NaNoWriMo Dreamwidth Writers

11 months until NaNoWriMo 2012

Writing a novel is a tiny candle in a dark, swirling world.
It brings light and warmth and hope to the lucky few who,
against insufferable odds and despite a juggernaut of irritations,
find themselves in the right place to hold it.

– Lemony Snicket



As the clock strikes midnight, the fairy tale says enchantment fades and the glamor gives way to everyday reality. And so some might say the same for NaNoWriMo as the challenge draws to a close and the fun, the excitement, the heartbreak and cursing, the beautiful flights of fantasy are put away until next year and Wrimos take up again their everyday lives of jobs and schools and neglected family and friends.

But before we part ways, I would like to again recognize and congratulate every Nano Writer who participated this year, every writer who crossed the 50k finish line as well as any writer who had to set aside their fledgling story because of overwhelming commitments or illness or quirk of fate. You have done well and should be very proud of what you have accomplished this month. You have given form to things unknown and given airy nothings a name and habitation, to paraphrase old Bill Shakespeare. You are the stuff of magic.

And remember too, even after the midnight hour has come and gone, the fairy tale continues.

So even as we take up our everyday routines again, perhaps we might still steal a little time away from all the rest, to fashion for our story its own version of Happy Ever After, believing in ourselves and our characters, by finishing the story. And then, after giving this first draft some time to rest and breathe… a matter of days, months, years… put on our editor’s hat and make it even better! For me, that means a lot more research and a good supply of red pens ;-)

I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all the wonderful writers who took the time to comment this November and share with all of us their stories, notes of progress, words of inspiration, unfailing encouragement and good wishes. My thanks and gratitude! You are a great part of what makes this such a fabulous and wonderful community! Thank you!

And now, even as the clock strikes midnight, let’s celebrate! Let’s celebrate all that we have done, all that we will do and all that is possible!

Especially if you Keep Writing!

Day 29 - 1 day remaining

A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.

— Richard Bach



Are we there yet? Are you close? Now's not time to quit! Write on! Nano Writer write on! The word count is 48,343! You can do it!

Questions? Comments? It’s all good! Keep writing!

Day 27 - 3 days remaining

And as imagination bodies forth the forms of things unknown,
the poet's pen turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothings
a local habitation and a name.

— William Shakespeare



Like the artist’s brush, the writer’s pen conjures worlds and peoples from nothing more than the writer’s imagination who then shares this magic with all those that read and enjoy the writer’s tale. But before that can happen, the writer must begin and complete the story…

Now is the time Nano Writer to finish what was begun all those weeks and days ago. You can do it! Finish your story and cross that finish line!

Today’s word count is 45,009! You are so close! Questions? Comments? Keep writing!

Day 25 - 5 days remaining

In the tale, in the telling, we are all one blood. Take the tale in your teeth,
then, and bite till the blood runs, hoping it's not poison; and we will all come
to the end together, and even to the beginning: living, as we do, in the middle.

— Ursula K. Le Guin



We are all one blood, we writers, telling our stories and writing our tales and as such, Nano Writers, let us march resolutely to Finish Line together! You can do it!

Reminder: validation begins today on the NaNoWriMo web site...

Today’s word count is 41,675! Questions? Comments? Favorite writing snack food? An apple is good but I would avoid any handed out by an evil queen disguised as an old woman peddler… just saying ;-) Keep writing!

Day 21 - 9 days remaining

To be a writer is to sit down at one's desk in the chill portion of every day,
and to write; not waiting for the little jet of the blue flame of genius to start
from the breastbone - just plain going at it, in pain and delight.

— John Hersey



Yes it’s that time again, Nano Writers! It’s Back Up Your Novel Yet Again Day! You know the drill. Enough said.

The word count today is 35,007 and our final week is fast approaching! If you’re running behind, try to write a little more everyday! Else the end of the month may prove to be more pain than delight…

Questions? Comments? Remember to back up? It’s a good thing! And keep writing!

Day 19 - 11 days remaining

I get up in the morning, torture a typewriter until it screams, then stop.

— Clarence Budington Kelland



It’s the beginning of our third weekend, Nano Writer! Will you be heading out to a local write-in, a local coffee shop or quiet library? Or is your preference more virtual, doing word sprints or wars with friends/rivals/arch enemies online or do battle with the dread Dr. Wicked's Write or Die?

The word count is 31,673! How far will you go today? Questions? Comments? Ignore the screaming typewriter (it's always been a kind of a whiner) and Keep Writing!

Day 17 - 13 days remaining

Caress the detail, the divine detail.

— Vladimir Nabokov



Has the plot bunny you followed down the rabbit hole deserted you to take tea with your Mad Inner Editor and left you wondering what happens next? Caress the detail! Rather than let a day pass without writing, go back and flesh out a bare scene or two with divine detail. And take heart - tomorrow is another day!

Today’s word count is 28,339! Questions? Comments? Share something to smile about? My favorite typo for the day: “Certainly, I would be happy for the whelp,” Dodd said. Apparently my subconscious sees the character as a father-to-be and not in need of a hand ;-) but it’s all good! Keep writing!

Day 15 - 15 days remaining

From a certain point onward there is no longer any
turning back. That is the point that must be reached.

— Franz Kafka



Toady’s word count is 25,000 and we’re officially half way through the month Nano Writer! Congratulations to everyone who has come this far whether you’ve written a thousand or thirty thousand words or even more, you should be very proud of your accomplishments for you have also survived the terrible Week Two Yips, the downfall of many a well-intentioned NNWM contender.

But now is not the time to rest on our laurels, oh no, for our stories are only half told. We must push on after a brief respite to enjoy the heady view for soon our stories will shift gear and then hold on! because it will be a bumpy, wild and crazy ride to the finish line!

Questions? Comments? 25,000th word? Mine was “to” from “Tread lightly, Sergeant. We have a murder to solve.” Whatever and whenever you arrive there, it’s all good! So keep writing!

Day 13 - 17 days remaining

There is nothing either good or bad,
but thinking makes it so.

— William Shakespeare



Perception is truly a magical thing. How else can the appearance of a thing change from big to small or small to big in the blink of an eye? Or consider this, today’s word count of 21,671 seems almost impossible from the starting line but today it’s only 1,667 words away (if you’ve been keeping up) and for our fast writers, it’s a tiny blip in the rearview mirror.

So try a little magic! If you’re behind, a little or a lot, change your perspective by putting on some blinders and commit to write a day’s worth of words and blink! you’re a day closer to the finish line. No? Well it was worth a try ;-)

Questions? Comments? Wanna see a magic “rubber” pencil? It’s all done with perspective! Keep writing!

Day 11 - 19 days remaining

Storytelling is about wonder.

— Laura Whitcomb



Today is 11/11/11 and to celebrate this palindromic event the likes of which we shall not see again for another hundred years, why not take our ElevenElevenEleven challenge!

Add eleven words to your story (as long as this sentence)!

Everyone’s day is super busy with work and school and real life characters, it can be hard to find the time to write but eleven words is easy right? It doesn’t have to be precise - eleven words and friends are good, even better! And if you find the challenge too easy, go for 111 words - the same number of words (and numbers) you see from the word “today” to here!

And if you find a paragraph or two to be an unworthy offering to honor the significance of the day then commit to 1,111 words which is only 556 words shy of a day’s writing (shhh… we won’t tell your significant other/boss/hungry child/lonely best friend that you’re spending time on your NaNoNovel - this is an 11/11 challenge right?)

Today’s word count is 18,337! Questions? Comments? Eleventh word of the day? 1,111th word? It’s all wonderful! So keep writing!