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Fun Stuff => CHATTER => Topic started by: Barmymoo on 03 Sep 2009, 09:02

Title: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Barmymoo on 03 Sep 2009, 09:02
It's been around a while now so most people have probably heard of it but November is NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org) and I thought it might be fun if a few people had a go at it (it might tie into Tommy's PocketJury website too).

Basically the premise is that you try to write a totally original and new 50,000 word novel during the month of November. It averages out to about 1,667 words a day which if you've planned well and have good ideas and an accessible computer doesn't take too much time out of the day. I've done it several years in a row now and managed it all but the first one. There are no prizes beyond a pretty printable certificate and of course the knowledge that you wrote an entire novel in 30 days.

It doesn't start until November but everyone who's been successful over several years says that it's a good idea to get planning well in advance. Personally I have no ideas at all, so even if you don't want to take part you could be the inspiration I need to get planning!
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: bbq on 03 Sep 2009, 09:30
I'll give it a go.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Thomas Edison on 03 Sep 2009, 09:33
Yussssssss.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: bbq on 03 Sep 2009, 09:56
I have a brilliant idea for a novel. I don't think it'll fit into 50,000 words though.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: tania on 03 Sep 2009, 10:06
this is a pretty wicked idea. if i have the time for this in november i'll definitely give it a go.

one double-spaced page in size 12 times new roman is about 275 words. 1667 words a day works out to about 6 pages or so every day. based on the amount of time i needed to write essays in uni, this is definitely doable if you can find about an hour or so every day to work on it, or a few hours every week. i think it would be really fun to see what everyone comes up with.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: phooey on 03 Sep 2009, 10:09
I'm not very creative, but no matter how busy I am, I find I still have time to procrastinate.  Might as well use it doing something interesting.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Bastardous Bassist on 03 Sep 2009, 10:13
Sorry everybody, but I'll have to disappoint the world again this year.  My task this fall is to get back into playing bass shape, but thanks for reminding me.  Every year, I remember at the end of November, which is too late to encourage my friends who actually do write a lot.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Barmymoo on 03 Sep 2009, 12:10
You don't have to limit it to 50,000 words, that's just the goal. Last year someone from my writing group hit over 80,000 (she writes incredibly fast). Also you can obviously keep going after the end of November if you want to!
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: A Shoggoth on the Roof on 03 Sep 2009, 12:20
hey guys you know what would be fun? if someone wrote a beginning on day one, posted it, and then anyone that wanted to added onto the story the next day and posted theirs, and then the third day people could pick one to continue and do the same thing. I mean this is sort of a different idea but whatevr, it fits with the writing theme.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Barmymoo on 03 Sep 2009, 12:22
That'd be pretty cool, but not as a NaNoWriMo novel so we could actually start one now. Good practice too.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Merrick on 03 Sep 2009, 12:31
Dammit, I would, but I really have no time.  :x
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: A Shoggoth on the Roof on 03 Sep 2009, 13:06
yesss. lets do it. who wants to start it?
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: feerqeer on 14 Sep 2009, 23:14
I popped into this thread because I just heard 'sex is on fire' at the store. 

I'd like to do this, I tried to do a similar thing to this when I was younger, but gave up after the first day.  I also started with the ending, and the ending was it was all a dream.  Horrible but true. I would like to get on this, I've got some mind maps for handful of concepts, and 50 000 words is probably enough to get them all in there, the hardest part will be finding a way to tie them together. I might pull a Philip K Dick, with an alterego, a series of persona characters, and the autobiographical me character treading the middle road trying to work things out and playing reality to my fantasy.

"Every November, tens of thousands of people sign up for National Novel Writing Month and attempt to write a 50,000-word novel. Baty, the brains behind this competition, has produced an uproariously funny motivational manifesto so readers can get a leg-up in his race or in the larger publishing game. The key is to lower your expectations "from 'best-seller' to 'would not make someone vomit,' " says Baty, who maintains that stress and a deadline are important parts of writing. Aimed at the nonserious, with an emphasis on summoning creativity and having a life-changing experience, this original approach will appeal to anyone up for a challenge"
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: scarred on 15 Sep 2009, 00:04
I always try and always give up after like a week.

It's tradition!
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Zingoleb on 15 Sep 2009, 00:07
And that's when you just write that everyone gets hit by a truck and dies, the end.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: scarred on 15 Sep 2009, 00:46
BRUCE WILLIS IS DEAD
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Jimmy the Squid on 15 Sep 2009, 05:04
I guess I will try to do this. Hopefully it will have better results than last years Novembeard.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: snalin on 15 Sep 2009, 07:19
If I just let shit flow, and have a kinda built up synopsis of what will go down, I might be able to do it. Or, well, I don't think I'll reach 50k, but all my creative writing thus far has just been short stuff, so I'm not sure.

Is it taboo to discuss what you want to write about?
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Liz on 15 Sep 2009, 09:09
I wish I didn't have school to think about. Can't be writing a novel when I have papers to write instead.

Maybe next year when I am not in school.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: StaedlerMars on 15 Sep 2009, 09:15
This is happening Jack Kerouac Style.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: bbq on 15 Sep 2009, 10:10
No! I'm going to be on an exchange trip for a large portion of november.  :|
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Zingoleb on 15 Sep 2009, 10:26
This is happening Jack Kerouac Style.

On one giant scroll?
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Jace on 15 Sep 2009, 10:31
I wish I could actually write a lot more/better.

Mostly when I try to write short stories, halfway through it degenerates into me typing whatever song is playing in the background, over and over.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: 20 jazz funk greats on 15 Sep 2009, 13:13
note to self: start working on outlines.
i'm pushing myself into doing this even though i tend to write very very very slowly when it comes to creative things. hopefully it will go somewhere.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: StaedlerMars on 15 Sep 2009, 14:19
This is happening Jack Kerouac Style.

On one giant scroll?

Essentially.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: bainidhe_dub on 16 Sep 2009, 17:41
I've joined, I've been thinking about trying to write something lately. This will be something to make me worry if I don't work on it!
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Barmymoo on 20 Sep 2009, 01:25
I really need to work out what I'm going to write about in the next two weeks and get on some planning, because there is no way I'll have time after that. I might just cop out a little and write about me as I hope I will be when I am older. I mean, I have already thought about that a fair bit (and what is novelling if not self-indulgent hedonism?) and it will make a pretty good story since I want to be a nun and a parliamentary clerk and a mother and live on a boat and be a teacher and man am I going to be busy.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Nodaisho on 19 Oct 2009, 15:08
So do you have to do a given number of words every day, or is it just get 50,000 words by the end of the month?

And fuck, outlining is the hardest part for me. But it is essential, so I really need to actually do it.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Barmymoo on 19 Oct 2009, 15:11
You have to get to 50,000 words but it's sensible to aim for about 1,700 a day so that you don't have to rush at the end. If you aren't around half way at the end of week two you probably won't make it unless you have a lot more spare time at the end than the begining.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Nodaisho on 19 Oct 2009, 15:16
I actually probably will, what with Thanksgiving break, but I'll aim for that anyway. At least it doesn't have to be 50,000 well-edited words, it seems like the goal is more to create a rough draft in a month (unless you are doing the Kerouac thing).
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: scarred on 19 Oct 2009, 17:13
This and No-Shave November are the SAME MONTH. Ohhhh maaaan
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Nodaisho on 19 Oct 2009, 17:18
That makes it easier. The time you would be spending shaving you now spend writing.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Eris on 19 Oct 2009, 17:52
I am trying to write today and I haven't written in ages and it is harrrrrrd.


I'm not going to be doing NaNoWriMo though, just wanted to let you all know that I am starting up writing again, because it is big news.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: KharBevNor on 20 Oct 2009, 02:58
I have had to take a year off school on account of being crazy, so I will actually be doing this this year.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: calenlass on 20 Oct 2009, 05:42
I did that, Khar. It turned out to be pretty nice! (Actually it was two six-month blocks, but still.)
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Theriandros on 20 Oct 2009, 06:33
You don't have to limit it to 50,000 words, that's just the goal. Last year someone from my writing group hit over 80,000 (she writes incredibly fast). Also you can obviously keep going after the end of November if you want to!

And then there's that one girl who wrote a million words in November and is planning to do it again this year. Blog here: http://kateness.wordpress.com/ (http://kateness.wordpress.com/)


Anyways, I myself have been failing at this for the last 2 years. That's not gonna stop me from trying again this month, as I actually have a good and complex plot (that's mostly ironed out) and I'm gonna go to my regional meetings and get a little support group thing goin'.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: calenlass on 20 Oct 2009, 07:00
I don't have any ideas for this, see, otherwise I could easily blow through 50,000 words. Maybe I should work on cataloguing D&D adventures.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Inlander on 20 Oct 2009, 22:13
Oh hey, this will coincide nicely with me trying to polish off them . . . hmm, 15th? draft of my current manuscript and continuing to send it off to publishers.

I'm hoping to reduce it from 103,000 words to 100,000.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Darkbluerabbit on 21 Oct 2009, 17:27
If I ever tried this I would probably just resort to really descriptive gratuitous sex scenes every couple of days.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: BillyxRansom on 21 Oct 2009, 20:08
You don't have to limit it to 50,000 words, that's just the goal. Last year someone from my writing group hit over 80,000 (she writes incredibly fast). Also you can obviously keep going after the end of November if you want to!
Some crazyperson on the Nano boards (at least once,  if not more years than that) managed 10x the "required" amount.


That's 500,000 words.


That's a fucking fantasy novel at like Robert Jordan's (RIP) speed.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: BillyxRansom on 21 Oct 2009, 22:37
This and No-Shave November are the SAME MONTH. Ohhhh maaaan
HOLY SHIT IT ALL COINCIDES SO DAMN PERFECTLY SEEING AS HOW YOU WON'T HAVE TIME TO SHAVE.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: pilsner on 22 Oct 2009, 22:31
Jesus, it's called Mo-Vember people.  Mo-Vember.

I will try to get my novel finished by the 14th.  This will the give the rest of y'all an opportunity to make your novels 50,000 words of fictionalized lavish praise for my novel.

Also, Barmy, I'm virtually certain you are one of the few people on Earth to find writing a novel self-indulgent hedonism.  The two most frequent metaphors I hear involve child-birth (e.g. time consuming, laborious, intermittently painful, but ultimately potentially rewarding) and taking a crap (same thing).
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: MrBlu on 22 Oct 2009, 23:11
I'm not very creative, but no matter how busy I am, I find I still have time to procrastinate.  Might as well use it doing something interesting.
Yeah, exactly what I thought.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Barmymoo on 23 Oct 2009, 06:02
No one is forced to write a novel! It is a choice! It is like strenuous exercise: you may wish you were not doing it, you may be in pain, you might wish it would end, but you are doing it because you want to.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: pilsner on 23 Oct 2009, 08:35
Can you imagine if people were forced to write novels?  Thousands of pale, unwashed, embittered souls tapping joylessly at their keyboards, unable to remember when they began or believe that they will reach a conclusion.  It's basically World of Warcraft.

Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Theriandros on 23 Oct 2009, 19:57
You don't have to limit it to 50,000 words, that's just the goal. Last year someone from my writing group hit over 80,000 (she writes incredibly fast). Also you can obviously keep going after the end of November if you want to!
Some crazyperson on the Nano boards (at least once,  if not more years than that) managed 10x the "required" amount.


That's 500,000 words.


That's a fucking fantasy novel at like Robert Jordan's (RIP) speed.

And the person I mentioned who wrote like a half-dozen manuscripts for over 1,000,000 words.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: KharBevNor on 05 Nov 2009, 07:02
Is anyone else actually doing this? I'm on 10,716 words atm.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Barmymoo on 05 Nov 2009, 07:21
I wish I was doing it but I don't have sufficient time each day :( That's a pretty incredible number for day five!
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: 20 jazz funk greats on 06 Nov 2009, 07:28
i am feeling pretty uninspired and am only at 3038 words so far bawwww urge to quit rising.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: 20 jazz funk greats on 06 Nov 2009, 07:29
it kind of makes me feel like i don't know how to be funny or interesting or even coherent.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: Jimmy the Squid on 06 Nov 2009, 23:24
I have about 14,000 words at this point, none of them any good.

I'm thinking of starting over or at least doing some major editing.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: scarred on 06 Nov 2009, 23:26
The editor in me says no! Finish it all before your edit.

The writer in me says "FUCK THIS THIS IS TERRIBLE I'M STARTING OVER GAAAAAAAAHGGGHGHGHSGHAG"
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: 20 jazz funk greats on 07 Nov 2009, 05:29
I have about 14,000 words at this point, none of them any good.
dude at least you have 14 000 words.
damn you.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: 20 jazz funk greats on 14 Nov 2009, 08:28
uh, at the time of this post i'm only at 10 947 words. (50 885 characters, 39 pages)

tender, it's cool that you are finally writing something you've been putting off for years (i am doing the same thing. i first came up with the idea for the novel i'm working on when i was in grade 7, maybe?) but the point of nanowrimo is that you're supposed to start from scratch on november 1st and write at least 1667 words per day. i've only been reaching about 1000 each day as well but that is not  a "nice groove" , it's slacking on my part and i'm trying to catch up and it seems overwhelming. (what the hell happened to me being able to write like over 9000 words a day about nothing in particular?)  the worst part is that i'm not neglecting nanowrimo for legitimate reasons such as work/school. i just write reeeeeeally fucking slowly.  :|
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: pilsner on 05 Dec 2009, 21:46
So apparently some kid in Plaistow, NH wrote his 50,000 words as a review of every single person in his high school class. (http://www.eagletribune.com/punewsnh/local_story_338235149.html)  It's, ahem, getting some media attention.  Here's the book (http://docs.google.com/View?id=dtp7ktb_8c75fj9m3) in case you're curious.

Man you know this just occurred to me but rating everyone in a given community in a really provocative and insulting way would be a hilarious troll post in an internet forum.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: scarred on 05 Dec 2009, 21:56
Man that kid can't write.
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: syrupykeyboard on 05 Dec 2009, 22:30
Quote from: Link that pilsner gave
Anyways, here is the poem, it's called , “Load Paper The Press Select.”
("poem")
Load paper then press select.

lolwat

Dear Joshua Peter Tubbs:
JUST PUT. SOME FUCKING PAPER. IN. THE. FUCKING. PRINTER. AND STOP. LAMENTING THE FATE OF AN INANIMATE OBJECT. THE FATE OF WHICH. YOU COULD EASILY. REMEDY. IF YOU. WOULD JUST PUT. SOME FUCKING PAPER. IN. THE. FUCKING. PRINTER. YOU LITERARY HACK YOU.

EDIT: oh god did i kill it i didn't mean to i'm so sorry please forgive me guys a bloo bla bloo
Title: Re: Fingers on Fire?
Post by: KharBevNor on 07 Dec 2009, 15:38
Man that kid can't write.

He's pretty much the new William Burroughs.

Anyway, I did not finish this because my computer broke down on like the 18th and I only just got the files back.

bah.