Hi friends!
Nanowrimo 2017 is just around the corner...eep!
I have...no plot yet. I have a couple potential ideas, but still desperately searching for something to spark that 'aha' moment! If you have any suggestions or tips/resources, let me know!
When it comes to Nanowrimo, are you a pantser? Planner? Whatever-the-heck-your-brain-decides-to-doer?
Please share some thoughts, ideas, your methods, etc!
Wrimos unite!!
Nanowrimo 2017 is just around the corner...eep!
I have...no plot yet. I have a couple potential ideas, but still desperately searching for something to spark that 'aha' moment! If you have any suggestions or tips/resources, let me know!
When it comes to Nanowrimo, are you a pantser? Planner? Whatever-the-heck-your-brain-decides-to-doer?
Please share some thoughts, ideas, your methods, etc!
Wrimos unite!!
Normally I do a plan/pants hybrid but this year I have literally nothing, lol. Maybe I'll revisit an old idea. I might attempt to outline one of my Heartseeker drafts and add 50k onto it. Ugh, idk.
This is my first year joining in, and I'm attempting to get my planning out of the way, but knowing how I usually work it'll all go by the wayside. Too many new ideas pop up when things get underway and it's hard to ignore them!
Yay! I was going to start up a thread to chat about this but I'm so glad you beat me to it!
I have been writing bits and pieces of a story collaboratively with JKatkina for the last few years. Last year we tried to pants our challenge, but we found that being spur of the moment while also relying on one another was way too much pressure. We got about three days in before falling on our faces.
To remedy that this year, we've been spitballing ideas for our second book all year and are now plotting those tidbits down in a sort of narrative order. She writes some characters, I write others, and sometimes we RP scenarios out together and go back in later with a hack-saw to make them readable again.
I find that if you plunk down a bunch of ideas as they come to you (and it's important to get them down soon after you have them, because ideas fade so fast!) it's easier to come back and read what you've got. Sometimes an idea leads to another and another and another and suddenly you've got a couple of chapters-worth of inspiration.
I'm stoked for this year and will be leading one of the write-ins for my location. Wish me luck that that goes well, haha!
I have been writing bits and pieces of a story collaboratively with JKatkina for the last few years. Last year we tried to pants our challenge, but we found that being spur of the moment while also relying on one another was way too much pressure. We got about three days in before falling on our faces.
To remedy that this year, we've been spitballing ideas for our second book all year and are now plotting those tidbits down in a sort of narrative order. She writes some characters, I write others, and sometimes we RP scenarios out together and go back in later with a hack-saw to make them readable again.
I find that if you plunk down a bunch of ideas as they come to you (and it's important to get them down soon after you have them, because ideas fade so fast!) it's easier to come back and read what you've got. Sometimes an idea leads to another and another and another and suddenly you've got a couple of chapters-worth of inspiration.
I'm stoked for this year and will be leading one of the write-ins for my location.
Wish me luck that that goes well, haha!
pltjess wrote:
This is my first year joining in, and I'm attempting to get my planning out of the way, but knowing how I usually work it'll all go by the wayside. Too many new ideas pop up when things get underway and it's hard to ignore them!
Oooo so exciting! Welcome to Nanowrimo!
I usually have a base starting idea, because things just end up 'flowing' at some point and you're right, new ideas keep popping up! I usually like to at least have a vague starter though!
By the way, we do have a NaNo group here on RPR! https://www.rprepository.com/group/group.php?gID=640
As another who'll be joining for the first time, I've got some semblance of a plan. I'm not sure about anyone else, but characters are one of the hardest things in writing for me. I have come up with a few ideas and I'm not sure what kind of tone I want to set. So, are most Nanowrimo stories serious in nature, silly, or is it a good mix? Just want to know a little bit about the community and stuff before I go dropping Dark Lord Toaster on their heads.
SINDragon wrote:
As another who'll be joining for the first time, I've got some semblance of a plan. I'm not sure about anyone else, but characters are one of the hardest things in writing for me. I have come up with a few ideas and I'm not sure what kind of tone I want to set. So, are most Nanowrimo stories serious in nature, silly, or is it a good mix? Just want to know a little bit about the community and stuff before I go dropping Dark Lord Toaster on their heads.
It is 10000% up to you! Everything fits. Comedy, super seriousness, seriousness that turns into comedy, comedy that turns serious, whatever keeps you writing. Most of my attempts have been serious fiction but last year it was kinda like a rom com. And this year I have no stinkin clue.
CelestinaGrey wrote:
pltjess wrote:
This is my first year joining in, and I'm attempting to get my planning out of the way, but knowing how I usually work it'll all go by the wayside. Too many new ideas pop up when things get underway and it's hard to ignore them!
Oooo so exciting! Welcome to Nanowrimo!
I usually have a base starting idea, because things just end up 'flowing' at some point and you're right, new ideas keep popping up! I usually like to at least have a vague starter though!
Wee, thanks! I'm pretty excited, though I'm a bit hesitant to see how my attempts go. I know I can hit the magical word count needed per day, but now that I've been working as a ghostwriter for a while I've just been writing other people's ideas. It's so easy when you've got a story outline and chapter breakdown to follow, and now I've got to make my own!?
It makes me feel so much better to know there'll be others struggling along with me to try and stay on track.
pltjess wrote:
CelestinaGrey wrote:
pltjess wrote:
This is my first year joining in, and I'm attempting to get my planning out of the way, but knowing how I usually work it'll all go by the wayside. Too many new ideas pop up when things get underway and it's hard to ignore them!
Oooo so exciting! Welcome to Nanowrimo!
I usually have a base starting idea, because things just end up 'flowing' at some point and you're right, new ideas keep popping up! I usually like to at least have a vague starter though!
Wee, thanks! I'm pretty excited, though I'm a bit hesitant to see how my attempts go. I know I can hit the magical word count needed per day, but now that I've been working as a ghostwriter for a while I've just been writing other people's ideas. It's so easy when you've got a story outline and chapter breakdown to follow, and now I've got to make my own!?
It makes me feel so much better to know there'll be others struggling along with me to try and stay on track.
Are you on DeviantART? There's a group chat that is used every year in the dA chatrooms that is specifically for Nanowrimo! It's a HUGE help when you're trying to push for that wordcount!
I have also found that 'write or die' helps me get words out (the free desktop version, not the pay-to-use).
CelestinaGrey wrote:
Are you on DeviantART? There's a group chat that is used every year in the dA chatrooms that is specifically for Nanowrimo! It's a HUGE help when you're trying to push for that wordcount!
I have also found that 'write or die' helps me get words out (the free desktop version, not the pay-to-use).
I have also found that 'write or die' helps me get words out (the free desktop version, not the pay-to-use).
Ooo - I have an account with some pretty ancient poems and horrible photography up on it. I'll hunt for it!
Thanks!
pltjess wrote:
CelestinaGrey wrote:
Are you on DeviantART? There's a group chat that is used every year in the dA chatrooms that is specifically for Nanowrimo! It's a HUGE help when you're trying to push for that wordcount!
I have also found that 'write or die' helps me get words out (the free desktop version, not the pay-to-use).
I have also found that 'write or die' helps me get words out (the free desktop version, not the pay-to-use).
Ooo - I have an account with some pretty ancient poems and horrible photography up on it. I'll hunt for it!
Thanks!True fact; for a while I was getting on dA only during November so that I could be involved in the chat and be spurred on to victory!
I have FOUR different notepad documents which I am writing out parts of an outline on.
I have one that is just the general outline from the beginning of the story, and one where I got an idea for the middle of the story but didn't want to throw it into the main outline yet,
I have one where I've just put down general scene ideas in one or two sentences that I've come up with months previous. This is my forth Merin novel I am going to be doing, so year round I just throw phrases or ideas down on notepad if they come to me during an RP or just at random. Since he's got a massive history and is centuries old I have a huge amount to work with as far as working in more story. Any time he casually refers to some thing that happened in his past, if I think it's good enough to be part of his story I write it down
I have another that is stuff from the previous three that is SUPER important for me to remember while writing the fourth, notes on dates and how a few key things happened, names of repeat characters, this is so I don't have to go back through three novels to remember 'what was that dude's name again? How long ago did that happen?' Or at least I don't have to do that as often. I also add in a list of random town, tavern and one-time-use characters like an innkeeper or something, so if I just need a name and it's not for something major, I don't waste time digging for one.
Just in case that's not enough I have a fantasy name generator bookmarked.
I've also made myself a playlist with several sections for different moods.
And I've started doing daily hand exercises so my hands hopefully dont cramp up from writing so much.
I have one that is just the general outline from the beginning of the story, and one where I got an idea for the middle of the story but didn't want to throw it into the main outline yet,
I have one where I've just put down general scene ideas in one or two sentences that I've come up with months previous. This is my forth Merin novel I am going to be doing, so year round I just throw phrases or ideas down on notepad if they come to me during an RP or just at random. Since he's got a massive history and is centuries old I have a huge amount to work with as far as working in more story. Any time he casually refers to some thing that happened in his past, if I think it's good enough to be part of his story I write it down
I have another that is stuff from the previous three that is SUPER important for me to remember while writing the fourth, notes on dates and how a few key things happened, names of repeat characters, this is so I don't have to go back through three novels to remember 'what was that dude's name again? How long ago did that happen?' Or at least I don't have to do that as often. I also add in a list of random town, tavern and one-time-use characters like an innkeeper or something, so if I just need a name and it's not for something major, I don't waste time digging for one.
Just in case that's not enough I have a fantasy name generator bookmarked.
I've also made myself a playlist with several sections for different moods.
And I've started doing daily hand exercises so my hands hopefully dont cramp up from writing so much.
Zhi, remind me to buy you a copy of Scrivener lol.
Heimdall wrote:
Zhi, remind me to buy you a copy of Scrivener lol.
Right? My hand is cramping up just thinking of trying all of that with pen and paper.
@Zhi: You're doing another Merin?! Dayum, you dedicated!
(though lets be honest, Merin is an A+ character who deserves ALL THE NOVELS)
(though lets be honest, Merin is an A+ character who deserves ALL THE NOVELS)
Ah, it's that time of year again! I love NaNo...maybe I'll actually try again this year, who knows. Good luck to everyone who does!
pltjess wrote:
Heimdall wrote:
Zhi, remind me to buy you a copy of Scrivener lol.
Right? My hand is cramping up just thinking of trying all of that with pen and paper.
Oh I'm not doing it on pen and paper, but like, notepad docs on the computer.
I also tend to go way over the min 50k and only take the first week or two, depending on length
Heimdall - I keep hearing about that program but I've never looked into it. I can be kinda slow to adapt to using new things. One of the writing tips vlog people I follow has a vid on it. I might go check it out tonight or tomorrow.
Zhi wrote:
pltjess wrote:
Heimdall wrote:
Zhi, remind me to buy you a copy of Scrivener lol.
Right? My hand is cramping up just thinking of trying all of that with pen and paper.
Oh I'm not doing it on pen and paper, but like, notepad docs on the computer.
I also tend to go way over the min 50k and only take the first week or two, depending on length
Heimdall - I keep hearing about that program but I've never looked into it. I can be kinda slow to adapt to using new things. One of the writing tips vlog people I follow has a vid on it. I might go check it out tonight or tomorrow.
There was a bit of a learning curve but their built in tutorial is pretty good. It's also easy to start using without getting into the super nitty gritty details! Even if you only use it to keep your files organized, it's worth it. Like, you have your manuscript saved in one subdocument, and then you have a "resources" area with all your outlines, character docs, etc. I'll screenshot my setup sometime if you're curious
I think Heimdall has more Nano experience than all of us combined! 
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