NaNo looms...help!

[alliecat8]

I have an October dilemma. It's the 8th, right? That means I've got 23 days to decide if I'm gonna do NaNo this year. (For those who don't know NaNo, that's National Novel Writing Month which is November, and I've written two NaNo novels in the last two years.) I want to do it, like, a LOT, but the last two years I left for my birthday vacation on the last day of the month, so I only had one less day to finish. This year I'm leaving on the 27th, meaning I'll have FOUR less days to finish. *does the math* That means I've gotta write 1,923 words a day to get the required 50,000, instead of the 1,724 I had to write the other 2 times. That's 200 more words, and when you're writing almost 2,000 a day, that's a LOT of words! Also, last year's novel is a MESS, and I'd kinda rather edit it and post it, since I've already made a home for it at everafter_verse. But I really really want a 2008 NaNo banner! I dunno, y'all! Tell me what to DO!!!!!

Comments

[lenina20.livejournal.com]

I wanted to do it this year, but that is really not happening now. But you should do it! What is the worse that can happen if you don't finish? You finish in Dec and the novel is still there, you still wrote it. I say you try!

[alliecat8.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the encouragement! I think that's just what I need -- a bit of cheerleading and someone to point out the obvious, that the world won't come to an end if I don't finish. So yes, thank you(!), I'm gonna do it! I'm even gonna re-instate my NaNo icon now, just to get the momentum started. ;)

[slybrunette.livejournal.com]

I would, because at least you can't say you didn't try. That's really all that matters with these things, that you try your best. And besides even if you don't finish it in time it's still there to come back to.

I wish you luck if you do decide to participate!

[alliecat8.livejournal.com]

Yes, YAY, you are smart! :) I'm gonna TRY. I'm such an all-or-nothing person, I tend to think that the sky will fall on my head if I start something and don't finish, and I need sensible people like you to remind me that that won't happen. So I'm gonna do it! (or at least, I'm gonna TRY!) ♥

[isis2015.livejournal.com]

I'm conflicted about NaNo. I've never been able to do it because I've been in school, but now that I'm not, I conceivably could. But I'm a slow writer and I don't have an idea. So...I guess I'll mull it over for a month. Maybe I'll get an idea (and some courage wouldn't hurt either).

[alliecat8.livejournal.com]

Y'know, Amanda, this just might be your year. I mean, you don't have to have a lofty idea -- Lord knows I never have -- you can write a fanfic novel if you want. I really think you can do it. Write a novel about Sun. Write about her childhood and her marriage and her life in the present. Write about what you think her future might be like. Or write something completely different and take a break from fanfic for a while. The beauty of NaNo is that you can do WHATEVER you want. Go for it! I'm gonna go for it too, so we can hold each other's hands...metaphorically speaking, since our hands will be *very busy* in November! ;)

[tellshannon815.livejournal.com]

I wish you luck if you do. I don't think I'm going to because I doubt I'll have the time (sometimes have trouble finding a good moment to even write my shorter fics!) A couple of my ideas for resurrecting Charlie could potentially end up being the right length though!!

[alliecat8.livejournal.com]

Oh, you could SO write a Charlie novel!!! I wanna tell you to go for it, this year while Charlie is still so fresh in our minds and hearts, but of course you can't do it if you don't have time. Lord knows it takes up a lot of time! It's exhausting, is what it is. Thank you for the good luck, and right back atcha if you decide to do it too! :)

[wanderlost.livejournal.com]

Do it! Although the 'stated' goal of Nano is to write 50,000 words, it's more about having fun and being part of this world-wide anxiety attack!

I do Nano every year, though I've never won. Partly because I don't take it too seriously and just use it as a writing excercise and partly because I meet with my Nano group and we end up chatting or doing other fun things.

All this to say, DO IT! No one ever looks down on someone for not completing it or even cheating a bit to finish on time.

[alliecat8.livejournal.com]

Do it! Although the 'stated' goal of Nano is to write 50,000 words, it's more about having fun and being part of this world-wide anxiety attack!

You are so RIGHT! That's exactly what it's about, and thank you for reminding me of that. I needed a good dose of common sense. :)

and yeah, I'll confess to cheating and writing a bit of "blah blah blah" last year just to get my word-count. ;/

[lillyjk.livejournal.com]

I suggest mini_nanowrimo - the goal is 100 words a day, doable even if you have a hectic shedule.

[alliecat8.livejournal.com]

OH, I'd forgotten all about that! And yes, it's a great little tool, isn't it? It keeps you writing, even if you don't have the time (or you're not insane enough) to do NaNo. I think I'm gonna give NaNo a try, but I'll keep the mini-version in mind so if I have to give up NaNo, I can still participate in a challenge. Thank you! :)

[gottalovev.livejournal.com]

isn't there something collateral to nano, where you can finish what you started the year before?

I do mini nano myself, less pressure :) (and I am too proud to set myself to fail)

[alliecat8.livejournal.com]

isn't there something collateral to nano, where you can finish what you started the year before?

IS there??? Oh, I'd love it if something like that exists. Do you have any idea what it's called?

And yeah, mini-NaNo is a wonderful thing. I think I'm gonna sign up for NaNo just so I can say I tried this year, but I might wind up doing mini-NaNo right along with you. :)

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

I'd say skip it this year, cos you're really gonna be dreading it, unless you want the stress! But listen to your heart - what makes the most sense? Personally, I'd rather hear more about last year's story, y'know (ie edit!!!)?

(PS: this is someone who's never given Nano a try because I know I'd never make it with everything else going on in my life. November is such a sucky time for them to run it - pre-Xmas madness)

[alliecat8.livejournal.com]

Oh, you are SO RIGHT about the timing. OMG, no one but a man could be so oblivious that they'd set up something like NaNo in NOVEMBER, of all months, when we Americans have Thanksgiving, and then the Christmas season steals our bodies and souls for a month. Is Chris Baty (the head of NaNo) a man or a woman?

Y'know what, though? I thrive on the craziness of doing NaNo in November. Somehow it galvanizes my muse when I have to do insane things like write in the car as hubby drives us to football games in other towns, or to crawl into the back of our SUV on the 6-hour drive to Knoxville to see my mom at Thanksgiving, and write up a storm. Or -- I love this part -- getting out of cleaning up after Thanksgiving dinner because OMG, I still have 1,627 words to write!!! (I have fond memories of typing away in the bedroom while hearing OTHER people cleaning up the kitchen, lol.)

But yes, thank you(!), last year's story deserves to live, and I NEED to finish it. I will, and if I don't you have my permission to kick my ass, okay? ;)

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Yeah, only a man! Who knows if the Chris in question is a man or a woman? I've never looked into it enough to know!

And I do envy you being able to write in the car. Unfortunately I'd be emptying the contents of my stomach all over the paper if I tried that! ;-)

I would like to try it, but I'd never manage November! (and we don't even have thanksgiving). Just too much going on.

I am proud of writing 180,000 words in eight months last year though, which was my attempt at the whole thing. Now if I could just edit that down to under 100,000 then maybe I'd be singing! Plus with all my unfinished ideas and WIPs that I really really want to finish, I know I'd be much better placed to work on tidying up too many of them than on starting something new, no matter what my brain is telling me to start writing now! Ha! Perhaps I'll have my own Nano in March when life tends to be quieter!

Good luck to you though, since I can see from your replies that you've made up your mind to do it again! Woo!

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

I'd say give it a try! At worst, you wouldn't finish it, but if the goal is to have fun and you have an idea, why not? I think I'm going to try it, too. With a story that will probably kill me but I've had the idea for a lot of time and maybe if I did that only for one month I'd write it at least.

[alliecat8.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna do try it! And YAY for you, for trying it too! We can be insane hardworking writers together! :D

Y'know, I think it's those stories that we *think* will kill us that turn out to be the best in the end. So I say go for it.

Your icon, LOL!!!

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

My icon is my favorite thing EVER ;) and yay, it'll be good! <3