# NaNoWriMo 2008 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 16, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267 "2008-10-16T20:57:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/21 "2008-10-21T22:57:57Z")
I always do Nanowrimo. In 2006 I got just over 100k, personal best so far. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/22 "2008-10-21T23:51:51Z")
Thanks! I’ve always had stories putzing about my brain, now it is time to release one of them. I can’t be the only one. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/23 "2008-10-22T02:53:15Z")
I’m in! The last time I attempted anything like this, I think I got up to something like 20,000 words–so keep your fingers crossed for me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/24 "2008-10-22T05:05:01Z")
I have absolutely no ideas. I don’t often read novels, and usually skip the fiction section of the New Yorker, but for some reason I still want to try it. Do you think there’s any hope of just diving in and starting to write and seeing what happens over the course of 30 days? Has anyone tried this approach? ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/25 "2008-10-22T05:26:43Z")
[We’ve actually already got a thread on this.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=488220)Maybe the mods would like to merge them? I’ve been working on my plot outline for a couple of weeks now–in fact, I need to get off the damn internet and get to work on it now! ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/26 "2008-10-22T09:53:33Z")
I did ScriptFrenzy in April, and succeeded – at least, I succeeded in writing 110 pages of dialogue that’s still not a screenplay. It taught me the value of getting words down every day, and I felt like I’d done something. But, I don’t know if I’d get anything different out of NaNoWriMo. I’m still trying to complete the same screenplay, and hope to begin on a commercial project by the end of the year. NaNoWriMo would really just get in the way. But, I might change my mind. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/27 "2008-10-22T13:50:53Z")
> [@Rachael\_Rage](#): > > I have absolutely no ideas. I don’t often read novels, and usually skip the fiction section of the New Yorker, but for some reason I still want to try it. Do you think there’s any hope of just diving in and starting to write and seeing what happens over the course of 30 days? Has anyone tried this approach? Why not? What’s the worse thing that happens? As for ideas, try the generators at [Seventh Sanctum](http://www.seventhsanctum.com/). Or write a story about ghost ninjas. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/28 "2008-10-22T14:41:43Z")
> [@Rachael\_Rage](#): > > I have absolutely no ideas. I don’t often read novels, and usually skip the fiction section of the New Yorker, but for some reason I still want to try it. Do you think there’s any hope of just diving in and starting to write and seeing what happens over the course of 30 days? Has anyone tried this approach? That’s what I did last year. And this is how I ended up with a story about an Egyptian young man robbing a gay brothel in Steampunk New Orleans. Consider yourself warned. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/29 "2008-10-22T15:22:45Z")
> [@Rachael\_Rage](#): > > I have absolutely no ideas. I don’t often read novels, and usually skip the fiction section of the New Yorker, but for some reason I still want to try it. Do you think there’s any hope of just diving in and starting to write and seeing what happens over the course of 30 days? Has anyone tried this approach? I’ve did that my first year and it turns out, I’m really bad at plot. (I’m ok at dialogue, and not altogether awful at characterization. My short scenes are decent. But my stories never go anywhere because I can’t figure out where they’re going.) The past couple of years, I’ve started with a storyline - without it, my characters wander around waiting for something to happen. This year, my sister agreed to do it, and wanted to pick the plot, so we’re both doing retellings of “Jack and the Beanstalk.” I have some solid ideas about mine. She (despite the fact that she picked the plot idea), does not. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/30 "2008-10-22T21:09:52Z")
> [@CaerieD](#): > > That’s what I did last year. And this is how I ended up with a story about an Egyptian young man robbing a gay brothel in Steampunk New Orleans. Consider yourself warned. That sounds AWESOME. Are there zombies? ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/31 "2008-10-22T21:22:29Z")
I’ve signed up. It will require some planets aligning for me to actually follow through with full effort, but I’ll give it a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/32 "2008-10-23T02:15:40Z")
I’m actually thinking about doing NaNoWriMo this year. I’ve never done it before. I don’t actually like to write. But I want to do something different. Maybe I’ll get 1000 words before I give up. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/33 "2008-10-23T03:42:54Z")
I checked it out and signed up. We will see how it goes- but sounds like fun…or maybe torture. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2008, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/34 "2008-10-23T03:46:44Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > That sounds AWESOME. Are there zombies? Alas, no. Just wasteland dwelling mutant cannibals. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/35 "2008-10-24T19:39:45Z")
> [@DeadlyAccurate](#): > > Why not? What’s the worse thing that happens? > > As for ideas, try the generators at [Seventh Sanctum](http://www.seventhsanctum.com/). Or write a story about ghost ninjas. Thanks! That’s exactly what I needed. If my story turns out anything nearly as cool or weird as **CaerieD** ’s, then I will consider it a huge success. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/36 "2008-10-27T16:35:32Z")
OK, I have apparently proven myself insane by signing up for this. I’m a NaNoWriMo virgin here, so go gentle with me, OK? 🙂 I’m signed up as PaleoGamer since someone already has tanstaafl. (Someone _always_ has tanstaafl these days :() I guess I’ll see what happens come November 1. Is there a SDMB group or something out there? ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/37 "2008-10-27T17:52:51Z")
There’s a Flickr group. We can probably have a thread here, if not this very thread. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/38 "2008-10-27T18:00:45Z")
I think it’s time I did some hard-core writing again, so I’m edging toward doing it. There’s a story I started a few years ago that I’d like to explore now that I have some more ideas. ---
**Author:** ![starryspice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@starryspice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starryspice)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/39 "2008-10-27T18:44:58Z")
> [@Rachael\_Rage](#): > > I have absolutely no ideas. I don’t often read novels, and usually skip the fiction section of the New Yorker, but for some reason I still want to try it. Do you think there’s any hope of just diving in and starting to write and seeing what happens over the course of 30 days? Has anyone tried this approach? I did this last year and got to 12,000 words before the plot stalled. I do recommend plotting out beforehand (unless you’re one of those lucky ones who can just have stories flow out of their fingertips), but even if you don’t, you can get surprisingly far. I actually really liked the idea for my story (girl goes on subway, falls asleep and discovers a city in the underground tunnels), but it had some major snags. Who knows, if I think about it and fix the plot holes, maybe I’ll even finish it one day. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267/40 "2008-10-27T20:24:43Z")
I’m in. We’ll see how things work out. Never done this before, but this could be one of those “life experiences” that I keep threatening to enlighten my daughter with someday. (Incidentally, I believe November is also [National Blog Posting Month](http://nablopomo.ning.com/), so while I’m dealing with writer’s block, or writer’s cramp, or whatever, I can blog about the problems I am having.) … Yeah, at least one of these endeavors may be doomed to fail, but I am interested in seeing how things work out. I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book, so now is as good a time as any, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-2008/468267.md?page=3)