Non NaNoWriMo Writing Month?

I've only ever done NaNoWriMo while working fulltime, but I know that there are plenty of students who manage it--I guess it all comes down to just how many deadlines you have, how committed you are to school and WriMo, and how you manage your time. I became rather hermit-like, so it was seeing my friends that suffered so that I could write as much as I did.

As for writing at any other month, there are a number of other organizations that plan NaNoWriMo-like activities. I'm part of www.NaNoCoMo.org, which suggests a goal of 30 000 words every month, but really lets you set your own goal each and every month, and you're allowed to continue the same novel, start a fresh one each time, dig out an old novel, or do whatever you like. We'd be happy to have you if you wanted to give a May novel a try ^_^

I haven't tried to do the entire novel in a different month, yet, as I hadn't finished in Nov last year...I...perhaps foolishly...attempted to finish it in December.

Of course, the Real Life that I'd attempted to set aside in November came crashing back with a vengeance in December!

Yeah, I'm one of those who has the full time job...and does a weekend convention in November. Makes for a super cramped time frame. =D

Yet I have friends that have even more time crunched schedules who have succeeded. It just takes more "prep" time along with discipline. Plot outline, character bio's, scheduled (no-interruptions) writing sessions, some secret writing during class or work, and a willingness to set some time aside on Thanksgiving Weekend (in spite of familial commitments) to do writing.

I'm attempting ScriptFrenzy here in April...as kind of a warm up. Then have all intentions of doing NaNo prepwork over the summer...as I polish off my novel from '07.

GMLilith/Wyche/Lisa
MMO Pixelland / Twin Cities

Lack support is a huge problem but the ground rules being the same its possible if you don't have any constraints on your time. Would it be MaNoWriMo? I don't see why not - a special sequel for student types. I've wondered about it myself only because november writing seems to have a distinctive tone. What would happier climes contribute?

I'm a university student, and I've written 2 novels. One I wrote in a month (but over Winter Break) and the second I JUST finished - I wrote it over Feb and March. It's actually a lot easier than I thought to write a novel. I think you should definitely give it a try. It only takes about an hour to an hour and a half a day, which is definitely managable. Or you can do what I did, and write one over 2 months. It's a LOT easier. If you don't want to write it because you don't have time - just make time! In reality, we're all always going to be busy - you just have to set a schedule and stick to it!

Good luck!

My first nano novel I did in June 2006 before I officially signed up. I got a copy of No Plot! No Problem! and did it on my own

I kept myself to the rules and did it, with a thousand or so to spare.

The advantage to November it that you have the support of others when you are feeling discouraged. But any month can be used.

Give it a try and see what happens.

Hope this helps.

I think you should go for it. Write the novel you want to write it the write; it doesn't matting if it's November or not. I tried to write one in january, but i kept procrastinating until today when I finished it :) Now I'm out to do another one this April as a break before I start to edit the first.

Just write the novel. Maybe we could have a progress thread where anyone could put down their goals for the day or month(s) and post how they're doing; I like those things. But write you're story. November isn't the only time you can write.

I with dragonsoul here. If you've got something to write, go for it. As I understand it, November is for those who have an idea but need an excuse to get on with it. If you're ready for the words to come out, let 'em come out.

After NaNoWriMo 2007, I took December off. The race to 50K+ ran me into the ground and I needed a breather. I'm not a student but I work almost every hour there is - the months leading up to Christmas, particularly November, are extremely busy for me. I eventually finished the NaNo in January (came in at around 65K) but, to be honest, it's not my best work.

In mid-February, the words came again and I started the next story. I can't afford to slog like in November ("real life" gets in the way when there are no excuses), so I've been setting myself the task of only writing at weekends.

This has worked quite well for me because the weekdays allow me to think of where I've got to and where the story or relevant scene is going (I allow myself to make notes all the time). I then hit Saturday all fired to go, and push on through Sunday until the words slow down again.

Tomorrow marks the 8th weekend and I'll be crossing the 100K mark for this story before Sunday evening. I've enjoyed it far more than the NaNo race, and it's very likely to be the best of this series of stories. If I tot up the actual days of writing, it'll be 20 days when this weekend has finished (I got extra days around Easter). In 20 days of NaNo, I just snuck over the 50K mark and I was struggling to carry on. At the moment, I will have done 100K words in 20 days over two months and I'm raring to go every Saturday. Once this story is done, I'll immediately be going into the next one.

NaNo has taught me a few things, and I'm grateful for it. If the start of November coincides with the start of a story, I'll be doing it again this year. But if it doesn't, I'll just carry on the way I'm going. It's the words that are important, not the date.

I have tried multiple times to do Nano in November, but the schoolwork becomes outrageous and I fall apart about 20,000 words in. I've been contemplating doing a Nano in a non-Nano month... So here's what I propose. May 1, we both start our novels, and we'll email and IM, share our story, and become each other's support systems - what we're missing doing it in May instead of November.

What do you think?

If this sounds like a good idea to you, email me at noellenitrogen@aim.com

I wrote like a maniac throughout middle school and high school. I never kept track of my word count or anything (I mostly handwrote my fiction back then), but I was spending about as much time writing then as I do during NaNo time these days. I finished 10 or 12 novels in those days -- I was WAY more prolific then than I am now! I petered out on novel-length fiction when I was in college / university and spent a lot of time blogging instead, but I got back into noveling after I graduated. These days, I work on my novel and my short stories basically every day, even with a full-time job. Once you start making it a habit, you feel strange when you go a day or two without writing something. I can't imagine *only* writing fiction in November.

Writing in the "off-season" can be a little tough because the motivation that comes from being part of a huge group of writers isn't there. I set word count goals for myself, as well as chapter completion goals. For example, I'm trying to have a 5000-word weekend (Friday evening - Sunday evening), and I'm also trying to get to the end of Chapter 9. I told a lot of people about this -- my husband, my parents, some of my work friends -- and they're keeping me on track. My husband just made me another pot of coffee so I can stay up late tonight, and I know that as soon as I get to work on Monday, I'll have at least 2 or 3 people to ask me, "So, did you make your 5000 words?" Having that kind of external motivation keeps me on a good writing schedule most of the time.

NaNo'ing in college is way easier than it would have been in high school. I prep for it by doing work in advance, as assignments are given out at the beginning of semester 90% of the time, by taking class time seriously, and not being the partying type. Also, I have a part time job, on top of my 18-21 credits a semester.

Still, I do a "NaNoWriMay" (National. Novel Writing.. May) with my writing group and because that's when school's at an end (finals are done by May 5th) I always seem to be fairly productive. The goal there isn't 50,000 brand spanking new words, but 50,000 and a finished product. It's not much different from NaNo for me, because I never do just ONE NaNo novel (though I usually have a "main" one I at least -try- to pretend is the Big One to track).

(Whee, the joys of multiple stories).

If you're a fan of Amelia Atwater Rhodes, check out her nyeusigrube.com forums for my WriMay crew. We usually have a forum section of our own and an AIM chat. Feel free to PM me for the chat info and the likes if you're interested. It's always more fun when you have support!

I've been trying to do my book in April-May.

I do have about 15 pages (or some 9k in words) down, and I've been letting it go freely - type when I get an idea, and write down notes when I don't have my computer.

I'm doing a warm-up novel for November, (Am I the only one who's November ISN'T busy?) but it's been a bit of a struggle. My Genre is in the Historical Fiction/Religious/Youth so....Civil War here we come!

I'm writing my novel 49000 words so far
aiming for 70000

there are some out there, google Nanowrimo. There was a Janowrimo, and maybe a febnowrimo if I remember, a Juneowrimo. Then There are some that are trying to do something they like to call NanowriYe (nantional novel writing year) where you do a novel a month for a year. Script frenzy , and nanomango for scripts and comics respectiviely.

There are a hot of groups out there doing the nano style thing, there is also big fun scary challenge on these boards.

The community might be smaller in some of the others and the tech is maybe a little less flashy but It'll get you through. Heck unless I miss my guess some of the people posting in these boards (specially the 50,000 words) are trying to do one now.

Nano is like the song that never ends, yes it goes on and on my freinds, some people started out by doing it not knowing what it was (a way of life) and they will go on an on doing it forever just because.

So far with Bad Company I've done NaNoFiMo in December, JanNoWriMo, FebNoWriMo at NaNoPubYe, and NaNoEdMo. After winning Script Frenzy and discovering I'm much more a natural at scripting than novelling, I'm doing more writing (and editing) Bad Company while I start completely rewriting '06 NaNo novel Black Science (permanent title) for MayNoWriMo, also at PubYe. Later I'll do JulNoWriMo on Black Science, then AugNoWriMo if necessary. I think there's SepNo and OctNo as well, besides NaNoCoMo. I skipped April Fools to do Script Frenzy, though I could have used it on Bad Company, except that it (the novel) was still blocked and I could neither edit nor write it, and that was interfering with my script. So it was just as well.

So I'm doing the WriMo thing all year, at least until my Dictel trilogy is finished. The last volume is my '08 NaNoWriMo entry.