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NaNoWriMo or alternative

DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
in Heaven
I has decided to finally do National Novel Writing Month this November. So I decided to spend “preptober” watching YouTube writing advice. (For example Brandon Sanderson’s full 6 week course, that he does at a US uni, is up on YouTube for free).

I then discovered NaNoWriMo has basically imploded in a truly disgusting scandal I won’t go into here. So I will not be joining a NaNoMo group after all.

Which is to say, is anyone else interested in writing this November and supporting each other to do so on this thread - share resources etc ?

Comments

  • RuthRuth Shipmate
    Yes! I want to build a daily writing practice. I keep starting things and getting distracted or sidetracked or discouraged. I'm not up for meeting the large word count necessary to "win" NaNoWriMo, but I do want to make a serious commitment to writing.
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    I'm in. I'm trying to finish two short stories for a project I'm doing. It's getting the arc of them right that is tricky so a bit of a support group would be useful.
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    edited October 2024
    Apparently, beat sheets are a thing, I am not sure how I feel about them - strikes me that they might be more use to fettle a second draft than right out the gate.
  • RuthRuth Shipmate
    edited October 2024
    Depends on how much planning you like to do ahead of time, maybe. Good for genre fiction, I would think.

    Scott Bradfield is an American author of a couple novels, but he's primarily a short story writer. He taught a course in writing short stories a while back which at some point went online, and all the modules are on his YouTube channel. He's a tad obscure -- other writers seem to admire him but he wasn't ever hugely successful with the public. I only know of him because I went to grad school with him, but I love his work.
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    I’ve been watching a fair few of Jenna Moreci’s writing tips videos - I am fairly sure I’d hate her books but I enjoy her incredibly sarcastic list videos.

    In traditional media - I really enjoyed “How not to write a novel”.
  • TrudyTrudy Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    I'm trying to get a substantial chunk of my current novel written before the end of the year; right now I have ideas floating all over the place without a strong sense of plot to nail them down to. I've been setting daily word goals and, while I haven't actually been meeting them, it's been motivating to try. So I am up for any sort of "cheer each other on while trying to achieve writing goals" exercise.

    I used to do NaNoWriMo almost every year, at least whenever November coincided with me needing to get a good bit of a first draft done. I haven't participated in the actual NaNo forums for many years, and don't feel that the name or the organization (which does seem to have gone quite off the rails) is necessary to achieve the original intent: setting a writing goal, trying to reach it in a set time period, and sharing that goal with other writers so you can encourage each other.

    I've been using a very simple word count tracker on a site called Write Track to ... well, track how much I write.
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    Do you use plot outlines and character profiles and that sort of thing before you start to write ?
  • TrudyTrudy Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Not normally. I jot down a few rough notes if there are things I feel like I need to keep track of before I start, and since I generally write historical fiction I have research notes about the time period, but I'm not a great planner in terms of writing out plot details beforehand. I just start the story and see where it goes, usually.
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    I would like to try and write a fantasy - but I have only some vague ideas, mostly I thought of an idea for a magic system and now I want to build the story around it.
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    Ready to roll for tomorrow - and am mildly excited for my little project, I am hop8ng it will distract me somewhat from the general shittiness of the world. However, I may be somewhat sabotaged by the arrival of my copy of Dragonage: The Veilguard.
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    I'll try and drop in when I can.
    At the moment I'm in the middle of changing a story from third to first person to fit in with a project my writing group are doing, edit a story for the same group's short story competition and collect some pieces together for another project.
    I just need someone to nag me to make sure I do at least something every day.
  • MaryLouiseMaryLouise Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Very happy to find a writers' corner here. I am drafting out a fiction that my UK agent likes the sound of very much and she hopes it will develop into a novel rather than my usual truncated short stories. At the moment, I'm producing one page of good-enough followed by three pages of useless.
  • North East QuineNorth East Quine Purgatory Host
    Not a novel, but I have two articles to write, both of which have involved research. I love research! Writing up, not so much.

    I'm also committed to a book review for a journal, and two short blog posts.

    If I could have everything written up and submitted by the end of the month, I would be a happy woman.
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    edited November 2024
    My goal today is to try to write at least a thousand words. I want to write the opening scene which I have pieces of floating around in my head.
  • TrudyTrudy Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    I was making some progress on the new novel when I got waylaid by a juicy idea for a completely different project. Currently I'm trying to write a bit on both. I'm heading away from wifi for the weekend getaway with some writer friends later today, so hoping to make some progress while I'm less distracted by the internet.
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    Doublethink wrote: »
    My goal today is to try to write at least a thousand words. I want to write the opening scene which I have pieces of floating around in my head.

    Well so far 422 words. Will try again later.
  • RuthRuth Shipmate
    My goal is write something every day, even if it's only a little bit, in order to build toward having a regular practice of writing. I'm currently working on revising a story I started and abandoned years ago but finished drafting a few months ago. When I feel like that's not going to get any better, I'm going to move on to another unfinished draft.
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    Didn’t write today - due to having friends over, but planning some catch up tomorrow.
  • TrudyTrudy Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Wrote a bit over the weekend -- a good chunk on the Official Project, and a little on the Distraction Project. Having a writing date with my daughter this evening -- something we try to do weekly as our schedules permit -- and have written another bit on OP, but am somewhat stalled by not knowing what is going to happen next (that is the downside of not making detailed outlines).
  • MaryLouiseMaryLouise Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Setting aside times for daily writing: the best time for me is early morning when there are fewer distractions or interruptions. Four chapters done and two scenes for other chapters, but it is going very slowly. I've always needed the accountability of checking in with other writers so planning to stay close to this thread.
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    I tried writing while away on holiday, but I ipad was annoyingly trying to give me hints all the time. Yes, it looks like I'm writing a letter but it is actually a piece of fiction for my writing group's latest competition.
  • TrudyTrudy Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    My first week-and-a-bit of November has carried over the theme of "incredibly busy" from October, but things are settling down in the coming week and I'm hoping to get a lot more writing done. In the week ahead I hope to make progress on the main book project, the side project, and an essay idea that just popped into my head that would be a good fit for a competition with a Nov. 20 deadline.
  • TrudyTrudy Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Any updates? How are people doing with various writing projects? I'm making slow but steady progress on all three things -- working a bit on the mystery novel tonight -- and to my relief I found out the essay contest deadline is December 2, not November 20, so it's feeling much more do-able now.
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    I got a bit distracted, but I am hoping to get back on track from Saturday.
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    I managed to finish my story for my writing group's competition and send it off. I've also been working on my bit for next year's joint effort (we try and publish a book most years for our local book festival). We're doing a book a bit like La Ronde where the characters interact with each other. I wrote my characters piece in third person, having missed the meeting where it was decided the pieces would be in first so I've just re-written it this week. I need to finish it off with a scene where my character bumps into one of the others.
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