It's October!

I'm here. I had to skip last year, but I'm totally up for this year.

Can't wait for Nov 1.

Bev

This is my second year at this, and I want to finish this year!!! Last year I got to 32k, which isn't bad for a first try, I suppose. Still, a lot has changed between then and now, and I'm ready and raring to go!!!

I should have a lot more time to write this year...last year I had a boyfriend to spend hours on the phone with and a mom who insisted that cleaning my room and doing my laundry came before my attempts at Literary greatness. This year, that boyfriend is now my husband, and he doesn't mind if I don't clean my room as long as his socks still get washed and dinner winds up on the table some way or another. My house will probably be trashed come Thanksgiving, but no one's going to see it anyway, so...

I'm also a lot more prepared. I joined on Nov. 2 last year, and didn't start writing until the next day. I had no rhyme or reason to my madness...I just threw down the story as it came to me, which is what I've always done with my writing. But this time feels different. The idea for the story came to me on the 1st, lol...after having stressed over it for a week. The outline, in it's entirety, came last night. What's more, I actually LIKE it! The pace seems reasonable, the storyline makes sense (no weird rabbit trails to follow into dead-novel land), and the characters are forming themselves more and more as the days go by.

To think that the bones are already there, I know how this thing is supposed to end, AND I know how to get from point A to point B at this early stage in the game is exciting. That's NEVER happened to me before, and while I'm sure a lot will change between now and Nov. 1st, I feel like it will be a lot easier to just write when I've mashed out all of the details ahead of time. I'm torn between wanting to take every second of October to mull over what I'm going to do, and wanting Nov. to get here so I can actually start writing!!!!!!!!!

Hiya this is my second year. I did as a bunch of people and thre it together as I went...I got to about 30,000. This year though I want to go all the way and finish in the month provided. I plan on spending October outiling and getting my characters done. What does everyone else write, genre wise? I like juvenile fiction thrillers ( teen oriented ) and science fiction. Last year I thought I was prepared, but I think I learned from my mistakes.

I heard alot of my buddies who signed up this year who were on last year that knowing what to expect from past experience is probably the most helful tool. I've been co - authoring alot lately too and I think that it will be great to get a chance at writing alone for a while this year. Good luck to everyone and I cannot wait to actually start working on this.

This is my second year, but I pretty much crashed and burned last year. My life was a wreck, and adding NaNo on top of that was sheer madness on my part.

But things are looking up for me, and I successfully Screnzy-ed. So... I know I can write 20k. That'll be a good place to start.

Woo-hoo! Go me! Go NaNo! To VICTORY! *Slaps on barbarian warpaint and runs around the room.*

Caffinated_cuppa, you can get a cool (magic writing) viking hemlet at Party City to go with your barbarian warpaint.

-I've written Sci-Fi for my own almost month long writing experiment and for my Script Frenzy victory.

-For this NaNo, I'm going to try my hand at fantasy, humor, some-what Sci-Fi, adventure. I'm going for 50,000 words or more of heroic heroes having to save the know world from WMDs (Wombats of Mass Destruction).

-My other goal is to dodge Y2K bugs this weekend and have the most posts of any NaNoian ever. :-)

Good writing!

~ Keyboard Warrior

Woo hoo! I didn't see so many responses ... this is cool!

Shorea, I know what you mean about the planning ... that happened for me last year and it rocked! I hope I can do that this year, but I don't think so...

I like juvenile fiction best, so my stuff is either juvenile or ageless (or at least that's what I'm going for). My first big WIP (non-Nano) was a sort of cross between science fiction and fantasy, my first Nano was sci-fi and a parallel story to that one. Last year was much more sci-fi-ish and a mystery too, and definitely juvenile. It was so cool to write, though it needs tons of editing. This year sci-fi again, maybe some mystery thrown in. Teen/young adult characters this time. I keep tackling different aspects of my little universe. This one seems to want to be military, which I know nothing about.

I've finally started to jot some planning notes, and a list of questions to research for background. No real plot yet .. there are a few things I want my characters to accomplish eventually, but not in the scope of this story, so I'm still looking ...

Happy planning, All!

It's nice to know that there are other people from around North Alabama in this with me. It's my first year and I think I've got a good story lined up.

Now I just need time... football practice and school may hinder my 50k dreams however.

Now then, Go Auburn!!

Ahh, the insanity begins. It feels good to be back here again!

Now, as for a goal this year...pathetically, I just want to reach 10K! November is one of the most hectic months of my life. Last year was my first year trying this, and I only managed 8600-something words before I just flat out ran out of time. But I'm also writing around my birthday, studying for exams, doing homework, working, and this year, my aunt is supposed to have her baby in November! Distraction is my middle name, heh.

Anyway, so...us North Alabamians will have to really support each other this year! We can *totally* reach our goals. :)

-B.

It's great to see so many Alabama Wrimos here! :D

This will be my second year of doing NaNo. Last year I wrote a little over 50,000 words, but never got around to finishing the story. Looks like I need about 30,000 more until I'm finished. Oh well.

For this year, I've decided that's not going to happen again. My main goal is to write 50k, and be able to type the words 'The End' at the end. That means outlining during October, and that is what I'm doing. I've discovered that if I write with more of an idea where I'm going, then I won't have the story dragging out to 80k+

Happy planning everyone!

Yay! There are lots of us already, in spite of slow forums! Woo Hoo! We're off to a great start!

Does anyone know if there will be a Huntsville Area kickoff meeting this year?

Hooray Huntsvegas!
I was wondering if anyone lived near me.
As for kickoff party. I don't know. I'm a noob at Nanowrimo, but if someone else knows what goes on at a kickoff meeting, then I'd be willing to set up a time and place.

Not sure. Haven't seen our fearless ML (Municipal Liaison) online yet this year. I imagine there will be, though.

There tend to be a lot of write-ins and events at the bread place over on University near BabiesRUs, I think, and at the bookstores. I don't usually make it to any of them though.

Howdy All you North AL Wrimos and newbies,
Thanks, Kristen, for the wake-up call. Going for 30-K and cheering on the crew sound like mighty respectable goals to me. I'm still going to try for the whole enchilada, along with the halapenos. If I make it, that will be 4 out of 5 years. Not bad, so long as I finish one of these and move on to stellar literary stardom soon! Quack, quack . . .

I had done this really lovely events post with an email on our kick-off dinner, but it appears that the super-charged ether of the new site ate my homework. So, for those who'd like to join us "Dutch-treat," for sheer exuberant insanity, let's look at a couple of kick-off options here, BUT both at Jade Palace restaurant on University Dr. and Boardwalk, Huntsville, AL (Benny would miss us if we went somewhere else):

OPTION NO. UNO:
Saturday, October 20, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (closing), then over to Barnes & Noble further West on University Dr. as time suggests,

or

OPTION NO. DUO (Sorry, but did I ever suggest I spoke a second language?)
Sunday, October 21, 11:00 a.m. to 1:p.m., then we vacate the much-needed tables and anyone who wishes to continue talking novel-trash, off to Barnes & Noble further West on University Dr.
(one distinct advantage of this choice is that Benny is running his famous all-you-can-stuff family brunch during these hours).

May I collect some votes, please? If there's enough interest in each time, Bryan and I will go to both UNO and DUO, complete with goody bags, so a prior RSVP-sort-of-thing head count would be great!

I had this great idea for the kick-off this year. Each of us come prepared to write down our proposed plot (or lack thereof) on a 3x4" index card (sort of like in 50 words or less), then we swap them with others. The second writer adds their own special touch, a plot coupon guaranteed to advance the plot. If you've never heard of plot coupons, take a look at Nick Lowe's well-read article, The Well-Tempered Plot Device, at this link: http://news.ansible.co.uk/plotdev.html .

Off to dream of Nano-stardom . . .
Amy (and Bryan, in abstenta, too), your co-ML(s) for Alabama: North

Very unlikely that I'll be able to attend either of those (y'all remember my stellar zero attendance of last year, right? LOL) but maybe I can pop in and say hi or something. Oddly, it won't be the panic attacks keeping me from coming, but other commitments all weekend.

I love the plot coupon idea! Maybe we can do a cyber-swap for those who can't attend. I need to go read your link and see what all it involves.

Glad to see you, Amy (and Bryan)!

I vote for Sunday, 21st.
otherwise, I can't make it.
can I bring a guest (that's not participating in Nanowrimo)?

Hello, fellow Alabamians! Yet another resident of Huntsville here.

This is my first year participating in NaNoWriMo. I typically stick to short fiction and journalistic essays, so this will be quite an adventure for me. :-) My husband also plans to participate, and he has a far better plot idea than I do, hehe.

As for a kickoff meeting, Sunday the 21st would work better for both of us.

I'm a newbie too! Yes, I am in Huntsville as well. If you all are going to meet somewhere I'd be interested. I'm scared!!!!

Hello, another new to NaNo this year. I've heard about it before, but I just never had the chance to jump in.

Actually, I have a couple WIPs that have been bugging me for years, and I've decided to use NaNo in an attempt to finish them up in 2007. I'm currently doing a 15K "warm up" to finish off the fantasy children's novel I've been working on. I'm shooting for 50-60K in November on a speculative fiction novel I've been writing and rewriting for years. (Yes, I know.)

Now that I know the major mistakes I've made over the years, I'm overhauling the novel to correct them and add some complexity to the plot. 50K won't see the end of the novel, but it'll get me close. With what I already have in the first three chapters, 60K should finish it off nicely. And, even if I don't make it all the way to the end, anything's better than the stuck in chapter 4 stand still I've had going on the past six months or so.

I'd love to come out to the kick off meeting, but I don't think I'll be able to make either with a sick toddler at home right now. Please let those of us who miss it know how it goes.

Cheers,
Tekaran Lady

Well, the problem there is that with Nanowrimo, you're supposed to start fresh. With something you've not written a single word on at all. It's a exercise to make you start writing, rather than to finish something. It's to get you to write 50K without being frightened that you'll screw up or not write your best because there is no editing process in November. just writing.
you start with something new so that the shift between edited to non-edited work won't be apparent, and you won't feel constrained by the previously written work, and also, what's to stop you from putting in your first 3 chapters in when you total it all up at the end of the month to see if you got 50k?

If it's taking an old idea and starting it over from scratch, that's within the rules. But editing and adding to an existing manuscript isn't, that's true. But there's no reason you can't do that anyway and join in the insanity, it just doesn't count as an 'official' nano.

By the way, there's National Novel Editing Month in March and that's a ton of fun too! www.nanoedmo.net .. makes a nice follow up to Nano, or you can use any manuscript you want for it.

I took an old idea for my first Nano, actually I wrote a parallel novel from another character's point of view. It was lousy writing but it did help me clarify things to take back to my main WIP. :) There's all sorts of ways to tackle a Nano novel.

You start with something new so that the shift between edited to non-edited work won't be apparent, and you won't feel constrained by the previously written work, and also, what's to stop you from putting in your first 3 chapters in when you total it all up at the end of the month to see if you got 50k?
- Quoted from Aloria

Honesty's what will keep me from entering the first three chapters. What's the fun in it if I cheat?

Basically I am keeping the main plot and a couple subplots and writing everything from scratch all over again. I had a good plot, but there were so many errors in the way I was writing it from sub plots with gaping holes, fatally flawed characters, and a chronic issue with point-of-view that there's only a phrase here or there that's salvageable other than just the skeleton of the plot. I actually haven't really touched the thing for over three years now other than very slowly rewriting the first three chapters from scratch and dreaming up ways to fix the plot holes, fleshing out the characters, changing the histories and/or ages of a few, and finding ways to darken it up a touch.

Yeah, it may be a little sketchy, but I think it fits inside the rules since it'll barely be recognizable as the same piece once it's completed, and I don't have much to go on besides the brand spanking new outline.

Ah! in that case, it should be quite fine. ^_^

I'll be able to be at either kick off.

Does it seem to anyone else that time is standing still? Will it never be November 1? Last year I hadn't a good story idea and November 1 came barrelling up on me. Now that I have fully developed bios on all of my characters, and plot outlines and sub-plot outlines, the days refuse to move forward.

Ah, me.

I'll see you all soon,
K

No hurry here ... still waiting for my plot! Ideas are coming in dribbles here and there. I have two of my characters, but still working out the setting details, need a few thousand more characters, and a sequence of events that actually works. Ack!!!!!

Aww - that sucks.
I've got the opposite problem.
I know who I want to torture for 50k words, and generally how I want to torture them - it's keeping myself from writing that's the problem! ;.;
Although - I decided to change my idea to something else. I'd had another idea I was going to write, then decided that while I _could_ write it, the plot was kind of simplistic and better suited to a YA fiction (once I rip out the one or two more adult themes from it - ugh) and there're weren't any random battles involved. I like including a few random battles in my fantasy, at the least - since they're fun to write.
Anyway... I'm occupying myself thinking of world-background info. such as legends and prophecies and writing down a few lines here and there that I might (possibly not) use in the actual story... things that change the bad guy from being a nasty B-tard that needs to DIE to something more gray and possibly correct in his thinking, even if his methods aren't exactly the most moral. ^_^ <3

I have the opposite problem. October seems to be flying for me. Of course, that may have something to do with trying to finish off the middle grade children's novel I've been working on as a warm up and studying up for a new day job at the same time.

Yeah, I can see why October might be flying for you. :) Don't forget to stop and breathe once in awhile!

And let me know if you want a reader sometime after November ... I love mid-grade fantasy!

Looks like Huntspatch is well represented here! I'm in Decatur myself but what's a few miles amongst friends? Great to see a good group of folks and, being as all Southerners are good at helping their neighbors, I figure we'll be sailing well by the end of November! :)

Brandon

I'll be traveling back from B'ham on the 21st, so not too sure if I can make it. Dang it! I want a goody bag!!! I'll see if my fellow rider wants to make a detour to the Jade Palace....

Got my idea (mystery), got my MC (teen guy) got a few plot points... let's see if I can make 3 for 3 with 50K.

Wanda