1 Day until...
Oct. 30th, 2010 12:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyseishou posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
nano_writers
One day and some number of hours left until the start of NaNoWriMo, Nano Writers! Are you ready? More than ready? Ready as you'll ever be? We're going to write a novel in 30 days! No worries, right? Right!
Okay, I see you in the back there. Yeah, you! You're shaking your head - you don't think that you're going to be able to do it, do you? Well let me tell you
You can do it! And here's how...
- Write every day. As much as you can, whenever you can. Get up early, stay up late. Write something even if it's only a sentence or two because something is always better than nothing.
- Save everything - delete nothing. Remember that you're writing a first draft, not ready-for-the-reading-public copy. It's pretty much going to be bad and full of typos but that's okay. You will fix everything later.
- Trust your protagonist, follow his or her lead. If your character says that it's time to fight some robotic zombie ninjas, bring on the ninjas!
- If you get stuck writing the next scene in your story, skip it. Try writing what comes after it or before it. The creative process is not necessarily a linear thing. Write the fun stuff first.
So that's my two cents as they say! How about the rest of you old-timers! What works for you? What advice can you share with our new members?
And speaking of new members... my thanks to
![[staff profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png){kind=small}
denise for her bump in the Dreamwidth weekly update! I am very proud to announce that Nano Writer now has over 500 members! And because we have so many new members, I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone once more about how the community will run during November...
Once a day, I'll post a countdown reminder. When this post goes up, please feel free to share your progress with us... your word count for the day, excerpts from your novel, questions... whatever's on your mind. And if you're stuck, blocked or thinking about giving up - speak up! The help (or polite kick of the keister) you need may only be a keystroke and click away.
The only comm rules that I'll expect everyone to observe during November:
- Please be polite.
- Comment only to the daily post so we don't flood members' mailboxes.
I'm also looking for writing buddies! I'm LadySeishou here and at NaNoWriMo. If you're looking for a buddy or two as well, comment below and let's help each other cross that 50K finish line!
The best of luck to all and one last piece of advice... you know I have to say it... keep writing! See you at the finish line!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-30 04:36 pm (UTC)My Story starts in a cemetery, The last time I had that happen I ended up with a comedy worse than Napoleon Dynamite.
Question, would a little introduction done in a Twilight Zone fashion count towards my word count, or mean nothing at all?
(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-30 05:11 pm (UTC)Introduction = Prologue
"Twilight Zone fashion" = possible satirical homage to a landmark television series
Conclusion: Yes! An unqualified Yes! Of course, IMHO while writing your first draft, everything counts. Will your introduction survive your first edit? That's something to decide after you finish!
BTW, I loved Napoleon Dynamite!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-31 01:15 am (UTC)(Napoleon Dynamite is really a Love it or Hate it thing, I'm on the hate it side obviously.)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-30 05:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-31 08:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-30 07:40 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 01:21 am (UTC)Good luck this year!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 10:23 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-30 07:45 pm (UTC)Mind if I add you as a writing buddy? I could use every bit of encouragement I can get. I'm cridecoeur over there, too.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 01:27 am (UTC)Good luck!
What goddesses would be a good enginering team?
Date: 2010-10-31 12:38 am (UTC)- Ariadne: software engineering (weaving code), algorithms (Ariadne's thread)
- Kali: test. she likes to break things
- Seshat and Saraswati: tech pubs and wording for the experience
- Xochiquetzal: coding (weaving again)
- Hecate: sysadmin (magic)
- Eris: security
Any other suggestions?
Thanks!
ps: if you want to see the full org chart to see who else is involved, it's at http://kallistixf.dreamwidth.org/3953.html
Re: What goddesses would be a good enginering team?
Date: 2010-10-31 07:15 am (UTC)Re: What goddesses would be a good enginering team?
Date: 2010-11-01 01:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-31 02:23 am (UTC)Also, your outline is your friend. Use it. When the scene you're in isn't going anywhere, pick the next point on your map and skip ahead. Maybe you'll come back and realize what the scene needs. (Sometimes, that's a nuke launched from orbit--my first NaNo, when I came back on the editing pass, I realized that I very much needed to just cut entire chunks, and my brain had been TRYING to inform me of that by just refusing to write them.)
Lastly, don't beat yourself up about it :)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 01:30 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-31 07:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 01:33 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-31 10:33 am (UTC)So excited!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 01:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-31 10:56 am (UTC)(looking for buddies - name's the same)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 01:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-31 04:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-31 08:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 01:37 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-10-31 08:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 01:38 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-02 04:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 02:32 am (UTC)Hour and a half to go before it's the first. I'm excited!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 03:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 02:49 am (UTC)All I know about my novel is that it starts with a theft, ends with a return, and stuff happens in between.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-11-01 03:25 am (UTC)