Suffolk anyone?

Yes Carole, I live in Lowestoft too! Nice to have someone on home ground.
Just joined - yesterday. First time participant - what a task we have set ourselves. Here's to the both of us - best of luck.

From Rosiepalozie

Felixstowe 'ere. We drink mud puddles and drive wooden cars.

Good luck!

Diss - technically South Norfolk, but right on the Suffolk border.

Feels good to know there are others nearby.

Good luck everyone!

Dear Lord - what was I thinking??

Hi Rosie

Lowestoft too, hey. Well we may as well write as we can't get very far with the bridge out of action for so much of the time! I'm a little concerned that I'm still not sure what to write about... I have a name for the protagonist and that's about it! How about you?
Good luck, Carole

Hi all.

I created a suffolk thread a few weeks back, but as there are so few of us, I reckon it got bumped down to another page. If you want to find some more suffering Suffolkers, come join us! :)

http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/1002358

And good luck!

Hi Carole

Yes, that damn bridge... Sent me here there and everywhere, holdups, holdups, holdups!

Well, at the mo I am not being heldup via story. But whether it's any good is another matter - like to think it is.
Hope you have found your voice - let me know.

I've burnt quite a bit of midnight oil lately! In spite of my age, there's still life in the old dog (or is it bitch) yet!

Rosiepalozie

Hi Rosie
Well done! I am wondering whether to abandon as the story doesn't seem to be going where i want it to- but am going to have another go at it today. It started off so well but I am losing interest because the characters aren't all that well thought out, I think. Oh well. it's good to know there's someone else in Lowestoft typing/writing away as well. Hope it goes well today and you don't have to stay up too late!
Carole

Hi Carole
Well, I am getting well into this story now. Sorry to hear you losing interest in yours. Hope you have found new characters that are firing your imagination. For me, working late seems to be working! But I do need some beauty sleep, or else I can see me ending up with suitcases rather than bags under my eyes.

Best of luck, keep at it girl!

Rosiepalozie

Thank you, Rosie. Glad to hear yours is going well- I can see your word count zooming up so well done. I am going to hane a cup of tea and another go at it now.

Carole

Hi Carole
Well passed the 20000 mark, just! It is hard slog I must admit. I do hope you have found renewed interest in your novel. Keep at it gal, you know what they say. 'I've started so I'll finish.'

Well, we can only hope. I shall need quite a few cups of tea to finish this. Still, if we haven't got hope, what have we got.?
Ta ta for now, I am going to get to bed a bit earlier tonight. She said hopefully!

Rosie

Hi rosie

I think i need to start again! I think i know what I want to write now and it's slightly different. Oh well. I shall see how I get on today.
Well done you...there's obviously something inspoirational in that late night air!

Carole

Wotcha Carole

If you start again, will you make it? Hope you have found your inspiration. Mine is just to keep going, although my back aches like mad, my neck keeps going numb. Ah well, what's a little pain when you've got such a challenge to meet eh?

This is getting harder. You know those people who tell you they wrote their novel in three weeks on the end of the kitchen table, popped it into an envelope and sent it off, only to find themselves top of the bestsellers list - I DON'T BELIEVE THEM!

Keep at it gal.

Tatty bye
Rosie

Hi Rosie,

Not sure I believe them either!

All is not lost because I have more idea about the story now and the characters are getting better each day...also the fact that it's set in Crimea in 1855 means I have alot of ongoing research to do. So if I don't make the 50k words in a month I will be disappointed but if I end up with a narrative drive that I believe in then that is something to work with.

But I am glad to think of you somewhere inthis town writing away...what is your story about, dare i ask?

Carole

Hi Carole,

Course you dare! It's a story of 3 children, getting themselves into another reality. Dark and dangerous goings on. Well it's frightening me anyway! I have research to do as well, but have decided to get the premise of the tale down as much as I can, that can come later. Am making notes like mad!

Have you noticed the knock on effect - so and so can't do that there, because they've done it somewhere else. And the timing is so crucial. Notes will be taken from the hard copy when I eventually print it all out.

Have never done this before, and didn't realise how hard it was going to be. I have been a short story writer up to now.
But it has got me fired, can't give up now, must set out to finish what I started.

Glad to hear you are getting to grips with your story at last. Good luck, keep at it - and be assured I am, as you say writing away. Thinking too, when I'm dusting, washing up, taking the dog for his walk, talking to anyone, can't stop these little characters worming their way in everywhere.

Getting curious as to where you are, perhaps we can meet one day, that's if we've got time. By the way, are we the only ones who have time to send messages out?

Nite nite
Rosie

Yours story sounds good- and that was my aim to write and then fill in the gaps later - I think it's a good idea.

Yes- we seem to be the only ones communicating- in my case because I'm not writing!

I am used to doing film and TV scripts and with that you only need a suggestion of research compared to what is needed in a novel and that is slowing me down. I have written a novel before but I did the research and plotted it out first. The next time I just wrote with an idea in mind, got to 70k words and didn't know how to end it- so there it sits, unfinished.

This time I have got to 9k words and decided I want to tell a slightly different story - but no effort is wasted if it gets us there in the end. But it really felt good when I was hitting my word count everyday and now I'm not I am annoyed!.

I am in Pakefied, where are you?
Keep at it,
Carole

You do seem to be the only ones of us from Suffolk chatting, but not necessarily the only ones watching. *Packs away his portable shadow.* ^_^

I have to say that from my own perspective I haven't been too talkative because ever since day one (read as 'five') I have been playing catch up and work has been either busy or a challenge.

Both of your story ideas sound interesting from what I have heard, and I hope you both succeed. I have to say that I am quite intrigued by the sound of your's Rosie.

Carole, have you considered introducing a tangent at all, perhaps throwing something completely unexpected at you characters? Or try something that you really hate (before turning it into something you love that is.) Failing that, the dares thread is interesting I have found, and certainly entertaining if it doesn't give one or two ideas: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/1000106. Most of them are comical, but the occasional one can be quite serious (even ones that were attentionally meant to be humorous). I don't know whether any of that helps

As for me, I have never written anything of any major significance, anything I have tried before has failed. That said, ironically I have been writing in a disjointed fashion for some time now, mainly due to my roleplay interests. I used to roleplay online and have to write out posts on a forum to roleplay out my character, and in more recent times I have had to write summarys for our roleplay group describing what happened the previous session. For some reason I am apparently king of those, though I'm quick to point out my double C's at English for GCSE. :| The two of you certainly seem to have some experience behind you though, which must be of some help. :)

With regards to my story, it's fantasy, so you would think it's fairly loose, but when I started it was already the bottom stone in a pillar of ideas. As I have written though the world, which already had a bit of expanded planning about it, has suddenly blossomed and is extending rapidly out from my story. Though a lot of it either won't be used, won't be seen or won't be included in this draft, my 'research' of the world that my characters frequent has rollercoastered faster than I had predicted.

Wow, and that was 397 words folks, which is another reason I haven't been saying much. :P

- Yoz -

Hi Yorrix

- Good to know there's someone else out there in Suffolk! I have set myself the task of having another go this afternoon so fingers crossed. The dares idea sounds interesting - I'll have look, thanks.

Carole

Hi Yorrix
Glad someone else is on board now. Had a peak at your profile. Music taste is way out for me, not sure what language it's in either! I am afraid I'm stuck in a time warp. Good ole Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis and co. But boy, do I love Il Divo, oh dear, I musn't get started on them again. Sends shivers up me spine!

Well, glad you think my tale is interesting. It seems to be working out ok. The characters are living now, (in my head you understand, just haven't got the room to give them board and lodgings.) It is hard. Got to keep your head down and your fingers oiled. I have RSI and it is hard going, I shall suffer for these words, I just know it.

As for experience, you must be joking. I belong to two little and I do mean little, writing groups. I have only written short stories up to now. And am very naughty, don't bother to send them out.

I expect this will want a rewrite, who am I kidding, OF COURSE IT WILL WANT A REWRITE, and then I shall polish, and polish, and polish, well you get my drift, until I feel it can't be polished any more, and then I WILL SEND IT SOMEWHERE!

Keep your head down, and all the luck in the world.

Ta ta for now

Rosie

See Yorrix is on board - good.

Whose a brave lass writing a novel. I have often thought about it, but this is my first go.

Don't get annoyed, just keep on going. It is daunting, but I feel I really must keep at it, and so must you. So many words though. I will look forward to doing the research (have loads of notes already) and the rewrite.

The characters are becoming more established too. One will take over, then get shoved out because the others want a say. It's quite a game controlling the little devils.!

Good luck for tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day...

Tattyfilarious

Rosie
By the way I am in Oulton Broad

Hi guys. :)

I hope the work paid off this afternoon Carole. As for the research, I was thinking; don't feel bad to mess it up or get it wrong in places. Like Rosie said, it'll need polish later. I heard a story once about the artist Michaelangelo. He was commissioned to do a job and for three months would just turn up and stare at the block of marble; that was it, no more. Then after three months he started work and created some brilliant masterpiece, of which I forget the name. The name of the masterpiece isn't important, but what is this: We don't have Michaelangelo's three months, so we're bound to make mistakes. :) (And one would argue his skill also, so we're bound to make mistakes! :D)

I had it all planned out that this evening I would knuckle down and do a full night's work, given my friends distracting me last night. No such luck; I just watched a DVD my friend lent me on Tuesday (good DVD, but naughty of me) and I have come unstuck in my tale. I am at a critical point in my tale and just realised that, whilst some details I have planted do help, there is currently no reason for character C to trust or go a long with characters A and B. O_o I'm about at the point where I go: "La, la, la, la, la! Don't care! NEXT!" :P I'll asume it went well and look at writing that scene later. It's possibly bad enough I am writing chronilogically anyway. :P

Rosie - I had a feeling you were going to say that. :P

I was talking to some friends of mine yesterday about my novel (the only friends in real life who do know I am doing this) and mentioned that I would need to go through a make a new draft after this was all done, possibly rewriting certain parts of it and involving a lot of polish. Then, due to the nature of what I am writing and the world wrapped around it, I have to go back over it again and annotate the whole thing. That's right, you heard me: annotated. O_o I could reveal why, but at this point I don't wish to boar by hogging any more of the post. :P (Pun intended.)

As for my profile, I have to admit that I had already checked your's out ahead of time also. Kudos Rosia, I did notice the age; I'm a 25 year old programmer who's grown up around computers most of his life (seriously, some of my earliest and fondest memories, I kid you not). It's nice to know that there are such a range of people on here, and that, despite our age differences, we're both struggling away on our first NaNoWriMo. And I don't think you are in a time warp; if you were, you wouldn't be here. :]

As for the music, I have very strange tastes. VERY. The last week or so at work I have been listening to computer game music, hence the first two items. Seiken Densetsu 3 is known as Secret of Mana 2 over here, and I was a big fan of the first game when I got it. It's kind of ironic in a way, because my novel does borrow ideas I have had from the game since my early teens or earlier. Here's the intro to Secret of Mana if you are interested (it's about five minutes).

As for... the last one (I can't remember it either) it's from an anime series called Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Series Two. You can view the clip at YouTube. I could try and explain what is happening, but won't; just know that it involves a nuclear warhead, and by driving that satelite into it, those little spider things (tachikomas) are commiting suicide for the salvation of everyone else.

Finally (because I am ranting, not to mention avoiding work :P) I'll leave you with this clip from Macross Plus. It's the song playing as the clip starts (unfortunately it's cut at the start, and no one seems to have made a clean clip.) This is perhaps my favourite song (called 'Torch Song') in the world ever, from a fantastic anime. The song's singer (also an AI, ironically) describes it as "that moment between life and death." The actual composer is the same for the previous clip, Yokko Kano.

All that and often the first thing I usually admit to liking is industrial rock. :P

And if you're not inspired (or scared O_o) after that, I don't know what will help. Avast! I need more caffine! 8)

Happy writing.

- Yoz -

Well, I have just got back to it (after spending far too long on that last post; now you see what I mean! :P) and having skipped that scene the whole thing seems to be flowing far easier now. Even better I am getting ideas of how to resolve my problem later, which is nice. I may just accept it as an issue and have character C not trust character A and B anyway. The way things are progressing I should be able to throw them all into it anyway. :P

I really need to decide on names too. They're all square bracketted out for the moment apart from some minor character mentions, and three of those where names I stole from London Underground stations?! O_o If that's not bad enough, the only main character I have a name for is only regarded by a title, not by her name. O_o

I was also planning to spend all tomorrow night working on this to catch up instead. :)

*Spots that Beowulf is released at the cinema tomorrow.*

...

Or maybe Saturday? ^_^

- Yoz -

Hi Yoz
Well I'll say this for you, you are a really good ranter (is there such a word?) Hope your story is as good as your rant! I would love to listen to your music (liar) but am stuck with a thing called NaNoWriMo!!

Carole have you gone to ground, or just buried yourself in a darkened shed to get over the stress, or to come up with a real blinder of a story. Or are you sitting in broad daylight zipping away, writing lots and lots of lovely words. I've just realised this ranting could be catching.

I'm not sure whether I'm rambling a bit. No, not out there in the wide blue yonder (I wish) - in my story. I seem to get carried away with the dialogue, they are going on a bit. I know I'll have to tighten this lot up. Mentioning getting carried away, hope that's not what happens to us when this is over - we could all end up in Yorrix's fantasy, Carole's fantasy and my other reality/fantasy - boy oh boy just think of that. And how would we get out....... Another NaNoWriMo - the mind boggles!

Take care you both

Rosie

Yes, that's very true, I do have an insatiable ability to rant. :)

Still, from my high of the other evening I have come down to the ground with a bit of a bump. I now have two sections in my story abandoned whilst I figure out how to overcome issues of plot. Furthermore I realised that the topography of the world, according to my head, is rather unrealistic. The way I have envisaged it means that a kingdom the temperament of England is not far from that of a kingdom the temperament of Egypt or Babylon/Iraq. That's one big jump, but I guess I can sacrifice it.

I am starting to flag though, wondering what the point of this all is. I mean me, me doing this. I'm not a great writer; it's not a great story. My friends want to read it, but then they haven't actually seen it yet, just heard my rambling thoughts about the world it's set in. It certainly would never get published even if I were the sort to actively pursue it. I ponder if my dialogues are bad, but I am not sure my non-dialogue pieces are any better either.

That's not even covering the social issues surrounding me today, but that's going beyond the scope of NaNoWriMo. ;) Some of it just gets me down, that's all.

For now I'll continue, because I am too stubborn and stupid for my own good. It would be nice to complete something for a change though, rather than all these ridiculous pipe dreams I always have; always thinking, never following through. But it would be nice to find some reason other than that to keep going through.

Of course, perhaps it is just that I am in low spirits right now; but whatever the case, low spirits will not help my story.

Rozie - I think I am already getting taken up by my fantasy world; it just keeps growing! I'm beginning to wonder if I have as much out of novel content as in-novel content?! O_o (Though most of the out of novel stuff is in my head, which I should write down... in December. :P)

I just started my holiday for two weeks (of doing nothing; no one to see, no place to go), I have Morcheeba and Radiohead on my computer's playlist, and I have red coats, I mean "side-characters", to kill off. So I guess I had best get back to it. Those 10,000 words I am behind are not going to write themselves! :)

- Yoz -

Hi Yorrix

Don't lose heart - keep at it. If you get to 50k it will feel like a real achievement and you will have at the very least, material to write a novel if you want to. It might also get something out of your system so that you know if and what you do want to write. That's why i am not panicing even though i have accepted I won't make the 50k this year.

Also, i see you have a holiday- don't worry if all that time meakes it harder to write- that has happened to me. Somehow the odd hour fitted in here and there can be more focussed that planty of time.

It sounds like you are doing well so I think just go for it. Who knows what will happen after the end of Novemner but enjoy thejourney.

Hi there Rozie in OB- keep inspiring us!
Cxx

Hi Rosie

I am still here! Took a few days away to get some perspective. The plot is coming together but I am having to focus on that and character at the moment. I'm glad it's November and that there are other people out there writing to inspire me (You and Yorrix)! but I won't be making the word count. I have time off until end of November and am going to use the time to get as far as I can in decideing what i want to write. I am still enjoying the process.

Hope you are too
C xx

Hi Carole

Isn't it funny, the three muskateers all seem to be a little low. I am also struggling with the plot. Not sure, but have a feeling I'm still in rambling mode. The thing is I really need to sit quietly and think things through. But no, haven't got time for that - must keep going. I have reached the point of no return!

The age I am, I know a little bit about failure, so please don't take it too much to heart. I have a feeling you are young enough to go on, and on and on. So you must.

I shall not do another NaNoWriMo, so this one has to count. If I do it I will have met the challenge. Wish me luck, cos boy do I need it.

Altho it has been hard, my back aches, by ribs ache, my hands are hurting, but what's that they say no pain, no gain. That's another load of rubbish! I guess it's not over til the fat lady sings, Well, I truly hope she's got a good song to sing.

And if this story gives me the push I need to continue with A NOVEL!! Then something good will have come out of it.

Keep going you two, I've grown rather fond of you, will miss the messages when this is over.

Ta ta from O.B. Tomorrow is another day (Isn't that a song - an old one of course, well what do yer expect?

Rosie

Hi Yorrix

As I said to Carole, we three seem to be a bit on the low side. Never mind, one must push upwards and onwards. (Get her, I can hear you saying.) Remember Y sacrifice can be a good thing sometimes. If you are going to make one, make sure it's worth it.

Didn't listen to your crazy music Y, but did read your excerpt and I thought it was good. Pretty macho stuff, but then at my age there aren't many strutting that around me I can tell you. So carry on and see where it goes. You never know you could have a load of silver surfing fans yet! Now there's a thought for a 25 year old to be responsible for. He He He.

I'm just being mischevious, trying to lift your spirits, (have one for me while your at it) hope it works.

Whatever it is you have on your computer's playlist, ignore it, think deeply, look heavenwards, sigh a lot, and above all keep smiling.

Adversity makes us all stronger - who the hell said that (I think it was me) - What I really mean is we just have to keep going don't we until that deadline stops us all dead!!

Take care Y, have a good holiday.

Nite nite
Rosie

I have just written two messages one to you Carole and one to Yorrix. I don't see them on the message board. Annoying really because I was at my most profound.

Basically, all I was saying is keep going, there is bound to be something positive therein. I am struggling a bit too. Back aches, ribs ache, hands hurt, still as they say, no pain no gain. Another load of rubbish. All these sayings, get my goat a bit.

We three muskateers must rise above the negative, and get in swing with the positive. I am enjoying the process, yes. And if something I can possibly ever, ever turn into a novel comes out of this, so be it. At my age Carole, I know a little be about failure, you musn't let it stop you - if I can meet this challenge I shall be very pleased. And that's because I shall not be doing it again.

Takes too much out of my social life. Get her! Keep pushing and see what happens. I have grown fond of you two, shall miss the messages when this is over.

Ta ta from O.B
Rosie

Now you have two messages, didn't wait long enough to see them turn up. Hey ho.

Whose a silly (old) girl then?!

Hi Rosie

Thanks for your messages- and sorry to hear you are aching. I make myself as comfortable as possible. favourite old and warm clothes, fingerless gloves, cushions behing me and even a hot water bottle is my secret. Who said writing is glamorous?? I shall be back writing for a living at the end of the month and this month of freedom to think and plan has been great although I am very sorry not to make the word count this year. Still i won't keep harping on about that and it's good to be writing in company.
Have a good Sunday
C x