NaNoWriMo! [Archive] - Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum

jokergirl

31-October-2008, 03:07 PM

BigDon

31-October-2008, 04:08 PM

Won't display Jgirl.

Gruesome

31-October-2008, 04:22 PM

I've always wanted to try this. Maybe I'll give it a shot this year. I have several ideas rattling around in my skull.

I also was unable to pull up the page. It says "overloaded server".

Gillianren

31-October-2008, 04:53 PM

I've got an idea that I've been playing with for years that I'm going to try to actually get written down.

01101001

31-October-2008, 06:18 PM

NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org)

National Novel Writing Month

Breaking news:

What a crazy night! We ended up spending a few hours dark last night while Russ tended to our biggest, baddest database server who suddenly developed a serious problem at 6:15 pm.

Russ (a robot whisperer) got things back up and running again, and we're keeping an eye on everything as we head into the hurricane of October 31 and November 1. Turning off the Author Search today helped a lot with site speed, and we may need to take some other steps if things get unstable under the delightfully insane load of the next two days.

MAPNUT

31-October-2008, 06:37 PM

BigDon

31-October-2008, 08:08 PM

Gee, I wish I knew how to tell a story...

Gruesome

31-October-2008, 08:16 PM

I signed up. What have I gotten myself into??

jokergirl

31-October-2008, 08:31 PM

Sounds like fun. I have a story line in mind. Are the novels-in-progress available to view on line by anyone? Does anyone actually read other people's novels?

I doubt I would be able to set aside enough time. I co-wrote a pretty amusing novelette (23,000 words, 40 pages) with another fellow on a literary discussion forum. It took us close to a year, and distracted me from work to an alarming extent. And this year I am busier than that year. Still, it might be now or never.

You don't have to share your novel if you don't want to (the site just provides a practical word meter) but there are forums where you can share and discuss to your heart's content.

And it's 50000 words in 30 days; that makes 1667 words per day. You can set aside the time for that if you just want to. I did it last year and was surprised that I actually managed.

There are even applets that can help you to write by poking you if you stop writing for a minute. Many people write their daily quota in the lunchbreak, on the train etc.

;)

BigDon

31-October-2008, 08:32 PM

You don't have to share your novel if you don't want to (the site just provides a practical word meter) but there are forums where you can share and discuss to your heart's content.

And it's 50000 words in 30 days; that makes 1667 words per day. You can set aside the time for that if you just want to. I did it last year and was surprised that I actually managed.

There are even applets that can help you to write by poking you if you stop writing for a minute. Many people write their daily quota in the lunchbreak, on the train etc.

;)

Where would one find such an applet ma'am?

jokergirl

31-October-2008, 09:13 PM

Where would one find such an applet ma'am?

This one for example:
http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html

;)

01101001

31-October-2008, 10:19 PM

Where would one find such an applet ma'am?

Great. An applet that pokes BigDon when his yarn output starts to fall.

I've got a bad feeling about this...

sarongsong

31-October-2008, 11:10 PM

National Novel Writing MonthThanks, 01101001.

mugaliens

31-October-2008, 11:30 PM

Gee, I wish I knew how to tell a story...

When I learn how to crawl through the Internet, I'm going to put you in a headlock and give you a resounding knuckle-rub.

About the NaNoWriMo site - It's SLOOOWWWW....

I joined, though, same username as here. Thanks, jokergirl! When I first read this thread, I didn't know what to think, but when I got to the site, it was, "Oh! This is a month-long write your novel website!

One word of caution - I wouldn't write your choice novel, the one you've always been meaning to publish, here, as it's public and no telling who'll pick it up and claim it as theirs. You don't see any of Clancy's novels online...

KaiYeves

01-November-2008, 02:06 AM

All my friends on MuseBlog are doing NaNo. I might.

BigDon

01-November-2008, 02:52 AM

One word of caution - I wouldn't write your choice novel, the one you've always been meaning to publish, here, as it's public and no telling who'll pick it up and claim it as theirs. You don't see any of Clancy's novels online...

Hey Mugs, here as in here, or here as in there?

jokergirl

01-November-2008, 10:52 AM

When I learn how to crawl through the Internet, I'm going to put you in a headlock and give you a resounding knuckle-rub.

About the NaNoWriMo site - It's SLOOOWWWW....

I joined, though, same username as here. Thanks, jokergirl! When I first read this thread, I didn't know what to think, but when I got to the site, it was, "Oh! This is a month-long write your novel website!

One word of caution - I wouldn't write your choice novel, the one you've always been meaning to publish, here, as it's public and no telling who'll pick it up and claim it as theirs. You don't see any of Clancy's novels online...

Actually, there's no need at all to put your novel on that site. You can scramble and upload it for an official wordcount (replace all letters with "a" for example - there's a howto on the site for it) or just put in the wordcount from your preferred word processor and let them take your word for it. You're doing it for yourself, after all.

;)

mugaliens

01-November-2008, 08:42 PM

Hey Mugs, here as in here, or here as in there?

Here as in anywhere on the Internet.

I'm not sure if that applies to the NaNoWriMo project, though, one page that finally loaded seemed to indicate that your novel isn't public, but that you could put excerpts of it in a public spot.

Perhaps the OP could confirm this, as I haven't been able to log into the sight all day (I've tried, and cleared my ENTIRE WEEKEND to write, but if the site's down, well, all I can say, is, "Nice idea, folks, but weak to the point of empty promise in the delivery."

I hope others have had better luck.

HenrikOlsen

02-November-2008, 05:19 AM

My impression is that you're supposed to work more on writing than on getting to their website anyway

jokergirl

02-November-2008, 10:38 AM

NaNoWriMo is getting a lot more popular in the last years; evidently, their servers can't keep up.
But anyway, the site is just a way for you to show other people you're keeping track. You write for yourself.

And I should really get to it...

;)

mugaliens

02-November-2008, 06:01 PM

Oh. I was under the impression that the counters were online, along with your novel.

Again, how would I have known that if I can't get to their website??!!!

geonuc

15-November-2008, 12:24 PM

So, how's that scary vampire story coming along, jokergirl? :)

Gillianren

15-November-2008, 07:42 PM

I'm not going to make it this year. Maybe next.

jokergirl

16-November-2008, 08:17 AM

Not well. Work and lack of inspiration got the better of me. :(

geonuc

16-November-2008, 10:33 AM

Not well. Work and lack of inspiration got the better of me. :(
Too bad - I was looking forward to your story. But perhaps later when you have some free hours, the undead may visit you with inspiration. :)

jokergirl

16-November-2008, 01:18 PM

It may well happen. :D

mugaliens

16-November-2008, 06:43 PM

Website still not accessible more than 90% of the time...

geonuc

02-December-2008, 09:26 AM

Sooo ...

Anybody write anything? A good vampire story, maybe? Anything?

jokergirl

02-December-2008, 10:16 AM

Nope, I failed miserably. Work got the better of me. :(

;)

geonuc

02-December-2008, 11:54 AM

I hate it when work gets in the way of life.

jokergirl

02-December-2008, 11:55 AM

Me too... :(

PraedSt

02-December-2008, 12:57 PM

How about here?

http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/3323/cookiemonsterqu5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

jokergirl

02-December-2008, 01:26 PM

Augh!

*elmer fudd shotgun blast*

;)

Fazor

02-December-2008, 03:18 PM

Sooo ...

Anybody write anything? A good vampire story, maybe? Anything?

I had a vampire story, but I decided the characters all sucked.

Thank you! Thank you! I'll be here all week! Remember to tip the wait-staff!

geonuc

02-December-2008, 04:59 PM

I had a vampire story, but I decided the characters all sucked.

Thank you! Thank you! I'll be here all week! Remember to tip the wait-staff!
Hey, jokergirl! If you have any more ammo in that shotgun, could you take care of this guy too?

mugaliens

02-December-2008, 08:03 PM

Forget the shotgun. I found a bigger gun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMIJBdjp-zo). But if you want something with a better rate of fire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sALiuWg_I1k&feature=related)...

Fazor

02-December-2008, 09:20 PM

Man, you guys are a tough crowd! Well, *I* thought it was a good one anyway. :)

geonuc

02-December-2008, 10:36 PM

Man, you guys are a tough crowd! Well, *I* thought it was a good one anyway. :)
It was. :)

But you and the cookie monster are still going down.

KaiYeves

03-December-2008, 01:30 AM

I had a vampire story, but I decided the characters all sucked.
Ba bum bum!

mugaliens

03-December-2008, 07:47 AM

Man, you guys are a tough crowd! Well, *I* thought it was a good one anyway. :)

Geonuc's right, but I'm feeling merciful, today. You're free to go. The furball stays behind. We'll take care of him, later.

jokergirl

19-October-2009, 02:18 PM

Almost time again...

Although work WILL get the better of me this time, so I'm not competing. I'll be aiming for a lot of LoC (lines of code) at work instead.
And possibly, just possibly, 30 comic pages of something nice and simple. Maybe someone wants to provide the storyboard?

;)

Fazor

19-October-2009, 02:48 PM

Here's (http://www.nanowrimo.org/) the link again, for those of you who are like me, and too lazy to page back to get it. :)

My g/f gave me an idea for a story I could probably use, but it's more a matter of whether or not I want to divert attention away from the other story I'm slowly-but-surely writing (~20,000 words as I approach the "conflict", probably a record for me).

Tog_

19-October-2009, 03:18 PM

Woohoo, Fazor!

I've been giving serious thought to this. I know I can do 50,000 words. I've got one story out there at 130,000 already, but it took a lot longer than 30 days to write.

Since I can write at work, that's shouldn't be an issue. My problem is that I can't seem to come up with a solid idea that isn't a short story. Most of the ideas I do have could never be dragged out that far.

Gillianren

19-October-2009, 06:25 PM

I've been having trouble writing fiction for years, but I may give it a try this year to see if I can get over that. If my mental state picks up.

jokergirl

19-October-2009, 08:12 PM

I've done 50000 words for NaNo before. Problem was that I had written myself into a corner in the end of the story and I never managed to pick up from there afterwards.

I also did a 30 page comic, much the same problem there. But I might try the comic again, sketching comes easier to me than writing (it's a time question really).

Now, does anybody have a suggestion for the plot?

;)

Fazor

19-October-2009, 08:35 PM

Now, does anybody have a suggestion for the plot?
;)

A boy's magical journey in a home-built balloon? You can even use the soo not cliché twist of, at the end, having him wake up in a box in the attic, only to realize it was all a dream.

Should probably name the boy something cool, like Raven. Or Eagle.

;)

mike alexander

20-October-2009, 12:01 AM

Some Portugese fishermen discover a secret underwater UFO base?

jokergirl

20-October-2009, 07:12 AM

Well, I was pondering doing something with the Bridge Bunny characters I sketched up a while ago... (http://www.bautforum.com/off-topic-babbling/75016-share-your-art-thread-8.html#post1497757)

;)

Gillianren

20-October-2009, 08:58 AM

Jens

20-October-2009, 09:14 AM

Now, does anybody have a suggestion for the plot?

How about this: a boy and girl fall in love, but their families don't like each other. In the end they commit suicide. I think it's a good one, but somebody's probably done it before.

Tog_

20-October-2009, 09:29 AM

An old friend of mine (I think I met her in third grade, and no one seems sure how old her husband and I were when we met) actually asked me today if I'd written a suspense/mystery thriller-type book. I haven't, but I may ask her to give me until December to see what I can come up with.

That's my current focus. So far I've got ideas for 6 novels, and 30 short stories, of which 8 are written. The problem is that while I can come up with the basic plots easily enough, I have a hard time working out the details. I wouldn't have any of them ready to go my November.

HenrikOlsen

20-October-2009, 11:26 AM

Well, I was pondering doing something with the Bridge Bunny characters I sketched up a while ago... (http://www.bautforum.com/off-topic-babbling/75016-share-your-art-thread-post1497757.html#post1497757)

;)
After finding them I realized you meant bunnies on a starship bridge rather than my first flash, which was bunnies living under a bright ready to rob unsuspecting travelers.

geonuc

20-October-2009, 11:38 AM

I'm still waiting for jokergirl's scary vampire story.

jokergirl

20-October-2009, 11:41 AM

geonuc

20-October-2009, 11:45 AM

Did I say I would write a scary vampire story?

Although... vampires being the "in" thing right now, it might possibly sell. Somehow. I'll just have to get rid of those pesky standards I keep around for some reason...

;)
Why, yes. You did. :)

Post # 21.

http://www.bautforum.com/off-topic-babbling/80780-books-read-2.html

jokergirl

20-October-2009, 12:00 PM

Oh indeed, I did.
Well then. Any requests on story/setting/characters? (I take dares.)

;)

mugaliens

20-October-2009, 02:00 PM

Maybe someone wants to provide the storyboard?

;)

Oh, good grief, JG!

Carl: (LHC scientist, walks into the coffeeshop, rain dripping from the newspaper on his head. He shakes it off, intending to read it, but realizing he's dry, chucks it into the trash can by the door)

Waitress: Two for you, or are you single?

Carl: What?

Waitress: I didn't, I'm sorry - how many?

Carl: One. Uh, do you see anyone else?

Waitress: Oh, I see all kinds of people. I've got you a seat over here...

Carl: Thanks.

Your turn, JG!

HenrikOlsen

20-October-2009, 03:14 PM

How about this: a boy and girl fall in love, but their families don't like each other. In the end they commit suicide. I think it's a good one, but somebody's probably done it before.
Somebody had already done it several times before Shakespeare did Romeo and Juliet, including Ovid's Pyramus and Thisbe that he parodies in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

That it's been done before doesn't mean it can't be done better.

HenrikOlsen

20-October-2009, 03:20 PM

Oh indeed, I did.
Well then. Any requests on story/setting/characters? (I take dares.)

;)
I already provided one.

geonuc

20-October-2009, 05:11 PM

I already provided one.I missed it. What is your scary vampire idea?

Gillianren

20-October-2009, 06:09 PM

That's my current focus. So far I've got ideas for 6 novels, and 30 short stories, of which 8 are written. The problem is that while I can come up with the basic plots easily enough, I have a hard time working out the details. I wouldn't have any of them ready to go my November.

The problem I have is that it's not a genre in which I seem to have any particular skill, but as a favour for friends--and their new production company--I'll give it a shot.

jokergirl

20-October-2009, 06:43 PM

I missed it. What is your scary vampire idea?

He dared me to do Romeo and Juliet better.

I think that can't be hard.
With vampires included, of course, one has to beware that it doesn't become Twilight... because that would be horrible. *shudder*

;)

HenrikOlsen

20-October-2009, 07:11 PM

Actually I was thinking about the bridge bunnies when I said I'd already provided an idea.

Gillianren

20-October-2009, 11:26 PM

Okay, I have the start of something in my head. I just need a MacGuffin.

Jens

21-October-2009, 08:35 AM

He dared me to do Romeo and Juliet better.

I think that can't be hard.
With vampires included, of course, one has to beware that it doesn't become Twilight... because that would be horrible. *shudder*

;)

One problem with using dead (undead?) character is that the suicide by poison becomes a bit tricky. But maybe that's a good thing, if you're trying to get to 50,000 words. The last 100 pages are easy:

Romeolacula took 100 mg of the poison. He waited. Nothing happened.
He tried 150 mg of the poison. He waited. Nothing happened.
He tried 200 mg of the poison. He waited. Still nothing.
. . .

As long as he's got a good supply, you could get a lot of pages out of that!

jokergirl

21-October-2009, 08:54 AM

Okay, I have the start of something in my head. I just need a MacGuffin.

The petrified heart of the Giant Anaruliea, frozen in bakelite for millions of years. It keeps him/her/it alive.

;)

Gillianren

21-October-2009, 07:01 PM

The petrified heart of the Giant Anaruliea, frozen in bakelite for millions of years. It keeps him/her/it alive.

But how would that get into the Port of Olympia?

No, I'm working toward neo-noir, not Lovecraft pastiche.

distraction tactics

24-October-2009, 04:15 AM

I am definitely attempting this again for 2009!

The first year I tried I got 2,000 words down. The next year around 5,000. Finally broke 10,000 last year. This year I'm going all the way. :lol:

...have even started an ideas journal for possible plot lines and story-universe notes.

SolusLupus

24-October-2009, 06:02 AM

Who's going to do NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org) this year?

I'm pondering, though I'll probably not make all 50000. Also, I'm not quite sure what I should write yet.

Ah well... off we go!
I have the same username on the NaNo page - add me as writing buddy if you want!

;)

I am!

I'm probably going to fail.

What I write is definitely going to suck.

But dangit, I only live once!

I'm thinking of going for a cyberpunk noir story. Gillian kind of inspired it by mentioning "noir". The idea is about a detective that's falling down a large downward spiral, leading him on and on downwards, with a computer in his head that carries a fractured personality of his dead lover. It's supposed to be extremely gritty and not-at-all happy. I'll have to see if I can make it work.

mugaliens

24-October-2009, 08:00 AM

The first year I tried I got 2,000 words down. The next year around 5,000. Finally broke 10,000 last year. This year I'm going all the way. :lol:

Try writing detailed responses to issues here on BAUT. You're break 1,000 words in a heartbeat.

This morning I wrote a response to an online issue. It only allows 1,000 characters, and I thought, "piece of cake."

I hit that in the third paragraph, with about seven more to go. :doh:

...have even started an ideas journal for possible plot lines and story-universe notes.

Outstanding!

HenrikOlsen

24-October-2009, 09:14 AM

I've signed up, now to see how far this'll take me.

I even have a tiny little grain of a MacGuffin that's been nagging me ever since I stumbled upon it as a throwaway line in Gaiman's Calliope.

mugaliens

24-October-2009, 10:45 AM

I've signed up, now to see how far this'll take me.

I even have a tiny little grain of a MacGuffin that's been nagging me ever since I stumbled upon it as a throwaway line in Gaiman's Calliope.

:)

Tog_

24-October-2009, 12:46 PM

It's looking like I'm in this year as well.

I've had an idea kicking around for about 8 years now, but Could never figure out how to make the time line for it until the other day. Now that I know when stuff happens, the rest should fall into place.

HenrikOlsen

24-October-2009, 01:04 PM

chuckgalle

24-October-2009, 01:16 PM

Hi all - I'm in NaNoWriMo - I confess I don't like that contraction, but it's easy. I tried to find a guru here to comment on my sci fi idea, but apparently such a request is taboo. I have no problem accessing the nnwm web site when I want to, maybe because I use the link in my forum notifications, although on second thought I don't know why that would speed things up. I'm a first timer, have a pretty complex environment for it to take place in, and intend to use it to comment on social structures, war, peace, religion, you know, all the "big" stuff. sending my character to a variety of universes that differ by small degrees from this one.

Tog_

24-October-2009, 04:46 PM

Just for fun, I tried looking back on the posts I wrote here in the last 24 hours to get an impression of how much writing it actually involves.

I counted 753 words or just about half the average daily output needed. It suddenly looks a lot more doable, especially since many of those words were written at least twice because of my post-posting editing.

Nearly all the writing I've done over the last two years has been done at work. I've got about 5 hours of down time per night. I know I can turn out 4000 per night if I've a good idea where the story is going, and I get too wrapped up in things here.

And of course, if nothing at work actually demands my attention.

distraction tactics

24-October-2009, 05:43 PM

I hit that in the third paragraph, with about seven more to go. :doh:

Haha, ouch! I know those very well - wake up at 6:30 to check your posts before going into the shower, decide to pop off a 'quick reply' only to have your buddy text you half-way through your post that he picked up notes for you in the class you just missed.

:whistle:

Time flies when you're having fun, I guess.

mugaliens

25-October-2009, 08:16 AM

...only to have your buddy text you half-way through your post that he picked up notes for you in the class you just missed.

Doah! Sounds like a lot of my BAUTing... :lol:

Ok, so how best to approach this? Should it be 50,000 words or bust? Without consideration to content, I can bang that out in several days. If I write with the detail I'd like to write, we're looking at several months.

So, compromises are in order.

By comparison, I just passed 12,000 posts here on BAUT, each of which contains perhaps two or three hundred words, on average. At 8 posts per day, that's about 2,000 words a day, for a total of 3,000,000 words. That took five years, or 60 months, so for 50,000 words, that's 1/60th that, or 1 month.

:eek:

Gee, that was scary how that worked as, and I didn't back in those numbers!

Ok, so if I do one month's work here on BAUT, I'll reach 50,000 words.

:)

I think I'll just type all my BAUT responses into nano before copying them here...

Just kidding. It's supposed to be a novel, and this is message boarding.

Seriously - perhaps I out to just ram-dump my thoughts and worry about the details later.

What do you think?

distraction tactics

25-October-2009, 03:28 PM

Seriously - perhaps I out to just ram-dump my thoughts and worry about the details later.

What do you think?

A couple of years ago I picked up a book called No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty, one of the founding figures behind NaNoWriMo. His primary philosophy is that you ditch your 'inner editor' and just go with pure creative flow. The idea is not to write an interesting, well-structured novel, but simply just to write one and remove yourself from the pantheon of 'one day' writers (i.e. 'one day I will write a novel').

One might question the book's effectiveness given I've never finished any of my novels, haha, but it does offer a lot of cool tips and insight written in a dry, humourous tone.

SolusLupus

25-October-2009, 03:38 PM

One might question the book's effectiveness given I've never finished any of my novels

I don't think it's really out for 100% effectiveness. I doubt anything works for everyone.

mike alexander

25-October-2009, 07:32 PM

I am!

I'm probably going to fail.

What I write is definitely going to suck.

But dangit, I only live once!

I'm thinking of going for a cyberpunk noir story. Gillian kind of inspired it by mentioning "noir". The idea is about a detective that's falling down a large downward spiral, leading him on and on downwards, with a computer in his head that carries a fractured personality of his dead lover. It's supposed to be extremely gritty and not-at-all happy. I'll have to see if I can make it work.

Sounds like a distant cousin of Tom Disch's story "Descending."

mugaliens

26-October-2009, 09:35 AM

A couple of years ago I picked up a book called No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty, one of the founding figures behind NaNoWriMo. His primary philosophy is that you ditch your 'inner editor' and just go with pure creative flow. The idea is not to write an interesting, well-structured novel, but simply just to write one and remove yourself from the pantheon of 'one day' writers (i.e. 'one day I will write a novel').

Sounds like his justification behind NaNoWriMo. Most people have ideas, but never start. The only way one can write is to write.

Thanks, DT - you've solve my dilemma. I'll treat it as an unstructured practice run. I'm sure structure will creep in, heavily, but if it's slowing down my word rate, I'm going to chuck it and just keep writing.

Another idea, popped into my head, to use one-page, handwritten chapter notes, spread out before me on my desk so I can reference them for the flow, interlinks, etc. Minimal editing, maximum outpouring.

Tog_

28-October-2009, 10:44 AM

Okay, I'm in.

SolusLupus

28-October-2009, 01:04 PM

Once again, I have too many ideas to deal with them properly. Augh. D:

jokergirl

28-October-2009, 02:48 PM

Once again, I have too many ideas to deal with them properly. Augh. D:

Just start writing one. If you lose momentum, you can always switch later on.

;)

Gillianren

28-October-2009, 05:46 PM

I have a few places I want to use as settings, and I've got a grip on my main character, but my MacGuffin still isn't falling into place. I think it's going to have something to do with the fact that we've got a wee bit of state government here (as in, by state law, all state offices have to have their headquarters within about five miles), but whether the MacGuffin itself will by definition be political or not, I have not decided.

SolusLupus

29-October-2009, 03:02 AM

Just start writing one. If you lose momentum, you can always switch later on.

;)

That made me lose out last NaNoWriMo.

jokergirl

29-October-2009, 09:36 AM

Switching actually helped me win last time. Started one, lost momentum, went back to another one and won.

;)

mugaliens

01-November-2009, 10:27 PM

This year's experience is proving similar to last year's experience, i.e. a bust due to poor NaNoWriMo planning with respect to the server requirements.

Only this time I'm here in the states and on a fast broadband connection.

Haven't been able to log in all day!

Grr...

distraction tactics

02-November-2009, 03:43 AM

Yeah, the server has been super sluggish!

But, it's been a great day of novelling: 1607 words and I have a lot of ideas on where to take the story. Here's the synopsis:

"29 year old geologist Jake Williams is bored. So bored that he joins an exploration project in Ecuador as war breaks out between Colombia and Venezuela. In between terrorist attacks, surprisingly encounters with ex-girlfriends, running into paramilitary organizations, and discovering ancient ruins, Jake and his German shepherd Toomey somehow manage to survive and come out relatively unscathed in a dry, fun, and thoughtful adventure."

Tog_

02-November-2009, 05:22 AM

They do say that the first week or so the server is incredibly slow.

I abandoned my first idea before the start time, got about 800 words into my second and abandoned it after I figured that there would be no way to drag it out that long without feeling like it was being dragged out that long, so now I'm on to idea three. I'm starting with a suspect pool of 15 people. A big step up from three.

HenrikOlsen

02-November-2009, 11:42 AM

Got the first 500 words written in Vienna Airport as I was travelling home from a meeting in Bratislava, and another 150 in the train from Copenhagen, then dropped of tiredness from the trip.

SolusLupus

02-November-2009, 01:31 PM

I haven't even started yet.

Yeah, the server has been super sluggish!

But, it's been a great day of novelling: 1607 words and I have a lot of ideas on where to take the story. Here's the synopsis:

"29 year old geologist Jake Williams is bored. So bored that he joins an exploration project in Ecuador as war breaks out between Colombia and Venezuela. In between terrorist attacks, surprisingly encounters with ex-girlfriends, running into paramilitary organizations, and discovering ancient ruins, Jake and his German shepherd Toomey somehow manage to survive and come out relatively unscathed in a dry, fun, and thoughtful adventure."

I know we're not supposed to edit yet, but I think you meant "surprising".

Just saying!

distraction tactics

02-November-2009, 04:45 PM

Haha, maybe so, but that passage is not actually in the novel itself, so no worries!

Gillianren

02-November-2009, 05:58 PM

I've started. I'm not sure how well it's going.

SolusLupus

06-November-2009, 12:42 PM

So, I was inspired for a new idea, but still haven't started at all.

Sigh. I don't think I'm cut out for this.

HenrikOlsen

06-November-2009, 03:16 PM

I've basically stopped.

Looks like the reason I wanted to participate was to get myself to write that one setting.

Gillianren

06-November-2009, 06:28 PM

I've got about seven pages and have for several days.

Tog_

12-November-2009, 08:31 AM

I'm on my fifth idea now but I can't seem to get out of short story mode. I've got a solid beginning and I know how it will end, I just need 40,000 words of fluff to fill it out.

distraction tactics

19-November-2009, 01:40 AM

How's everyone doing?

I'm about to break 30,000 words.

SolusLupus

19-November-2009, 01:43 AM

Nada.

Gillianren

19-November-2009, 02:32 AM

I've got over a dozen pages. Given my near-total writer's block for fiction that's lasted about five years now, that's not bad.

jokergirl

19-November-2009, 08:39 AM

No time, no inspiration, no fancy. :lol:

;)

distraction tactics

19-November-2009, 02:27 PM

Booo!

Well, to be fair, this is like my fourth time attempting it.

But I had an epiphany last winter, and since then, if I want to do something, I do it. Life has turned out to be much more interesting and scary as a result. And I'll get a novel out of the deal! Sweet.