National Novel Writing Month

[S. Gomez]

So apparently November was National Novel Writing Month. If you've never heard of it before, the goal is to produce a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. I only learned of it a couple days before it started this year, so I couldn't psych myself up the way I would need to for such an endeavour. However, I did decide to "cheat" and do it for the month of December.

Seriously, I'm aspiring to be a writer and something like this is exactly what I need: a challenge to sit down and for crying out loud write! I've written quite a few short stories (nothing published yet) but I've never tried to write every day for a solid month before. This will be fun and exciting...especially since the book I had originally planned to do has just been superseded by a completely different idea that's been formed in just the last two days. Yikes!

I'm curious, has anyone around here ever tried NaNoWriMo or something similar? How did you find the experience?

 

[S. Gomez]

Maybe no one's interested (can't really blame you), but after one day I have 2,022 words. That's the most I've ever written in one day.

 

[JacksonArcher]

That's fantastic, Steven! Sitting down and writing can be very hard. I always try and sit down at my computer with a cup of coffee and try to actually write, but sometimes I get very far and sometimes I don't. It sucks. Creativity has this tricky way of hitting you at the worst and most improbable times.

I think the first time I tried to write something of quantitative substance, something that was lengthy, was when I wrote my first screenplay. I had taken time off from school so I had the ability to sit and write all day, and I think I wrote a 140 page screenplay in less than a week. It was extraordinary.

Now I've never written anything for a contest. I have actually never written anything prose-like the length of a book. I would always write prose short stories. I think the only thing that could motivate me enough to write a novel would be a contest or just a lot of free time where I couldn't do anything else, and then normally I would just be more prone to write a script since I'm more comfortable writing in that format.

Anyway, my best of luck to you! I hope you achieve your goal. There's nothing more rewarding than to see something you have produced. I say go for it!

 

[Mr Light]

Man, why would they make a writing marathon month the same month that ends with a prolonged major holiday? Talk about undue pressure!

I wrote a book three years ago, but just haven't been able to motivate myself in two years to write again.

 

[Skywalker]

Yeah, maybe if NaNoWriMo were a summer month or something, it'd be easier to keep up. I've only tried it once, but I only got maybe 1,000ish words in.

 

[S. Gomez]

November definitely wouldn't be the month of my choice either. At least not while I'm still in school. My guess is that they thought in the summer people would be more likely to be gone on vacation than at their computers.

 

[Plomeek Broth]

Is it a contest? Does your book get published or do you get a cash prize if you win or something?

 

[S. Gomez]

It's not really a contest, per se. I think they say some of the books have been published, but that's not necessarily the point of the whole project. All you really get is a printable certificate that says you reached 50,000 words. The goal is just to get some writing accomplished, it doesn't have to be great literature or a masterpiece (and trust me, any first draft is going to be awful). It's mostly for those who feel like they'd want to write a book but just never get around to it. I'm doing it to develop a greater sense of discipline about my chosen craft; when the first draft is done then I'll go back and polish it and hopefully one day it will see print.

There's a link in my original post if you want to find out more about the "event".

 

[Luminus]

It's not really a contest, per se. I think they say some of the books have been published, but that's not necessarily the point of the whole project. All you really get is a printable certificate that says you reached 50,000 words. The goal is just to get some writing accomplished, it doesn't have to be great literature or a masterpiece (and trust me, any first draft is going to be awful). It's mostly for those who feel like they'd want to write a book but just never get around to it. I'm doing it to develop a greater sense of discipline about my chosen craft; when the first draft is done then I'll go back and polish it and hopefully one day it will see print.

There's a link in my original post if you want to find out more about the "event".

Too much pressure to turn out crap and for what? You wrote a novel in a month that you can't publish and that you'll have to drastically rewrite in order for it to be coherent. No thanks.

 

[S. Gomez]

It's not really a contest, per se. I think they say some of the books have been published, but that's not necessarily the point of the whole project. All you really get is a printable certificate that says you reached 50,000 words. The goal is just to get some writing accomplished, it doesn't have to be great literature or a masterpiece (and trust me, any first draft is going to be awful). It's mostly for those who feel like they'd want to write a book but just never get around to it. I'm doing it to develop a greater sense of discipline about my chosen craft; when the first draft is done then I'll go back and polish it and hopefully one day it will see print.

There's a link in my original post if you want to find out more about the "event".

Too much pressure to turn out crap and for what? You wrote a novel in a month that you can't publish and that you'll have to drastically rewrite in order for it to be coherent. No thanks.

And who exactly said you can't publish it? There are plenty of publishing companies around to send a manuscript to. As for your comment about rewrites and editing...I think you have a serious misunderstanding about the creative process.

 

[Luminus]

It's not really a contest, per se. I think they say some of the books have been published, but that's not necessarily the point of the whole project. All you really get is a printable certificate that says you reached 50,000 words. The goal is just to get some writing accomplished, it doesn't have to be great literature or a masterpiece (and trust me, any first draft is going to be awful). It's mostly for those who feel like they'd want to write a book but just never get around to it. I'm doing it to develop a greater sense of discipline about my chosen craft; when the first draft is done then I'll go back and polish it and hopefully one day it will see print.

There's a link in my original post if you want to find out more about the "event".

Too much pressure to turn out crap and for what? You wrote a novel in a month that you can't publish and that you'll have to drastically rewrite in order for it to be coherent. No thanks.

And who exactly said you can't publish it? There are plenty of publishing companies around to send a manuscript to. As for your comment about rewrites and editing...I think you have a serious misunderstanding about the creative process.

Nah, I just don't write like that. And publishing companies don't publish just because you send them a manuscript. I've seen the slush file. It's not pretty.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I know several people who have done this over the past few years, and this year I decided to try it for the first time. I've been writing all my life, but my problem is that I'm very slow-- I tend to dwell on every little detail. So my goal here was to get in touch with my inner Asimov.

I knew I'd never have the time to reach 50k, so I set my own personal goal of 12.5k, which I reached. It was kind of fun, a useful exercise, and now I have the beginning of a novel to work on.

 

[S. Gomez]

Nah, I just don't write like that. And publishing companies don't publish just because you send them a manuscript. I've seen the slush file. It's not pretty.

Sending a manuscript may not be a guarantee of publication, but I imagine it improves your chances slightly. Sorry. I just don't see where you're coming from. If it's not your cup of tea, that's fine. But please don't come in trying to make me feel like an idiot for wanting to do a better job at something I enjoy and want to have a career doing. 'Cause right now that's the vibe I'm getting.

RJDiogenes: Really cool. I too have my doubts about being able to reach the official mark, but I'll be happy if I just manage to get a bunch of writing done every day. That's really what I want to achieve and accomplish; 50,000 is just a goal to aim for, one I'm trying not to sweat. Too much.

 

[Luminus]

Nah, I just don't write like that. And publishing companies don't publish just because you send them a manuscript. I've seen the slush file. It's not pretty.

Sending a manuscript may not be a guarantee of publication, but I imagine it improves your chances slightly. Sorry. I just don't see where you're coming from. If it's not your cup of tea, that's fine. But please don't come in trying to make me feel like an idiot for wanting to do a better job at something I enjoy and want to have a career doing. 'Cause right now that's the vibe I'm getting.

Sorry. That wasn't my intention. I just didn't understand the point.

 

[Candlelight]

I once wrote a 45-page tv script in 5 hours. I have 15 scripts in total but have since lost interest in that storyline and won't be continuing - naturally I have another up my sleeve.

How much is 50,000 words in terms of pages roughly?

 

[S. Gomez]

I once wrote a 45-page tv script in 5 hours. I have 15 scripts in total but have since lost interest in that storyline and won't be continuing - naturally I have another up my sleeve.

How much is 50,000 words in terms of pages roughly?

I think on the site they equate it to about 175 pages. I don't know if that means in a standard word processor or in an actual printed book (I'm betting the former).

Nah, I just don't write like that. And publishing companies don't publish just because you send them a manuscript. I've seen the slush file. It's not pretty.

Sending a manuscript may not be a guarantee of publication, but I imagine it improves your chances slightly. Sorry. I just don't see where you're coming from. If it's not your cup of tea, that's fine. But please don't come in trying to make me feel like an idiot for wanting to do a better job at something I enjoy and want to have a career doing. 'Cause right now that's the vibe I'm getting.

Sorry. That wasn't my intention. I just didn't understand the point.

Fair enough. I won't hold it against you. But for better or worse, the people who organize it give their reasons for it here, here, and especially here. I don't know if I agree a hundred percent with it, but since I like telling stories I decided to go along for the ride and see what happens. I'm up to 3,770 words which is more than I've ever written in only two days before.

 

[Luminus]

I once wrote a 45-page tv script in 5 hours. I have 15 scripts in total but have since lost interest in that storyline and won't be continuing - naturally I have another up my sleeve.

How much is 50,000 words in terms of pages roughly?

About 225 pages: double-spaced with 1.5 inch L & R margins. Approx. 222 words per page.

Fair enough. I won't hold it against you. But for better or worse, the people who organize it give their reasons for it here, here, and especially here. I don't know if I agree a hundred percent with it, but since I like telling stories I decided to go along for the ride and see what happens. I'm up to 3,770 words which is more than I've ever written in only two days before.

Actually, I've been thinking about this since posting. It might be something to try, if I can find the time, having a family and all.

 

[RoJoHen]

I've attempted the last 4 years in a row (excluding this year), but November is easily the worst month for me to do it. Granted, that's part of what makes it fun. It's SUPPOSED to make you crazy!

I have never won, because I lose interest in my novels, and I can't force myself to finish them.

Next year, dammit. Next year.