NaNoWriMo 2010

[Margaret]

I suck at opening pages and I want to do that last)

And then there's the other problem - Tony Hillerman, who wrote the wonderful mystery series with the Navajo policemen, said once that he had a whole file of opening chapters he really loved, but couldn't use, because the novel changed shape as he wrote it, so by the time he had a complete draft, the opening chapter no longer fit the story.

MLE - PM me with your username at NaNo, and I'll "buddy" you. Yes, the site does seem to be down right now. I take that as a good sign that there will soon be new stuff there to check out!

[Ken]

[QUOTE=LoveHistory;71393]The ideal NaNo is written from scratch starting November 1 (not including outlines and research and all of that, which of course can be done beforehand). However, you are allowed to continue a work in progress provided you do not include any of the already written words in your NaNo wordcount.QUOTE]

You've answered my query LH. I have been thinking about accepting the challenge that NaNo provides as I am currently bogged down in my novel, making the usual painstaking snail's progress, by trying to edit/modify/polish as I go along!

If I leave what I've already done to one side and use my 'outline' for the future chapters to NaNo from 01 Nov, maybe it will free up this little brain and these less than nimble fingers!

What about the 'ownership' or copyright aspects of ones work?

[LoveHistory]

Ken, your novel remains entirely yours and you retain all rights.

To validate the wordcount at the end of the month you can upload a scrambled copy of your work. There are instructions for how to scramble it, and believe me no one can make sense of something that badly mixed up. So no one but you even sees more than a small sample of your work (and then only if you choose to add a small excerpt from your novel on your Novel Info page).

[Miss Moppet]

I have signed up. I am Miss Moppet just like here, feel free everyone to add me as a buddy!

[LoveHistory]

Do not be alarmed if you are buddied by a Lady_Indis_Dress. That would be me.

[Miss Moppet]

[quote=""LoveHistory""]Do not be alarmed if you are buddied by a Lady_Indis_Dress. That would be me.[/quote]

Thanks LH, I have buddied you too!

Now back to that outline.

[Julianne Douglas]

I'm scared to sign up again. I signed up the last two years and gave up after a few days. I just can't write 1100 words a day! I want to sign up...let me think about it a bit more.

Good luck to all the first-timers!

[Margaret]

Aw, Julianne, nobody's going to beat you up if you don't write 1100 words a day. You'll probably cheer the rest of us up by making us look good!

[LoveHistory]

Julianne, I'm not even going to try and 50,000 this year. And I know there's one other person at least who is doing the same thing. The two of us have a NaNo Rebel thread. You're welcome to join us.

I think I'll be shooting for 10,000. That I might actually be able to do. Now if only I could decide what I'm writing...

[Miss Moppet]

I think my goal will be around 30,000. I can't see myself producing 50,000 as I don't usually write more than 7,000 words a week even when things are going well. But I don't think it matters. 50,000 words isn't a whole novel anyway, so there would still be more to do after I finish. I am aiming for the book to be around 100,000 words, so I would rather look at the first draft as a three or four month project, with the first month being November. The point of NaNo is it gives me a date to stop tinkering with the plan and actually start writing, and it gives me some company.

Also, I want to get into the habit of writing regularly. My previous writing method was to keep breaking off to do research, and I ended up with drafts which were bogged down with unnecessary details and description. This time I've researched enough to know dates and places and that the basic plot will work. I want to just go ahead and write the story and let that dictate what needs to go in.

And I've every intention of using the scenes I've sketched so far if they work once I get to that point. So I'm not really keeping to the rules, but the point for me isn't to win, it's just to get started.