Progress Report

I need a quick arse-kicking. I'm at work, where I have *lots* of free time (nothing to do but answer the occasional phone call and point lost students to the registry), I have my notebook sitting in front of me... and I'm ever-so-slightly panicked, so I haven't written a word.

Right, that's me kicking my own arse. I give myself permission to suck. Pen poised. Wish me luck...

Update: I've just written 33 words. I'm in!

Hi All

Well, did start writing at 5:45 AM this morning in Edinburgh (drank large mugs of coffee) and *didn't* get all the Daily Words done! Blast! Got to about 1000. Looked at the blank first page and -- knowing how important the first bits are -- got stuck. Then googled something, got inspired, and was off. By then, though, I was behind time-wise. Am at work now, but this just isn't the place to write the Nano novel itself. Too many interruptions. So, it's tonight or bust. Not my best beginning. Hope the rest of you are faring better. This is my third Nano. Lost the first one due to physical house move; won the second; have no idea where I'll come out with this one. Good luck, the rest of you!

2200 in my (first?) session today. Being underemployed, I have time on my hands. However, I seem to have not used any of it to any great use :) I'll see if I can bring myself to add some more later on...

The only excuse I can give for my obnoxiously high word count is that I hated the plot I was gonna write, switched it to something off the top of my head, and wrote for ages as a means of procrastination. By the way, I did get my work done as well!

WC as of day 1, 9.20pm: 4,878

Well done, everyone!

I've done two sessions yesterday (first one 1,685 words and the second one 1,871 words). I hope to repeat the stunt today, but with the children at home I'm not that sure.

This is the first year when I have no plot or characters or any story idea. Just floating in the dark with a feeble flash light. I've already found myself criticising the first pages and I needed to slap that damned inner critic back to its cupboard.

Keep on paddling, everyone! :o)

Now up to 2642 words. And I've actually written an half decent line of dialog after slogging through hours of crap. Yay for me.[edit] and I've posted an excerpt.

I'm starting to think that every day of this thing is going to house a whole new panic for me. I panicked yesterday, but managed to make the quota with a scene I'm not unhappy with (excerpt's up!). But now I'm panicking again, because I have no idea what will happen next...

Hit 2000 yesterday. Toiling today.

Hit 2145 in day 1.

I'm on my lunch break at work, have an apple left to eat then I'm off to venture into Day 2.

Hiya there. As i haven't got a job i've had plenty of time to write hence the word count! have to say after last years poor account i'm feeling very good about my novel. I've posted a bit of it so far, will do more soon. I had hoped to stear myself away from fanasty but that doesn't seem to be working! Oh well.

keep up the typing.

Love Billy

Hi All

Am doing much better today. Have done The Words already (early this morning) and characters are starting to develop a wee bit of muscle (as opposed to bare bones). Nano is such an interesting process. Hurtling instead of crawling (i.e. niggling over every word) throws the doors wide open. Allows all sorts of unexpected possibilities to surface. Am enjoying it.

Am hoping to build up enough steam during this lovely Week One in the hope that sheer momentum will carry me through the dreadful slog of Week Two. (Had two writing buddies bail on me last year during Week Two. Both for different reasons.)

Sounds like a lot of words being produced out there. Well done all! Keep it up!

So far I've got 6K which is more than what I managed last year. But I blame that on the fact I've pulled two all-nighters so far and slept the days. My house is too noisy in the day.

I have got up to 3k now and writing when the headaches aren't too bad so i can sit on the computer to work. It isn't too hard to write the story as with it being comedy at least i have the option if i get a minor block to write a couple of paragraphs of random funny stuff about something i have just mentioned.

Should get up to a better speed the next few days and get back on course to get this story done by hopefully around the middle of the month, giving me time to try to start another story my evil muse is taunting me with in the background.

SCM

I just hit my first 10k hurdle!!!

<----------Is So so proud.

It was after a very jolly moment when I suddenly took a spurt and wrote out a whole page (800 words) in under half and hour.
Hope every1 else is doing well too!

Anyway gotta go do some more :P

Ben

I've just hit 10K. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee.

I've had some ups and downs. I decided to write spontaneously so I entered November with only a vague idea of a plot & no characters. I feel compelled to get those 1667 words done every day as I'm not sure I'll make it up if I miss a day. That's one of the things that has kept me writing.

Day one was all about dipping. I wrote one little scenario with a couple of characters, then brought in a distantly related scenario on the other side of the world, then a third scenario with a very different character. Day two came together a lot better. Day three was a total wash out. (Literally - I've discovered that bathing blows away my thoughts so I won't be making that mistake again!) Sunday was more of a journal write up but I had to write something; I excused myself by thinking I could maybe fit it into the story later on.

Now, on day 5 I have had a good plot idea. At least, it seemed like a good idea earlier today and still does. I wrote about it and it turned out well. Time will tell whether my flow will continue with it or whether I'll hit another wall.

Fun stuff!

hi guys
i crawled over 8k last night. have been pretty pleased with my productivity so far, but can feel the doubts creeping in now, and need to kick myself up the arse for tonight's session - quantity over quality is right! not letting myself re-read too much, but have a lot of post-its on the wall...and my inner-editor is putting up a good fight. Still - i'm enjoying it - and i get the feeling i should enjoy it while i can as i only hear bad things about week 2 ;o0
right, back to the words...
happy writing all!

currently at about 11,000 words and struggling but found a way around it. i simply doa bout 7-800 words take a break relax, do some work, thern go back in and do another 7-800 words, watch tv read a book, and then do another 7-800 words. this has worked so far.
i have new excerpt up about giants in love.

I keep wanting to chew my hands off for half the paragraphs I write, but I'm getting there! A wee bit behind at about 6,233 words on day five (argh need like 2000 more), but I'm trying to ignore the temptation to run around with fireworks and stay home writing, haha.

Hi. Am reading everyone's progress reports with interest. Last time I did Nano (2005), I had no outline. By second week, I found it really hard to keep going. (I did keep going and 'won.') By third week, I was just forcing the words out. I was lost in the story and not in a good way. I grit my teeth and went on with it. But here's the thing, it stopped being fun. And nano is supposed to be fun. Well, that's the impression I get from Baty and his coffee inspired friends (fiends) in the Bay Area.

This year, in a wish to rediscover my sense of fun, I decided to try the outline method and I have to say, everyone, it's working like a charm. No, I don't get far ahead, but I do keep plugging away. I do keep filling in the bits that I think come next. And no, it hasn't crippled anything at all. I've got characters doing things I haven't expected, I've got additional points of view, and despite all the structure and 'interference' from me the author, the story seems to be tap-dancing along. I know outlines aren't for everyone, and believe me, I've never ever thought they were for me, but all of you who are stuck out there -- why not try a little mind-mapping for your next scene. Then pretend it's like paint by numbers and fill it in. If you want a green sky, then paint one. My word count is 8379. And yep, I'm still up at 6:00 AM.

Don't know if this helps or not.

I've hit 10,428 words after 5 days, putting me a good solid 2000 words ahead of schedule. I intend on keeping - nay, increasing - that lead on myself.

My first ever NaNo, really enjoying it ^_^

After 3 whole days of non- writing (not even 1 word) I've started again. I wrote just over 1,800 this morning. I hope for more in the evening.

The hardest thing is sitting down to write. :o)

Keep it up Pencilone ^_^ You'll close the gap before you know it ;)

Scored me about 12,000 last night - so I'm pleased with my progress ^_^

over 15,000 now am still astonished at my progress.

Nice one Kevin ^_^

Keep going at it or I'll be over taking you soon ;)

My story is growing at the astonishing pace of 100 words a day ... I only have about an hour writing time during the week right now but you don't even need to be a master of procrastination to waste that too! The good thing is that once I've actually started the story I managed to write a few lines per day meaning I'm not loosing the touch with my story. However, a kick in ass (it's big enough so missing it is rather hard :D) now and then couldn't hurt either ;)!

Ok i am up to just under 7k word count now and not really written for more than 1-2 hours a day so far for various reasons but hopefully from Thursday onwards i can crank it up a bit and start 4-5 hour sessions. Should move my word count on 6-7.5k a day and help me get this nano story done by middle of the month.

SCM

Come to the West End Starbucks tonight and get your writerly ass kicked. Am happy to provide the service! I'm at 12,000
words plus.

If you like, I'll bring along my villain. He's cold. Very cold.

Best, Kate

I guess I'd better get started! Last year I won - but then I had nothing else to do. This year I'm busy. I'll do some right now. Then I'll have started.

I'm just passed 14k, but lately my characters have taken to comic book form, which is annoying because drawing them is a pain. Oh well, hoping to hit 15k before I go to bed.

I started great guns on the first day and wrote over 2000 words. Then major word blockage hit on the Friday and nothing got written. Saturday saw just over 400 words written. Sunday we will forget (no words). Monday saw a trickle. Did better on Tuesday and wrote over a 1000. Wednesday and it was back to a trickle again. Tonight was good, over a 1000 words written.

I am now sitting at just over 5000 and I'm proud. I'm not giving up and am determined to get as many words as I can written down on paper by midnight on the 30th.

I've also discovered that I get more done if I am out of the flat meeting up with a group of like minded Nanoers. The two days where I wrote over 1000 words were when I was at Starbucks on Princes Street, Edinburgh at a Write In :)