NaNoWriMo 2003

[Alex De Kok]

As Nov. 1 is less than a week away, I was wondering where people stand in terms of story ideas, titles, outlines, etc. for your novel. I had planned on having an idea and rough outline by now, but have been spending time getting a Lit story ready for posting. I have some story ideas floating around, but nothing solid yet. How about the rest of you? Do you have a "plan" or are you just going to start writing on Nov. 1?

Good idea of outline. Major characters established. Virtually all of it in my head, but major situation points noted. Otherwise, Plot? What Plot?

Come November 1 I start writing, interrupted only by the four hours teaching I do each week!

Alex

PS: Lou, I owe you an episode. You'll have it before the 1st!

 

[Guest]

I was going to do an easy plot and call it "The Men in My Life" but then decided it would take way more than 50K words and I'd be writing still on New Year's eve.

I always thought of doing a history of my family (w/roots to the Aztecs) and how I ended up being born in Detroit, but did not want to do a memoir or autobio. Then my narrators came forth.

I had two maternal grandmothers (abuelitas) who were disparate in look and character. One was skeletal and meek, very pious religiously; the other fat and wild (she had 4 husbands, and only 2 of her 8 children had the same father). I'm going to have the story come from them. I will also make much fiction of it too, just elaborate with all I know of Mexican history and customs.

But after discussing this with my mentor, a lit. prof., I am choosing a pivotal scene from which to focus the history. That's it. I'm going through the story in my head all the time (been over a week now I think) and jotting down notes to recall items is all. It really is as if it's been done and I just have to take the time each day to write it down. I'm already excited about the editing to follow.

Perdita

 

[Icingsugar]

I was going to do an easy plot and call it "The Men in My Life" but then decided it would take way more than 50K words and I'd be writing still on New Year's eve.

Too bad you already found another theme. I was instantily thinking "how about a top five?"...

cheerio!
/Ice

 

[Icingsugar]

As Nov. 1 is less than a week away, I was wondering where people stand in terms of story ideas, titles, outlines, etc. for your novel. I had planned on having an idea and rough outline by now, but have been spending time getting a Lit story ready for posting. I have some story ideas floating around, but nothing solid yet. How about the rest of you? Do you have a "plan" or are you just going to start writing on Nov. 1?

Oh god yes. I have a title, I have a style, I have a plot, a synopsis, character bios and a roadmap. In my head I'm also collecting cool little quotes to incorporate into the text if I can.

I'll have so little time, only a hour or two in the weekdays and a bit more on weekends (unless I skip a little thing called sleep), that I'd better plan ahead if I'm to have any shot at this.

 

[Guest]

Good idea of outline. Major characters established. Virtually all of it in my head, but major situation points noted. Otherwise, Plot? What Plot?

Alex

PS: Lou, I owe you an episode. You'll have it before the 1st!

I have a very basic idea in my head, with even more basic notes jotted down. I know how it will start, I know how it will end, and I kind of know how to get from A to B, just not in any detail. Come Nov 1st I shall just sit and write, and find out what will happen in the story as I do.

Alex, I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait to find out what Arlan's second sexual experience will be. I'll get Episode 2 up before Nano, that should keep the visitors happy until December.

Ok, time for a heads up now. Here's a list of everyone who, according to this thread, has signed up for NaNo (in alphabetical order):

Alex De Kok
Champagne1982
CWatson
DarkLight
Destinie21
Dingus Guy
DirtyJJ
Doffy
Ffreak
Icingsugar
Just-Legal
Oggbashan
Otherdarkmeat
Perdita
Raphy
sailorm72003
Svenskaflicka
Tatelou
Wildsweetone
Wills

As you can all see, 20 of us!

If I've missed anyone off, sincerest apologies, there's a lot to keep track of. Just drop me a line and let me know.

I'm still missing a bit of info from some, such as: NaNo name, novel title and genre. You should all know whether or not you've given me this info. If I don't have it all by Wednesday, I'll PM you, letting you know what I need. The table is coming along great, and I think it will be a good way for all to keep track of how we are doing. As I said before, though, if you want to opt out of having your word count show up on the table, just let me know.

Tatelou

 

[Guest]

Too bad you already found another theme. I was instantily thinking "how about a top five?"...

Ha ha! I think I only have a top two (neither one a husband). Would have been a depressing novel.

Perdita

 

[oggbashan]

NaNoWriMo name: oggbashan
Title: still working on it. Could be "Flawed Silk" or "Red Silk Panties".
Genre: sex (I hope!)
Plot: 28 episodes outlined if only one sentence.

Og

 

[Svenskaflicka]

I was going to do an easy plot and call it "The Men in My Life" but then decided it would take way more than 50K words and I'd be writing still on New Year's eve.

Same here. M has asked me to write down my memories in a book, but I asked her who would want to read a 1200-page long diary about what I did 1992-2003?

 

[Quiet_Cool]

You can add me to the list, Lou. Finishing my registration as I type this.

 

[Guest]

I have NOTHING in mind. No notes. No quotes. NOTHING!

It's more fun this way. hehe.

I do have an idea of what I will be writing though. I'm going to stick with my working title. "The story of my life." I am going to fictionalize most of my life. The major points will be real but most of the details will be flat out of my screwed up imagination.

And I just started another story too. I am in SOOOOO MUCH TROUBLE!!!

 

[raphy]

The table is coming along great, and I think it will be a good way for all to keep track of how we are doing. As I said before, though, if you want to opt out of having your word count show up on the table, just let me know.

Tatelou

Table? What table, Lou?

Raph, in serious panic mode now.

 

[Guest]

Raph, because I'm feeling lazy this morning I'm quoting myself from page 7 or 8 of this thread, to explain what I mean by the 'table'.

This is for everyone on Lit partaking in NaNoWriMo 2003...

In preparation for the LitWridoNaNoWriMo thread I am drawing up a table in Word, listing the following information.

Lit Author name:
NaNo Username:
Working title of novel:
Genre writing within:

I'll also be including 'Word count so far', which I'll update as frequently as possible, so that everyone else can see our progress and join in the cheerleeding. Let's face it, we're gonna need all the help we can get! I'll probably ask you all to PM me with your on-going word count every other day, or something like that, and I'll update the table in the thread as we go. If you haven't already stated any info I need, please let me know. To start the ball rolling, here's my details...

Lit Author name: Tatelou
NaNo Username: Tatelou
Working title of novel: Visions of Substance
Genre writing within: Erotic Horror

21 days to go! I'm going to be unbearable come November 1st.

Lou

Just one alteration to what I stated there, there's only 5 days to go now! Yipee!

Tatelou

 

[Icingsugar]

Just one alteration to what I stated there, there's only 5 days to go now! Yipee!

Oh, you just HAD to remind me, didn't you? I'm getting a bit nauseous over here.

/Ice - bracing himself

 

[ffreak]

There is no reason to panic. All you have to do is write your story about posting at Lit (create your own 2nd userid) and cut and paste your responses and call them a novel. They might even work out as a plot with a story line. If not, all you have to do is add narration questioning the sanity, or lack thereof, of letting 50,000 words flow through your fingertips about your most intimate thoughts, talking to other people you never get to see, outside of their AV's, or posted pictures.

My story involve a world where the dominate life form is mobile plants (they can retract their roots, enabling them to move about) where a shipment of embryos becomes what may be the last chance for humanity to continue. Since my audience is most likely young adult, I have to be careful in how I portray eroticism and sex; two ordinary aspects of all biological life. It will be an interesting exercise to describe the very open sex lives of the plants and the fumbling discoveries of humans raised in a repressed society of the evil guys (also plants) and do this without offending the publishing world.

-FF (oh, and thanks for the eye test, Ice - helped me find my glasses)

 

[Guest]

Eff, I love your idea, hope you will let me read your tome some day. Perhaps I should write about my family as plants (cacti, succulents, maguey, mango trees...)

Perdita

 

[ffreak]

Originally posted by Perdita:
Perhaps I should write about my family as plants (cacti, succulents, maguey, mango trees...)

Perdita, that sounds like it could make a good mystical piece - kind of like Como agua para chocolate.
Uno compañía de eruditos Mexicanos attempting to woo their way into a family of las mujeres de significan who are suculento y pelado densamente y dulce y espinoso todos en el mismo tiempo.

-FF (sounds like a good friend of mine )
ps. hope I said that right, I just liked the way the Spanish sounded. If I just said something terrible, please know I meant something much closer to succulent and thick-skinned and sweet and prickly all at the same time.

I haven't decided how I will post portions of my progress for friends to read - I want to make it something like a moving window. When I do, I'll post a link in my sig here and maybe at nano.

 

[Guest]

Effe (pr. like jefe): Usted lo dijo fino.

Perdita

 

[ffreak]

That puts as big a smile on my face as the one on your AV.

Thank you.

-FF

 

[Guest]

3 days to go and I'm raring to go. I can't wait to get started on my novel, I have so much spinning around inside my head right now. I go to sleep thinking about it, and wake up with it on my mind. It even snuck its way into my dreams last night.

I had a change of mind about my story two days ago. I'm no longer doing a ghosty erotic horror, I'm now doing a 'real life' erotic comedy. Yes, Mike, I'm doing it. I know you'll be pleased to hear that. I decided to relax and have fun with this NaNo novel, instead of trying to do something a lot more challenging. Once I've completed NaNo, then will be the time to tackle my original idea, with confidence.

Tate

 

[Wills]

Just read Iain Banks - Dead Air. (Finished 4.00am!)

Covers some of the same issues I want to cover in NaNo.

Feeling queasy - maybe I could just type up Dead Air?

Yours with a feeling of impending doom.

Wills.

Wills
The Studio
Pointless discourse on the last 35 years of 20C UK through the eyes of an artist who laid everything he could get his hands on.

 

[raphy]

3 days to go and I'm raring to go. I can't wait to get started on my novel, I have so much spinning around inside my head right now. I go to sleep thinking about it, and wake up with it on my mind. It even snuck its way into my dreams last night.

I had a change of mind about my story two days ago. I'm no longer doing a ghosty erotic horror, I'm now doing a 'real life' erotic comedy. Yes, Mike, I'm doing it. I know you'll be pleased to hear that. I decided to relax and have fun with this NaNo novel, instead of trying to do something a lot more challenging. Once I've completed NaNo, then will be the time to tackle my original idea, with confidence.

Tate

Well, I'm glad someone's raring to go. *grins*

Raph, still scared witless.

 

[Alex De Kok]

A quotation for us all

I came across this today. It seemed so apt I thought I would share it -

A man may write at any time, if he will set himself doggedly to it.
Dr Samuel Johnson, Boswell, Life of Johnson, Mar. 1750

Alex

 

[Guest]

Thank you, Alex, I think I'll print that and paste it on my lapdog for the "duration".

Perdita

 

[otherdarkmeat]

I had a change of mind about my story two days ago. I'm no longer doing a ghosty erotic horror, I'm now doing a 'real life' erotic comedy. Yes, Mike, I'm doing it. I know you'll be pleased to hear that. I decided to relax and have fun with this NaNo novel, instead of trying to do something a lot more challenging. Once I've completed NaNo, then will be the time to tackle my original idea, with confidence.

I think that is a brilliant idea, Tate. You have plenty of source material to use, and my firm belief is that your first time with NaNo should be something fun and easy to complete. And as you mentioned you'll have plenty of time to take on the more challenging project afterward.

November should be about creating and not worrying, though I might have to take something to calm the butterflies in my stomach.

Alex, great quote, very inspiring.

-Mike B.

 

[Guest]

In researching something else entirely I came across this rather inspiring essay. So, sharing.

Perdita

p.s. I do know what it's like to saw myself in half, then realize it was just a box.

Writing Outside the Box