Morning everyone!
Did we all stay up til/get up at midnight? Nah, me neither. I even had a lie in! Woke up at 5 and thought, OK another half an hour. The radio went off at 6 and body ached so switched it off. Mobile alarm went off at 6.30 but was already up by then. Switched the computer on, went to the bathroom (OK, too much information), let the dog out, fed him, made a cup of tea.
352 words later, Bailey (the dog) was itching to go for a walk (didn't he know it was raining?) so I tipped the cold half-cup of tea down the kitchen sink and took him on the green (he wouldn't go any further - it's chucking in my little part of Northampton).
Full of ideas, notes and a surprising 1st person chick lit (the 1st person bit was the surprise)...love where it's going despite only being 377 words in now...
Anyway, why am I using precious word count here...
Good luck everyone and see you soon.
MB x
----------
MB
www.morgenbailey.com
http://morgenbailey.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk
http://twitter.com/sentencestarts
1,317 / 50,000
Nov 1, 2009 - 10 17
Well I was up at 2am yesterday worked from 3-11 and then had a 7-8hr journey to Wales, I got in at around midnight... Slow start this first day but I have a week off so :)
38,489 / 50,000
Nov 1, 2009 - 12 34
I did! I wrote about four hundred words, then went to bed.
I'm now up to about 2300, so off to a fairly good start so far.
----------Wielder of the Hammer of Grammar!
Magister Mundi Sum!
www.ag.papermages.co.uk
49,681 / 50,000
Nov 1, 2009 - 13 13
Yup, starting straight in at midnight after pulling overtime 6-11 at the local convenience store where I work. Got about 900 words done before I turned in at a quarter to 2. Then up before 7 and, around everything else, managed to raise my word count to about 3000 or so. Not bad for my first day of my first NaNo.
49,681 / 50,000
Nov 1, 2009 - 13 15
Edit: Sorry about the double post.
100,451 / 50,000
Nov 1, 2009 - 13 56
I'm well chuffed. Despite a 2-hour dog walk (to work and back - to hand in my notice! - my work is actually a 25 minute walk but my 9-year old Jack Russell-cross loves to stop, sniff and well, you can guess what), I've chuntered out 6,100 words (I like to end on an even number as it makes a count-up easier, and sometimes finishing mid-sentence helps the continuation process).
I'm lucky as an ex-PA I can type quickly so as long as the ideas flow, I can usually keep up. I'm also chuffed because I've only just started chapter 2 and have another 30 planned so should have no problem reaching the 50K target. I also have this week off so I could finish by the end of next week and have the rest of the month off. Yeah, I'm kidding. :)
Hope you all sleep well. I'm heading off now (10pm) and will get cracking again at 7am as I did today.
Oh yeah, and well done everyone for getting your bums in chair.
----------MB
www.morgenbailey.com
http://morgenbailey.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk
http://twitter.com/sentencestarts
1,004 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 07 12
A slowish start for me, I do however have a pretty well thought out plan for the first few chapters so not really panicking. I have visitors with me at the moment so not managing to get as much done as I would like, and I am itching to get the words onto paper. 1004 words down, but should have caught up by the end of the week I hope!
100,451 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 08 44
I wouldn't worry. I'm only firing ahead as I only work part time and have this week off so I imagine a flying week then peetering out. Still only part-way through Chapter 2 with another 30 to go so think it'll take me all day every day to get it all done by end Nov (which I don't have to of course, just the 50K would be great).
----------MB
www.morgenbailey.com
http://morgenbailey.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk
http://twitter.com/sentencestarts
100,451 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 23 03
I wouldn't worry. Last year (my first time) I was three days behind mid-month but had a good Sunday and did over 6K. I ended up with 53K, two days early so you've got plenty of time.
----------MB
www.morgenbailey.com
http://morgenbailey.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk
http://twitter.com/sentencestarts
100,451 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 10 38
Just hit the 30K barrier (woo hoo!) but only just started chapter 6 of 32 so have a LONG way ahead. Still loving it but feeling quite tired. Back to work on Tuesday so word count will plummet but home 1/2 day tomorrow and all day Sun/Mon so hope to plod on a bit more by then.
How is everyone else finding it?
----------MB
www.morgenbailey.com
http://morgenbailey.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk
http://twitter.com/sentencestarts
49,681 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 01 33
Doing okay more or less. Had a bad day, but I made 16k regardless and that was despite having way too much to do. Hoping to really open up the gas today and maybe even hit 20k.
On the other hand, I know an American who has just reached 57k and an Australian on 33k, so I have quite a lot to live up to. Fortunately, I'm not in a word war with either of them, so I don't have to eat humble pie every second of the day.
100,451 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 02 45
Just hit the 40K (and that's not using NaNo's robots which seem to find c. 40 words more than my Word's word count!)
Half-way through Chapter 8 of 32 so have my work cut out to finish draft 1 by end Nov but should have the word count licked by the time I go back to work on Tuesday.
Hope you had a good time at Costa yesterday. Sorry I couldn't be there but hope to make a session if you have one next Saturday (can't the Saturday after that). Maybe us Northamptonians could do something here?
Keep up the good work everyone.
NerdySophie - how's your 'steam' going? If you need a kickstart, I've posted 119 sentence beginnings at http://twitter.com/sentencestarts (7 new ones every day) which you're welcome to use any of.
----------MB
www.morgenbailey.com
http://morgenbailey.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk
http://twitter.com/sentencestarts
15,000 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 08 11
how on earth you can have written so much morgen? T.T I'm stuck at 11,000
100,451 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 10 22
I'm lucky. I've managed to come up with an idea and plotted a staggering 32 chapters before I started. The plotting was just one paragraph per chapter which I can cut and paste from my notes doc to proper doc and get cracking. I type quickly (I'm a former PA / currently administrator) and so much happens in each chapter that I'm averaging 5,500 per chapter (I try and do a chapter a day; just started Chapter 9) which is two short stories (my usual genre) to me!
Last year I didn't plot anything and had lots of waffle, ekeing the story out to 53K so I'm relieved this year. I also planned a week's holiday off work to coincide with the beginning of NaNo so I honestly will slow up considerably when I return on Tuesday. A novel I did in between only got to 43K although I was running out of time pre-Nano so finished it quickly and have left out LOADS of detail so if you follow Gail Carson Levine's advice: "When I run out of plot ideas, write about setting and what each character is wearing, in exquisite wordy detail. When I run out of setting and apparel, write about the voice quality of each speaker, speech mannerisms, facial ticks, body language", it may bump up the word count.
The first two novels were third person past tense male main character (don't know why as I'm female) but this is first person present tense female and I LOVE writing monologues so I think that does help. Plus, apart from this/next Wed evenings, I have no 'life' this month!
I hope it starts flowing for you kick-flare before you get too frustrated.
----------MB
www.morgenbailey.com
http://morgenbailey.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk
http://twitter.com/sentencestarts
100,451 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 05 52
Please don't take this as gloating but I had to share with you that, on my last day of freedom before work beckons, I've gone green!
I'd completely forgotten that the blue bar goes green when you reach the 50K. Word says 50,868 but NaNos robots say 51,008 so I'm not complaining. Have my writing group at 7 tonight so hoping for a bit more before I have to go hoover/clean (one thing that also goes by the wayside because of NaNo but can't avoid today as the group meets at my house!).
Nearing end of chapter 9 with 23 to go so it's far from over...
----------MB
www.morgenbailey.com
http://morgenbailey.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk
http://twitter.com/sentencestarts
38,378 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 06 24
Congratulations!
Personally I'm just ahead of the curve and hoping to start taking a bit of a lead now. I'm very impressed you managed to cram so many words into such a short space of time.
100,451 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 09 09
Ah, thanks. And to be ahead is great, especially as it sounds like you're going to be even further soon.
Reality (work) sets in tomorrow and think I'll lose the chapter a day (unless they go from 5,000 to 500 each :))
----------MB
www.morgenbailey.com
http://morgenbailey.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk
http://twitter.com/sentencestarts
15,000 / 50,000
Nov 12, 2009 - 17 43
finally got over my block. The write in helped greatly. i think my resolve to finish nano this year had slipped. xD WQell i:m back on check, and i've got 4,068 words just in 2 hours xD its just a bummer i can't write anymore XD lol.
Good luck everyone!
38,378 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2009 - 02 31
Yeah, the house move was a lot more intense than I expected it to be and my word count has fallen behind the curve again. I had a really great session last night to catch up but it took about 11 hours and was pretty draining. If I make my word count for today (1667) then I've caught up again.
A little annoyed I couldn't make the write-in. Interested to hear how it went and if there are plans for another at any point?
100,451 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2009 - 02 40
I was working so couldn't make it. There's one "Friday at 2pm, Costa coffee in Xscape" which I assume is today but sadly I'm doing my Red Cross stint 1 til 5 then it's home to walk the dog and more word count. Slipped back a bit (4581 in last 3 days but it's only below daily average so I shouldn't complain) but plan to catch up this weekend. Should make 60K by lunchtime.
I was hoping that next write-in was for tomorrow but I wouldn't be able to make that now as I found out yesterday that one of my monologues is going to be displayed in a 6-week exhibition at a gallery in Moulton, Northampton and have been invited to the opening tomorrow afternoon (so exciting!).
I'm hoping to get to at least one of them and if any of the Northampton crew are interested in having something here then Iet me know. Perhaps the cafe in the Fishmarket?
Well done everyone... it just goes to show that when we 'have' to do something, we really can... and hopefully really enjoy it!
----------MB
www.morgenbailey.com
http://morgenbailey.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk
http://twitter.com/sentencestarts
100,451 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2009 - 22 51
Just taken up one of the dares - to start my next chapter with 'Apparently, lightning does strike twice.' which, as it's a dating chick-flick, fits in nicely. :)
Apparently MK has 166 affiliates... anyone out there reading this who's not had their penny's worth and wants to let us know how they're getting on? With over 1M words between us, someone must have something to say. :)
----------MB
www.morgenbailey.com
http://morgenbailey.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk
http://twitter.com/sentencestarts