National Novel Writing Month 2008

14:48 / 11.10.08

I guess it falls to me this year to start a thread about this, and my new attempt is going to be my most ambitious. Forget alternate reality 50s scientists, or Pirate detective novels... This year my novel is about people and relationships! Terrifying. Who else is up for it? I really want to succeed this year and could do with the support and, yes, love of other Barbelites. Lend me your pens!

Additionally here's the previous year's threads for inspiration:
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007

18:19 / 11.10.08

FUCK IT. I'm in. I have no idea if I'll survive, but this November I'm going to write a novel. DAMMIT.

12:50 / 13.10.08

You can do it! Semper Fiction! OK, that's enough. Do you have an idea or are you going to wing it? Looking back on the previous threads I'm a bit intimidated by Stoatie's almost inhuman effort last year and definitely won't be writing 15,000 words in one night unless possessed or at gunpoint. I find I write better when I have a vague destination but no planned route so I'm going to spend the next couple of weeks creating detailed profiles of the entire cast and then locking them in a metaphorical bottle and shaking it. Genre-wise it falls into Present-Day Gothic Office Mystery category. That old chestnut.

Feverfew

16:42 / 13.10.08

I'm in!

Blue Eyes Not Innocent

17:10 / 13.10.08

I'm in! I've no idea what I'm gonna do though. It might end up with me cranking out a bunch of shorter pieces and wrapping them in a framing story, but dammit, I'm hitting 50,000 words this year.

pony

19:56 / 13.10.08

After talking the last two people I saw into signing-up, I just signed-up myself. I'm terrified.

The Idol Rich

13:52 / 14.10.08

Very interesting idea. Unfortunately I cannot see how I could possibly find anything like the time to write 50,000 (or even 500) words in November but I wish the best of luck to those who are taking on the challenge. I'd be keen to see some of the results as well.

14:25 / 14.10.08

You could save valuable time by cutting down on domestic tasks. Put your trousers on two legs at a time, or only brush the teeth you really need.
Anyway, your support is appreciated. Anyone who wants to come here and post encouraging remarks is welcome. Abuse is less constructive but useful for our delusions of being struggling misunderstood iconoclastic CyberTrixxxters.

Eek! A Freek!

17:32 / 14.10.08

Can we cheat and start now, gain an extra 15 days?

23:18 / 14.10.08

I'm in.

Alex's Grandma

00:34 / 17.10.08

Can we cheat and start now, gain an extra 15 days?

I don't see why not.

Nobody, in the history of the world, language, the human soul, etc, has written even a half-decent novella from start to finish in a month.

Everyone plans in advance, and so you should, too.

We all should.

I'm in, but Nanowrimo always reminds me, a bit, of what it must be like to compete in the olympics that's less discussed, shall we say.

There aren't any medals worth talking about, y'know, but one day, you might be able to get your revenge on the world. Every journey begins with a single step, and so on.

08:26 / 17.10.08

Glad you're joining us, Grandma. But it's not about everyone being a winner. It's about everyone being a loser. A happy, exhausted loser with 50,000 words and friendships that will last a lifetime, provided you're hit by a truck on December the 14th.

moonweaver

13:20 / 17.10.08

Gladly joined with all the necessary equipment...If 'On the Road' can be written in 3 weeks i blieve 'On the way-to-an-ending-via-an-unresolved-supercontext-philosophy' maybe could be done well in 4

The Idol Rich

14:58 / 17.10.08

You could save valuable time by cutting down on domestic tasks. Put your trousers on two legs at a time, or only brush the teeth you really need.

Even if I dispense with trousers altogether I fear I will not have the necessary time for a task of this size.

18:43 / 17.10.08

I'm still pretty pumped, although I'm in the awkward planning stages where I'm trying to see what ideas I can drag together that feel like they need more than a short story's treatment. And possibly it'll be about bowling alleys, which means I absolutely must not watch the Big Leibowski for all of November.

Even if I dispense with trousers altogether I fear I will not have the necessary time for a task of this size.

I find it best to assume I'll fail to reach the word count and then it all becomes...rather freeing. Especially when I write pantsless, as Tom Robbins recommends. Although I don't really favour doing the other thing he recommends.

I'm in.

which means I absolutely must not watch the Big Leibowski for all of November.

Harsh!

11:26 / 22.10.08

Awesome-

CreateSpace, an Amazon.com Inc. owned company, is generously offering every NaNoWriMo 2007 winner a "free proof copy" of their 2007 manuscript. What this means: A free proof copy of your manuscript in paperback book form–just by following the instructions below. They'll even cover the costs of basic shipping to you.

23:48 / 23.10.08

Out of curiosity, how is everyone's pre-planning going? Are you doing character sketches, plot outlines, et cetera?

16:21 / 24.10.08

Personally, I'm just panicking every time I get a quiet moment because I have no idea what it's going to be.

I'm leaning towards a thriller in which NOTHING MAKES SENSE. Kind of like a David Lynch movie, but the whole point will be that there IS no explanation.

Feverfew

19:11 / 24.10.08

I've done a few background sketches and some character detail, but I'm with the whole panicking thing.

21:57 / 24.10.08

I'm working on a rough idea for the moment with some character notes but plotwise, it's going to be a bit of a drunken stumble. I expect lots of shrill Barbelith screeching sessions in this thread. But I took the first week of the month off work just for this...

23:21 / 24.10.08

My plan to draw up an intricate series of character profiles was short-circuited by my decision to actually write a totally different story. My character driven novel is a cracking idea but to make the distance I'm going to need something with a little more narrative flexibility so I can make strange things happen when I get bored.

23:32 / 24.10.08

Is anyone else starting with a working title? I'm trying to come up with one because my work always feels more focused if I have something to call it besides "that thing."

15:34 / 25.10.08

It's a surrealist kitchen sink queer romance bowling epic. I have no title yet, but my mission this week is to come up with one.

17:00 / 25.10.08

I'm toying with "Also, Cocks" as a working title.

17:28 / 25.10.08

As your attorney, I recommend that title with much vehemence.

Mysterious Transfer Student

19:56 / 25.10.08

Sorry, put my last response up for deletion because it read very badly. The precis is that I'm calling it 'Indoor Fireworks', which has nothing to do with the plot but might end up being appropriate anyway.

20:06 / 25.10.08

I'm doing this. I have a plot and characters (ones I like so much I won't want to do anything bad to them, which is not a recipe for exciting fiction), but no title. Even if it gets written it'll just be something you'd typically expect from someone who's read/watched nothing but anime, reboot Who and Charles Stross novels for the last three years solid, so don't get invested.

May I suggest 'Also Cocks Zarathustra' as a supplementary alternate title for Stoatie.

11:03 / 26.10.08

You may indeed. I may even begin with the opening line I've been itching to use for years- "Call me Ishmael once more and I'll kick your fucking teeth in".

19:32 / 26.10.08

Has anyone had any eleventh-hour prep-rethinks that may lead to completely different novel being written? I had one on the way to work this morning and had to wonder if I was being crazy or canny. I thought about reviving some old spy characters of mine, but that could have just been the Steranko Nick Fury collection I was gobbling on the way.

15:52 / 28.10.08

"Call me Ishmael once more and I'll kick your fucking teeth in".

"It was the best of times, it was the even more bester of times."

Mistoffelees

15:18 / 31.10.08

I can´t get nanowrimo out of my head, I have been thinking about it for weeks. So I just as well can start writing tomorrow instead of thinking all of november "I should have joined that &$§§$ contest!"

This will be my second time and I once read that "the second novel makes one a novelist", that might have been Thomas Mann, I can´t remember. So there is that to look forward to!

15:38 / 31.10.08

Hope everyone's primed for tomorrow. I won't have internet access for the kick-off but I'll be back here on Monday to make sure no-one's slacking off. Good hunting.