I saw a thread about this in Printed Matter and figured that we should have one, too, as we are the writing forum.

NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month, in which the goal is to write an entire 50K+ word novel within the bounds of November. That means no expanding prewritten stuff, no editing old work, etc. Just pure and unfiltered writing within the span of November 1-30. As a result of the massive amount of words required and the relatively short time frame, there is a large emphasis on no editing. You basically go in with some brainstormed or sketched-out ideas and run with them, writing for as long as possible.

Link: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

So, basically, I wanted to make an official thread for help within the writing forum as, while Printed Matter has one, we are specifically geared towards being a writing workshop and thus this might both extend visibility and offer the unique abilities of our batch of writers here. And yes, while I know this contradicts what I just said about no editing and just writing, we all know here that sometimes you have writers block and being told to just write past it isn't what works all the time. So, hopefully we can give a nudge. If anyone has any major objection to this being here, or if King_Cotton feels it unnecessarily redundant, we can drop it, but I think this should be useful.

I highly recommend our writers here taking part in this because, as we all know, writer's block is simultaneously made up (as breaking it is normally a matter of just writing anyway) and terrifyingly crippling. Forcing out this many words is good for your writing even if you aren't normally a novelist or even short story writer. By getting so many down on the page, you generally will come across at least a handful of images or character traits or voices or things to take away into other works. And, if you're lucky, you'll get a decent manuscript to edit. And no, most people do not actually finish, but it's very much about the journey instead of the destination.

Anyway, onto the topic.

I have 2 rough ideas, but both are fairly complex.

1. The true story of when my father invited a homeless woman no one knew to live in our home for the summer when I was on university break. Hilarity ensued. I'd throw it some various bizarro fiction scraps that I've been kicking around in order to get first drafts of those down. I have a couple characters and scenes sketched out that have no home that I might give honest first attempts to. There might also be some super heroes involved.

2. Mount Saint Blood, a 2-year old project that has an incredible opening for each complete rewrite, but never takes off. This would be the fourth total rewrite of the novel, literally keeping nothing but the basic outline and my rough character sketches.

I might also tap into some unrealized serial work that I've been contemplating involving a sociopath vampire cowboy, a superhero drama, musicology essays and metaphysical/philosophical fugues. It will be fun and strange regardless.

All sounds good boss. I've recently been toying with the idea of a film or novel, set about five years from now. A hopelessly depraved world with an incongruous mix of old and new technology being used by soulless penniless bastards in a depression era velvet-fascist nightmare. Main character an immigrant from Iceland. Suicide everywhere and a few nano enhanced sex mad bonobo slaves thrown in for laughs.

On another note I was wondering if this forum could benefit from a "Poem of the Week" sticky wherein a fine poem gets posted every week for the visitors to read and ponder over. Just a passing thought.

Good luck with the NaNoWriMo.

On another note I was wondering if this forum could benefit from a "Poem of the Week" sticky wherein a fine poem gets posted every week for the visitors to read and ponder over. Just a passing thought.

This sounds like a fine idea to me. Would this be a poem that has been written by members specifically for the sticky each week, or something that the mods choose from previous postings? I'd like to nominate one of Cartharticweek's poems for the first one if the sticky is made. His poems hit a personal chord for me inspiring me to write again.

EDIT: Another idea: Vogon Poetry: The Best Of The Worst!

Perhaps we could have a sticky where the mods and community can every so often get together and post the best works from users of this forum?

Kinda touching on the idea of publishing the best poems from users here in one book but in a sticky for people to browse over. Sort of like our own little archive for the postings that we really enjoyed, or really helped us in some way. But having them at the top of the forum so they can be enjoyed over and over. Sort of a celebration for all the styles and progression of poetry we see here.

Dude, guys, topic, lawl.

Well, now that I reread apex's post, his gets on topic, but yes, as fascinating as your suggestions are (I like them a lot), this is about NaNoWriMo.

Dude, guys, topic, lawl.

Well, now that I reread apex's post, his gets on topic, but yes, as fascinating as your suggestions are (I like them a lot), this is about NaNoWriMo.

NaNoWriMo seems like a good romp but I'm skeptical to how much it will help my writing.

It forces you to generate tons of material. It's useful for that if for nothing else.

Within 50K+ words that you write within a month, you are bound to find at least a handful of things that strike you as interesting or useful for later work. Maybe within it, you write a metaphor or use an image that you want to expand into or incorporate into a poem later. Maybe you write a scene that you decide would work better as a poem later. I am hard-pressed to think of the negative effects of generating this much fresh material.

I'd give it a go, but I don't know if I can write 1500 words a day. At least not 1500 decent words a day.

No, screw that, I'll give it a go.

Definitely agree with you Gorloche, writing so much and regularly for a month should yield at least a few sentences worth reading, or just send a person crazy. The only negative side I can see is the amount of alcohol needed for a month of writing :(
Kind of on topic: does anyone know if someone has named a group of characters "Dempseys" before? I would like to use the name for some sex mad monkey cyborgs.

Well, the name sounds familiar, but once I read what you were using it for, I think I can say you are safe. I don't believe it has ever been used for sex-crazed cyborg monkeys.

Sounds familiar to me too, luckily there's a few other typical Irish surnames to use like Murhpy, Dunphy, Paddy etc. jejejeje

I'm surprised nobody else has shown interest in nanowrimo here. Its not like you have to write a 50,000 word novel in novemeber, just try to get caught up in it and see what gets written.

I'll be giving it a go, I've just got a lot of other projects going on at the moment. I'll likely post the fruits of my labor afterwards.

Well I've got my novel idea figured out. Put together a rough outline just now, and ready to start tomorrow. This should be fun.

hey thanks for this. i was thinking about posting it here but i wasnt sure which one, or if i would get i trouble for making two.

in retrospect i think this was the better choice :) (but i wasnt to sure cus i only ever see poetry here).

i havent really started writing yet, im gonna go hard after my uni is finished (6th).

but i have started brainstorming (this is exactly what i wrote on the train home from uni) :

-Zelda- Gender-Femmeninity- exploration
-Planet-Jungle- Space- setting
-Natural/material nature
-Spirit soul- spiritual nature- links with other stuff- themes
-dreams/prex- reality, what is real
-The derivation of all experience
-travelling towards the derivation of all experience
-Physical oval nature of the universe (cyclical)
The journey of life

- GOd |`---`---`--`-|Earth
past |__________| Declining spirituality

so yeah basically its about a physical journey back to godhead.

inspiration was drawn from vedic philosophy (international society of krishna concousness- The Quest for Enlightenment) and also the "Deepwater" series which explores the idea of teenagers traveling through space on a gene arc circulating until the earth has regenerated.

So so far the key ideas ive got are the physical journey towards the derivation of all experience- this is the main theme.

im also exploring the idea of learning/experience through sex.

People often state that you can learn things from others through sex, through the bond/attachment- it helps you to understand better and feel connected. im exploring that same idea with seex with other facets of learning/experience i.e. inttelectual knowledge.

in a way it is already this way. you reproduce by the sperm (genetic information) fetalising the egg. in a way information is exhanged here and also passed on.

ive alwasy thought that if there was life outside of earth then it would be somewhat reflective on life on earth, that is only logical, (so other life forms use sex to reproduce), because the only way i can fathem life being generated is from other life, it seems logical that this is universal, at least its the only explanation with reasonable evidence.

so basically i was thinking some sort of bio-chemical release from the male to the female will result in knowledge from the male transfeered to the female, in this way females are intellectually supperior to males (obviusly im gneralising).

Basically the opening scene will explore this ( ive found once i get into a novel i really like it, but it often takes a while and ive put down many a novel because the plot takes too long to develop and understand).

so i figurd start it off with a sex scene, cus its universally interesting and the idea i explained above will hopefully cause people to be intrueged and read further.

What I am going to do is write at least 10 topic sentences for every day of November.

I do have a basic construct of this world, three interconnected mini-worlds create a much larger and fantastical idea. It is not yet ready to be revealed, and I need to do a lot more research before I can properly describe the skyscape of the "Uppers".
There is also the Dark Woods in which dwels my tribal sorcerer whom wields infernal power. I am studying Necromancy for this layer, fortunately I believe that I am wise enough not to be fully consumed by this power in my explorations.

this is the opening scene to my novel

"I felt cold as my eyes twitched rapidly, my thoughts felt discombobulated and my body felt tired as though i was awakening from some kind of hibernation. It

felt wierd; i could articulate all of these fellings i was experiencing, but felt as though i had experienced nothing apart form this. Before i had time to

contemplate further i felt a presence around me, along with a tingling feeling in my lower body, for seom reason i could not articulate this experience, it

felt warm, my heart began to beat rapidly and in an instant my vision blurred as i fell to the ground whilst the warm tingly feeling grew instantanously from

a minute stimulation into a rapid euphoria that could not be described, certanily not in physical terms. Memory's flashed before me in the back of my head,

as i dare not open my eyes; i feared the idiom of watever this feeling was derived from; i could feel it penetrating incidously, the physical sensation in

sync with the flashbacks and that undescribable feeling of nirvana, however it was as though there was a force within me persuading me to question the nature

of this ordeal, all of a sudden i physically felt a rush of blood to the head as my lower body filled with a jelly- like substance that felt extremly hot and

semi- solid. The intensity could not be tolerated anymore,i opened my eyes to see a masculine pine green being with yellow and black striped wings directly

above me, the firey illumination in his eyes contrasting with the translusant evergreen nature of the rest of his body, i felt as though my thoughts where

somehow being accesed by this creature and thought as though the huge stinger that the lower half of his body consisted of was related; could these

flashbacks be caused by him? Suddenly i felt as confident and assertive nature within me as i realised the nature of this beiegn and what it was doing to me,

and what i could do to him, the being was trying control and manipulate my thoughts, but i felt a wave of enlightenment as i realised the power i possesed. I

realised i had been endowed with a unique talent that all of my kind possessed. I concentrated my thoughts, i felt the jellyish substance ever growing inside

of me; manipulating me in th back of my mind, almsot unconciusly, but the confident natuer asserted iself, it came almost instincticly. I withdrew the

massive lower body and contorted my cuomo,the jelly blasted onto the translucant body as i lifted myself upwards and slammed my body onto the creature and

placed my cuomo on its massive stinger, i heaved myself forward; thrusting up adndown, back and forward. I had complete physical control ad power now, adn we

both knew it; soon his a part of his soul would be mine, all of his experiences would be known to me and he would have no advatage over me ever again, nor

would any being of this type. I felt an extremly euphoric rush as i sucked the insides of his stinger out into me; all of a sudden i understood everything he

did; i knew everythign he knew, the intensity was to much and some time between my epiphany and the green life force being sucked inside of me my vision went

blank."

I'm just diligently toiling away at mine, making sure I meet the 1667 words per day quota so I succeed at the thing. My only problem is I might end up finishing it before I reach 50,000 words.

It is fun just being able to write whatever you want with almost no regard to readability, structure, cohesion or any of the other things we've come to see as necessary while writing. I figure at the end no matter what happens I'll at least have something really long.

man, i dont know if i have the commitment to do this.

Ive only done 2000 words or so and that means i have alot to catch up on.

Im so zealous about this novel, but i im so lazy and uncommiteted it worries me.

Just a short update from me. I've been managing to hit the 1667/day word mark just before midnight so far and have almost 10K words right now. It's shaping up to be two unrelated narratives that I shift back and forth between, which would get cleaned up in a second draft if I decide to do that. Good luck to everyone and I'll throw a short excerpt up sometime in the next week.

Ah, it's good to see some other people are still on this. I should hit the 10k mark today. It's looking to me like I shouldn't have too much trouble keeping this up and finishing it. I think after a lot of editing I may even have something readable in the end.

Alright, I am up to 23400 words so far and should be halfway done before going to sleep tonight. Here's the first scene from my fifth chapter.

---

Neil and John walked in through their front door and immediately headed for the small couch they had.

“Jesus, I hate working double shifts,” Neil said.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if Katrina hadn’t tricked us into one by threatening to fire us,” John said. “I mean, I would’ve worked one if she had just offered because we’re kind of low on money right now, but no, she had to use the other way. It’s fucking bullshit.”

“Everything’s bullshit with you, man,” said Neil.

John laughed. “Fuck you, too, asshole.”

“I’m going to go get a drink and see what Tim is up to. You want anything?”

“No, I’m good. I’m just going to sit for a little bit without any TV or anything. Fucking Hyperex has raped my mind and soul.”

“Alright,” said Neil. He got up and walked over to the fridge, retrieving from within its frosty and infinite recesses a single bottle of cream soda. He would have preferred liquor, but he was rather finicky when it came to actually quaffing the stuff, so that relegated them to buying store-brand cream soda quite frequently. It didn’t hurt that he drank it every time before he had sex somehow. It wasn’t as though he deliberately sought out cream soda to prepare him for the soothing effects of coitus. It just sort of happened. He walked over to Tim’s door and looked inside. “Tim’s not in his room.”

“He’s probably out somewhere,” said John. “You know how he likes to go for walks.”

“Yeah, but he always gets himself lost or hurt or something, then we have to go pick him up. And his phone is on his desk.”

“Well, I guess he’s fucked until he comes back.” John grabbed the remote and flicked the TV on. It immediately started blaring rumba as the screen slowly came on, revealing a Spanish music video. “Were you watching the Spanish music channel again?”

“No. That stuff isn’t futuristic enough for me. I guess Tim likes Spanish music.” He walked back to the couch and sat down.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. He likes some weird fucking shit. I mean, the Locust are like squealing animals and giant Nazi robots stomping on synthesizers.”

The rhythm of the dancers threatened to hypnotize them. Their hips swirled over and over again as cyclone eyes of the eternity of time, staring out at them from the curved bounds of their television set.

“This is absolutely entrancing,” Neil said.

“If… If the Earth gets nuked by… moon men… I’m happy right now. I like this a lot and I wouldn’t mind if the Earth got nuked by moon men. That would be cool.”

The hips pivoted and jiggled back and forth, cementing the men with their rabid lust. They watched the channel for many minutes before the blue shivers of light appeared around them, three in all. From within the light appeared three Marniv.

The first one grabbed Neil. “I’ve got target one,” it said in its tongue.

“What the hell? What the fuck is going on?” Neil said.

“Oh shit, fuck me. This is some real CIA shit. Fuck,” said John.

The second one grabbed John. “I’ve got target two,” it said in its tongue.

The third one grabbed the clock. “I’ve got target three,” it said in its tongue.

There were three shivers of blue light and all of them were gone from the room, rumba still playing as the dancers unleashed their passion unabated by the sudden kidnapping.

---

So far, it has swayed from contemporary fiction to what I thought was going to be a split between that and a space opera to gearing up into a sword-and-planet story. I have no clue where it is going. This is deliriously fun. I might take a crack at producing some genre fiction and revising that for publication if I find I enjoy this enough.

I also get why people write genre instead of literary fiction now. It's a ton easier and incredibly fun. Mind-bogglingly so.

Wow that was good.
Caught me off guard, and I learned what coitus means.
Congratulations

I was going to say the same thing. I wound up not finishing mine. Not because I couldn't, I just fell so out of love with the story by forcing myself to write it that I couldn't stomach it anymore. I'll probably dust off the story and try to finish it in the next month or so, as I got plenty of good material out of it. Got to 36K words. How did everyone else do?

i did like 2 pages lol

:( aw