ISBW #103 - NaNoWriMo Time Again!
- Trying to finish Project: Underground.
- New ISBW website coming soon!
- Promo: Metamediocrity
- It is NaNoWriMo time again. 30 days (November), 50,000 words, bragging rights forever.
- Promo: The Leviathan Chronicles
- Dr. John Kessel will be speaking on speculative fiction at the NC Writers Conference
About the Author: I am a writer and podcast producer, writing for magazines and RPGs. I am a wanna-be fiction writer with several short fiction, comic scripts, and one novel sale. Playing For Keeps will be out August, '08.
Mike Sharpe/Big Nutter | Oct 18, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for the mentioning me. I really like it. Forgot to say that any listeners are free to visit my site make suggestions and are feel to Crit.
Mike Sharpe/Big Nutter | Oct 20, 2008 | Reply
Also do you know which Episode I should be looking for about Naming?
Jenn Baker | Oct 20, 2008 | Reply
Hi Mur!
You asked why we participate in NaNoWriMo. This will be my third year and there are 3 reasons I participate.
1. The community. I get to meet other creative people in my area.
2. Experimenting. Last year I based my story completely on NaNoWriMo Dares. The first year I outlined almost every inch of my story. This year I’m trying something in between.
3. I’m allowed to s*ck. I’m one of those people that tends to keep editing what I’ve already written instead of writing the rest of the story. I’m not allowed to do that during NaNoWriMo. Also, if the story turns out lousy, it’s easy to tell myself that it doesn’t matter - it was just a NaNo story.
I’m also on staff for NaNoEdmo (nanoedmo.net) So I know that in March I will be spending time editing what I write in November.
Barry Northern | Oct 21, 2008 | Reply
Thanks Mur, you reminded me just in time that I wanted to do NaNoWriMo this year. I first heard about it two years ago, but now is the first time I feel ready.
Thanks also for pointing us towards Holly Lisle’s twitter birthday bash giveaway. I got the free follower’s gift, “How to write page turning scenes”, which is going to be a great help in NaNoWriMo, along with a couple of other resources I mention on my NaNoWriMo ‘08 blog…
http://hanoverianwrimo.blogspot.com/
Benjamin | Oct 21, 2008 | Reply
I can’t wait for NaNoWriMo. This is my second year. I got 50030 words last year. This year will be be a lot easier, because I have an outline, character sheets, and this year Scott Sigler is not releasing a Podcast Novel at midnight October 31. I am hoping to get the whole rough draft finished by Nov 30, but I will consider myself successful if I write 50,000 words.
I hope some day your chapter one corresponds with a November 1st and you can do NaNoWriMo, Mer. I loved every podcast of yours to which I have downloaded and listened.
Sheena Bandy | Oct 22, 2008 | Reply
NaNoWriMo is just a bunch of writers getting together and having fun! When you finish this novel and are ready to start another one, tell your listeners that you want to host a non-november wrimo and I’m sure a lot of us will join you.
I know I will!
Shawn | Oct 23, 2008 | Reply
Finally, Im current on the post casts
And thanks for reminding me about NaNoWriMo. Im hoping it will help push me to do what I should have done years before.
Go MightyMur!!!!
Gabe Fox | Oct 23, 2008 | Reply
Hey!
You asked about NaNoWriMo, and our motivations.
Mine’s simple. I want to write novels, coming from school I’ve written almost entirely short stories. This is a chance I’m taking to force a novel sized work, and with a deadline to boot.
That’s it. I want to prove to myself that I can.
Jessika | Oct 23, 2008 | Reply
I seem to have a different reason for NaNoWriMo than others have listed. I’m one of those people who dream about writing more than I actually do write. I’ve done some short stories now and then, and when I first did NaNoWriMo 3 years ago, I wanted to show myself that I could actually finish 50,000 words (which I did). With a full time job, and adding a baby since then, my writing has gone back to the ways of dreams. Well, except my blogging, but that’s not fiction.
So…this year I’m doing it because I want to try and get my creative juices flowing and get some of the ideas that keep coming up down before something else comes up and I go another long stint without writing anything.
That’s what I love about NaNoWriMo. It shows people like me, those who don’t consider themselves writers, that you can do it. And like you mentioned, it doesn’t matter if you think it’s crap, if you enjoy doing it then go for it. Being a writer or novelist doesn’t involve some kind of special club membership or a lot of education or money. It just takes making yourself sit down and actually do it. That’s what I want NaNoWriMo to do for me. Force me to get my but in gear.
Sorry for the longness, I usually don’t ramble on. Really.
Nate | Oct 23, 2008 | Reply
This will be my second year. Last year I thought it was the perfect excuse to write another novel and while I don’t participate much in the local write-ins, kick off parties, and such, I do like the asynch comraderie that comes from participation.
Last year, I had about 10,000 words into a book (that I was having problems with) so I put it down and started a fresh novel on November 1. That novel wound up being “South Coast” — another book set in the Solar Clipper universe, but not one of the Share books. South Coast was one of my two finalists in the Parsec Awards this year.
I think writing it helped me shape Double Share into something much better than it would have been. The change in story arc, POV, and melieu gave me an opportunity to do something different — in a very controlled time frame.
This year, I’ll be writing the sequel to South Coast — and a prequel to Half Share — called Cape Grace. The poetic justice of writing another Shaman’s Tale during NaNo is just too precious.
Cesar Torres | Oct 30, 2008 | Reply
Since my blog doesn’t notify people when I post a response to their comments in the comments area, I am confirming one by one, by hand, with each writer. Mur, you will definitely finish Project Underground in November. Just like I will finish Project Carapace. And yes, pie will be had. What kind? Pumpkin’s my favorite.
Also, if pie should help facilitate word counts in November, I fully support its consumption.
November is almost here.
Tick tock tick tock tick tock!