Blogcritics: Comments on NaNoWriMo Notes: Why? Why Not.

Comment by Bill Wallo

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 13:10:50 EDT

I tried last year and fell by the wayside after a week. I'm going to try again this year, though. What was that about "If first you don't succeed?" Anyway, good luck to those who choose to participate.

Comment by Temple A. Stark

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 12:59:40 EDT

and I will be signing up, as well. - probably fixing a previous nanowrimo novel of 78,000 words.

Comment by Temple A. Stark

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 12:58:22 EDT

This post was chosen by the section editor as a BC pick of the week. Go HERE (link) to find out why. And thank you - Temple

Comment by alpha

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 09:53:50 EDT

OK, Gypsyman. I signed up and haven't a clue as to what I want to do. It is your fault if I play the fool. But it is a fine idea, an interesting site with lofty goals. Just imagine--literacy sweeping over the globe! As for me, I must begin thinking on this and then trying to find time, the muse, and the courage. Your fault.

Comment by Mary K. Williams

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 09:30:48 EDT

Bravo to anyone who gives this a try. I have heard of NaNoWriMo, but I'm just a lil' chicken sh%t. : ) Too many excuses, not enough... fill in the blanks. Anyway...Good luck Gypsyman, I'm in your corner!

Comment by Jami

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 22:19:48 EDT

This is my third year of doing Nanowrimo, and the most helpful thing I can suggest is to hide any and all distractions from yourself, and go to any local meetups. You'd be amazed how sane spending just an hour or so a week will make you feel, especially in the slow plodding of the second and third weeks. Besides, the MLs get goodies for you. :) Then again, I'm biased. I found the first year, I went in with nothing more than a half formed character in my head that had waltzed in the night before, and had little trouble making my 50k, but it was mostly junk, edited out to 25k before being scrapped almost entirely to a rewrite. My second year, I had a long plan, and got halfway and stalled. This year, I have some research, and the first few chapters vaugely outlined, but I don't really know anything for certain about it beyond a general premise and the style I want to handle it in. Will it work? Hopefully so.

Comment by gypsyman

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 14:17:37 EDT

Hmmm do you mean something like: The waves of ideas that washed into his brain before the onset of NaNoWriMo was like high tide on the winds swept ocean front of inspiration...! Pat if I could figure out what gimcracks and furbellows are I would gladly rid myself of them...I'd just hope they weren't contagous... Thanks Temple, I was pretty much of the same mind, but it's a matter of convincing my mind of it. I'd guess that's a case of matter over mind?

Comment by Temple Stark

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 10:56:32 EDT

People have different goals, too. Some think of theselves as one day having a real book, while others think that but deny thinking that and just write. The purest way is to sit down with a blank slate. If you haven't written before, all the preparation is just extra pressure and baggage. And it's less fun. Remember the motto: Quantity over quality. Once you roll with that - for this excercise - you can very much surprise yourself that you let quality slip in unannounced.

Comment by DrPat

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 10:03:43 EDT

From what I'm seeing at the NaNoWriMo site, long-time participants have all kinds of approaches to this. Some do just as you've suggested here: sit down to a blank slate on 11/01 at 12:01 am. Some arrive at the first of November with a plot outline, character definitions, and a vague idea of themes and climaxes. [waving hand in air: me! me!] Some even start with a partly-finihsed work. While not strictly within the rules, the key is to write 50,000 new words for the month of November. I love the idea of purging yourself of all those writing gimcracks and furbelows. Maybe there is even a place for the Bulwer-Lytton opening sentence in there!