Yup, I am wondering how many of you folks who write the 50,000 plus words in November actually edit and finish off your story? How many of these stories wind up in some drawer never to be seen or heard fromagain? Are these stories mostly just put in a drawer or oval filing cabinet? A lot of people seem to enjoy doing this, especially if youtube is any indication. Yet a lot of those folks on youtube seem to be either not writing, dancing, acting hyper paranoid or just plain stupid.
Is nanowrimo actually done by real writers? you know, the pros who actually write stories to submit and make a living off of them ? What do the college professors of writing courses think of it?
Five days in, and I am on pace so far. but what if nothing can be done with this story? Imagine, I am writing about a fictional avalanche disaster and yet I know almost nothing about avalanches.
I'd feel a whole lot better if this nanowrimo was actually endorsed by writing instructors or college profs of English, journalism or other writing courses. If you are such a person, or know of such a person, I'd really like your thoughts.
novicewriterdavid
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32,507 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 09 10
A lot of novels that are written *any time* are going to end up in a drawer, regardless.
Even if you never publish it, you'll have written an entire freakin' book. And maybe it'll inspire you to write more, or otherwise, as the site says, get the creative juices flowing. So do it just for the enjoyment of doing it, or you'll be missing out on a lot of the experience.
But yes, several people have not only published books that began in NaNoWriMo, they've ended up on the bestseller lists. So it does happen. Won't know unless you try!
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And in my opinion, there is no such thing as a "real writer." There are professionals who get paid for it. That doesn't make them any more of a writer than anybody else here who is writing just because they enjoy it.
If you're looking for endorsements, NaNo has previously had some really big-name published authors do pep talks. They seem pretty cool with NaNo and encouraging of people doing it. Check the archive. http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/peptalks2009
----------50,034 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 09 47
I'd feel a whole lot better if this nanowrimo was actually endorsed by writing instructors or college profs of English, journalism or other writing courses. If you are such a person, or know of such a person, I'd really like your thoughts.
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I'm curious as to why that would make you feel better, David? this is also my first time doing nano, and I've learned a great deal already from the process that I hadn't learned in lots of creative writing courses. Mostly what I've learned is about myself and my writing style, and my stamina and so on.
i think of this as a training more than anything else. It's pushing the boundaries of what writing I do. If I end up with a usable book at the end, cool. If not, then the process of completion will have taught me a lot anyway. In that respect it's very like a PhD thesis.
Are you happy with your own writing so far? Do you feel the exercise of writing thousands of words a day is good?
I'm genuinely curious - what sort of endorsement from academics would help you to enjoy it more?
56,544 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 19 10
I write a NaNo every year. This is year 9. I have no intention of ever publishing the vast majority of them. Maybe one or two of them, sure. But I write these novels for ME.
I'm also an English teacher by profession. High school, not college. For whatever that's worth. I usually teach NaNo in my classes as well.
This may be unintentional, but the tone of this rankles a little bit, especially the reference to "real writers." When I get published, it doesn't make me a real writer. It makes me a published writer.
To use a metaphor I've used before, I don't run because I want a Nike sponsorship or because I want to win the marathon. I run because I love it, and because it's great exercise. NaNo, to me, is the same.
----------40,633 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 22 59
I guess it all depends on WHY you are doing NaNo.
Are you doing this to get a novel published? Some people do have that motivation, from what I've seen, and there are some who do get published.
Are you doing this for your own personal enjoyment/ insanity/ betterment, but not necessarily to get a novel published? There is great value in this, as well, for many.
Perhaps the benefit you get from NaNo will not be that you will write the next great best seller. Perhaps that will be three years down the line. But I perceive, from your post, that your whole goal with NaNo is to get a novel published.
It may happen, it may not happen. Is it worth it to you to take that chance? And if not, what will you do instead?
For me, personally, I haven't yet decided if I will try to get my NaNo published. Maybe. . . maybe not. . . . We'll just see. But I know that instead I would be doing very little towards my writing goals. So NaNo, for me, is worth the chance.
Good luck to you, with whatever you decide.
----------"Try not! Write, or write not. There is no try." ~~ Yoda (adapted)
15,618 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 03 11
I'd feel a whole lot better if this nanowrimo was actually endorsed by writing instructors or college profs of English, journalism or other writing courses. If you are such a person, or know of such a person, I'd really like your thoughts.
My English teacher actually recommended I try this out.
Already knew about it though but it was nice to know there was some support there. :)
F.Winchester
35,016 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 10 06
For a list of published novels that began as NaNo-novels, go here http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/library and scroll down.
NaNo is what you make of it and what you want it to be. For some people, it's a fun challenge. For other people, it's a kick in the butt to quit making excuses and start prioritizing their writing. For others, it's an experiment to see if they can start and finish a novel. For others, it's a way to shut up their Inner Editor and get over the paralysis of "what if I do it wrong?". For others, it's a way to bang out a quick first draft that they will then spend the next year revising. For others, it's practice. For others, it's a chance to try out a new genre or otherwise experiment with writing without a huge time commitment. For others, it's a way to connect with other writers and experience the fun of a community.
I've been in more than one of those categories over the years (this is my fifth NaNo). For me, it's valuable, fun, and addictive. 50,000 words in a month is a lot, but it's not so much that what comes out at the other end is (necessarily) going to be unusable dreck. It's going to be a rough first draft that will take work to polish, if that's your goal. I'm editing a previous NaNo novel with the intention of submitting it once I'm satisfied with it, and I intend to go back to more than one of the other novels as well.
NaNo is a useful part of my personal writing process. You'll have to decide if it's useful for you.
----------What comes after NaNo? National Novel Publishing Year! http://www.nanopubye.org
48,536 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 22 27
I'd feel a whole lot better if this nanowrimo was actually endorsed by writing instructors or college profs of English, journalism or other writing courses. If you are such a person, or know of such a person, I'd really like your thoughts.
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Well, David, you've got your wish. I'm a professor at a local community college, teaching both literature and writing courses. The first time I heard about NaNoWriMo was in a graduate-level creative non-fiction course when it was suggested by our professor as an extracurricular challenge. I know of another professor who actually assigned it to her undergraduate fiction writers as part of their coursework.
So what do I think of NaNoWriMo (besides echoing the sentiments of the earlier poster regarding "real" writers)? First of all, just because I have a Master's degree and I teach doesn't necessarily make me more qualified to tell you if this is a good program for you. It'll work well for some people and not-so-well for others. It really depends on your writing style and where you are skill-wise as an author (and, of course, if this is something you WANT to do). If you have a good handle on plot planning, self-motivation, and work well under pressure (or find that procrastinating actually pays off for you), then writing a novel in a month may be not only plausible but just the method you need.
However, if you are the type of writer who really needs time and space to work through a piece while in the rough draft stage, or the perfectionist type where you can't not self-edit, then trying to reach 50k words in 30 days may seem like the literary version of Chinese water torture. What NaNoWriMo forces writers to do, if they are committed, is to put their inner editor aside and just write. For so many young (and old) writers, this is a huge challenge. There are a lot of pedagogical theories that support the NaNoWriMo method of writing, but those types of discussions are better saved for days when we have time to research and have philosophical discussions. :)
This is the first year I'm personally participating in NaNoWriMo, but I've already found it rewarding. A few of my freshman students are participating for a little bonus credit in my class as well, and I'm thrilled to find that a poet friend of mine is actually really challenging herself by writing 50k words of erasure poetry--a mean feat as the purpose of erasure poetry is condensing ideas, not being prolific with them.
Ultimately, like any reasonable diet plan or time management program, the effectiveness is ultimately up to the individual. I suggest just trying it, or maybe setting a slightly different goal for yourself if 50k is too intimidating. The worst that can happen is that you've exercised your creative muscles and made yourself a stronger writer because of it (and a little sleep deprivation, but that's good for the soul).
If you want to talk more, let me know.
41,291 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2009 - 19 11
Skillage,
Thank you so much. You are precisely the type of person I was hoping to hear from. Myself, I am very much a novice fiction writer. I have completed a writing course and am now working on another (Long Ridge Writers Group) though most of my writing, nearly all of my writing has been non fiction.
I found this whole thing a bit intimidating at first. But 13 days in I have just crossed over 22,000 words. that's already a lot of words and makes this the longest story I have ever written.
But when I look at what I have written, it is so rough, so disjointed in spots, that I have trouble seeing what I will be able to salvage when I edit it next month. How do you even start editing when the document is so long (I know, I am just thinking aloud here). I do appreciate the social benefits that come with this (local write ins, email pep talks etc). This exercise seems to have a way of bringing writers together. I am going to see this through to 50,000 words for better or worse.
All I know at the moment is that I hope to become a writer of sorts. I need to find my niche. My Niche is NOT poetry, sci fi or romance novels. That much I know. I know little about writing fiction, but I thought hey this might be a way to stick my toe in the water. The more I extend my story towards the 50,000 word mark, the more I don't think it will ever see the light of day on an editor's desk. But I hope I might be able to extract some sort of short story out of it if nothing else.
Thanks again. I'd love to email or chat with you if you are so inclined. Feel free to send a nanowrimo email.
noicewriterdavid
41,574 / 50,000
Nov 14, 2009 - 08 52
I can't speak for others, but when November is over I will be finishing my novel, editing it and self-publishing. I've done it before and actually have fans waiting for my next book, so I know I can do it again.
The publishing paradigm is shifting and getting to the point of traditional "success" as a writer may be more difficult than before. But if it's what you want, then go for it.
I actually joined NaNoWriMo this year because some acquaintances of mine, who are traditionally published, encouraged me to try it. I'm finding it enjoyable and it's getting me back into the habit of writing every day. Life can pull you away from it rather easily (with three kids on the autistic spectrum some days are just like that). But the point is to keep going.
If nothing else, we're all getting practice and the only way to improve your craft is to practice.
----------Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
40,633 / 50,000
Nov 14, 2009 - 10 10
I second your question! I'm here with 21K words and 30-ish pages. How do I edit this? It might be easiest to print the whole thing and then use a red marker to cross out the garbage and cut the pages up to re-sort them, put stuff in a better order.
How do other people do this?
And how does one seek out a publisher? Or the self publishing route? How does all of that work?
----------"Try not! Write, or write not. There is no try." ~~ Yoda (adapted)
15,581 / 50,000
Nov 14, 2009 - 13 17
There's tons of information on publishing out there if you look. A lot of literary agents blog, as do published and unpublished writers. I follow the CBA circuit since that's what I write, and I follow agents, CEOs of publishing companies, and published writers I admire on Twitter. That's extremely helpful, since they will often post tips on how to write a query, how to treat your writing like a business, what not to do as a writer, and how to write better. In the last 6 hours I've recieved no less than 10 links to pertinent articles about either writing or the publishing business. From my research, getting published traditionally boils down to 6 steps:
1) Write. Edit. Rewrite. Polish. Rewrite again. Keep writing.
2) Once you have a completed manuscript, send out queries to literary agents that you've done your research on (beware of scammers!). Wait. Get rejections. Cry. Send more queries. Get more rejections. Eventually if you're continuing to write and learn and polish, an agent will take notice. Do your homework, decide if they're a good fit, sign a contract.
3) The agent works with you to make your novel better. Rewrites and editing occur.
4) The agent sends out queries to acquisitions editors and hounds them until they get answers. If your novel is a good fit for that time, they'll respond, offer a book deal. You get The Call.
5) Your novel goes through the ringer at that publishing company, resulting in more edits and rewrites and edits and rewrites. Eventually (average of about a year from step 5) your book hits the shelves, after many tears and hair-pulling from you. A good glass of champagne is in order. Only one, though, because of course you're marketing your book like crazy.
6) Oh, yeah, you know you're writing during all this right?
Of course, all this doesn't count the time you're networking on Twitter, Facebook, your blog...
----------NaNoWriMo2009: Son of the Father (first attempt!)
56,544 / 50,000
Nov 14, 2009 - 13 19
Try this:
----------http://hollylisle.com/fm/Workshops/one-pass-revision.html