NaNo 2009 - Week 1

Okay, the bell has officially rung, we are off to the writing races, as it were. Did we have any midnight writers, got a jump on their writing for the month?

This thread is set for the week 1 express. Extoll the virtures of your novel as it picks up speed. Bang the keyboard as you hit a snag of the plot. Ask for suggestions... Procrastinate not here! :> (Though I know you will, as we all tend to at some point.)

Don't forget to save your work in multiple places to not lose anything, back things up!

I wrote the first 1019 words last night before going to sleep, and am about to start off again, after I forage for lunch. I'd like to get a bit of a word-count cushion built up, but I may switch over to outlining for a bit before diving back in to the narrative, as I have only the sketchiest idea of where things are going at the moment. Feeling pretty good so far. . . .

I started at Midnight but I only wrote around 675 words before going to bed. I thought all that Halloween candy would give me a boost. I don't think my plot bunny likes chocolate.

Yay week one! Kick-Off was yesterday and I'm our region's ML, so I was up late getting things ready for that, and didn't sit down to pump out the words until the evening. I'm hoping to build a bit of a cushion mid-week... so we'll see!

Well, with as tentative as I felt about this year, I'm 1700 words into my novel's start. Just introducing characters and settings, so lots of description.

I have a bit of a cushion (that I'm not counting yet -- it's there if I need it!), but I'm about on schedule -- currently at 5003 words. (Today is Nov 3 for me.)

This year I've just let myself write whatever scene I felt interested in, instead of trying to keep a straight narrative. It's been a bit easier this way.

I'm writing a younger version of a character I used in 2007 and continuity is kicking my butt!

I was traveling yesterday so I only got to write for a couple of hours. Even so, I knocked out about 1800 words. Having an outline really helps so much! That's a much better pace than I had last year when I had just an idea and had to wing it.

Yesterday, Nov. 1, I went to a write-in & was joined by two other WriMos. I managed to get a respectible 1600+ words done by the time I went to sleep.

Now, obviously 1600 isn't all that impressive, considering how many words some of you have done already, but anyone who knows me knows that (a) I'm a seat-o'-the-pants kinda writer, (b) I usually don't know what I'm going to write until around Nov. 3, and (c) I usually don't start writing in earnest until around that time. SO, all in all, good going for me!

Congrats & well done all you who are forging ahead!

Ooh I started at about 1:00 Am and got about 1200 words which i have added to since then. Since this is my first year it doesn't feel like a lot yet but I have some group writes coming up with other WriMos so that will help.

Thanks for the multiple saves reminder. It would be terrible to lose all that work- I mean when I have actually done the work.

The first day rocked and I got over 5K written, but I had just over 1000 yesterday and only 300 written today.

I'm at 7300 which is still ahead for day 3, but I gotta find my groove again. I'm just getting to the real meat of my story so hopefully that will help things flow.

I'm just over the 5,000 mark and I finally have a vague idea of where the plot might go. (Underprepared? Me? Surely not...)

I'm having a depressingly slow start. I'm busy and the time I have to write is at times when my motivation is low. Anyone else going a lot more slowly than you'd like? And please, no "I'm only at 12,000 words and would like to be at 15,000"!

I went to a write-in on the 1st, and I got about 3,000 on the first day with that. Now I've got almost 7,000, and I'm trying to stay a day ahead on my word goal. I feel pretty good so far.

#13 RidgewayGirl ~ First off, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Don't worry, there are slow starters and fast starters, and catching up is the reason for the 4-day Thanksgiving weekend, isn't it? What? You say you have family stuff to do that weekend? Well, easy-peasy! Just hang out with family till around 5 p.m., then sneak off with your notebook, find a comfy hiding place, and get back to your NaNovel!

Really, I start slow every year (this is my 4th) and usually have about 15,000 by midmonth, then take off and get down the final 35,000 in the next 12-14 days using that 4-day holiday I mentioned plus one day off work (now an annual tradition).

Oh, and this year? So far, at the end of the 4th day, I've got a whopping 2,041 words. That's about 2,000 more than I had at this time last year!

When people run into issues the first week, I start offering these three suggestions:

- When in doubt, add description. This is, after all, a first draft. Things can be edited out come December.

- When in doubt, kill a character. Sometimes, finding out what happens when you loose that all important character that the book has hinged itself on can open all new venues of writing.

And finally (Mostly for the over 18 set)

- When in doubt, write porn. Find out what spark flies when those two main characters get together.

Naturally, these are tongue in cheek suggestions, but they do offer work arounds and things that can be edited out come December.

As we near the end of week one, realize that even Chris Baty does not always fair well and he created this mad dash. :>