Another year, another novel!

I thought the San Diego forum seemed a little quiet....

I'm already planning mine! Or, more accurately, choosing between two. Care to help me???

It's my second year, and I'm also excited!!!

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Yep, it's another year and my fourth, but this year is going to be harder than the rest - my MS has gotten worse and I am going to have to listen to my body's demands until we come to an agreement. This is the weekend I get all my ducks in a row and hope that none of them escape - I have all my goodies lined up and trying to determine what my big toy gift will be when I cross that 50,000 word line.

Have my ideas brewing and have had them for the past month or so with only little scraps of notes laying around. Well, GO SAN DIEGO lets make our mark on this year.

Della
"Writer by passion - insane by choice"
"May the Dragons watch over and protect you until we meet again"

Hey there, SD!

I cannot wait for Nov 1st. I'm in the early outlining stage for my planned project, carefully plotting out what I will write. However, if last year is any indication, I will toss all that planning to the wind and end up going with a completely different idea the day before all this madness begins.

Such is NaNoWriMo. Whatever it is that I end up writing, it is sure to be a fun ride. I look forward to meeting fellow NaNoers.

Peter

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WOOO! I'm here! Last year was my first NaNo and I loved it. The book I did then has now been edited into a 380 page novel and is currently with an agent who requested a partial :). I know I should be preparing, but I'm an extreme seat of the pants writer. All I had last year was a lead character, a title, an opening scene, and a vague idea what was going on.

And it worked! LOL!

This year I don't have a title.....

Last year I wasn't able to meet any fellow NaNo'ers- but hopefully this year I can.

I write Fantasy and SF, and am looking forward to meeting some local writers :).

Any of you going to the La Jolla Writers Conf?

Marie

Hello to all! This will be my second time around and I'm hoping to use this November to finally pound out a novel from some old ideas I've been slacking on for years. I'm hoping that this year I'll be able to break away from the kids and make it down the hill from Alpine to join in some of the bigger events around Mission Valley!

Happy planning everyone!

I suppose this is officially my fourth year as a participant, but the first year did not so much produce a novel per se, so novel-wise this will be my third go-around. It definitely makes the month of November much more exciting than it used to be. This year's novel hasn't taken form yet; I am currently debating between continuing last year's as-of-yet-unfinished novel, writing a collection of short stories, or starting something completely new.

A note to any people who wander into our forum as first-time participants: come to the write ins! There are usually some on Sunday afternoons at the Ink Spot, but several other participants will also choose to host their own at cafes over town at various times during the week. Not only will it get you out of the house (and away from distractions!) but NaNoWriMo is a great way to make some new friends who also enjoy the crazy craft of novelling. The people hosting the write-ins will not bite, I promise. :)

Welcome back returnees and Hello newbies!

AdriennesSong --- What two ideas are you deciding between? I'd go with the one that feels the "lightest". You want NaNoWriMo to be a romp rather than a slog.

Mandreas -- A partial request? Way To Go! :-) Good luck with it. Hopefully Chris can add you to the list of published NaNoNovels next year.

Della -- sorry to hear about your MS flare up. Hopefully it won't keep you from having some fun next month.

I've already got my T Shirt (I have quite a collection of them now!) but still not idea what I'm writing about. I do second NibblesMD's comment that going to write-ins REALLY makes a difference! I get far more work done at them than at home. And I now have TWO year-round writing groups that started as NaNoWriteIn groups.

Where is the Ink Spot?

I'm deciding between a novel set in a high school in 1988 dealing with censorship and such, and a fantasy about a slave who helps overthrow a secret society and end the war they've started against her home country.

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The Ink Spot is located downtown at 710 13th St. in Studio 210. On the days of write-ins there will usually be a sign outside the entrance with instructions on how to get in, as it is normally locked. Once inside you just walk up the stairs and go down the hall to your...right, I think. The room numbers are clearly labelled.

http://www.sandiegowriters.org/ is the official website.

I am super pumped about NaNoWriMo this year. This is my second year doing this crazy thing and I'm brainstorming hardcore. WOOT. I'm new to San Diego...I hope there are lots of writing opportunities to meet people. I think that was probably one of the most fun aspects of Nanowrimo last year: meeting tons of new people while staying up waaaaaay too late.

If anyone is in the Poway area and wants to do write-ins, I'm down for late night, insane coffee induced writing!

The name is near, my friends...prepare thy imaginations!

-A blend of science and writing-
The Silent Sith 2008

I'm really excited about NaNo this year. This will be my eight year. I've got an idea, but no title yet.

I couldn't make it to any write-ins last year, but I'm really hoping to make it to some this year.

Hi everyone. I'm back for my fifth serving of NaNo. I've been able to clean my plate three out of four times and hope to finish again this year.

Yeah, I know it's October Bettina --- but I don't have a solid story to write about--- yet!

Looking forward to seeing lots of you at a write in or two. When is the "kickoff" going to be? NaNo starts on a Sunday this year.

In the big NaNo scheme of things: It all comes down to word count. So Write.

Thanks Pomegranate - MS bites, but I am not going to let it get in my way of doing what I love (yes, this is something that I love and look forward to every year). The only downside is that I probably will not be able to make it to any of the write-ins. If there are peeps in the East County and are hooked up to Facebook - we can hook up there on chat mode and keep each other going. You can find me as Della R. Buckland (if you just look for Della Buckland you will get my niece).

I feel good about this year and will pay attention to what my body is telling me and rest when I need to. If I have to have late nites - then so be it.

Della
"Writer by passion - insane by choice"
"May the Dragons watch over and protect you until we meet again"

I'm slowly planning my novel. Hopefully by Oct 31 I'll have more character names, some better idea of their backgrounds and a super ultra sketchy outline for something vaguely resembling a plot (this is least likely to happen by the end of the month XD).

This is my SIXTH year OMG. I'm looking for my 5th win :3 (didn't win the first year as I started on Nov 15 and didn't work fast enough).

- Bri

Hi everyone. I'm back for my eighth year and right on schedule with absolutely no idea
of a genre, story or lead character.

Good luck to all.

Hi all,

This is my first year and my first real attempt at actually writing anything beyond 20 pages. I'm both excited and scared out of my wits. Any advice for a newbie? Thanks a bunch and looking forward to a fun filled month of writing!

I am so torn.
Although my profile doesn't seem to reflect it, I was a winner in 07 and 08, and am now knee-deep in the editing of the historical novel that I wrote at both those NaNoWriMos. Since I am on an editing roll, and I hadn't even considered entering NaNaWriMo this year or realized that November was fast upon us, my inclination is to keep editing and not start something new.
Would you bar me from the write-ins if I am just editing?

Welcome to the fun and madness :D

My bit of advice: don't reread what you wrote. That might too easily lead to editing which could decrease your wordcount. Write whatever comes to you and don't care about quality. It's hard at first to set aside that habit but believe me you'll want to. That silly inner editor just gets in the way during NaNo. If you suddenly feel like writing more about Random Extra #42 over there in the corner instead of your main character then go for it! You never know what'll come of random detours.

Really just have fun with it :D Think about trying to head to a write-in. And stock up on your snack and drink of choice (mmm caffeine)

- Bri

Oh did you notice too that the last weekend of the month is also Thanksgiving weekend? :D Awesome!

Before my first NaNoWriMo, I'd only written short stories and poetry. The big challenge for me was mastering the change in scale. There are a few ways to handle that:

1) write a series of connected short stories (I did that the first year, my main goal was just to hit wordcount)
2) develop an A-plot and B-plot for the same universe/characters and try to intertwine them
3) start with a bigger canvas. A short story usually has only one main character and one climax event. Start with a larger group of characters and have a series of climactic events that build up and up.
4) when in doubt, sex scenes, dream sequences, and random acts of violence (cue ninjas!) can pad a lagging wordcount.

Most of all, have fun!

My name is Mike and I am about to start my fourth nanowrimo novel (I'm 3-for-3 so far).

Advice for newbies: Plan and share.

All advice is, of course, offered with the understanding that your mileage may vary.

PLAN

Bettina (Pomegranate) and I have a long-running (but friendly!) argument about the value of planning. She is a "Pantser" (By the Seat of Her Pants!) while I find that when I am organized things go more smoothly (although organization is not natural to me).

I don't take it to extremes. I tend to write in 1700-2000 word chucks ("chapters"). So going into nano, I'd like to have 25-30 one-sentence "chapter" summaries. I'd also like my main plot and major subplots to each have a beginning, a middle and an end that is clear from those one sentence summaries.

I find it much easier, relatively, beginning each day in November having a plan for what to write on that day. If I veer a little, I'm fine with that too, but I always have an idea to work from if nothing is coming.

SHARE

This is another one where YMMV. Many people don't like to share (I'm looking at you Amanda/Languagepirate).

I think it is really helpful. The main reason is that nano is hardest when you follow a dumb idea for 10,000 words only to then realize it is dumb.

I find that as I tell people ideas, they tend to give me a good feel as to whether an idea is dumb. So the more I talk, particularly in the planning stage, the less of a pickle I'm likely to find myself in later.

This, is, to me, the value of the write-ins (I am moderately notorious for rarely actually writing at them).

Hello!

I'm excited for November and the impending craziness of the entire month. This will be my first year participating (after 4 years of wanting to), and I'm crazy nervous. I'm no stranger to lengthy writing, but I feel like my biggest obstacle is focus so this will be fun to try and stick with one thing for a month and meet this goal. I had a kind of "lightning-bolt" inspiration the other day that is slowly stewing in my head and manifesting into a possible plot, so I'm getting even more excited!

I love in the north-inland part of San Diego, but I hope I can make it to a few write-ins! Meeting the same people who willingly put themselves through this would be a fun, fun time.

Wow, 710 13th st.? That is literally just around the corner from my apartment. I'll have to meander over there Sunday afternoon and check it out if I don't have anything special going on.

This is the first year that I didn't get a breaking news e-mail from Chris about the start of festivities. I tried checking my settings and I don't see anything amiss. I am wondering if others are having this same issue and that is why the board is so quiet.

Hey everyone! I'm Nicole your ML. This is my fourth year, and hoping that I'll win for the fourth year straight. It'll also be my third year as ML.

Bettina, thanks for starting this thread up! The last few days have been completely nuts because of the end of Body Worlds.

Matt: I'm working on kick-off party details as we speak. Definitely a midnight kick-off since the 1st is indeed on a Sunday, and probably a daytime kick-off for anyone who either doesn't want to (or can't) stay up that late.

Della: I'm sorry to hear your MS is flaring up. I hope everything works out okay.

To everyone who's new: welcome and good luck this year. If you need anything, you can contact me at anyone.

To everyone else: Hi and welcome back!

My advice is to try to write something everyday. I usually don't plan too much, but for me it mostly depends on what my general plot is about. Posting on the forums and going to write-ins are really helpful. There's something really calming and also helpful about knowing that there are hundreds in San Diego, and tens of thousands world wide that are doing the exact same thing.

---
San Diego NaNoWriMo ML: 2007-2009

Thanks Nicole for your words of encouragement. I just take it day by day and I live with the creed "Diamond Days and Stone Weeks". I am resting alot and saving up my diamonds so I can spend them all in November. I look forward to this every year and the only thing that will stop me is an operation (and if I can figure out how to get my Neo in the operating room, then there will be nothing to stop me LOL). See you in November.

Della
"Writer by passion - insane by choice"
"May the Dragons watch over and protect you until we meet again"

I haven't been getting any of the notifications that I should be getting from the site either, so that might be part of it.

Hey all! I've been waiting for my sixth NaNo year to start with bated breath. A certain idea has been plaguing me all year but I have put it aside time and again to work on other projects. Now it is almost time to write it and, instead of my usual by-the-seat-my-pants routine every November, I have outlines for everything. Here's to hoping I don't bore myself when I actually start.

I'd love to come to a few write-ins this year but I don't know how that will work out just yet.

This is my second year, first one where I'm not working eighteen hour days throughout the course of November. I fell short last year, I'm hoping to change that this year.

This is my second year. I was pretty happy with what I've ended up with from last year. I have a feeling it may be a little more difficult for me this year (oh, such the wrong attitude!)
I came up with a title today. woo. The rest will come together - hopefully before Nov 1.