Welcome to FSN

[ladyseishou]

Welcome to all new and old members of the Dreamwidth Nano Writers community! Today's exercise is easy... register for a NaNoWriMo account - if you don't already have one and check the place out.



Now's a good time to update your author page. The forums have been re-booted and are back all shiny and new. For me, I have my eye on that new noveling pen in the Letters and Light store (a great "half-way there" prize). Fellow NaNo veterans, any other advice (fun stuff/need-to-know stuff) that you like to share?

And here's a little preview for tomorrow's topic:

Consider the following statement from An Introduction to Genre Theory by Daniel Chandler:

One pleasure may simply be the recognition of the features of a particular genre because of our familiarity with it. Recognition of what is likely to be important (and what is not), derived from our knowledge of the genre, is necessary in order to follow a plot.

Do you enjoy reading stories of a particular genre? What genre elements do you look for or expect as a reader? Do you write in a particular genre? Do you consider what your reader's expectations may be when you select a genre to write in?

Tomorrow: Expectations, Genre, and You! Until then Nano Writer, keeping writing!

Comments

One Bit of Advice

[insomniac_tales]

Make sure to update your timezone when it's time to "fall back." If it's set to the wrong timezone you won't be able to update your novel's word count at the last minute on November 30th.

Re: One Bit of Advice

[ladyseishou]

Wow, I'd forgotten that! That's for the tip!

[swankyfunk]

Ooh, thanks for the heads-up on the NaNo goodies. I may get the noveling pen because I'm going to be writing the majority of my novel by hand. Crazy, I know, but I really have no choice as I won't have enough time each night to spend at the computer, though I've found that I can get a lot more writing done with a good old fashioned pen and notebook that I can take anywhere.

As for the genre questions... You know how they say write what you know. I tend to write things in a throwback to the pulp crime novel style. I just love that stuff. I like gangsters and detectives, so that's what I write about. I have no readers so I'm fine with expectations not being met, lol.

[ladyseishou]

I've read about more than a few professional writers also write their manuscripts by hand so there must be something to it!

I also thought it was cool that the NaNo pen is being shipped with both types of pen refills: oil based ballpoint and a gel-ink cartridge. I like writing with both (different journals).

I also believe in writing what you love!

[twistingthetale]

I haven't looked at the NaNo goodies yet *makes a quick note*

Not much in the way of advice, but I think that one of the most important things to do is not worry that other people seem to be churning words out by the thousand. Some of those words may add up to a great story, but most likely they don't, so don't be freaked out by other people's numbers. Do as much as you can, when you can, especially in the early stages if it's your first year. Putting too much pressure on yourself is probably the worse thing you can do, as it's important to remember that NaNo is also about having fun. We all have days when writing is a bit on the slow side, but we also have days where we can achieve a lot more than we realise :)

[swankyfunk]

not worry that other people seem to be churning words out by the thousand

I think the worst thing you can do if you're flailing around is to visit the NaNo forums where you can see people's word count. It can be REALLY disheartening to see someone's status bar reach 40K and you're still at 5K and you're like, WTF? Hahah... So yeah, just keep plugging away with out distraction! (easier said than done!)

[dragonjournal]

I love reading fantasy. I write a lot of it too. I think the one thing I expect from fantasy is to make me believe. Make me fall into the world and believe.

Other than that, I'm willing to roll with whatever the work throws at me.

As for a reader's expectations, I just want them to be entertained. I don't want to write to what they expect. I want to write to entertain