NaNoWriMo 2012 - Prep

[Sommer Leigh]

So we are slightly less than a month away from NaNo 2012. Who will be participating this year? Have you already started outlining or are you going dive in cold and go wild?

I am going to be working on a short story project that I expect to be at least 50,000 words. What's interesting is that after we started doing these extra NaNo months trying to hit 20,000-30,000 words each month, my output levels have gone up dramatically. I'm not worried at all about hitting 50,000.

I'm thinking we should plan regular #1h1k writing sprints on Twitter. That worked really well last year for some of us.

[Claudie]

I'm participating again. No amount of work level can keep me away from doing (and planning!) NaNoWriMo. This year I am also doing something else I consider a bit "dangerous": I'm doing NaNoWriMo with my post-apo French WIP, and I expect my output to be good enough. Last year I refused to work on serious projects because at NaNo speed, my writing wasn't up to what I wanted for a first draft and I preferred to use the creative energy to explore new ideas. After a year in Creative Writing and a lot of hard and regular work this summer, however, I discovered I could have a fast AND good output. And that's what I'm aiming for.

Btw Sommer, this is the project that was originally inspired by your cool posts on water in dystopia. It's weird to write it in French because I'd really really want to show it to you.

[cheekychook]

I will absolutely be NaNo-ing my butt off this year! Look forward to #1k1hr-ing my way through it with as many Bransforum NaNo-ers as possible. If you don't already, follow me on Twitter @karenstivali We'll NaNo our way to the finish #1k at a time!

[trixie]

Word.

I'm TOTALLY in.

I have 75% of my outline done, but I'm STUCK trying to figure out why my antagonist wants the Shiny Item that my MC is after. Gah!

But, I'm going to a retreat center tomorrow morning and staying until Sunday. I'm bringing all my 2012 NaNo stuff with me, and if I can't break through my plot barrier, I'll go back to my 2010 NaNo, which is my MG story that I love dearly.

I will be joining all your lovely faces/avatars on Twitter for the sprints, too!!

[bcomet]

I think I'm in too. It's time and I'm back! Yea!

[Sanderling]

I was originally going to do NaNo, but I'm already partway into a WIP I want to stick with. I'll probably be halfway done by then, but I may do NaNo in spirit if not by rule and make it my goal to have the draft done by the end of the month.

I have 75% of my outline done, but I'm STUCK trying to figure out why my antagonist wants the Shiny Item that my MC is after. Gah!

I've run into this occasionally, Trixie, or some variation of stuck - and I often find, when it happens, that if I just sit down and start writing the story/scene, the thing I was stuck on resolves itself while I write.

[Collectonian]

Oh yeah, I'm in and still MLing as well This year I'll be a rebel ML as I'm turning my attention back to the first novel I worked on my first two NaNo's, and my only total NaNo failure! I've also had the story in mind a long long time, so I really want to get it told

For prep, I've reviewing my existing notes and rereading what I have so far so I can pick up where I left off, and doing a few pre-writing exercises to get myself back into that world (like writing a journal entry from one of my characters).

[Cameron D James]

I'll be NaNoWriMo-ing this year!

I don't know how much I'll get done as I have a major paper for university due mid-month... but I have two projects I'm working on -- one is a MM romance and the other is to rewrite my old sci-fi. I have a great (at least I think it's great) sci-fi novel filed away. A super-critical writing partner read it through last year and really liked it -- but he gave me a few suggestions and asked a couple questions... which then spurred on a whole train of thought and now I have to pretty much rewrite the whole thing to make it as awesome as it is in my head. We'll see if that happens...

So, I hope to get 50K, but it might not all be in one book... and I may include my university paper as part of that 50K... cheating, I know...

My Writer's Group (I find it weird that a team of five writers can't come up with something more creative than "Writer's Group") is doing NaNoWriMo as our official November project -- so this year, unlike previous years, I actually have people holding me accountable!

[Aimée]

I've been debating whether I'll have the time or not to do NaNo this year, as the last two years I tried and failed horribly, even though I had plenty of time. But you know what? I think if I have somebody (or a forum thread ) to hold me to it, I will be able to get my nose to the grindstone and participate! I need to have somebody nag at me every week and say "Hey, how many words did you write this week? ...Not enough!"

[CharleeVale]

I'm not sure if I'm in or not. I WANT to be in, but with grad school I don't know if it's possible. We'll see!

CV

[Homeless Drifter]

I've always wanted to try NaNoWriMo, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it this year.

[Claudie]

Charlee, Homeless: You two ought to try anyway. There is no shame in failing NaNoWriMo because life suddenly jumps you with crazy busy schedules, but if you think you can participate for a time (or through the entire month but at a lower pace), you're sure to gain something. It can be fun. It can be words. It can be crazy-cool ideas. I don't think it's possible to lose at NaNo. You can fail at the official goal, sure, but in the end if you tried for real and gave your best, my opinion is that you won.

Also, I find that it's when I am the most busy that I manage to find more time and accomplish more. I'm in grad-school too now, I have an internship three days a week, work all weekend and pretty much spend all days from 8 am to 6 pm being busy, and then I still have to do my homework during the evening, but I'm trying. This is the first year I think I might come up short of 50k, but I'm certain that by doing NaNo I will end up with a more fantastic month and more words than if I decide to step aside.

[Collectonian]

Agreed....as I put in my intro to NaNo doc - you only "fail" if you don't try at all. Even if you don't make it to 50k, if you give it your best and you end up with something, that is still more than you started with

[Cookie]

I'm in this year. I plan on writing a middle grade book which I figure will be less than 50K. I have the basic idea down, but I'm mostly going to wing it.

[Amanda Elizabeth]

I have two outlines and I can't decide which one I should use for nnwm.

One is a YA about all sorts of creatures from fairies, to gnomes, to unicorns.

The other is an adult contemporary about an introverted college girl who is "discovered" by doing an indie movie and gets thrown into the world of fame and fortune.