I've tried several times to explain to people why I'm lugging my laptop around and typing furiously during downtimes. Those who know of Nanowrimo have mostly relayed how cool they think it is and how much they've wanted to do it too. Those are the minority.
Those who've never heard of Nanowrimo usually sort of pause and then give one of the following responses:
1) "Hmm. Interesting." (followed by change of topic or going somewhere else)
2) "You do know you do strange things, right?"
So I'm curious - what sort of reactions do you get from your non-novelling acquaintances when you tell them about Nanowrimo?
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213,240 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 00 12
3) They ask to know what you're writing about. And then, after giving them a long and detailed description of your plot they THEN look at you and tell you "You do know you do strange things, right?" and you realize you should have just left it at "Google it" and written another 300 words instead
4) "But... exams!?"
Yeah, those are my most frequent ones :)
----------35,408 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 00 13
heh I got and I quote from my facebook page: lol your so funny sometimes.....I am sure you will think of something - after I had posted something about my writing.
otherwise I generally keep quiet about my writing. My parents know I write but that's about it.
----------49,406 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 00 21
Yes, they do. Mind you, they also thought that before I started doing nanowrimo...
----------2006 - Title: "Awakenings"; Genre: Horror; Words: 50,000+.
2007 - Didn't take part.
2008 - Title: "From The City Of Demons". Genre: Fantasy. Words: 50,000+.
2009 - Title "Thief". Genre: Steampunk. Words: Not nearly enough.
40,078 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 01 59
I'm with Dave. Actually, I think this is the one thing that I do, which no one finds particularly strange. It's like I'm normal for a month.
36,068 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 09 47
My students are the most interesting ones to respond. They range from "You write for fun?", through "You have to write how much each day?" and "but you're a science teacher!" to (my favourite) "is it some weird emo vampire story?"
They also want to read it, but most give up about two paragraphs in, shaking their heads over how "brainy" I write.
Other than that, the common consensus is that I've always been crazy. This is one of my more rational oddities.
---------->>>>
Writing: a particularly insidious form of madness. There is no cure.
2008: Ki Runga, Ki Raro (winner)
2009: Muddy Prints
38,654 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 12 21
People really don't get it:
1) why anyone would want to write so much in a month
2) that anyone can do 50K word or more in 30 days
3) why it even matters
My husband is a fellow writer. Yet, he has never bothered with NaNo. He thinks I am crazy putting down what I have been writing (which to his annoyance never tends to stay just being one story), to write something new for a month. I use my own PC, but have to update my word count on his (mine is not Online) - he didn't know I was logging on a Website to do so, and thought I was being odd insisting on putting my word count on his machine.
It is interesting that during NaNo I tend to be braver about speaking about my writing and the fact I am a writer, than any other time of the year.
----------"The world is seen by us all, but how do we know what we see is that seen by others? I write to open my version of the harshness and beauty of it all."
73,740 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 12 29
At first everyone thought I was crazy, but now my husband keeps asking what word count I'm at and gets really excited with me whenever I real a milestone which is great. Most people don't understand what it is and why anyone would want to do it but writing makes me happy so I've just been ignoring the rolling oh eyes and deep sighs of "you're such a geek"...
----------Main Character plot twists:
- fallen through thin ice
- attacked by a wolf
- best friend poisoned
- fallen in love, been betrayed by her
- rescued people from a fire and then had the burning building collapse on him
This guy has some bad luck!
60,045 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 13 12
I haven't actually told anyone I know. Helps being a hobbit with no friends lol :)
----------Long live me and long live anarchy!
- Drunkard, for whom the bell tolls...
51,864 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 13 18
Everyone asks me what it's about, and when I tell them as much as I'm willing to reveal ("it's fantasy, and there's magic and proud people and stuff") they either look at me sideways, go "riiight" and then change the subject or they gasp about me trying to write it in just one month.
Some people don't get why I would want to do it, but I get that almost every day about almost everything I do, so I just reply like I normally do: "why wouldn't I want to do it?"
----------Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27.
50,938 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 13 57
It is interesting that during NaNo I tend to be braver about speaking about my writing and the fact I am a writer, than any other time of the year.
Me too. For my troubles I tend to get blank looks and a swift change of conversation. No-one has actually come out and said they think I'm nuts but the expressions on people's faces kind of give away what they really think.
Those who are brave enough to ask what I'm doing tend to move to 'swift change of conversation' mode when I say I'm doing a romance. It's kind of funny seeing how long each one will take before they go blank :)
17,268 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 17 31
I'm a Pippins leader, and we had an overnight camp this weekend, and when I told the other two leaders what I was doing, they said to just bring it along. They thought it was actually for study or something. When they found out it was just for fun they were just like 'WHAT!?'.
Most of my friends were just like 'why are you doing this?' but other than that have been really supportive, to be honest. I'm kind of shocked. I've always been completely open about my writing, so I guess they just see it as something normal for me to do. They already thought I was crazy. I guess me doing NaNoWriMo confirmed it.
But then, I also take part in the 48 hours film competition.
17,539 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 19 08
I have managed to surround myself with fellow writers (by not talking to anyone else) and convinced pretty much all of them to join the fun. But I talk about my writing and complain about my characters being unpredictable all year round, so November isn't much different except I talk about word counts more often.
----------People accept that I'm 'different', although they tell me I'm not crazy. They don't know the half of it ;D
"Art is never finished, only abandoned." ~ Leonardo Da Vinci
42,000 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2009 - 18 20
Among my friends, it's a well known fact that I do this every year.
I, every once in a while, rope one of them into doing it with me, but that's rare (the last two June SoCNoCs, I lassoed a friend from work in).
I think they are mostly just bored now, although everyone is interested when the press is involved - a newspaper story or something on National Radio (there is a piece on Nanowrimo this weekend on "Arts on Sunday").
----------Nano 2006: "Precautions" - w
SoCNoC 2007: "New Zealand 3037" - w
Nano 2007: "The Holy Book of Janus" - w
SoCNoC 2008: "The Holy Book of Janus" (finish) - w
Nano 2008: "Solutions to Everyday Problems" - w
SoCNoC 2009: "Arrivals and Departures" -w
21,503 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2009 - 20 49
Crazy? I'm already strange as it is, this doesn't raise much of a blip on the radar for my friends.
28,151 / 50,000
Nov 15, 2009 - 02 41
My dad thinks it's insane that someone could write a 50k word story in a month, when i told him that some have already written well over that he was shocked. When people ask me what it's about and I'm just like "uhh... it's about a cult." they're just like "oh. yep... cool." For the most part people who don't know that I write think I'm a bit odd for doing this (as facebook comments would suggest at least)
32,258 / 50,000
Nov 15, 2009 - 03 17
My family are supportive of anything thay causes me to write.
----------My friends are a little in love with my MMC and bug me to write more constantly, which helps lots.
But they DO all accept that I'm not quite right.
Death count so far? two.
-Falling on a tree root, staking himself
-Running into a girl holding a piece of a chair, staking himself
17,520 / 50,000
Nov 17, 2009 - 18 50
Everyone already knows I'm crazy, but its nice to reaffirm it sometimes
----------Never let the truth get in the way of a good story