Last year, after several unsuccessful years with NaNoWriMo, I decided that the best way to make it to 50k, was to make losing as difficult of a task as possible. So, as a front page special quest (article seen here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3044879), I asked every writer to send me a challenge that I had to complete if I didn't finish my novel.
You know what? It worked! When compared to bringing my boyfriend the golden fleece, digging a drain field in Scotland in March (while dodging soggy sheep), joining the polar bear club, bathing a cat, going grocery shopping in a prom dress and making super hero outfits for an entire family, writing 1667 words a day was suddenly a piece of cake!
It worked so well that I'm challenging anyone with doubts of finishing this year to follow in my footsteps. What will YOU do if you don't make it to 50k?
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http://www.squirrel-girl.com/
http://squirrellylist.blogspot.com/
75,102 / 50,000
Oct 7, 2009 - 03 50
lol, I've gone shopping in a LotR style dress before. It's not that bad.
I don't think I'll have any problem with 50k, but... If I DO fail, I must finish Claws by Dec 31st. As Claws is a fanfic that'll never end if my sister has her way, well, I hope I make it to 50k!!!
----------~dreams come from within, let your imagination soar~
NaNo '09 - Past Illusion - pending
~'til all are one~
22,145 / 50,000
Oct 7, 2009 - 17 12
I wrote a pair of horrible fanfics a while back, and my brother has been dying to read them...if I don't make it to 100k, he gets to read them. And if he reads them, he's never going to forget them. D: That alone is enough to get me motivated.
----------22,959 / 50,000
Oct 12, 2009 - 17 03
Oh, pickles. I don't know. It sounds like the perfect thing for me though.
...
AH-HA! If I don't complete 50,000 words, I will make my duct tape prom dress hot pink. And I won't eat junk food for a month (starting in January, simply because come on, it's CHRISTMAS, after all!).
----------Need information about northern Maine. duct tape, puppeteering, Christianity, tiny rural towns, babysitting, twins, OCD, vegetarianism, medicine, or hospitals? Just send me a NaNoMail and I'll tell you more than you ever wanted to know.
33,372 / 50,000
Oct 15, 2009 - 05 57
For those in need of some inspiration, here's my list from last year. The key is to make promises to other people, so that you feel horribly guilty about not being able to keep them.
If I Don't Finish NaNoWriMo I Pledge to:
- Organize the Attic
- Bring Jon the Golden Fleece
- Clean Kendra's Garage
- Clean Aynslee's Basement
- Clean Bethany’s car from top to bottom
- Mix a Pangalactic Gargleblaster for “Patient Zero” in Omaha, NE.
- Make a perfect Dutch apple pie for“Patient Zero”s sister.
- Learn Esperanto for “traevoli”.
- Dig a drain field for a septic tank while warding off soggy sheep for “Marie Rex” in March in the Isle of Skye, Scotland
- Sand, putty and paint a solid hard wood door for “grawp”
- Write a 1667 word essay on the importance of effective time management for “st4d1”
- Babysit a dozen or so elementary school aged children while “katfrog” goes Christmas shopping.
- Attend “Constance_providence”s birthday party in Castlegar, BC on Nov 4th, 2009
- Build a hovercraft for “Pkizzle”
- “alphamel” would also like a Pangalactic Gargleblaster
- “Someday” wants me to knit 10 pairs of fingerless gloves
- Do 60 cartwheels in one hour and then eat 60 hotdogs for “scribblegrl”
- Buy 20 ferrets for “FluffySilver”
- Post what I had written of my novel so far publicly, by suggestion of “Agatha Clay”
- “Ayako” and “Hooknoo” both want me to finish my novel in December
- Create matching superhero outfits for “meredithjunior”, her mother, father, little brother, and dog
- “LifeofaSpark” wants an American Eagle shopping spree on my dime
- Arrange a meeting between “fantasywriter2009” and Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight Saga
- Obtain Steven King’s autograph, along with pictures of me doing so, for “allbarbmay”
- Run for president in 2024, for Lanna
- Bathe Zoeyboboey’s cat
- Rake Liz’s yard
- Join the Polar Bear Club for Bethany
- Give “CKHB” a foot massage while I reenact Dr. Horrible and she eats my homemade baklava
- Leave a silly drawn mustache on my face for a day for “Full_of_Words”
- Go to Bend Oregon and tell a man that “USSVoyager” has a crush on him
- Finish “jschu3”s roof in Reese, Michigan
- Go grocery shopping in my prom dress for “callaflower”
- Go to Omaha and streak for the area’s TGIO party for ML “AngelWriter”
Signed,
----------Ellie Spahn
http://www.squirrel-girl.com/
http://squirrellylist.blogspot.com/
5,559 / 50,000
Oct 15, 2009 - 08 52
My car is always in need of a good cleaning! :D
----------Sponsor the State of Maine WriMos!
42,038 / 50,000
Oct 15, 2009 - 10 29
Wow, Ellie! I wonder how long it would have taken you to do all that? You might not have been done in time for this year's NaNo!
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Municipal Liaison, Greater Portland Area
"If writers wrote as carelessly as some people talk, then adhasdh asdglaseuyt[bn[pasdlgkhasdfasdf."-- Lemony Snicket
33,372 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2009 - 20 38
Oh, I'd still be on item number one. Trust me. The attic here is a scary and fascinating place.
Not to mention that a few items on that list are very pricey (ferrets and shopping sprees and hover crafts oh my!) and a few of them down right impossible - namely the Pangalactic garglebaster. To make one properly, you must:
Take the juice from one bottle of that Ol' Janx Spirit.
Pour into it one measure of water from the seas of Santraginus V
Allow three cubes of Arcturan Mega-gin to melt into the mixture (it must be properly iced or the benzene is lost).
Allow four litres of Fallian marsh gas to bubble through it (in memory of all those happy Hikers who have died of pleasure in the Marshes of Fallia).
Over the back of a silver spoon float a measure of Qualactin Hypermint extract, redolent of all the heady odours of the dark Qualactin Zones.
Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger. Watch it dissolve, spreading the fires of the Algolian suns deep into the heart of the drink.
Sprinkle Zamphour.
Add an olive.
Drink...but very carefully.
and of course when done right it should feel like having your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.
----------http://www.squirrel-girl.com/
http://squirrellylist.blogspot.com/
22,959 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 12 24
Oh dear. How did I get roped into this one?
If I don't finish my novel (and that's FINISH, not just make it to 50k), I have to read the whole Twilight series, AND watch Twilight and New Moon.
In other words, I have to kill myself (sorry if I offend any fans, but I DESPISE Twilight).
----------Need information about northern Maine. duct tape, puppeteering, Christianity, tiny rural towns, babysitting, twins, OCD, vegetarianism, medicine, or hospitals? Just send me a NaNoMail and I'll tell you more than you ever wanted to know.
52,173 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 12 37
^ OH MY GOD PLEASE FINISH. D: I actually lasted through all of the books and I'm keeping up with the movies for a laugh. :'D /doesnotliketwilightomg.
:l I think I would give up air at this point. Because if I can't manage the remaining ~9k right now, then I don't particularly deserve to live.
...
On a less morbid and more serious note, I pledge:
- To not crochet for a year. :( This would be hard, as I am always doing it.
- To not play FarmVille (*shame*) until I managed to make it to 50k (because at least I WOULD still be writing, yeah? :D)
- To not be awesome. >(
- I'd go vegetarian. ;_;
- Join a gardening club, only because I hate gardening talk. XD
- I would go a year without using an internet smiley (as you can see, this would be hard for me ;D)
- I'll clean the basement. And our basement is scary. I'D CLEAN TILL I WAS SCRUBBING THE CEMENT SHINY!
- ...I'd make a New Year's resolution to stop my "that's what she said" habit. ;_;
- I'D GIVE UP DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS D:
... :( I call this good enough.
----------46,568 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 21 53
Oh my...for the love of God, please finish your story.
If you hadn't said it already, I was going to say that as well.
If I do not finish my novel in November. I will read the whole Twilight Series. AND buy a Team Edward or Team Jacob shirt.
AND...I don't know. Go see the movie. Or something.
Ugh.
I think I just puked a little.
No offense Twilight fans. haha. <3
----------5,559 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 05 05
You people are masochists. >.> Whatever gets you your 50k, I guess... (Just kidding!)
Team Jacob all the way, babeh. The wolves would be the only reason I'd consider seeing New Moon. Even then, I'd have to keep from going into fits of murderous rage everytime Edward showed up. Or Bella did something stupid. Which would be the whole movie.
:D
So, I'll be saving my money for Sherlock Holmes, instead!
----------Sponsor the State of Maine WriMos!
46,568 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 08 43
Oh my Goodness...
I completely forgot about Sherlock Holmes! :O
Thank you for reminding me! Here's what I'll do...if I don't finish, I have to watch and read Twilight and I'm not allowed to see Sherlock Holmes.
Gah. 30k to go. Gotta keep writing!
----------5,559 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 09 38
D: Write! Write like the wiiiind~
I keep forgetting about Sherlock Holmes, too. But there was an awesome trailer for it on TV last night, so I got excited about it all over again.
----------Sponsor the State of Maine WriMos!
42,693 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 13 04
If you hadn't said it already, I was going to say that as well.
If I do not finish my novel in November. I will read the whole Twilight Series. AND buy a Team Edward or Team Jacob shirt.
AND...I don't know. Go see the movie. Or something.
Ugh.
I think I just puked a little.
No offense Twilight fans. haha. <3
OMG. I'm going to jump on this bandwagon as well, for the express purposes of making not finishing not an option. And I'll take it a step further: If I do not finished I will read the entire series, go to see the movie, buy a shirt, AND wear said shirt to the midnight premiere of the next Harry Potter movie.
That's a recipe for getting shot, so I HAVE to finish.
----------NaNo 2008--Ring of Fire, Win but never edited or finished
Screnzy 2009--Shattered Mercy, Win and being edited
NaNo 2009--Figments of Imagination, 15k completed
Dares completed: 2
Characters Killed: 0 during, 2 prior
Cursed Objects Encountered: 1
52,173 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 13 30
o_o You guys are REALLY hardcore, WOW.
Trust me. You WANT to finish.
----------35,937 / 50,000
Nov 12, 2009 - 17 20
If I don't make 50k, I pledge to:
- Force myself to stay up until midnight each night until I reach 80k, unable to be distracted.
- Refuse to get myself (or to receive) pain medications (Advil, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, etc.) when I get a headache or cramps from lady-problems. This excludes if I get a major wound in a car accident or if I break something.
- Not freshen the air immediately when my cat poops.
And anything else that comes to mind. If I don't make 50k, I'll sulk for a while anyways.
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