Anyone doing NaNo this year?

You are right! I have no more excuses! I'm going to look into one of the writings that I have compiled and expand it or something. After this, I would need illustrators or cartoonists. I want to self-publish!

You're not supposed to have anything prepared for NaNo - it's 50k words from scratch. But I won't tell. I know a good illustrator if you need one: she did the pics for my little ebook and is doing the cover for my upcoming book. Not too expensive, either.

NaNo is, of course, intended for novels. But since they're just a support system to encourage people to write, there's a section called "Nano Rebels" in their forum for people doing non-fiction: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nano-rebels I guess that means you have no excuse now!

I guess it'd look confusing coming in fresh - I've known about it for a few years, so have a bit more background. Basically, it's a challenge. A way to get the novel out of your head and onto paper by setting a time limit (30 days), a standard length (50k words) and providing a community to cheer you on, support, help and try to maintain your sanity while you're writing. In answer to your questions: You write a novel in one month? That's the challenge. No editing, just write. Spew it out onto the screen/paper to get it done. Editing, polishing and everything else can come afterwards - it's just to push yourself to finally write down the story instead of always saying "I want to write a novel but..." What do you do with it at the end date? Whatever you like. It's your novel. You can forget it, you can work on it, you can publish it, you can print it out and use it as wallpaper... whatever! Donations what? That's for the "doing good" part of NaNo. You don't have to donate. They run programs for aspiring writers and other stuff. Region I have one. Doesn't really matter unless you want to physically get together with people and talk about your writing. As for FAQs and stuff, it's not like a prize system or anything. It's just a support network. There are no guidelines apart from the 50k words thing because it's just designed to encourage you to write your story, share ideas and chat with other people doing the same thing. As for sounding silly, I think all the synopses I've read could sound silly. Or not. Hey, it's your novel, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Mine's completely mental but I've had it in my head for ages and never written it down. NaNo is just a way to push myself to do that. The forums are jam-packed with ideas, fun and thoughts. Treat the whole thing as a support community to do something you want to do and you're on your way. Does that make it a bit clearer?

An average paperback book page contains 300 words (that's the standard editors use); an A4 page is about 500. 1,667 words per day is just over 5 pages... eeeek! As far as I can gather, there are two types of participant: planners and pantsers. Planners are the people who lay everything out beforehand (i.e. now, before they start writing). Some plan a rough outline, some do a mindmap, some write great long descriptions of every chapter. Pantsers write "by the seat of their pants". They have a rough idea what's going to happen but just sit down and let it all flood out, seeing where the story takes them. I'm between the two. I need some background that's fairly detailed (the world, the characters) and a rough idea of major events in the storyline but I don't sit down and write out long tracts of detail about everything. I have the important stuff in the StorYbook application for reference and, well, we'll see how it goes. To be honest, I don't think I can write 5 pages a day, every day. I'll probably do more some days when the inspiration hits and less other days when work/life gets in the way. Actually, now I know it's 5 pages a day I'm REALLY worried!

Yes that does help and thank you for answering those newbie questions. I noticed on the site there will be even a word count scoreboard soon to appear (that would be the start date I am presuming). Just had to do some math. Your response to my question was around 334 words, well that is what I did past into word processor. I will call that a page. Not quiet but good enough. To address this challenge I will need to write every day. No need to ask why, I just do need to. It is all or nothing right. If out of 30 days I write "shutup" four days out of the month then by using my calculator 1,923 words (26days in one month) need to be written per day. That is approximately (my calculator needs charging) 5.7 spike pages or 6 pages per day. Now, 6 pages at 10 minutes per page is 1 hour per day. Even if we include breaks between pages and be graceful and double it to 2 hours per day it still seems to be a do able challenge to me or I think i can, I think i can, i think i can. I can find 1 or 2 hours in my busy day for writing. Another method of calculation is 50,000 words in 30 days equals 1,667 words per day. If in 10 days starting at the start day (edit needed here) 16,670 words have been produced then the graph line is straight on target. If by 20 days into the goal 33,340 have been produced then success is but 10 more days away. Noproblemo anything a notch above gobbly goop words makes it at least possible. Alright, the math is done. It seems to me the only thing left now to do is get ready for our start day. That is to write a clear synopsis and outline/plan but medontknowa it has always seemed that this comes at the end of novel or as an alternative, a very short outline and even shorter synopsis.

Oh stine would be great support, she can give me ideas on how to poison someone... So that link you supplied is an online group? I might do that, though the thought of getting out of the house by myself to do something I like to do was refreshing idea..I can't stay long this morning, I got a job to do, but will be back later this afternoon and maybe you can help me get started on this..Thanks Spike...

Oooh, you'd actually go for the Night of Writing Dangerously and stuff or a local group? Where I am there's no group, so it's all just online encouragement. I think I'd feel like a fraud walking into a room full of novelists, to be honest. Sort of like Lady Gaga walking into a room of talented singers (excuse the catty humour)! Go for it! We'll support you (well, I will, at least - as much as I can with just PMs and stuff...).

NaNo is based in San Francisco, I think - at least that's how it started, or something. I didn't really read much of the history of it. It's now an online thing with a misnomer, since "National" NoWriMo is international these days! But there are support groups or local get-togethers arranged by enthusiastic writers in various areas, as I understand it. I may be wrong - my area isn't even listed, which I assume means I'm alone except for virtual support (which is fine with me - I don't really like get-togethers!). There are writing groups all over the place these days. I'm sure if you did a search you'd find a reasonably local one, even if it's not a specific NaNo group.

Yours was the second post, samafayla33. It happens!

okay lol :) I hope we can get together there and maybe all of us can enjoy reading one another's writings, good luck to you.

I am really samafayla33's evil twin. I'm definitely in (as SpikeWyatt), though it's frightening as well as exciting. I've been reading some of the synopses in this thread: http://nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/3099?page=12 There are some great ideas!

Good luck! There's a forum for adopting stuff there which has a thread for "adopt a plot", so you could perhaps find inspiration in there? Worth a look, anyway!!

i might try that, as it could be interesting. though after i left my commnent i remembered that i had started writing something recently, but given up, so i might resurrect that idea, and actually complete it. part of the problem i have is guilt, as i haven't read any fiction for years, though i did read a lot when i was younger, but i tend to read non fiction now, as i just found real life was so much much stranger and more interesting, than anything in a novel. but then there are so many keen fiction readers who love the idea of writing themselves that it just seems rude to intrude. but i have to overcome this guilt. anyway, good luch to you too, i am sure you will succeed.

A lot of it's fear as well - of success as much as of failure. Or of hard work. Or all three, in my case!

You know what lazy is? It is lack of a potent goal. Please do not think I am being rude when I say that because I am sincere and need to deal with lazy too. I find I get blocked when writing goals because I can not focus on something I think I can not do. Of course you have to want to do it in the first place. I say do it!

Awesome!

I did do it but I didn't reach 50k words (150 pages or so). I ran out of story at just under 30k, but I'm VERY happy to have got it all down on paper, as it were. So I consider it a "win" even though it sort of isn't...

LOL, I doubt it'd ever actually get to the stage of publication... but hey, who knows, right? I might be the next JK Rowling. Or more likely A. Nonymous...

Anyway, we are waiting to see your novel, fingers crossed!

It's not actually a contest, more a challenge for yourself. Just a way to get the story out of your head and on paper, with lots of support from other people doing the same thing. NaNo is at nanowrimo.org

Thanks. I know how it feels to live with time constraints... that's part of why I'm forcing myself to do it this year. I know that, if I don't, I'll probably never write the darned thing!

It's only 150 pages... 150. Pages. AAAAAAARGH!