I'm so glad to see our group growing...hello to everyone just deciding to try this, it's going to be a fun adventure. My name is Purplefirefly on NaNo (yeah I just use the same name for everything), add me to your lists and I will go through and add those who have given a name here.


I am the same way! Foreshadowing and subplots have to come naturally as I write or I don't feel they really blend well or they stick out and aren't smooth with the rest of the story. So, I am usually just writing and hoping the subplots present themselves at some point. I usually end up going back to particular points to add in foreshadowing when I realize chapters later it naturally fits...that's okay though as it increases the word count.

I am the same. I love writing short stories but the novel is much harder for me to sustain to the end. This is our year. We can do it!

Quick question out of curiosity: what do you guys do with your nano novels after November?

Welcome fatmac and lizziep and Layri! This is going to be fun!

Purplefirefly: I've written two NaNo novels and I haven't even looked at them since November 30th of the year I wrote them. But, number 2 was light years better than Number 1 so I have high hopes that number 3 will be good enough that I might want to try a second pass at it.

Jelbelle: I can hardly wait!

I'm going to spend some time with my brother this afternoon for some plotting. I've got a great big hole that I want to see if I can plug with some scene ideas today.

I submit them into the Amazon Contest in the spring. Even if you don't win, it's a great way to get editor feedback!

Jelbelle - what is the Amazon contest? Do you have a link to it?

Yep--

http://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-N...node=332264011

That's the general page, it typically isn't really active until the new contest actually begins. Submissions start late Jan early Feb.

I never knew about the Amazon contest - that's fantastic!

It's an awesome contest if you want reviews on your work (that's the part I love best). The first stage of submission earns you TWO reviews from Amazon critics, and that's even if you don't make it to the next round! So there is actually NO LOSS from the contest. If you do make it to the next rounds, you can earn cash prizes, and if you're one of the finalists, you get a publishing deal!

Thanks, Jelbelle, for the info on the Amazon contest.

I'm really hoping against hope to get some plotting done today because my weekend is busy. Oh well, November 1 will get here and I'll start writing whether or not I have the plot worked out the way that I want!

14 hours and counting (at least in the Central Time Zone). I may stay up just long enough to type a sentence or two after midnight. Our Municipal Liaison is having a party at her house -- it will be a typical Halloween Party from 10 to midnight and then a write-in from midnight to 2AM. But, that's way too late for me!

Will anyone else be up late tonight to get started?

gardenerjoy: I'm typically up that late, although I have to cram some studying in tonight after Halloween, but if I can manage I will certainly be trying to get something down =)!

Good luck everyone!!!

I stayed up until midnight so that I could write my first sentence. 18 words down, 49,982 to go!

Alright joy!!

Where's everyone else? Kick off didn't scare you all away did it?!

had no idea amazon did a contest, excellent!

i started off pretty well i think. I've got a bit more then two days worth of writing done in one day. I'm really stoked, I feel like I've got something good this time around. Here's hoping!

How's everyone else doing?

Failing!

I have two sentences written. I know where it's going, but haven't had the time to write! Ahh!

So far I've already made my word count(and then some) for these first two days and it's been much easier than I ever imagined it would be. I hope the rest of the month goes this smoothly. :)

lizziep: great fast start!

fatmac: the month's just started -- you have plenty of time to catch up!

Layri: way to go!

I got 1706 words on the first day. I won't be writing until this evening today -- I hope to do about that much again.

i'm feeling really good about my word count and my story. i'm excited. I hope I have the stamina needed. 3 days worth of words are down. i am ahead of the game! :)

Word count = 3526. Yesterday's exercise minutes = 0. Need to work on some balance here...

So far I have zip...zero...zilch. I wasn't home the past two nights so wasn't at the computer to write. I was at the gym, so at least it was a good place to be. But tonight I plan to make up some of what I missed over the past two nights!

Okay, I started! I know I said that I was going to do a romance novel, but I have decided to incorporate Nanowrimo and my journey into health into one. So...I took the pledge to try 30 days as a vegan. My novel will be about my thirty day long journey. It should be fun, informative, and different from anything I was planning!

Oh my Lanta I LOVE that idea! I almost did something about my diet plan, but I was afraid I wouldn't stick to it.


So, I too have strayed from my original plans. I've put the psycho thriller to rest for November and have started on something just plain Supernatural. Problem is, I don't know if the idea would be interesting enough? :?:

I won't let that fear deter me, I'm going to write it for fun, anyway!

Thanks Jelbelle! :)

Hmmm....I just read something on the Nano website that they consider a novel to be "a lengthy work of fiction." I guess my chronicling of thirty days as a vegan can't count for Nano since it won't be fiction. :( Oh well. I'll still try 30 days as a vegan and write about it. It may turn into something cool.

Now to go dig through my plot notebook and find something to Nano write about.

Perhaps you could write it based on your experienced, centered around a fictional character? Maybe then you could-- through your character-- address a wider spectrum of weight loss struggles. Like, for instance, your character could have a "thin" love interest who they are too scared to make a move on because they are insecure about their weight. Or perhaps you could have scenes of teasing. It could be about anything you've gone through on your journey, or heard others struggle with, good or bad! I think there are a lot of ways you could give your idea a fictional spin while still incorporating your 30 day vegan plan. I think it would be quite interesting if you did something like that!

I managed both writing and exercise yesterday! Right where I need to be on word count, but a little low on my exercise minutes to meet my goal for the month. Fortunately, there's a lot of month left!

CourtneyDaisey: I love your idea to combine your novel with your healthy lifestyle. I just read a novel called Good Enough to Eat by Stacey Ballis. The protagonist was trying to maintain her 145 pound weight loss through divorce and starting up a business. It seemed like the author knew exactly the struggles that entails.
I like Jelbelle's ideas for fictionalizing your account. Or you can be a NaNo Rebel that writes something else entirely! There's a forum for NaNo Rebels.

Jelbelle: writing for fun is an excellent plan!

Nothing like getting a late start. Lol
I finally decided to join, partly because it counts as extra credit for my Comm 1 class >.>
I'm pretty sure I wont make the main goal of finish the book/ 50,000 words, but I wasn't expecting to with all my school work.

Fiction doesn't have to be "untrue." It's the style of writing (beginning, middle, climax, end) not the "truth" of what is written. There are many novels that are "true stories" but are sold as fiction and shelved in the fiction section of the library - because they follow the structure of fiction/novels.

If it has a plot and follows the novel structure, it's considered fiction (even if the facts are true).

How is everyone doing on their word counts?
Mine as of this moment: 11,896
I hope to reach 15k by Monday evening.

Welcome SugarFreak!

kaplods: That's a great help for taking facts and making them fiction. I guess, it's all about the craft.

Layri: you're doing great on your wordcount!

My wordcount is 9113 and I haven't written yet today, although I plan on writing.

Jelbelle - I took your idea and am fictionalizing my experience! So far I've typed the prologue and the first day and have 1720 words. I am REALLY behind though so I better write more this afternoon!

How are all of you doing so far?

I'm really behind as well, but I just can't seem to find a plot to keep me going, and I've been so focused on getting my YMCA time in this week that I sort of let NaNo slip @_@ but I still plan on catching up, I just have to find the right time!

My wordcount is good -- 12,663 and I haven't written today yet. Even better, it looks like my plot is going to hold out. The last two years, I ran out of plot long before I got to 50,000 words. Now, I'm near a quarter of the way through my plot, so I'm write on track to have the plot last 50,000 words, even if the middle is slim like it has been in the past.

How is everyone else doing?

OMG, there ARE NaNoer here! So glad I found this thread. My WC is 10,244 right now, wayyyy behind but work is kicking my butt. Thank goodness tomorrow is a holiday and I can write.

My work count is not good, I have started over again, so I may or may not be done at the end of the month! I found myself a new coffee shop I am going to start going to on the nights I dont work, so not only do I have somewhere new to love hanging out at, but I will have motivation with all the other writers!

I have failed miserably to do NaNoWriMo this year. It's November 11th and I haven't started and I can't possibly start because I have been so overwhelmed with work and school... arrrrrgggghh. Next year, maybe....

Yay, ghost! You can catch up with a day off and then the weekend!

A friend of mine restarted, too, sja80123, but she was so excited about her story she is back up to 7000 words. She's very experienced at NaNo, so I'm confident she will get it back up to 50,000 at the end of the month.

Oh well, Rana, there's always next year!

My word count is almost a day ahead, so I'm happy. I'm experiencing cravings for comfort food, though, and not so happy about that. I'm sticking to my food plan like glue to get through it!

I'm using the work on my nano novel as a subsitute for eating. I crawl in bed with my lap top and notes and write, can't eat in bed. And the bonus, is my internet connection is dsl so the cord isn't long enough to go to the bed so no distrations.

Hi Horo! I just went over 20,000 today, too. I'm happy with that because I should be able to get in a little writing every day for the next several.

Ghost, way to go using writing as a distraction technique. Absolutely perfect for November!

I thought my plot really sucked yesterday, but I wrote myself to a better spot today and now I'm enjoying it again!

You guys are doing so great! The first week I was rocking it, but I've lost my lead the past few days. I managed to get up to 15k yesterday, and I'm hoping to catch up to 20k by tomorrow morning.

I work as a na for home health care and I have a new client, plus my regular one, so my schedule just got a lot busier, but I'm hoping I can pull it off!