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Author Topic: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading  (Read 7435 times)

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Joyce S

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #30 on: November 19, 2006, 05:59:39 PM »

I did my second write-in today and added a little over 5,500 words in about 5 hours. I'm over 40,000 total now or at the 80% mark. We had a new NaNo'er join us today. He's over 100K already. His goal is to complete the story arc and get to "The End" by the end of November.

He said he gets his high word count by doing word wars. Basically, challenging other writers to see who can write the most words in 15 minutes. I took him up on his challenge twice. He beat me easily both times, but I did manage 594 words the first time and 642 words the second time. The interesting outcome of this type of writing is you cannot spend ANY time revising and often can't even take time to think through what you expect to write; the result is your characters do things that you totally didn't expect and sometimes slip in unanticipated plot twists. Nor do you have time to think of the perfect word; but sometimes the word that does come to mind is quite different than you would have come up with if you weren't in such a hurry and unintentionally sends your writing off on a different tangent. All in all, an interesting experience.

Daniel has broken the half-way mark--super job! It doesn't look like Angie has updated her word count on the NaNoWriMo site lately. Hopefully, she's coming along okay.

Joyce S

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Daniel Hatadi

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #31 on: November 19, 2006, 06:26:46 PM »

Already broken 40K? If you don't make it then it has to be some kind of natural disaster that stops you, Joyce.

I've been struggling to keep up the pace, mostly because I need to spend some time planning the second half of the novel. Also because my Inner Editor probably never really left me, just took an extended coffee break. My perspective on NaNo from the beginning was that it was a push to get me started on my novel. I've cracked the 25K word mark, but if I count the 3K I wrote before, I'm almost at 30K. I've also passed the 100 page milestone, which to me is an important one--now I'm in the guts of the novel.  Guess that means I need some kind of antacid to make it through.   ;D

Thankfully I have Tom Waits (my favourite musician/singer/songwriter of all time) to keep me company for the last days of NaNo: he has a new album out that comes on 3 CDs! Very exciting for me. Must remember to keep writing.

Kathy Wendorff

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #32 on: November 20, 2006, 08:25:55 AM »

Way to go, Joyce and Daniel! Very impressive!

Daniel, one trick I used to get my Internal Editor off my back was a combination of [magic brackets] and internal asides to myself. If I was stuck on something, I put it in brackets to fix up later.

"[something witty]," he said.

Or

The blonde wore [something expensive and fashionable].


Or, if I had a lackluster description or passage, I put in [ugh] or [this reeks] or [dorky - FIX THIS!!!!] That seemed to satisfy my IE that I realized it was garbage, and would take care of it later.

And later, it was easy to search for brackets and clean things up.

The writer who introduced me to Magic Brackets said she occasionally used them for more major ommissions -- [Something startling happens which sends her off to Cleveland.] [He finds some clue which proves Anselm isn't guilty] Maybe that would help you jump over some plot sticking points.


Kathy W.
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Elena

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #33 on: November 20, 2006, 08:55:04 AM »

Terrific tactic Kathy, my IE stood up and cheered - it's easy, it's on the keyboard, and it's lower case - who could ask for anything more?

Elena
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Joyce S

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #34 on: November 20, 2006, 12:27:01 PM »

Kathy, I use square brackets when I'm stuck or don't have the details at hand (like when I'm at a write-in). Three examples from when I was doing a word-war yesterday:

"How is the stone quarried and made into slate?" Charleigh asked. "I've studied it some at school, but really don't know the details."
"Teamwork was the old way," Bridgend said.
[add here an accounting of how slate is/was mined in Wales]

Until then no one thought anything about the looks of slate and all were created in the traditional styles: Gothic, Half Diamond, and Round Edge. And the traditional sizes: king, queen, princess, [word], [word], [word].

The sizes were defined by [joe blow] back in the [sixteen hundreds] by decree and had been the industry standards ever since that time.


Definitely an IE-friendly tool during rapid drafting phase.

Joyce S
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Daniel Hatadi

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #35 on: November 20, 2006, 07:26:37 PM »

I've used the Magical Square Brackets during revision, especially when cutting out scenes or characters.

Never thought of using it during a first draft. It seems like cheating.

Sounds like fun!

Joyce S

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #36 on: November 27, 2006, 09:53:59 PM »

Since I'm done for this evening, I have three more days/nights of NaNoWriMo and 4,057 words to go to reach the exalted 50,000!

Daniel, this is when the Aussies are on the losing end -- the deadline comes earlier for you than for the East coast US folks. How's it going?

My antagonist still isn't snarky enough to make for real good conflict. I have hopes, though, since he finally has entered the fray rather than just grunting and walking away.

I've got a secret room. The owner of the house knew it was there. My main character who practically spent his boyhood in the house strongly suspected it was there, but couldn't figure out how to get into it and the owner wouldn't acknowledge the anomalies of the floorplan to him.

Also, I've now got two young boys, in addition to the dog to put into jeopardy -- so this won't be the stereotypical woman-in-jeopardy theme.

Tomorrow after work, I'm going to the local Borders and try to break the 50,000 mark. I get too sidetracked at home.

Joyce S
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Daniel Hatadi

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #37 on: November 27, 2006, 11:30:44 PM »

That's great, Joyce! I'm sure you'll fly over the finish line and just keep on flying.

Australia might finish early, but we started early too. Still have the same amount of time to do it in. But it's not enough for me. I'm just over 30K and I'm not going to rush this just to win NaNo. I spent a fair amount of time coming up with a plotline  combining my supernatural/historical themes with a modern day drug deal, but I ended up scrapping it: it just felt tacked on. Now my protagonist is becoming an involuntary hitman due to the spirit of the criminal that has moved in. I'm trying my hand at a prologue to make this even more unwanted. Next thing for me to do is flesh out the hits that my MC will be involved in. I'm really enjoying interspersing all of this with dream sequences that take the MC back to the criminal spirit's past.

In trying to help me focus the story, I came up with one of those story-in-one-sentence deals. I'll have to see exactly how it all turns out, but it seems to fit for now:

IN THE OUTER: An unwilling hitman becomes part of a crime syndicate that reaches back to turn-of-the-century Sydney.

I definitely won't win NaNo, which doesn't bother me. I got my arse together and wrote 30K words for a first draft that I'm pretty happy with. It's been a blast.

What I really want to win is a completed novel that I can start sending out. That will come with time. :)
« Last Edit: November 28, 2006, 05:36:53 PM by Daniel Hatadi »
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Janet Koch

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #38 on: November 28, 2006, 08:14:55 AM »

Well, I think both of you are winners. Heck, I think anyone who even tried to be a NaNo is a winner!

Janet

Caro

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #39 on: November 28, 2006, 11:44:34 AM »

What Janet said! Double.

Caro
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Zara

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #40 on: November 28, 2006, 07:09:32 PM »

Here comes the cheerleader, (it's been some time I didn't do this)

 
 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
 ;D 3 days to go, ;D
 ;D hang in there,  ;D
 ;D you'll make it. ;D
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
[/size] [/glow]


I don't know how, but I know you will. I for one can't even edit one chapter a week - in French - much less write a novel, even roughly, in a month.

You are champions in my heart whatever the outcome.
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Zara

Susan August

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #41 on: November 28, 2006, 08:08:03 PM »

Oh, I couldn't have expressed it better, Zara.  So, I just have to say 'ditto' from NJ.

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Susan
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Joyce S

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NaNoWriMo Winner! BSP ahead
« Reply #42 on: November 28, 2006, 10:06:58 PM »

My official word count on the NaNoWriMo site is 50,188. (MS Word says 50,206.)

I went to Border right after work tonight (that's after arriving at 7:30am, working through lunch, and leaving at 5:30pm). I stayed until my laptop ran out of power (about 3-1/2 hours). The story is still about 6-8 hours (story time) from the finish, so I've got some more to do before I can type "The End." But, hey, I'm a winner according to the rules of NaNoWriMo and I printed my certificate to prove it!

Happy dance going on here.

Joyce S
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Daniel Hatadi

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #43 on: November 29, 2006, 03:44:41 AM »

Brilliant, Joyce!

Now, bask in that glow for a day or two and then keep writing ... and rewriting ... and rewriting. :)

linda

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Re: NaNoWriMo Cheerleading
« Reply #44 on: November 29, 2006, 10:49:46 AM »

I'm so proud of all of you, you're an inspiration to the rest of us!!!

Maybe I'll try this next year ...hmm...
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