The Overachievers' Thread
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The Overachievers' Thread
50k can be a huge struggle, and it's a struggle not to be underestimated. You're writing 1667 words every single day for an entire month, setting aside spare time, loved ones, school, and work in order to do so.
But for a few of us, 50k isn't much of a challenge, so we bring the personal challenge back to NaNo. This is where we set our own goals above and beyond 50k and get to know our fellow overachiever-kind. We write those words, and we write them fast.
Join us, fellow overachievers. Whether your goal is to go 5k or 500k beyond the original 50k goal, you're welcome here. Let us celebrate, commiserate, and chat here together this NaNo season.
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Well I must be mad but I'm going for 100,000 this time. Why? Because life pretty much sucks ... need to change my attitude back to a positive, can do approach - I've started so I'll finish but it's tough.
When life gets like this for me I start to write like there's no tomorrow - plus I have a few projects I need to show to some very important people at the beginning of December so I need to focus ... I always used to say to people who know me that Billy Ocean was wrong - when the going gets tough, the tough get WRITING ... well as I've effectively stopped writing this year (a few half hearted attempts but nothing serious, only writing my journals for my course but even that only when I can be bothered), I need to get tough again. Hopefully we can all support each other in our attempts. WHat I love about NaNo is that everyone gets behind each other! Hope some of that makes sense - I've been awake most of the night so I'm probably talking gobbledygood (a language some would say I excel at!) :-)
Good luck everyone!
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Would it be NaNoWriMo if I didn't try for at least 100K? Of course not. :) This will be my 5th year of overachieving, so yay for that! And as a plus: I'm unemployed this year, so more time to write!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Of course it won't be more time to write. More time to procrastinate about writing!
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Yay 100k!
You've inspired me to do 75k this year. :-) I'm going to win at the Night of Writing Dangerously and continue that pace on for the rest of the month.
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Fantastic!!!!!
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It looks like I might very well reach 75k myself, or at least 60k. I'm looking to give myself a break this week, so we shall see. But I started late -- the 5th -- and am at ca. 38k words already, and my story is by no means going to be finished at the 60k mark, so I might be inspired late in the month when, fueled by the carb-filled gorgefest that is Thanksgiving and being given a couple days off at work, I just might be able to do a heap of writing toward the very end, even though I'll have already reached the 50k mark before then.
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You have only 700 words. I'm going for 100,000 too, and I'm behind at about 5500 at the moment. I'm gonna catch up over the weekend, though.
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Popping in to say yes, I'll be overachieving surely. No, no clue what the goal is this year. AHHH!
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last year I topped the 500,000 mark. This year, no way. I am aiming to complete three projects, which will put me at the top end of the 200k mark, but other than that, there is no way in hell I am aiming for the half million again. It almost killed me last time!
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I'm definitely not an overachiever, and have yet to even hit the 50,000 goal. I just came in to say that I am in awe of your 500,000 words. Truly. You rock!
All of you guys are an inspiration. If you can push yourselves (even though you could settle at 50,000 and make it an easy win), the I can too. Good luck to us all!
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Goodness! I thought that 500,000 was a typo for a second then I read on and I was all....WOW
I thought 100,000 was hard when I did it. Good job faeroe_kitten!
- Chey
cheyennelynnae.com
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Just want to say WOW! Averaging 16,000~ words a day for 30 days is amazing! You're my NaNo hero!
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Pardon my French, but flipping hell! 500K is amazing! I didn't realise that was even possible! Isn't that 16k a day? And I struggle with 50k, wow. You're an inspiration to me :') lol.
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Last year I found myself consoling someone who failed to shoot for 1,000,000 words.
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Give that person a brownie and explain to her that she will die if she tries to write one million effing words in a month.
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Agreed. Isn't an epic something like 250k words? Like, something people might take years writing? I mean, my story's probably going to be a 2-parter (as in it'll take up two book-sized parts) and I'm looking at MAYBE 200k words total. 250k would be pushing it.
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It depends on the series, I think. Stephen King's Dark Tower series (yeah, I know he is long winded) currently sits at 1.3 MILLION words, and another book is about to be released. It is really just one story; there aren't much in the way of time jumps between the books*, sometimes none at all, and it follows the same character(s) throughout.
What I mean is, it's not a series in the same way, say, Harry Potter is a series - that takes place over many years, where the story only focuses in for part of them. This is one long (LONG) narrative.
I think it would be highly unusual, though. And I am rather curious as to *what* she's writing, though I think she's more or less on track.
*There is currently one big time jump between books 3 and 5 (4 is almost entirely flashback), but the 8th book is fixing that.
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Point taken when it comes to a SERIES of books rather than just one novel. I mean, I'm sure Dark Tower comprises at least five books or something, and I can see that being -- at the VERY least -- 750k words right there. Maybe even more. I mean, I'm sure the complete Hitchhikers' Guide is about a million words long, but it's five books' worth of stuff (even though Douglas Adams, the joker, called it a "trilogy").
FYI, I revised my thinking after thinking how far I am in my plot. I think each part of my two-parter will end up being roughly 115k words in length for a total of 230k. Oh, and this will end up being my very first novel, and I'm counting on being able to do some fast forwarding and shortcutting through certain parts of the plot once I finish establishing the first week of the story. Though if I have to do any more extra setups and explanations, it could very well end up reaching 125k per part/250k total.
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hahhaha :D
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I'm going 75 linked short stories or up to 30 novellas for a total of 325k. It's my ninth year, and I'm raring to go.
Given it's also the year my first novel from Nano is officially launched and released (on my birthday, in the middle of November), it's going to be a heck of a busy month, but overachievers WOOOO!
Kaiberie
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Congratulations! Whoohoo! That rocks!
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I did 76k in Camp NaNo. I don't know how long my story will go, I'm thinking 75, maybe.
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*looks at thread post count*
*looks back at first post*
HAAAAHHH
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I know, right? I love all of you. :D
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I would like to reformulate my Nanowrimo experience based on what I believe is normal Novel Length of 300-500k this might probably take 3 months at a guess or if over the month it is between 10,000 and 16,000 words a day.
I probably won't make it. I have to make 50,000, but it would be good to do Nano with this revised model.
best wishes all.
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Normal novel length is between 90,000 and 120,000 with good thick novels going up to 150,000 or so. 300k-500k is the "doorstop" level at which the paperback spine cracks in your hands from reading even when it's new. It's beyond King size. Editors may ask you to break it into three or four volumes as a set in order to fit the presses easier.
This isn't a bad thing, especially if you structure it in sections that could go into Volumes 1-3 or something. Tolkein's book was that size. Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series is really one enormous book in seven volumes. Go for it. Your story may just be that big.
Just be aware that's not normal, it's exceptional and that of course may be all to its advantage. I like a good thick book or a series that's a really long story in more than one volume. That's more satisfying to read sometimes. Plenty of room for depth, complexity and a large cast.
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I'm a bona fide overachiever. My biggest year, I did five novels of 80,000 words each. Yep. I got over 400,000 words that year. Had a sixth novel that got to 50k by the end but I spent two or three December days finishing it after the deadline. So that was my big year.
Going for word count alone isn't the big challenge. I have too many unedited trunk novels. Too many of them are good novels. They just don't go anywhere after I write them. I post a good excerpt. I put little teasers on my blog. Friends ask me when they'll be in print... and they don't go anywhere.
Not this year.
My usual goal of course is 50k or more, finish the book. But every year I set an uber-goal, a super goal that takes everything I've got. I push for that and I've gotten it more than once.
This year's Super Goal, the Overachiever Goal is the toughest one I've ever faced.
This year I'll write my novel, probably about 80k since I've settled into that as an average length. Maybe 90k or so. Somewhere in between. But I want it edited by December. Not just written, beaten into shape to the level that I could either submit it to a pro editor or send it off to a paid editor to prepare for an indie production.
I don't have to decide yet which I'm going to do with this book. I just want to know for myself that I can produce one on this schedule. I entered the 3 Day Novel Contest this year officially, finished my 3DN in the first two days and managed in 14 blistering hours on the third day to edit the entire book before uploading the 60k manuscript. If I could do a rough edit in one day under Three Day Novel conditions, I can do a good thorough job on this novel during November.
If I have time, I will write another book. If I get too tired of editing when it's done, I'll write another book and allow myself writing sessions as rewards for doing the editing sessions. Currently I've edited the chapter I just wrote.
Knowing I'm still building word count, I'm padding and detailing a hair more than tightening. I added about 150 words total after trim-and-replace edits. I'm pretty good at line editing with a "tighten" or "expand" focus by now.
Ray Bradbury, in "Death is a Lonely Business" had his writer protagonist tell the detective who was a closet writer: "Vomit in your typewriter every morning. Clean it up at noon."
Maybe that's the rhythm that works for me. Whatever my best editing process is, this year I'm going to discover it.
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Incidentally, my avatar is my title character, Trouble. He's a cat. Trouble in the City is that cat's adventures in San Francisco in an urban fantasy. Hey, white skin, golden strange eyes, long black hair, big white fangs, pointed ears? He's a chick magnet, just think about Twilight. It comes natural to him even if he doesn't sparkle.
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I'd totally be one of Trouble's girls.
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I am actually somewhat amazed that I'm on track to making 100k this year. I have tried for 100k many times, but never made more than 55k. This is the first year that I had enough words at the start of day 2 to be on track for 50k, let alone more. I'm amazed at how much progress I've made.
So, I'm officially declaring that this is the y ear I'll make 100k words. It is also the first year that I've actually ended up writing a romance. I've said it before and always changed my mind at the last minute to either Fantasy or Science Fiction. This is also the first time I've had my story planned out to the pint where the story seemed to appear as fast as i can type/speak.
Good luck to us all! May we all achieve our goals in 2011!
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10k hit hooray! I am trying to do a normal normal length novel but need 16k a day to make it over the 30 days.
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11,757 words done!! it doesn't feel too much what is remaining but I am using every bit of Waterfall Inspiration I can to move my plot along and strangely it is providing inspiration.
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I have the new goal of finishing the barest draft of the entire novel in 30 days rather than how many words. 50,000, phff, I'm already nearing that goal's halfway mark a week early. Now getting the barest rough draft of a novel in 30 days ... that takes much more work.
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BTW, this is my first NaNo.
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*sadz*
you beat me :(
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You're still my hero Kateness! I bow to your fastly typing fingers and though I know I shall never achieve such greatness as yours, it comforts me that there are people whose wordcount surpasses my own!!!
Oh yeah and when I get mocked for overachieving I tell them "If you think I'm bad, you should see Kateness!"
Love and hugs!
:-)
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Purring at you and frisking happily! Kateness is here, all is well in the Overachievers Thread, all is very well.
You soared high and wild, far past me on my biggest-ever year. You are my hero too. Ari and I are in awe of your greatness, Kateness. Ari sheds many Cat Hairs of Inspiration.
Whoever starts this (and it was me one of the sequel threads) you're still going to be producing on a galactic scale with the momentum of a literary goddess.
I managed a humble double-count day for my first day, a respectable overachievement. More so because I just edited that chapter and added 150 net words when I finished fixing the name change (three of them to figure out who he was!), checking the grammar and making sure all the spoken dialogue was attributed to Brian the human rather than Trouble the cat. Brian still doesn't get it that this cat responds to every word he says and just can't speak English through cat jaws. But he will.
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I've been considering upping my goal, but as I've not yet managed to write 50k in one month, I might be getting ahead of myself.
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If you aim for the stars, you may reach the moon. Try for 100,000. A hard push to get to twice the goal will get you past 50k on momentum. Have a go!
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Sushi! Kateness! Hi again! :D
Trying to decide between 75K and the insaner 100K this year. I tried for 120K last year and got to 78K (hello, new relationship!). And this year, I just moved to DC and am still job searching, so...should I be realistic, you think? Or push myself?
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Push yourself. What if you go for 120k and get 98k? You'll still do better than getting 75k and coasting on a green bar. Besides. This year I'm still settling in from moving to San Francisco, need to get a new bank-like thing (credit union), get two tax forms done, pay my license fee, go out and sell art in the Street Artist Program, jump through paperwork hoops to get a rollator, try to get into low income subsidized housing so I'm not living on $244 a month after rent and handle an offline social life after a decade of Medical House Arrest.
I can still overachieve. I may even do two books this year, though it'd be a miracle if Super Goal includes editing both. I've got two concepts so it's distinctly possible.
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I am so pissed at all of you for posting in sushi's thread and not mine.
I'm not talking to *any* of you.
:D
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Overachievers respond to both threads? Challenge accepted.
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^ Best reply ever.
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I totally did it too, but then Dragonchilde closed the duplicate and ruined all our fun. ;D
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^Seconded
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ILU GAIZ.
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Mew? There's a Kateness thread? I'll go look and post in yours too.
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Overacheiving didn't go so well for me last year, but this year I'm not moving house and my anxiety's really improving, so I'm going to go for 100K. I already write 1000 words a day, so 1667 isn't much of a step up. 3333 sounds better.
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I haven't written 50K yet (after 4 years, I'm gonna do it this year), but my plot is super intense, so I'm thinking a reasonable 75K if I write 2k words per day. While trying to move, work, and maintain a relationship.
It's on!
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Hello everyone.
Yes, I will be doing a lot of words this year. I was one of the first people (10 years ago) to go over 100,000, and I have enjoyed it every since. I don't know how much I'll do this year but I intend for it to be fun.
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Hello :)
I'm setting my goal at 100K this year. I made 98K last year, so I know it's not impossible. It's my fifth NaNo, I'd like to really rock this thing.
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A definite overachiever over here! Since my first Nano, actually.
I'm not sure what my total word count is going to be, but I'm working on 8 outlines for this season. I want to have plenty to write on and not get stopped (that happened one year). All of them are science fiction but in at least 3 different sub-genres.
My biggest Nano year was 160,605 words. I want to beat that this year.
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I still haven't won, but I'm hoping for 60k this year - my novel's a YA story, so it will be, at the very most, 75 or 80k - 60k should give me a decent rough draft.
That is, of course, given that I don't find a job between now and December. If I do...I'll still shoot for it, but I'm not sure I can do it.
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Last year I wrote 75k and that was with writing no words at all during the final week. I'd love to get 100k which was my aim last year but I'm being more realistic at 80k. That way I've beaten last years and I know I can do it.
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I'll do 200k.
Really, this time.
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I'm not making a number commitment at this time.
Last year, I barely scraped 60k because of my job situation. I have the same job, but I think maybe now that I'm used to this shit, I can do better.
I'll guesstimate closer to the date :D
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Zette, I was going through very old forum posts in search of something and found one from... 2003, I think? saying that most folks with word counts higher than yours were probably cheating. How small NaNo was then.
Since I never stated my goal for this year, I'm aiming for a total of a million words over all ten of my NaNos. I have 193820 words to go, which is completely doable this year, so that's getting rounded up to 200k to make the number easier to remember.
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I'm not so sure about the cheating, except when it is obvious. Someone posting 100,000 words the first day -- yeah, that's not playing fair. Does it matter? Not really. This is about what you are doing for you, not what anyone else is doing.
Me? I'm having fun.
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Exactly. It shouldn't matter. NaNo is a personal challenge, and if you put nothing into NaNo, you certainly won't get anything out. If there's no fun involved, then what's the point?
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I never accuse people of cheating because, one, it doesn't really matter to me what they're doing, and, two, I was accused of cheating once and it's not that much fun. Also, I figure, I only know what I am capable of writing, not what anyone else is, and, well, I might have thought I was cheating, too, if I didn't know me. :)
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And three because it's against the rules, amirite :D
I am once again on the patrol for accusations this year. Hooray!
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My goal is 120k this year. That's about what it takes for me to actually finish a story, and I've done it twice before, but last year I just barely scraped out the 50k, so I'm a little nervous about making it.
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Last year was my first year and I never really thought I could make it to 50K. I made it to 50K by the 11th day. By the end of November, I was almost to 102K. So this year I'm aiming for 108K right away. I am proud to be an overachiever.
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I am not an overachiever... I am a procrastinator so I usually make it to 50k only a few days early and then relax for the rest of the month. XD
BUT, I am writing an ongoing project and I'd like to keep slogging away 1k or more a day on it, which I guess would make my monthly output 80k. I'm not going to count my other novel's additions on my NaNo wordcount bar, though ^^
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Good luck, overachievers! I don't know whether I can join you this year, but I'll definitely be trying to pull a few overachieving days. Going to aim for at least one 15k day. It will either be in the beginning or right at the end.
Good luck all, you are amazing!
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You know, I've basically got two plots going on here, and last year I hit something like 70k. I think I'll try for 100k, because I totally need to stress myself out. :D
Heck, if I write that much I might even finish the novel. And if I finish the book before 100k, I've got plenty of other things set in the same universe that I can switch over to.
So, um. Hi guys!