NaNoWriMo Dreamwidth Writers

Day 16 - 14 days remaining


I'm sorry I wrote such a long letter.
I did not have the time to write a short one.

— Abraham Lincoln






Today's word count is 26,672 and it's Back-It-Up Friday! You know the drill everyone! Back Up Your Novel!

And it's the beginning of our third weekend - time to catch up, add to or push ahead with our stories! Remember too, now is not the time to give into worries and doubts the inner editor tries to saddle us with while we are creating! Write "long" and give it your all!

Questions? Comments? Back-up plans? Just do it and keep writing!

Day 14 - 16 days remaining


Name names. Make your writing physical. Use lots of exact nouns.
"Food" is an idea; "black-bean soup" is a thing. Naming not only makes
the writing more visceral, it makes the reader trust you.

— David Long






Today's word count is 23,338, Nano Writer! And at the end of the day, we'll see the backside of Week Two! Congratulations to everyone who survived the week, who pushed back the doubts and despair, worked through the daily struggles and insecurities, and have become stronger and more dedicated to completing both the challenge and their story!

But there's still work to be done. Your character may now be resolved to take on the bad guys by now, tired of being pushed around/lied to/given the runaround/betrayed and is even now preparing, mentally and physically, for what may become a series of confrontations designed to fully test your character's mettle. Will they survive the battle/apocalypse/illness/investigation/ensoulment/loss of love and/or hope?

Questions? Comments? Recipe for success? My favorite is the resolution to write everyday! So, Nano Writer, keep writing!

Day 12 - 18 days remaining



If you tell the reader that Bull Beezley is a brutal-faced, loose-lipped bully,
with snake’s blood in his veins, the reader’s reaction may be, ‘Oh, yeah!’
But if you show the reader Bull Beezley raking the bloodied flanks of his weary,
sweat-encrusted pony, and flogging the tottering, red-eyed animal with a
quirt, or have him booting in the protruding ribs of a starved mongrel and,
boy, the reader believes!

— Fred East






Today's word count is 20,004! A banner day and time to indulge in a 10k reward if you got one. Otherwise, congratulate yourself on a job well done coming this far!

And if you are a little short, no need to dispair. Could be time to indulge in a little word padding. No, not the kind where you write out contractions or quote long passages of poetry - time for that later, maybe.

No this is the kind of "padding" that might actually add a little 3D to a character that might feel a bit flat. Read through today's quote again and see where "showing" (instead of "telling") infuses a little bit of reality into your fictional people.

So instead of writing: "He was happy to see her come through the door" for a total of ten words, why not write the scene as: "He felt the smile come over him, like the sun chasing shadows, worries about the day's troubles fading too as he watched her push the door open and come into Lucky's Laundromat carrying that ridiculous red Santa sack of what he could only speculate was elf unmentionables, assuming elves even had what one might stuff into unmentionables." Fifty-seven words.

Purple prose? Maybe. But it's got words. And some of it might even survive the editor's pen later down the road.

Questions? Comments? Your best purple prose? It's all good! So keep writing!

Day 10 - 20 days remaining


Successful writers are not the ones who write the
best sentences. They are the ones that keep writing.

— Bonnie Friedman






Today's word count is 16,670! And it's the beginning of our second weekend - the second of four this month. Weekend writing can be a good opportunity to catch up on your word count or pull ahead if the muse is kind! So I'll leave you to it!

Questions? Comments? Best sentence of the day? It's all good! So keep writing!

Day 8 - 22 days remaining


One thing that helps is to give myself permission to write badly.

— Lawrence Block






Today's word count is 13,336! And we're staring down the infamous Week Two of the NNWM Challenge. But we're not going to let that stop us or even slow us down, right Nano Writers?! We've got stories to tell and out antagonists are in the thick of it now, fumbling and flailing, trying to figure out what to do next now that they've left the comfort of their everyday world.

It's kind of scary. It might seem that what we write is doomed to fail. Just like our characters are convinced that after a couple of bad turns, they can't do it after all. But we need to show them how by not giving up even when things look bad - that's the time you need to remind yourself of the prize that lies ahead and keep moving forward!

Questions? Comments? First word/last word you wrote today? It's all good - so keep writing!

Day 6 - 24 days remaining


The muscles of writing are not so visible, but they are just as
powerful: determination, attention, curiosity, a passionate heart.

— Natalie Goldberg






Today's word count is 10,002! A banner day for any and all Nano Writers! 10K! If you've set aside a small prize for the day in recognition of this truly remarkable accomplishment - the first ten thousand words of your novel - it's time to reward yourself and enjoy the moment! And for everyone who's written 10,000 words (and more or almost), this post is dedicated to you! Take a bow!

And now it's time to get back to work! Your protagonist is, no doubt, in deep trouble and things are getting worse... what's next? It's time to flex those writerly muscles and figure it out!

Questions? Comments? Want to share your 10,000th word? It's all good - so keep writing!

Day 4 - 26 days remaining


Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half
their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale.

— Peter S. Beagle






Today's word count is 6,668! Is your protagonist having a bad time of it yet, Nano Writer? We may want to avoid conflict in real life but for our characters, "sorrows and burdens" are all a part of getting to the "happily ever after" or at least "the end."

And for our Nano Writers living in the US just a quick reminder that DST ends at 2 AM! And you know what that means! A free hour to write! Right? Oh come on guys, it least tell me that you'll think about it... guys...?

Questions? Comments? Sorrows to share? Joyful news? They say that a "shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow" so it's all good! Keep writing!

Day 2 - 28 days remaining


The maker of a sentence launches out into the
infinite and builds a road into Chaos and old Night.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson






Today's word count is 3,334! And because it's Friday, let's talk about backing up those words... It's not too early to think about it, Nano Writer! So what's your method of choice? Flash drive? Cloud drive? E-mail? Make it a habit now and you'll never have to worry about losing your work!

Questions? Comments? Excerpts to share? It's all good! So keep writing!

Just a matter of hours until the start of NNWM


I write to give myself strength.
I write to be the characters that
I am not. I write to explore all
the things I'm afraid of.

― Joss Whedon



So this is it, Nano Writer! You are prepared (maybe/mostly/sort of)! You are ready (maybe/mostly/sort of)! There’s nothing to be afraid of right? Your muse and your characters are willing to share their story with you if you are willing to listen and brave enough to stare down the doubts and distracting voices telling you it’s impossible.

Because you can.

But it won’t necessarily be easy. Crossing the 50K finish line will demand much of you: your time, your dedication, your perseverance. But you can do it! And we’ll be here with you every step of the way.

Everyday, all November, we’ll post a countdown and daily word count reminder. Please feel free to reply to these posts to share news of your day’s accomplishments, snippets of writing, questions, challenges, requests or just to say “hi!”

The community itself will be closed to open posting from 11/1 − 11/30 and we thank you sincerely for your understanding as our intent is to minimize the distraction of those members who prefer not to participate in community exchanges once NNWM begins. Nano Writers will be open to posting again on December 1 and remain open throughout the year, as always, until next November.

But for now, Nano Writer, the starting line lies straight ahead! The clock will soon strike midnight and there’s only one thing left to say: Write, Nano Writer, write!