After my recent Merry Hill writing extravaganza (coffee and muffin ftw) I have no surpassed my previous NaNoWriMo effort (2004 - 6028 words) which means even if I were to write no more then I could feel proud that my efforts are the best I've ever managed. Granted that's not saying a right lot but...for some reason this pleases me :)
So...in order to turn this from a self-congratulatory love-in into a meaningful thread, answer me one of the following questions:
If this is your first NaNoWriMo then what would you consider to be a success? Obviously 50,000 is needed for a 'win' but do you have any personal targets which would make you proud even if you were to fall short of the total?
If you have participated before, what were your best and worst efforts?
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60,003 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 11 43
Well this is my first year, but I'm the sort of person who has had it drummed into them that they must excel at everything, as such (as crazy as this may seem for a first timer) I am determined to not only reach 50,000 but to also double it! But I'm the sort of loon who freaked out after getting four As and a B in my AS year. I know that one of my friends (another first timer and not quite as mental as me) is aiming for 25,000.
9,524 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 15 32
I always plan to write exactly 50,000 words, and wrap up the novel as soon as it approaches. Sometimes I have a second novel plan ready to go, but I've never got more than 5,000 words into one.
My worst showing was my first year - about 14K, I think - when my first baby was born halfway through the month. Then I had four wins, and then last year failed with 25K. I got overconfident and left it all to the last week, and our second baby got a cold and screamed for the last three days of November...
My sub-targets are (1) the Xbox-style achievements in the novel-writing handout we did and (2) the 16,666 and and 33,333 marks, because I tend to plan the novels in three acts, so getting that far means I'm left with at least a novella or two if I fail.
This year I'm fairly confident, partly because I'm off to a great start, thanks to a couple of good write-ins, and also because my Xbox just got the red ring of death, meaning my major distraction is gone for three weeks...
----------Theaker's Quarterly 30 * Dark Horizons 55
16,611 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 15 39
I'm starting to stress about not reaching the quota every day! This is my first NaNo and I do want to reach 50,000 very badly, but considering I usually write songs or short essays, this is a really big leap for me! I'm hoping to set myself a good standard for next year :)
----------2009 - Losing Time (Science Fiction)
54,832 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 23 49
Eeek! Not only does your system make you 2 words short (16,666*3=49,998), but in Three Act Structure, your middle act is twice as long as the other two: I=25%, II=50%, III=25%. So I always think of four quarters, and that makes it 12,250 per week, one instalment a week in NaNo.
I've done my first quarter already this week - woo who me. I can take the rest of the week off.
And I hit the Plot Point 1, Act I to Act II change at about the right moment without realising.
Cheers,
David.
----------Cheers,
David.
9,524 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 23 58
Since I'm not writing for Hollywood, I'm pretty sure I can have my acts any length I like!
----------Theaker's Quarterly 30 * Dark Horizons 55
27,562 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 01 12
If one writes 3 acts of 16,666 words (which by your own calculation, and mine - apparently maths hasn't changed much over the years in this respect - is a total of 49,998) then how are any of the acts any longer than the others?
Perhaps a simple two-word title would solve the worrying 'two words short' conundrum? Of course if the title is part of the first act then there might be a need to append 'the end' at the end. Frankly if 'the end' is part of act three then there is, of course, cause for grave concern!
154,845 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 01 41
My best was last year. 131k. I still don't know how I managed it.
My worst was my first year where I didn't take it seriously at all and ended up with about 24k? Something around that mark. After that I worked out that I would need to write at weekends or I would fall dramatically behind. :P
9,524 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 01 47
Writers like William Goldman advise writing film scripts with three acts, where the middle act is twice the length of the first and last acts. But of course not everything with three acts has to be written in that way.
I wouldn't run short by two words either, of course. The first act ends at 16,666 and the second at 33,333, but why assume that my third act ends at 49,998 words? It ends at 50,000 words...
----------Theaker's Quarterly 30 * Dark Horizons 55
54,832 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 02 28
Actually it's Aristotle who started it all, but it's not a guide or a blueprint, which is the common misconception. Usually ends with someone saying, incorrectly, "I don't want to formulaically: rules are made to be broken".
Well, yes, but... I've written plays, which of course have two acts: I, interval, II. But in fact they always go: I, IIa, Interval, IIb, III.
You can label your any number of acts how you like and have them from any number of words from 1 to... let's not get into another maths argument. (Though I have a two word title, so phew.) However, you'll find that the introduction part of the story is about 1/4 and that you are, hopefully, tying up loose ends, in the last 1/4. Suddenly Aristotle's "...the middle is the bit that the beginning comes before but itself comes before the ending..." stops being waffle and makes sense. Three Act Structure is an observation and description of stories and not a prescription of how to write.
NaNo is, as I'm told and discovering, all about first draft, getting the raw material into the computer. These writing schemes are really very, very useful checklists, and therefore something for December's National Novel Re-writing Month.
Love to have the discussion face-to-face over a coffee or a pint. ;-)
Cheers,
David.
----------Cheers,
David.
44,434 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 02 32
It's my first nano but I'm aiming for 60k rather than 50k, mostly it has to be said so that I don't have to get a calculator out to decide whether I've reached m daily word count or not, and also it makes it easy for me to know how much is supposed to be in each of my three parts (I'm also going for three equal length acts... I think of it as a miniature trilogy though as each act is on a different planet and has a different main 'villain', although it's all one story).
That said I'm still going to count anything over 50k as a win, I just see the book as taking 60k to finish, so far I'm on target, or I was yesterday evening, as it's still morning and this is my pre-writing internet wander I haven't made the word count for today yet, but neither is that a worry.
9,524 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 03 21
And yet you must admit that it is used as a guide and a blueprint when writing for Hollywood. And declaring that my second act must be twice the length of my other acts, without having read it, seems prescriptive rather than descriptive.
You're saying little more than that stories begin at the beginning, end at the end, and have a bit in the middle... How does that apply to Tristram Shandy? ;)
----------Theaker's Quarterly 30 * Dark Horizons 55
40,686 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 03 43
K I am a firm believer in the three act structure, but wear it as loose coat rather than a straight jacket. As has been mentioned above, this is not for Hollywood, so I don't need to worry about a "major change of direction" by page 20.
Back onto the original thread theme, and I am aiming for 50k, though I doubt that will be the end of my story. Anything over 50k is a bonus. 50k is the bullseye for me, being a first timer.
36,051 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 04 34
I did it in 2005 and barely managed just under 5,000 words before I finally gave up. This year (my second attempt) I've already nearly doubled that in the same amount of time. I'm feeling good about this year's. I reckon I can make it to 50,000 :)
----------2005: "The Acheivers" (FAILED)
2009: "Death Lacks a Daisy Call" (We shall see...)
=========
Cups of tea drank: 607
Alcoholic drinks inhaled: 153^56
Hyperboles used in the above statements: 2
54,832 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 05 36
Absolutely... ish. Hollywood tried to turn a checklist into a blueprint, cart before horse.
As for my being prescriptive, I say that you can write it any way you like, but I bet (at least a pint or two) that it will be 25%,50%,25% or thereabouts, because I can move the goalposts when defining 'acts'. It's descriptive; I believe you cannot write a story that doesn't follow Three Act Structure (particularly if you include the sitcom qualification).
Yep, that's it exactly. With Aristotle you go through three distinct phases: that's obvious; that's... hmm and... ahhh... mmm... ooh; that's profound. (Note the middle of that story is twice as long.)
Unfortunately I've not read Tristram Shandy, but I note that he's born 1/3 of the way through. I guess that's the Act I to Act II change (being born must be considered life changing after all), and the first quarter (to use the Three Act Structure tool correctly) is probably a bit long-winded.
----------Cheers,
David.
15,043 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 06 12
Um, I reckon, respectfully, that should be the end of discussion on the Three Act Structure. I can see things going remarkably wrong if left unchecked. And I apologise to the MLs for what I believe is called mini-modding.
To go back on topic, sadly my best year so far was my first with 50,072 words. I'm actually really happy with that story and still intend to revisit it with a large eraser and make something worthwhile of it. Unfortunately after that the thrill of doing 50,000 words in a month swiftly became less exciting and the second year I believe I managed 15,000 words of a crime novel before realising I had no idea whodunnit and I was writing the bloody thing! After that I somewhat lost interest. Last year was my worst by far having written approximately 2,500 words in the one write-in I attended and that was it.
This year, as of right now, I'm up to 6,140 words of what is essentially another stab at the story I was going to write last year. I plan to attend every write-in from now on and hope to smash my 50,072 total of my first year.
54,832 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 07 16
Absolutely, I just wanted the last word ;-)
I would love to have a discussion with those interested sometime over a pint, but November is all about word count and defeating the inner editor.
----------Cheers,
David.
13,974 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 07 52
My best and worst are both whatever it says my current word count is over there (currently 10,109). First time this year. I signed up last year but didn't even make a start due to moving to Bolton around the time it started, so I don't count that.
54,832 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 01 29
Actually, no, can this be the last word, 'cos I woke up this morning worried I might have given the wrong impression.
If you want to write your story in three equally sized section (or whatever), then you are, of course, entirely, completely and absolutely right. The only valid qualification is if your story wants to be something else (e.g. five unequal sections, have sidebars, include a recipe for tomato soup, etc), then that's probably what it ought to be.
----------Cheers,
David.
20,738 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 06 16
I've only taken part last year, and managed to complete the 50,000 mark by the end of the month. I did fall behind, though, and I had to squeeze out many words towards the end.
----------I don't think think I'll do as well this year, with 3 assignments due in soon.
2008 - City of Jade (Fantasy) - Won! :D
2009 - Untitled (Sci-Fi) - Work in Progress
5,645 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 07 39
First timer over here. I'm hoping to make the 50k mark of course but sneakily if I make it as far as 32,500 I'll be pleased. Of course scrolling through the thread and seeing everyone with a much higher word count then me is a little sad tbh.
Marc
44,434 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 08 36
Don't feel sad, there's plenty of people with much lower word counts than you, it just happens that they haven't been posting in this particular thread.
50,052 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 10 27
This is my first NaNoing year and to be honest the fact that i
a) actually believed in myself enough to even think i could write a novel
b) thought of a vague plot for said novel
c) spent weeks doing research on the 1920s (which is when the novel is set) - i really enjoyed doing this!
d) sat for 6 consecutive days and wrote at least 1700 words each time
must be success!
The real success is doing 50K which will give me the bare bones of a novel.
The ultimate success would be taking those bare bones and working them into a finished novel.
I'd be content if i could do another 2000 words tomorrow though :)
----------9,531 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 13 33
As this is my first year, and it's anyway not an ideal set of life-circumstances for me to be trying this, I think I'd be satisfied with around the 30,000 word mark, I'd like to make 40,000 and I'd be really happy if I can reach 50,000.
Ideally, I'd also like to see the story in a cohesive condition with a clear first-act ending/second act direction written in (I'm not too worried about the ending, which I'm fairly satisfied will carry itself). Note that that's different than even the 50,000 word goal, as I could no-doubt more easily write the 50,000 words if I was willing to jump ahead and leave a big gap in the middle of the story. I'm trying to resist doing that.
To be clear, I'd like to write a first-act conclusion in such a way that it works as a novella for NaNoWriMo, even if I have to go back and re-work, say, the last 10,000 words or so when I work on the fuller version.
Jonathan