November - A novel in a month! Buddy Needed.

[Kontessa]

November is novel writing month if I remember right. My husband will be deployed by then and I will be home with our two younglings. I would like someone else who feels up to the challenge of writing a novel in November. Push each other for deadlines, help with ideas and editing. I am witchy so I am thinking this novel shall be as well as it is what I am very close to. It is said, always right what you know. Chances are it will be dark as well as with hubby away chances are that will be the mood.

If anyone is interested, let me know!

[Loveon]

I'm in!! Chances are my novel will be embellishment on actual personal events.

[autumnbloom]

this sounds really interesting to me, though i'm not sure if i can do a big long novel... maybe though! would a short novel be okay? should i set a goal for pages? chapters?

[Twocoolboys]

I am tentatively interested. I am with autumnbloom and thinking about a short novel. I don't know how many novels I have started, but I just kind of lose interest, you know? I need some motivation to keep going - lol!

[Kontessa]

November Novel Writing!

Ok mamas, I am still waiting on the official web site to re-open for this years writing. I am in agreement that a short novel would be best. I have finished them before but in not so short a time and not without being told what topic to center around. It has been years! :

[Kontessa]

Site is up! :)

http://www.nanowrimo.org

Go and sign up! There is limited space and they may cut off the number of people that can join so please do so soon!

We can come up with a name for our group and decide where we will be sharing together this wonderful month of writing.

Remember, this is a reason to get help with the house work becaus you will be busy writing! A reason to stay up late and sip wine while letting your mind drift with the rain looking for the words to fall on you. With my husband being deployed I am even going to treat myself by getting a sitter to help once a week for a few hours of for sure me time with my laptop!

[Kontessa]

Goal

The word count goal for this seems to universally 50,000 words for the month. That is about 2,000 a day.

With two kids, homeschooling, uu, everything is going to be so busy. My head is spinning just thinking about how hard it will be to get all the house work and teaching done alone. LOL

Some how though I will do it!

Not to come up with some plot idea so I can do more writing and less deep thinking next month. LOL

Blessings,
Kimmy

[tapmilkmom]

thinking about it. at the very least i commit to sipping wine every night.

[Twocoolboys]

Holy Crap - I just signed up! This is going to be crazy, that is for sure. I am going to need to sip wine every night. I write better with a little wine in me anyway - lol. I've got my idea. Anyone doing any pre-writing work this month? Like character sketches, outlines, etc?

[aishy]

ohhh nevermind the other thread this is the one where the talking is happening. or i'm just a thread killer. we'll find out soon enough !

i've done nano every year since 2001. i finished the first two years only - the years i only had two kids. hmmm.

anyway. whatever. i'm doing it this year. i have no idea what it'll be about (heck i can't even remember what last years attempt was about!) and i am pretty sure i did little planning the first year, some the second, way too much the third for sure and the fourth i had a job which contributed to not finishing. last year i had a newborn, fell behind, and just never caught up.

also? i'm not a big fan of capital letters when i'm typing fast on a board or email, i just thought i would point that out before someone else does. writerly types always notice these things.

Nano 2006 . And now that i've discovered the wonders of heavily flavored iced coffees, I may do much better !

aisling

[Twocoolboys]

Aishy - Since you are an old pro at this, here is a question for you. Our finished product is a rough draft, right? We are not going to be editing, etc. at all, are we? That is the part I can't stand - lol. But, if I can crank a rough draft out, then I can work on all the other stuff at my leisure after the holidays.

I'm already starting to think about my main character...

[aishy]

Originally Posted by Twocoolboys

Aishy - Since you are an old pro at this, here is a question for you. Our finished product is a rough draft, right? We are not going to be editing, etc. at all, are we? That is the part I can't stand - lol. But, if I can crank a rough draft out, then I can work on all the other stuff at my leisure after the holidays.

I'm already starting to think about my main character...

yup rough draft.
there are people who edit officially together in march i think ? i'm not a big editor, i just like to write for fun so i'm like. whatever. get the ideas out of my head and let it go ; )

[Cassiopeia]

All signed up and ready to go!

[Kontessa]

The 50k Word count!

"Why 50,000 words? Isn't that more of a novella?
Our experiences over the past seven years show that 50,000 is a difficult but doable goal, even for people with full-time jobs and children. The length makes it a short novel. We don't use the word "novella" because it doesn't seem to impress people the way "novel" does." From the FAQ section.

So this will be a short Novel and the 50k word count is supposed to be something a mama should be able to do. I guess we will see!

[Kontessa]

Typeing

Originally Posted by aishy

also? i'm not a big fan of capital letters when i'm typing fast on a board or email, i just thought i would point that out before someone else does. writerly types always notice these things.


aisling

Hey Aisling, I will inprint capital letters in your writing in my own head and not think twice about it if you agree to spell check my writing in your head and not mention it as well!

Goddess I hate spelling! LOL

Blessings,
Kimmy

[tapmilkmom]

Well, I signed up! My username on Nano is avecaulait

Write on, sisters, write on!

[Kontessa]

Daily word count:

So I wanted to see how long it would take me with ideas in hand to put words into the material world. In two hours, with two long phone calls, and the kids interupting I did manage 2438. Not so very bad and as the daily world count if your spacing it evenly is 1666.6 every day of the month, it seems possible I could steal enough time for this. Heck, if I can get my 7 year old homeschool to play on her own durring DS (10months old) naps then I might not need to find time in the rest of my day! Yay!

My goal will be 2000 words a day.

Now I need to pick an idea and go with it. I am worried I am trying to put too much into it.

I wonder if it is ok to set up a story time line before November starts? I know it is ok to develop characters and the title and such.

Blessings,
Kontessa

P.S. The story is very teen friendly and I am torn as I want to a mama power story but no way to fit them together. There is yet another idea as well. Hard to pick. One has more plot thought already though, maybe too much. But mama life is my life and so though I have no plot for the theme maybe that would work best?

[Cassiopeia]

This is so exciting! We have to keep each other pumped up for this!

RE: plotting and pre-writing - I'm going to at least pick a genre and topic. I suspect it will be a quest-driven scifi.

Personally, I'm looking for quantity and completion, not quality!

[Kontessa]

27 days till Writing Madness begins!

27 days to come up with some plot, characters, and a title the worst part!

23 days until my husband deploys to Iraq.

Goddess I hope this writing month helps me keep things together. I am very afraid right now. Morals are being challenged for my family at every turn. New legislation passed that goes against the constitution on a few things and the geniva convention as well when it comes to terrorist and their confinment and treatment and gives apsolute power to the president to deside who is acting or supporting actions against our country. They can be held without trial, tortured (The president gets to deside at any given time what is considered torture) they can not represent themselves or pick who represents them in a system the president puts together, not a jury of pers. I could go on and on.... It is sickening and scary and it seems like something out of a book or horror movie. Lots to think about.

Blessings,
Kontessa - Kimmy

[St. Margaret]

Hi! I nano. I suggest spending a good amount of time reading up on the Web site and the forums. Last year was my first go round and I caught on pretty quickly. Also, you can find others in your area and meet up with them for in-person motivation. I'll tend to spend all my time over on the nano site in Nov, but I'm with you all! Prewriting is totally okay, just no in-progress works can be continued, and no actual words that go verbatim into your story. I've done a few different styles of plot planning, character studies, research on mythology to incorporate, etc. (Last year I wrote maybe a diary sized two pages outlining characters and plot before starting!)

And can I just say-- it feels soooooo good to do it! I am SOOOO excited this time around (hopeing for no sophomore slump) b/c of how incredible it was last year.