# NaNoWriMo begins tomorrow. Who's doing it this year? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [October 31, 2020, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435 "2020-10-31T21:21:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/61 "2020-11-06T01:29:38Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I do it through conversations or character moments This is by far the stuff I have the most difficulty with, especially the character moments. It’s definitely a work in progress. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/62 "2020-11-06T01:39:14Z")
I can’t listen to music while I write. Whatever weird place my writing comes from is completely distracted by music. It’s like trying to count while someone screams random numbers at you. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/63 "2020-11-06T01:55:20Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Though I have to do an action scene next, and I hate those. So I muddled on through with my big end-of-movie action scene. It’s awful, but it’ll do for now. I take comfort in the fact that there have been some completely terrible movies with godawful action scenes that still got full funding and a decent box-office return, so if I think I’m writing something close to those, I’m in good enough company. Though I am still just working on the treatment version, not the script yet. It’s taking longer than I thought to get to that, but I guess there’s no hurry; Professionals work 8hrs a day on screenplays and it still can take them years. Compared to them I’m rampaging through it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/64 "2020-11-06T01:58:26Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > What sort of background sound do you guys prefer while writing? Silence, white noise, music? I use ambient nature sounds from [this site](https://mynoise.net/). If I choose an appropriate matching environment to the scene I’m writing it can help put me in the right zone. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/65 "2020-11-06T05:30:59Z")
I enjoy seeing everyone’s updates, thank you for that. I was in a crummy mood today, and tired from doing a bunch of yardwork, and gummy-brained from unexpected and unplanned nap in the middle of the afternoon, and decided that this would be a day off and I would catch up over the next days, but then I felt guilty, and at 11 PM I got out the laptop and managed to churn out juuust enough words to land exactly on track for five days. So I burned all the margin I had accrued, but I’m not behind. I saw the question about music. Weirdly, all the way back to the high school, I studied best having music on headphones, and so that’s how I am doing this as well. It does have to be very familiar music, something that already has a groove in my brain, butI’m indifferent to whether or not it has lyrics. Lately when I’ve been listening to albums from Godspeed You! Black Emperor. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/66 "2020-11-06T05:36:12Z")
No music for me for the kind of writing I’m doing this time around. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/67 "2020-11-06T13:11:21Z")
For me what I listen to varies, but lately I have been listening to electronic music, specifically tracks from the [Electronic Groove](https://electronicgroove.com/) podcast. Since it is kind of continuous music, I like I can stop it at any point if I feel like I need the silence. I keep my headphones on regardless of whether something is playing through them or not which blocks out noise and minimizes distraction. The other thing that helps with minimizing distraction is using a full screen or distraction free editor, like [Focus Writer](https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/) which you can configure to show your word count as you type, a useful feature for NaNoWriMo. ``` //i\\ ``` ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/68 "2020-11-08T01:27:00Z")
Got a few hundred words down today, but most of my time was spent drinking champagne. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/69 "2020-11-08T02:23:16Z")
After five days of wrenching anxiety, a little celebration is in order, I’d say. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/70 "2020-11-08T03:17:31Z")
More alcohol in a day than I’ve had over the last 3 or 4 years (= half a bottle over 12 hours), and I enjoyed it! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/71 "2020-11-08T04:56:32Z")
I’m taking weekends off from writing. Not that today is one for knuckling down and concentrating anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/72 "2020-11-08T21:08:02Z")
I’ve missed a couple of days, not sure where my head is. Stressful, crazy week, even with one particular happy outcome. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/73 "2020-11-08T21:16:06Z")
This describes me as well. I’m dealing with a lot of seasonal depression and frankly I’ve realised that writing is almost a chore right now. I finished my MA in April and one of the side effects has been that I have absolutely no desire to read — I was reading 2 or 3 monographs a week for the 18 months or so before I finished and that seems to have just obliterated any desire I have to read for pleasure. I’ve tried picking up _The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo_ because the braided narrative somewhat follows the style I want to emulate (I realize that I’ll probably do the whole thing in the third person). But it’s just… hard. Trying to read it feels like a chore to be honest. I’ve never been a TV watcher or into video games, so now that I don’t get much pleasure from reading I’m kind of at a loss. I don’t mean to sound pitiful or maudlin. I’m just frustrated at my (lack of) progress. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/74 "2020-11-08T23:18:48Z")
Yes! Like a chore. I’ve never had that feeling writing before… ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/75 "2020-11-09T00:39:15Z")
I believe this is my day off. I hoped to write but slept terribly and can just stumble through tasks like making food. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/76 "2020-11-09T03:58:21Z")
I got 30 minutes done today. I’m in a really rough place, the final showdown of my heroine with the villain, and I already wrote a crappy draft of it, so this means what I write now has to be actually good. But it’s not. **Sr. Weasel** says I have to get used to sucking again since it’s been so long since I’ve had a consistent writing habit. I’m doing my best. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/77 "2020-11-09T04:40:28Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > **Sr. Weasel** says I have to get used to sucking again since it’s been so long since I’ve had a consistent writing habit. I’m doing my best I actually really like this. No matter how much I suck, its nothing as bad as just not doing it. As the esteemed Chris Stevens once said, there’s no way through it except to do it! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/78 "2020-11-09T07:20:00Z")
Now that the Treatment is done, I am jumping back into the screenplay proper at last, and before I get to the new stuff I am going back and adding in the extra set-up bits that will be paid off later. In doing so, and it being five years since I abandoned this script, I am expanding some other surrounding scenes too. It’s been interesting to see it with fresh eyes and be able to more clearly see what it needs, and how much better I am at writing now. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/79 "2020-11-11T03:09:15Z")
Well, I didn’t exactly write today, but I spent two hours on Zoom with my writers group doing crits for a friend (and also ranting about politics.) It had been a while since we got together. We used to meet IRL at my friend’s burger joint every other week. Obviously that’s not possible during COVID but we are trying to keep the dream alive online. I’ve run into a problem with my manuscript, in that I think I have to rewrite the rewrite to my ending. That final showdown just doesn’t seem to be working as it’s written. I have to go back and change some stuff. I think. For all the training I have in developmental editing, when it comes to my own work I always seem to be groping around in the dark. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435/80 "2020-11-11T03:46:16Z")
A few bursts, but I was working and schlepping. I may need to set up a coffee house in the family room to get the ambiance right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nanowrimo-begins-tomorrow-whos-doing-it-this-year/924435.md?page=5)