Who's Doing Na No Wri Mo This Year?

[Wheatflower]

Last weekend, in an act that defies all logic, I signed up for National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo). In going through their forums I noted that more people than I would have expected are planning to write their 50,000 words using a fountain pen, which in turn made me wonder how many people here on FPN were signed up for the month of novel madness. So, anyone else doing this?

 

I'm planning on writing my project with my fountain pens, for reasons.

[WaskiSquirrel]

I looked into it, but I can't bring myself to do it. It just doesn't match the way I work. I'm a planner and a corrector. I can't work quickly on impulse.

 

That said, I'm writing my second draft of my novel. Draft 1 was done in fountain (and ballpoint) pen. Draft 2 is a combination of handwriting and typing. I'm writing with pen, and then typing. This enables me to capture the thinking benefits of both.

 

So, I won't be participating in this event, but I am hoping to finish a typed draft of my novel before Christmas. And, yes, handwriting the rough draft was a great thing. I even handwrote the original outline.

[GabrielleDuVent]

I participated in nanowrimo last year, and I think I used my Lamy Vista to write the outline (day 1 and day 2), then it was Scrivener time all the way.

 

This year, I think I'll use ommwriter. See how that works.

[kapilapshankar]

I'll be doing NaNoWriMo this year - intent on getting novel published on KDP before 12th December.

 

I will be writing entirely using my trusted army of fountain pens. Will transcribe into MS Word only for final proof-reading.

 

Cheers!

 

Kapil

[RobertP]

This could be the kick-up-the-backside I need! I have three ideas, each with a basic structure roughly penned, but ran out of steam before any of them got past a couple of thousand words.

 

With a time limit and pep-talks and such like, I might get some movement back into at least one of them! I might take the plunge and sign up too

 

Back to the pen vs. computer question. I have a mix of fountain/ballpoint pen and pencil written notes and blocks of text on my laptop for two of the ideas. One is just on the computer, but I don't like that one as much.

 

Rob

[Serenova]

I've been doing NaNo since 2008. I absolutely love it.

 

Unfortunately, I probably won't be using a fountain pen to write up my 50k worth of words. I'm a much faster typist and once I get going I'm rather difficult to stop. It's also easier for my writing style to type instead of writing it out by hand. I'm one of those people who jumps around, I'll write something in chapter 2 and then in chapter 10 and then in chapter 4, etc. I write extremely non-linearly. When doing that out by hand it doesn't really work.

 

Thus, though I've newly discovered my love of fountain pens, I think my keyboard and I will be together a lot come November. Scrivener is my favorite writing program for the computer. It works SO well with the way I write.

Edited October 17, 2013 by Serenova

[scrivelry]

I've done NaNo a number of times, and it is great for forcing you to get something done. I have been experimenting with writing with a fountain pen, and I am not sure I see any difference in my writing. (Nor am I sure what this says about my writing.)

 

For Nano, for the sake of simplicity and not having to count words by hand, I will probably go with my electronic writing tools. However, not because it is easier to re-arrange things that way. For me, it is still much easier to re-arrange by printing things out, cutting, and physically moving and pasting, so as long as I write on only one side of the paper, there is no clear advantage there to the computer.

 

And I have managed to lose entire documents both ways. I now back-up like a fiend anything I do not want to lose...

 

T

[TheGreatRoe]

I've done it thrice, and finished twice. In all three cases I hated what I produced, but the manuscript I wrote for the second one served as inspiration for several short stories that have been published.

 

I have a bit of an aversion to NNWM, as they've picked such a difficult time for it. November is already a short month, but it has the huge Thanksgiving block that gets in the way of writing. And then December's not a very good month for following up with either editing or more writing.

[colrehogan]

That's probably why they choose it.

[Ink Sandwich]

I'll definitely be in this year again. Last year was my second time, and I actually hit the 50k mark. Initially, I was using my pen, but after a while I realized that I just had too little time to write everything twice just to have my words counted, so I switched to the laptop. But I'll definitely be using my fp for drafts, edits and general ideas for my novel, for which I'm going to buy a small notebook

[Avalonia]

I'm doing it. I think this might be year 10 for me. I won't be handwriting it (though the second draft might be), since there's just not enough time. I'll probably dig out one of my Apica CD-11 notebooks and use an FP for notes and general plotting. I'm not even sure which storyline I'll be doing this year.

[F104]

I'm considering it. It usually slips my mind until it's already in progress--as it would have this year, had I not seen this thread... Need to review the rules and whatnot, before I commit.

 

50 kilowords in 30 earth-days...

 

I think I can do that. At least the raw word count. (Quality is something else altogether.) But not at pen speeds. When things are working, and the Force is with me, I can average 2K a day--using a keyboard and a word processor.

 

My main concern, other than fending off the distraction of holiday nonsense, is whether I can come up with the idea, from a cold start, in 13 days. I suppose I could jumpstart one of my old fan fic series, if that's permitted under the rules, which would mean a considerable savings in time spent generating characters and scenery, and allow me to focus on a new situation....

[Wheatflower]

Initially, I was using my pen, but after a while I realized that I just had too little time to write everything twice just to have my words counted, so I switched to the laptop.

 

"Write things twice"? You don't have to type up your handwritten stuff in order to validate; they have a method for handwriters: https://nanowrimo.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/161416-how-do-i-verify-if-i-m-writing-by-hand-

 

 

 

I suppose I could jumpstart one of my old fan fic series, if that's permitted under the rules, which would mean a considerable savings in time spent generating characters and scenery, and allow me to focus on a new situation....

 

Yep! Fanfic is allowed. My own project is original, but it grew out of my various Devil May Cry fanfic noodling. I say, go for it!

 

https://nanowrimo.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/161381-what-genres-are-okay-can-i-write-fanfiction-how-

[debraji]

Yup, I'm up to my neck in planning my fifth NaNoWriMo.

 

My process: I go back and forth from the notebook to the computer, and I take pen & paper wherever I don't want to lug the machine. Scrivener's my software of choice--for outlining, collecting names, making notes, storing pictures, as well as for writing. And I'll be trying out Aeon Timeline for building my story calendar.

 

But sometimes I do my best thinking on paper. And my Apica notebook doesn't come with a connection to the web--and FPN--to distract me.

[F104]

Yep! Fanfic is allowed. My own project is original, but it grew out of my various Devil May Cry fanfic noodling. I say, go for it!

Excellent. I just might go for it. I've dusted off a long-dormant character of mine, from a galaxy far, far away, and started making notes. Not sure I can make it take off; not sure I can push it to fifty thousand words. Of course, there are earlier, still-unwritten adventures, that might be made to fill out the word count...

 

I need to do a little more checking into the site...but I'm looking very favorably at it at the moment. Even started transcribing notes into Scrivener this afternoon. (The stories need to be written, anyway, whether for the NaNoWriMo or not.)

[GabrielleDuVent]

Excellent. I just might go for it. I've dusted off a long-dormant character of mine, from a galaxy far, far away, and started making notes. Not sure I can make it take off; not sure I can push it to fifty thousand words. Of course, there are earlier, still-unwritten adventures, that might be made to fill out the word count...

 

I need to do a little more checking into the site...but I'm looking very favorably at it at the moment. Even started transcribing notes into Scrivener this afternoon. (The stories need to be written, anyway, whether for the NaNoWriMo or not.)

 

Fanfic should be allowed, since fanfics are today's bestsellers and are getting turned into movies.

 

50k words isn't that difficult, as long as you have a map planned out. Planning out the map's half the work (or that's what my creative writings professor said).

 

Another fun thing to do on Scrivener is render your writings into Kindle. It gives a different perspective... AND you can now share it! (Not that I'd want to.)

Edited October 22, 2013 by GabrielleDuVent

[Lyander0012]

Update: For no apparent reason, I coerced myself into signing up for NaNo. Oh boy, I'm nervous now. But I Mau as well try my best; hope whatever I come up with doesn't turn out to be completely horrible!

 

 

 

The original post:

Ah well, best of luck to all participating! I'm not yet confident in my skills to warrant my entering just yet; I'll maybe give myself another year before trying my hand at writing a novel.

 

Still, I've also noticed a strong correlation between novel writing and fountain pen usage. It probably has something to do with some ideas being easier to work out on paper than via word processor/computer, and fountain pens being much easier to work with than pretty much all other writing instruments (provided you have decent paper to go with that nib, anyway).

Edited October 24, 2013 by Lyander0012

[F104]

I'm goin' in...

 

Signed up a little earlier.

 

 

Fanfic should be allowed, since fanfics are today's bestsellers and are getting turned into movies.

 

50k words isn't that difficult, as long as you have a map planned out. Planning out the map's half the work (or that's what my creative writings professor said).

 

Another fun thing to do on Scrivener is render your writings into Kindle. It gives a different perspective... AND you can now share it! (Not that I'd want to.)

 

Yep, looks like fanfic is not a problem.

 

And, at least I 1) know how to do it (how well, I leave for others to judge), and 2) I have a fanfic idea I've been turning over for a long time that should serve well enough.

 

50k--I know I can turn out the words if things don't fight me: i.e., if I can plant myself at the keyboard every day and hit my old average, and no earth-shattering devlopements shake my routine.

 

I've something of a plan to follow--I've been thinking about this story for a long time--but, I always keep in mind when writing what George Patton said: "No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy." As with war, so with writing, I have found.

 

I'll have to look at the Kindle-export feature in Scrivener. I've usually posted my public-consumption stuff on-line, but I suppose there might be a handful of folks interested in reading my fanfics via Kindle.

 

Good luck to you, and to all our fellow participants here!

[Daisy25]

I'm definitely in. I'm debating fountain pen over computer. I'll probably wind up with some weird hybrid of both.

 

I'll probably use fountain pen for notes, brainstorming, and a bit of rough scene work, Scrivener for organizing the whole, and OmmWriter for generating material I then cut and paste into Scrivener. I find the keyboard sounds on OmmWriter mesmerizing: they definitely keep my fingers moving on the keyboard!

[requiescat]

We'll see how long I last--I have other obligations, ironically for my agent, which take first priority.