Greetz Ottawa NaNo'ers!
I hope you've all had a great 2009 so far! 8D As the year approaches its end we've come yet again to another NaNoWriMo season with with pen scratching, keystrokes, spilled ink, and forgotten meals. But we all know that that's not just what NaNoWriMo is about; there's write-ins, plotting, word wars, and general excitement.
Fristly, I'd like to welcome you all back for another year of writing, both to the regulars and newbies, and to our two MLs, diurnal_lee and joining her this year seems to be Dustinus. Welcome, welcome~!
With the basics aside, lets hear about your year break from writing. Did you take any breaks, or were you like me, writing draft after draft in hopes of one day publishing? Are you new to Ottawa/NaNoWriMo? Have you plotted out this year's novel, or are you still scratching your head?
Did you fail last year? If so, is there something different you want to try to keep you motivated or on track? Any suggestions for the newbies about what not to do?
Awaitin' Nov,
~NyanNyan 8D
----------
*Is a Demonic Author that eats NaNoWriM-O's for breakfast*
2008 Achievement - 50K : Six Days.
2008 - Witching Hour - WIN!
2009 - Magi-Nation
66,000 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 14 09
*waves*
Yes, I did volunteer to be an ML this year. Hey, I needed something to distract me from recalcitrant characters. :)
Not much writing done in the past 10 months. I'm working on the ending of a story I started *mumble* years ago. Naturally, that's not the story I'm writing this year. However, after learning that if I know the character well enough, the writing is easier, I'm using a character I've played with before. I have the beginning and the end in mind already. Now for that pesky middle...
For the newbies, best thing to do is to keep writing and not look back and fix problems. That's for December/January. November is for a raw draft that gets the story out on paper/pixel, warts and all.
----------ML Ottawa, Ontario
NaNoWriMo 2006: Lethal Ladies (complete!)
NaNoWriMo 2007: Digital Magic (win!)
NaNoWriMo 2008: Crossover (win!)
NaNoWriMo 2009: The Soul Blade
25,437 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 16 14
Hi there! :)
I was so happy to see that there is actually a regional forum for us Ottawananoians (uuhh....is that a word?).
I am totally new to NaNoWriMo and it's been so long (as in years) since I have written anything even remotely resembling a story, that you could almost say I am new to writing too. I came down with a bad bout of writer's block about 10 years ago and never really recovered. I have high hopes that NaNo will be a miracle cure for me, so I am super excited, and at the same time scared half to death LOL
As for plotting novel, well, it's going slow and I am still very much at the head-scratching stage. About all I know for sure is that it's going to be a fantasy......and okay, it's probably gonna have some romance thrown in too hehe
----------NaNo 2009: [Untitled] Gonna do this even if it kills me...which it probably will!
34,100 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 16 55
New year
New name
New novel
I wasn't sure if I would do Nano this year. I had no ideas for a story and I did so bad last year I didn't even think I could start that story over again. That story was better as a concept....details gave me a real hard time. I struggled and struggled. Then a story just happened to me. My story this year is a, sorta, biography of my life. They say, write what you know. I think I have that down. LOL It will be fictionalized, but it is all about the stuff I am working through. Hopefully I'll be a winner this year. Last year, I failed miserably. D'oh.
13,397 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 20 50
I metaphorically just jumped out of the box on this one: I discovered NaNoWriMo eight hours ago via John Green's twitter and proceeded to read through the entire website. I rather enjoyed the 'History Of' and I'm excited to participate this year. =D
I always find myself stuck after the first couple of chapters, due to no good reason. I hope that with such a strict deadline, I'll be able to push past that folly and at least make it halfway through before I lose steam. I have no idea how I'm going to approach this. I figure I've got all of October to think of something.
To the more experienced: what works best for you - plotting beforehand or just starting from zero?
As I'm a university student, I plan on going completely crazy before the month is out. I may already be crazy for even considering doing this on top of all of my assignments and studying for midterms/finals.
My motto? Insanity + Reality = Creativity.
----------~> S. Frost
70,455 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 03 44
Hello, Ottawa and area NaNo'ers!
This is my first time to sign up, although I have peeked in here from time to time over the past few years. A number of family crises, however, contributed to a really bad case of writer's block and for quite a while I totally lost interest in anything to do with creativity.
A couple of months ago I read through two novels I had begun, and thought, "Those are damn good!" *pats self on back* I didn't change a thing in either of them... and that's part of my problem. I have done a lot of editing and proofreading over the years and agonize over every word, the grammatical structure and punctuation... hence, my actual writing output is miniscule compared to what it could and should be.
I have what I think is a great plot for NaNoWriMo 2009 and my characters are itching to explode out of my brain and onto the screen. My challenge, over and above reaching 50k, will be to write, write, write without hitting that backspace key!
Then, beginning December 1st, I hope I have enough fire left in me to finish this novel... and then rescue my other two.
Best of luck to all of you!
----------Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.
66,000 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 11 24
Plotting beforehand helps a lot, but I've also found that things change. Characters stray from the script, new ideas occur and work themselves into the plot. Having an end in mind is a good idea, though. Always good to see the end point.
----------ML Ottawa, Ontario
NaNoWriMo 2006: Lethal Ladies (complete!)
NaNoWriMo 2007: Digital Magic (win!)
NaNoWriMo 2008: Crossover (win!)
NaNoWriMo 2009: The Soul Blade
0 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 11 45
Hi:
----------I did NaNoWriMo last year but I still haven't finished the novel I started then (yes I got over the 50,000 word mark) plus I got two other stories I'm working on so I figure I should work on them rather than start yet another story. I would be glad to help out if I could but otherwise consider me a cheerleader for those who take the plunge.
cheers
Alex Binkley
aka cheaplaner
Ottawa, Canada
34,100 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 12 52
Personally I think it would be imposible to NOT plot beforehand. Once I get the idea in my head I can't stop thinking about it. Now, I do no real FORMAL plotting, mostly it is in my head. I even tend to work out dialogue in my head while lying in bed...NOT falling asleep. :D But this year I did write out a plan for chapters. It will of course change as I go, some sections will be two chapters and not one, some chapters may combine into one. But I do have my basic outline. And, the characters are easy because it is ME and the people in my life....just changing the names. He he he.
50,743 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 15 22
Hi, everybody. Thanks for volunteering, Dustinus.
I'm really looking forward to another November...the write-ins, the insomnia, the caffeine overload. It's great to hang around with people who won't back away when I complain that I had an outline but the characters ran away with the plot.
This year I'm going to try something a bit different and have two or three plots braided into my novel. It's the first time I've ever tried anything like this and I might fall flat on my face, but it's worth a try. I expect I'll learn a lot from my mistakes. Goodness knows I have in the other years.
----------Skating on the fine edge between creativity and disaster.
5,355 / 50,000
Okt 4, 2009 - 10 16
I didn't do a very good job of plotting last year. I actually ended up abandoning my original idea and going for a different one that had been fleshed out a bit better. I hit 50,000 words but not on the same project so I didn't consider myself a winner. :)
Looking forward to hopefully trying again - I'm going to see how work looks before deciding to plunge in.
35,017 / 50,000
Okt 5, 2009 - 09 35
Hi!
I'm new to Ottawa, but I did Nano last year.
I'm not sure about this year. I'm a first year University student. But, honestly, I miss Nano'ing so much... It doesn't mesh well with my schedule and I'm afraid that my workload will prevent me from finishing. I could go for a halfer... I don't know. I'll have to see. I have more plot bunnies running around in my head than I can keep track of.
I might just stick around and cheer other people on. :)
22,579 / 50,000
Okt 5, 2009 - 10 33
CAPTAIN MCAWESOMEGUY REPORTIN' IN. Got my first win in four tries last year, looking to go two for five! ;D
Did anybody else get the free proof copy deal last year? I'll bring mine to the launch party, rife though it is with chronological errors, placeholder words fenced off in curly brackets, and entire pages of slipped tenses.
----------Fangamer | Twitter | LiveJournal
40,310 / 50,000
Okt 6, 2009 - 11 43
Well, I'm ready for year number *nine* (and hopefully 'win' number three). This year I'm trying a different method to prepare, after coming across an article on How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method. I'm working through the ten steps this month. Plus, I'm taking my story idea from two years ago and working out the areas I went wrong on back then, and giving it a second kick.
So, looking forward to the write-ins.
The other Lianne
36,693 / 50,000
Okt 6, 2009 - 12 25
Back for year no. 5, hoping for win no. 5. No idea what I am going to actually be doing this year story wise. I am kicking a few plot ideas around but knowing me, none of the ones I am currently considering will actual be what I end up writing.
Great to be back. Hope to see people at the write-ins, etc. And wishing everyone good luck in this year's endeavour.
----------~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Born on the 20th of NaNo
25,437 / 50,000
Okt 6, 2009 - 12 39
There is probably a very obvious answer to this but.....what exactly are "write-ins"?
----------NaNo 2009: [Untitled] Gonna do this even if it kills me...which it probably will!
40,097 / 50,000
Okt 6, 2009 - 13 17
Back again for this year. :D
Last year I was too busy (and failure on my time management skills) to get past 3,000. Hopefully this year I can go farther. <3
66,000 / 50,000
Okt 6, 2009 - 16 10
Write-ins are gatherings of Wrimos to work on our NaNovels. It's a social gathering that tends to help productivity. Definitely worth coming out to one to test it out and see how it goes. Sometimes, just having other people around to bounce ideas off can get you past a speedbump.
Write-ins will be announced in advance.
----------ML Ottawa, Ontario
NaNoWriMo 2006: Lethal Ladies (complete!)
NaNoWriMo 2007: Digital Magic (win!)
NaNoWriMo 2008: Crossover (win!)
NaNoWriMo 2009: The Soul Blade
0 / 50,000
Okt 7, 2009 - 22 04
I've lived in the Ottawa area for 2 years now but this is my 1st NaNoWriMo and needless to say, I'm a bit intimdated. However, I'm looking forward to getting started on my novel which hasn't been properly plotted out but its okay.
----------0 / 50,000
Okt 8, 2009 - 09 35
Hi all,
I'm new to NaNoWriMo and I'm looking forward to the Write-Ins. Keep me posted!
Gwen
----------Gwen Smid
Author of Mary's Atlas: Mary Meets Manitoba, a quirky picture book that zips and zooms across Canada. Mary Meets Ontario is due out in Feb.
34,148 / 50,000
Okt 8, 2009 - 16 21
Hey folks! This is my first Nano in Ottawa, and I'm thinkin', "New setting? Newly brewing story idea? Nearly November!? Let's NaNoWriMo!"
(yes, it was as cheesy as you think)
This is my fourth attempt at hitting the 50k mark (the last three years consisted of me writing a page, then having another, more sinister looking white page sneak up from behind his vanquished buddy, and running scared), but this time I come armed with something: an actual story idea! Let's see if the fourth time is the trick!
----------"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
-Douglas Adams
47,309 / 50,000
Okt 10, 2009 - 06 57
I found that one too. It is like the method I've been using for four years (and four wins), so I am modifying my method to try out his. It just makes so much sense, especially to someone who was trained in programming (ages ago; but I still remember the theory).
Nancy
Publish or perish (in my day job)
----------An author spends months writing a book, and maybe puts his heart's blood into it, and then it lies about unread till the reader has nothing else in the world to do. -- W. Somerset Maugham
0 / 50,000
Okt 10, 2009 - 16 04
In the past year I took a Writers Craft course at school, so hopefully the things I learned there should help complete my first NaNoWriMo, I have participated in 07 and 08, but never completed, so hopefully I can make the push this year.
I have done little pieces of writing throughout the past year, mainly plays for my Grade 12 summative (I graduated high school this June too) so it will be nice to get back into writing.
The write ins sound awesome too, never got a chance to attend them before so hopefully I can make it to some this year :)
31,670 / 50,000
Okt 10, 2009 - 16 32
I'm not there, but I'm *from* Ottawa... haven't lived away from there for a full year yet. I started writing in high school.
A year or two ago I considered doing NaNo (which would have been done there), but I didn't. So, this is my first year.
I haven't really written anything within the last year or so and I have no idea what I'm going to write. I *am* going to rewrite old stories that I got rid of but still have plots to [somehow], but not for November. I'm just hoping my brain doesn't decide to get me stuck like it has for those old stories.
@nano-noobette: At first the term confused me, but "Ottawananonians may as well be a word... :).
@Charles Whitely: I *really* wanted to take Writer's Craft!! My sister took it in the old curriculum. They didn't offer it at my old high school in my grade 12 year :(. They didn't offer the Literature study course that year either and I wanted to take that too.
Ottawa's also definitely inspiring, so elements of the city will most likely crop into anything I *do* write :).
----------~Louise
50,017 / 50,000
Okt 10, 2009 - 19 15
Hey yall
I'm Mindy and this will be my fifth year doing NaNoWriMo and hopefully my 3rd year in a row winning.
It's nice seeing so many new faces on the Ottawa Forum!
This year is going to be one of the most challenging years yet to get to the finish line. I'm working on a degree in Web Design right now on top of taking a small Writing Course and working quite a bit. All my free time is now spent sleeping, editing my novel from last years Nano, sleeping, editing pieces for my writing course, sleeping and I definitely can't live without Ghost Whisperer and WWE shows haha. Oh did I mention sleeping?
Calenders, Schedule books and timers are going to be my best friends this year on top of notebooks, laptop named Lolita and pens.
Now I'm just way too excited for Nano to begin YEEHAW!
----------Check out my blog for my progress with this years NaNoWriMo:
http://mindys-writing-life.blogspot.com/
www.twitter.com/wrestlingchick
45,000 / 50,000
Okt 11, 2009 - 18 49
Hello all. This is my second year doing NaNoWriMo. I completed my novel last year which ended up being just over 60,000 words. It was an erotic fiction novel which is not good enough to be published but something I can say I did.
This year I'm trying my hand at regular fiction so we'll see what happens.
47,309 / 50,000
Okt 12, 2009 - 12 35
Hi all!
A big welcome to all the noobs. Just remember, we were all noobs at one time and then came back for more, so it can't be as intimidating as you think it is right now.
I'm back for year five, and, with perseverance, win five. I'm busily wading through "20 Master Plots" hoping for inspiration. I also use the "snowflake method" mentioned by a previous poster; but this year I don't have an idea to use it on.
I convinced hubby to undertake NaNo this year by purchasing him Dragon Naturally Speaking software. His typing skills are just not up to NaNo and he has a lot of stories in his head. Surprisingly, he is getting excited. He's rjc52.
Nancy
EDIT: I forgot to mention that since last NaNo I have take the three mandatory courses toward the Creative Writing Certificate at Algonquin College and I'll be going back in January to pick up the final two courses. I also completed the 3-day Novel Contest on Labour Day weekend.
----------An author spends months writing a book, and maybe puts his heart's blood into it, and then it lies about unread till the reader has nothing else in the world to do. -- W. Somerset Maugham
300,233 / 50,000
Okt 12, 2009 - 14 58
Greetings. ^_^
This will be my 3rd WriMo and thus two years since I started writing a lot more than I had been doing in years. I've been writing since about grade two (ah, the story of the magic pickle....) and have always enjoyed it, but I tended to write in fits and bursts and sometimes leave it for fairly long stretches of time. Since I discovered WriMo (and word wars), I've been writing practically every single day for two years and am enjoying myself thoroughly. (Even if I sometimes think that I am completely insane.) ^_^
This year, I'm trying to finish editing something that I'm posting online before November begins, so I haven't had the chance to give a lot of thought to the plan for WriMo. I have a plot and a few details in my head, but most of it's going to be coming in November, I suspect.
Best of luck to everyone!
4,321 / 50,000
Okt 13, 2009 - 10 28
Hey all! This is my second year doing NaNo (hopefully my first win). I'm really excited about how soon we get to start, and while I didn't make it to any events last year, I'm hoping it'll work out this year. My writing this year has been sadly diminished in the face of incredible workloads, but I've already got this one all worked out, and I've actually been saving it for a couple months because it's so perfect for NaNo. This year, my motivation for winning is that anything I get done will almost certainly be used for English credit, so the more I get done, the better.
0 / 50,000
Okt 13, 2009 - 10 38
@ loullena: Writer's Craft was awesome, if you get a chance to take it, take it! :)
Cannot wait to start writing! Why can't it be November now!?
0 / 50,000
Okt 14, 2009 - 00 20
I'm an old time NaNoWriMo, I haven't NaNo'd for the last two years but the three years before that I have. That's not all, I originally lived in the UK and in Sept 2009 I've moved to Canada, Ottawa! :O! Shocking. You guys have me now. Run, Flee!
I've yet to success in NaNo so hoping this year be the one. I'm trying quite a few things different over my last attempt.
You're all welcome to join me, you can use the mibbit client to join in. (No download required, just a browser and javascript)
Here's the link I made earlier: http://widget.mibbit.com/?server=irc.coldfront.net&nick=NaNo_%3F%3F%3F&c...
Here's to another year and another attempt! :D