Hello, writers! Long time no see, right? It’s been a few months since the Sunday Night Writing series made an appearance. I hope you enjoyed your time off. 
As hard as it may be to believe, NaNoWriMo 2012 is right around the corner. Over the next few Sundays, @bryndonovan and I will be here with pre-NaNo writing tips and support. During November, my NaNo check-in series will be back to help keep you on track. And of course, there’s always our writing group for venting and questions.
Unfamiliar with National Novel Writing Month? During November, participants write a 50,000 word novel. The goal sounds easy but the process can be very challenging. 50,000 words is approximately the length of Catcher in the Rye and works out to an average of 1,677 words a day. Write-ins and support groups can be found all over the country. Check the website to find one near you.
So writers, which of you overachievers already has a plan for November?
31 replies on “Sunday Writing: Countdown to NaNo 2012”
I hope next Sunday’s writing challenge helps with trying to nail down the plot! I can’t promise anything, but hey. :)
I think I’ll try, but I have a full-time-and-then-some job this year. And am also training for a half-marathon. Last year when I won, I had no job. Mixed blessings?
Usually, though, the more I bite off when it comes to writing goals the better I chew, so I think I’ll give it a go, anyway.
I have too many ideas. I want to get the short story that’s been languishing for ages out of the way so I can focus on something new! Or rewrite my NaNo from last year entirely in the third person (it’s currently in a George R.R. Martinesque slurry of too many first-person POVs with a few third person sections).
(P.S. Hi, again, Persephone!)
I have an idea, but I don’t have a plot idea or even a conclusion to work towards tentatively. I have a premise and a world, but no plot. :-/ Maybe I should aim for a romance novel instead of a zombie invasion with a main character with disabilities?
romance set during a zombie invasion?
I LOVE the idea of a zombie invasion and a main character with disabilities.
A romance set in this context would also be awesome.
Well, I do know some book clubs that I could show it to if I finished. Seriously, Urban Fantasy (are zombies urban fantasy? or are they another sub genre since the treatment isn’t general horror?)/horrorish romance that isn’t vampires and shapeshifters? Not the easiest to find.
There’s been several recent books about zombie romance, but I don’t know if you’d classify them as ‘serious’ urban fantasy. A little more tongue in cheek, no pun intended.
Zombies vs Unicorns which I reviewed last year was really fantastic and had several zombie-romance takes. And you can try the Generation Dead novels too. The first three were fairly good YA books.
Oh I know they are out there- I’ve found a little sub-genre of Lesbian zombie romance. But in general if you go looking in the larger genre, most of what you’ll find is vampires and shapeshifters (including werewolves). As much as younger me would deny it, there is such a thing as vampire fatigue. :-/
I did it and won last year, which felt great. I actually have an idea right now, so I may try again, except I’m in grad school so I don’t know if I’ll have time. Maybe if I make mad outlines I’ll be able to do the actual writing and get it done.
This will be my eighth year doing it, and I’ve only not finished twice. Last year was one of those years. I hope I can make up for it this year, but I don’t have any firm ideas yet.
Last year I went in without an idea and managed to finish. I’m not going to pretend it’s award-winning work, but that’s what editing is for.
I’m trying to get an actual novel finished while planning another. Â I was going to get all this writing in this weekend, but I caught a stupid cold and so here I am now.
I suppose my figure is impressive: I’m at 15, 200 words and am aiming for 50,000 to 80,000 words.
IÂ want to NaNo this year. I don’t have any ideas though. This month is going to be mad brainstorming time.
Very exciting! Like others, I am bending NaNoWriMo to my own will. I’m going to use it to get a complete draft of a story I’ve made a start on. That will wind up being about 70K in November, so I don’t feel like a cheater.
It’s like a Pseudo-Nano. Â I’m in the same position, Bryn.
I’m there! But this time I’m not going to keep/create an idea for NaNo but simply continue with the bundle I’m already working on. Last week I set myself a deadline of 1000 words in five days, this week I want 2000 in four. It’s my warming up.
That ‘warming up’ is a great idea!
I’m definitely going to try and do NaNoWriMo again this year! I skipped out last year cause of Life and Stuff but the previous two years I wrote the first 2/3rds of a novel – was planning to finish it last year so excited to try again this time! Finish up this silly little story. It takes place over three years and I wanted write them all separately. I only made 30k for year one but hit 50k for year two. Let’s see what year three brings!
Depending on how I’m feeling, I might try again this year. I’ve had a book rolling around in my head for the last few years, but I’ve never been able to sit down and write it for  more than a couple chapters before I got fed up with it.
I’ve also got an idea for a potential children’s show…so if I want to pursue that, maybe I’ll try writing some screenplays for it?
NaNo offers a screen play/script competition/NaNo thingy in April, if you really want to do it by the book.
Oooh. I’ll have to look into that.
On a side note, why does NaNo always have to make their events at the end of my college semesters??
There is a story, but I can’t remember it right now. Think their website tells about it.
I’m pretty sure it’s on purpose — like, November is guaranteed busy (whether you’re in school or work retail or whatever), so it’s better to add a big project because you’re already busy. Because then you have to consciously hold yourself to it, or something.
I’ve told myself every year for the past five that I am totally going to do NaNoWriMo, and by the 5th or so I’ve gotten way behind (damn college!).
But now that I’m all graduated from college, I will have All Of The Time. (Hopefully also a job.) Maybe I could actually get it done this year.
This will be my first year, and honestly I have nfc what I am getting myself into.
The only thing I know is I’m going to work with a story in progress – I’m not very far in and won’t count what I already have, but it pretty much has to be that one or nothing. I can’t move on to anything else until this one is done.
I am looking forward to it, even though I think I’m biting off more than I can chew. Guess I’ll find out.
(Also looking forward to the Sunday night program :-)
“Don’t get it right, just get it written” is my NaNo mantra and I found it really helpful last year (my first year). Not having the time to think or self-criticise too much was such a good thing.
This will be my fourth consecutive year doing NaNoWriMo, but I can’t decide if I really want to commit to the challenge. My life is hella busier than last year at this time, so I’m not sure how I’ll be able to fit in 50,000 words on top of everything else I’m already doing. I guess that’s where the challenge part comes in…
Last year, I met the word count goal, but I only made it to the halfway point in my novel. Am I allowed to continue the same novel from last year as long as I meet 50k words? I can’t figure out if that’s a legitimate option for NaNoWriMo. :S What do you all think?
I think that would be ok, as long as you don’t count what you wrote last year to this year’s goal. At least I wouldn’t hold it against you!
I was going to write the second half in a separate document just to avoid being tempted to combine my word counts. ;) I very well might take on the challenge again. Where has the year gone?
It’s what I’m doing, legitimate or not…. I have *runs to count* about 74k done (including 50k from last year) and I want to get it finished so I can start revising (my favourite part).
I’m doing NaNo this year! It’ll be my sixth year aaaand I have no plan, haha. Hoping to get some notes formulated this month. :)