Gimme a Na! Gimme a No! Gimme a Wri! Gimme a Mo!

[Steve_Wright]

Hadn’t noticed this thread. Am doing NaNo. Currently on about 80,000 words, which is why I hadn’t noticed this thread, or indeed much of anything else for the past eighteen days or so.

Now, back to work. I have a librarian and an innocent kitten to kill.

[starryspice]

I’m only at 5000 :(. Part of that is because I’ve never written a novel before, which means that I haven’t planned anything out and am making it up as I go along. My other problem is that the rest of my life keeps getting in my way. I wanted to write every day this week, and only ended up writing for an hour on Saturday. I kinda feel like I should never have signed up for this, because I really don’t think I can get 50,000 words by the end of November. At the same time, I like my story - it intrigues me and I can’t wait to find out what happens. Every time I write, even when I write a crappy chapter, it makes me happy, so I guess I’ll just keep plugging along…I’m off to the coffeehourse now, wish me luck!

[StarvingButStrong]

@Steve Wright

Hadn’t noticed this thread. Am doing NaNo. Currently on about 80,000 words, which is why I hadn’t noticed this thread, or indeed much of anything else for the past eighteen days or so.

Now, back to work. I have a librarian and an innocent kitten to kill.

May I tell you how sincerely I admire and hate you?

My goal for the day is 35k. I will NOT go to bed until I have it. Promise.

BTW, wouldn’t it be more fun to have an evil kitten kill the innocent librarian?

[Tamex]

I’m at 31004. I liked how the wedding ceremony turned out so much that I posted it as an excerpt on the NaNo site. I’m Tamex there, too, if anyone is interested.

[Miss_Purl_McKnittington]

There’s nothing like NaNo for getting things done, huh? NaNo should be every month, I think. Since it’s started, I have:

– found a new job
– drafted a Victorian corset pattern, finished two costuming projects, knit a sleeve on US size 2 needles, and knit a pair of fingerless lace mitts
– started a totally unnecessary skin-care regimine
– helped my mother plan Thanksgiving dinner, which is very important this year because my sister just got engaged (though I had nothing to do with that)
– cleaned very many things

Oh, and I also just surpassed 11,000 words. Small potatoes compared to everybody else, but that’s despite taking a week off of writing. Very incredibly pleased with the following paragraph:

It was further a considerable relief to John that they had not come through Smitherton proper, which following the usual roads lay between Foxbridge and the mill. If he had come through the town, then he would have been expected to return through the town. Though he would not admit it when confronted and his behavior sometimes implied otherwise, John Stovington put great store in propriety and honor and the other things that made up the backbone of a solid Englishman. It was not to be found implicitly in any book of etiquette, but trotting a red pony cart occupied by a brother, a sister, and a muddy woman wrapped in a picnic rug down the high street of any village in England was sure to ruffle a few otherwise smooth brows. It could not in any sense be said to be honorable, on the part of either the young women or the gentleman, as there was the question of how the young woman came to be wrapped in the picnic rug. The mud was of no consequence, mud could happen in even very respectable places, but the picnic rug was highly suspect. Though a gentleman rescued a young lady bodily, he was still expected to rescue her honor; a gentleman’s honor could survive such escapades, but a lady’s could not. As John did not at present feel inclined to marry a strange woman found lying at the riverside, it was for the best that they had taken the back roads that morning.

[maggenpye]

I like it. This is my favourite at the moment;

Cut and bruised over most of my body, I’d enjoyed that hour in the Principal’s office. They knew both of us were trouble makers. They may have even suspected Warren was telling the truth. But I’d never thrown a punch in three years. I’d never pinched, hit, kicked or bitten.
Warren had.
Why on earth would a nine year old pick a fight with someone twice his size?
Neither of us had gone back to school for the final day. Warren lived far enough away from our farm that we didn’t see him over the holidays and his parents sent him to boarding school in Hamilton the next year.
“You were a bloody pain in the arse, mate.” Ben announced after a long pause. “But we’re family and I knew that counted for something.”
“Damned right it did.” I said. “You were my little brother, no-one was allowed to beat you up except me!” I recalled a punishment that was almost instantly forgotten. “You told Mum and Dad, didn’t you?”
“I thought you’d saved my life.” Ben said, laughing. “I had to do something.”
Hope groaned and muttered, “Anything but talk to each other.”
I gasped in mock horror. “We couldn’t do that!”
“We were being men.” finished Ben, with perfect timing.
“I’m so glad I’m an only child.” Hope murmured. “And a girl.”

Of course, I may edit it all out tomorrow.

[Malacandra]

@Steve Wright

Hadn’t noticed this thread. Am doing NaNo. Currently on about 80,000 words, which is why I hadn’t noticed this thread, or indeed much of anything else for the past eighteen days or so.

Now, back to work. I have a librarian and an innocent kitten to kill.

If you want to get any writing done, you’ve no time to spare for killing kittens.

Still short of 30,000 words by some way. I got damn all done over the weekend and am running out of procrastinating time. :smack:

[maggenpye]

Hey, Steve Wright, was the kitten a sacrifice to the writing gods? Is that how one gets an average of 4k a day?

I’ve just hit 40K and I have a spare budgie, would that get me over 50k by tea time? Because I’m 10k behind for my personal goal.
I can’t kill any librarians, they’d cancel my access to the reference section.

But hey, 40K: woot!

[NinjaChick]

I’m doing it. I’m just barely at 20,000, because my professors are trying to drive me insane with schoolwork. I’ve got four papers to write by the 7th of December, plus there was a computer crisis that kept me from typing (far faster than longhand) from Friday to today.

In related news, short of animal sacrifice, anyone know how to wrangle a main character out of soul-crushing guilt that is not only uncharacteristic, but doesn’t at all fit the plot? I’ve got a beginning, a good start on the middle, and…then the beginning of what I think is a possible sequel. Huh.

[Malacandra]

26,000 and some odd. Ten days to go. Could be a challenge this year…

[wonky]

31705. I believe I’ve found the afterburners.

[wonky]

@NinjaChick

In related news, short of animal sacrifice, anyone know how to wrangle a main character out of soul-crushing guilt that is not only uncharacteristic, but doesn’t at all fit the plot?

The person is being poisoned by a bad batch of chai. Throw out the chai and all is well!

[Miss_Purl_McKnittington]

Or get him drunk. The hangover is symbolic of his guilt, and when he’s hydrated again, his guilt is gone. An alternate is to get him sick and have the fever burn his guilt away. Drunk rambling and fever dreams are excellent for racking up word count.

This is my new mantra: I will write 3500 words today, tomorrow, and every day until November 30. It doesn’t matter if this turns into an epistolary novel, ninjas introduce the Corn Laws into Parliament, or my story goes all Angels & Insects, I will write 3500 words every day.

And I will clean the bathroom, living room, and the bedrooms for Thanksgiving. Also bake a pie. If George Eliot could do it, I can do it.

[maggenpye]

NinjaChick : A life or death situation could make him re-elvaulate his priorities.

Have someone shoot at him till he comes to his senses!

[Tamex]

36947. I was home sick yesterday. I found that while it is very easy to come up with ideas while I’m at work and can’t write anything, the ideas I get when I’m sick are utter crap. I started to write a scene where the characters are basically going, “What do you want to do?” “I dunno, what to you want to do.” I couldn’t get my brain unstuck until about 10 p.m., when I came up with a juicy plan…but, alas, it remains unwritten.

You’d think that the long Thanksgiving weekend would help things along, but I think in my case it’s going to hurt. I’m going to be stuck at the in-laws and probably expected to be sociable and crap.

[NinjaChick]

@maggenpye

NinjaChick : A life or death situation could make him re-elvaulate his priorities.

Have someone shoot at him till he comes to his senses!

Oh, as tempting as that is (“You want to play rough, character? Okay, let’s go. bang”), it wouldn’t help the plot option.

@Miss Purl McKnittington

Or get him drunk. The hangover is symbolic of his guilt, and when he’s hydrated again, his guilt is gone. An alternate is to get him sick and have the fever burn his guilt away. Drunk rambling and fever dreams are excellent for racking up word count.

This, on the other hand…hell, I already randomly placed a scene in a bar (could’ve been anywhere). I think the fates are telling me things.

[wonky]

35476. I’m really running out of steam.

[wonky]

@Miss Purl McKnittington

Oh, and I also just surpassed 11,000 words. Small potatoes compared to everybody else, but that’s despite taking a week off of writing. Very incredibly pleased with the following paragraph:

Too fun. I love that.

[maggenpye]

@NinjaChick

I think the fates are telling me things.

Oh well, if it’s the fates.
I keep getting that in mine too. I don’t know why something happens till about three days later in a completely different part of the story. Go with it.

43342 - couldn’t believe I stopped at the exact word count I’m supposed to have next Monday. Still behind for the personal goal. I need to average 3k a day to make it.

[Lunar_Saltlick]

@Miss Purl McKnittington

If George Eliot could do it, I can do it.

You’ve got it easy. George Eliot did it by candlelight. With a pen she had to dip in an ink well. And when the ink began to run out, she had to water it down and write smaller or risk not finishing the novel.

Good paragraph, by the way.