NaNoWriMo and/or No-Shave November

[Enink]

Anyone else doing National Novel Writing Month here? (Also, although I do not have enough testosterone to participate in Beard-vember, it is Nov. 1st so I guess I should ask about that too!)

[Chew Terr]

Trying the former, though I doubt I'll succeed! As a kid, I wanted to be a writer, so excuses to write are good for me! While I decided at one point that I wouldn't actually want to do that for a living, a hobby, just for myself, seems fine.

[CSamurai]

I tried last month (edit: Year. Year. I tried last year.), and quickly discovered that working 12 hour shifts severely interferes with my capability to be a creative human. If I'm working, I don't have enough energy to write, and if I'm not working, I'm generally trying to spend time with other humans.

But it being nanowrimo means I should pull out what I started last year, and work on it some more.

[Marcus]

Interesting.

My wife wouldn't like it if I didn't shave at all this month, so I'd better try the other one.

[Chew Terr]

Interesting.

My wife wouldn't like it if I didn't shave at all this month, so I'd better try the other one.

If you're doing it too, that takes away one of my excuses for playing so slowly in our game, darn. =D

[hyperpape]

I haven't shaved for awhile--August, maybe, but I'd planned to shave. Maybe I'll go through the month and claim it's for a good cause. (Edit: ok, mistook this for some charitable cause that involved growing facial hair--can't remember what that was, but it's going on right about now).

NaNoWriMo seems too much for me, I'd have to opt for National Try And Write A Halfway Decent Description Of An Ordinary Object, Like A Tree Or Something. That would be serious progress for me--all my writing since I was 8 has been academic, personal or message board type stuff.

[palapiku]

If I ever write a novel, I would certainly try to write a good one, otherwise what's the point?
And that precludes doing it in a month.

And if I ever grow a beard, I would certainly try to grow a good one, otherwise what's the point?
And that precludes doing it in a month.

[Thunkd]

And that precludes doing it in a month.

Ahhh... but you can write a bad first draft in a month. And then you'll feel compelled to finish it later on. Whereas you'll never write a novel if you wait until you have time.

[Chew Terr]

And that precludes doing it in a month.

For me, it's just incentive to practice something that I essentially never do, otherwise.

[daniel_the_smith]

I've done nano twice before but this year it's google's AI challenge instead...

Re "I can't write a good novel in a month"

Your first draft will probably suck whether you take a month or a year, and at least this way you're motivated to actually complete it. Unless you're an awesome writer, in which case where can I buy your books?

[Marcus]

Interesting.

My wife wouldn't like it if I didn't shave at all this month, so I'd better try the other one.

If you're doing it too, that takes away one of my excuses for playing so slowly in our game, darn. =D

I'm just not a very good writer, so I have more time to think about positions. lol

[malweth]

I've wanted to do NaNoWriMo, but I've yet to have the time.

Can writing my thesis count??

[CnP]

Yup I thought this sounded good .. but I'm unlikely to have the time (okay there's no way I'd have the time whatsoever). Looks like "Time travelling dinosaurs" ... that play Go will have to wait until next year. However I did consider this:

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/11/nanowrimi-a-wired-challenge-to-write-a-novel-in-one-minute/

[CnP]

hah. Well I made it to the end of NaNoWriMi. My opus is now posted on the Wired comments section - share the love.

[Mark356]

I've tried it a couple of times, and never got very far.

I'm of two minds on it. On the one hand, all of the arguments they make are good: if you wait until inspiration strikes or you have time or whatever, you'll never get there, and all that.

On the other hand, though, imposing this artificial word-count based deadline doesn't seem very productive. Word count has very little to do with how the story is actually progressing. And dumping more words into your novel can be counterproductive if you haven't done the planning to support those words. You can really write yourself into a corner if you're not careful. And writing a novel, for most of us, is something we do on our off-time-- it seems weird to get home from work and away from all the deadlines and whatnot, only to come home to yet another crazy deadline.

So if you are planning on doing it, good luck, and more power to you.