosting this event to repay me and my writing group for supporting him through his Ironman distance triathlon. It’s going to be nuts! What is your username for NaNo? I’m under PatriciaTimms.

October 7th, 2010 at 2:13 am
Elizabeth Mueller
 20 

Ugh, me, NaNo? Not this year. Yep, I’m not up to tearing myself away from my editing fever for my submission. Sorry… Perhaps next time?

Thanks for your enthusiasm, you’re so cute!

~Elizabeth :)

October 7th, 2010 at 6:59 am
Samantha Verant
 21 

Heck, I may just do it for the monkey badge. BUT FIRST I have to finish my current MS.

October 7th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Faith
 22 

Chicklit – Two trips and no plan? That sounds about right for NaNo insanity! LOL. I have a conference and four family birthdays… yep, this is going to be craaaazy…

Holly – I think the support network is the reason I get through it every year! Write-ins are FANTASTIC, and the forums are a lot of fun. I highly recommend it… joooooin uuuuus!

Patricia – 16 HOURS?!?!? Wow. Umm… wow. Please tell me you’ll blog about it. Are you guys being sponsored to do it? …I have a hard enough time sitting in one spot for ONE hour, let alone 16!

Elizabeth – I know how you feel! I really really really should be revising all the way through November, but… but… can’t… resist! (And yes, definitely next time ;) )

Samantha – The monkey badge is DEFINITELY a worthwhile reason to participate. I mean… it’s a monkey. On a web badge. Heck, yes.

October 7th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Tessa Quin
 23 

I’m in! The idea came with a good first line (and title) I got in creative writing class. The basic plot just spun itself from that line. I have a brief idea of what will happen – I’m not going to plan it more than that or I won’t be able to write enough words around the skeleton (as happens when I plan chapter by chapter).

October 9th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
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