National Novel Writing Month is an international writing project that runs independently each year; however, so many of us participate that all the talk certainly merits it's own thread! Basically, the aim is to write a novel in a month. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

If anyone is interested in joining up, here's the website: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

If you do, let us know so we can friend you!

Otherwise, this topic is generally open to discussions about our own experiences with NaNoWriMo, and our plans for participating this year....

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If you'd like to visit the history of this topic, please follow this link

FIRST POSTER ON THE NANOWRIMO THREAD!

Now that I got that out of my system we need something to start up the topic in here again.

Maybe we'll just start where we left off. Who likes to write first person opposed to writing third person?

I'm much better with third person, although if the story calls for first person, I can adopt easily enough. It's just one of those things that depends on the style of the novel, I guess.

Anthony Trollope said:

It is always dangerous to write from the point of 'I.' The reader is unconsciously taught to feel that the writer is glorifying himself...

I've had readers say "I don't usually like first person stories..." so I think there's truth to that, a subconscious prejudice for writers to overcome. I enjoyed taking on that challenge when I wrote Tonks in first person. It's intimate, creates a distinctive voice and suits romance/suspense/mystery. When I got to the HBP story in the series, though, I wanted to add Remus' pov (no way to show his mission with the werewolves if I stayed limited to Tonks in Hogsmeade) so I changed over to what I usually write in, third person.

In the book The Lie That Tells A Truth, I found something else to keep in mind while writing first person:

A first-person narrator tends to tell too much and not to show. We already believe he is credible, you see, and so he does not have to persuade us with a scene the way a third-person narrator does. Here you must influence your narrator to show and not merely to tell. We want scene, not exposition. Drama, not explanation. It may seem awkward to do so, but you need to slow the narrator down and be sure that everything important gets dramatized, not summarized.

I'm more biased to third person:) it is just easier to say "She, they, it, etc" if you use "I" it's just irratating...

Hope you got the PM Lex:)

A first-person narrator tends to tell too much and not to show. We already believe he is credible, you see, and so he does not have to persuade us with a scene the way a third-person narrator does. Here you must influence your narrator to show and not merely to tell. We want scene, not exposition. Drama, not explanation. It may seem awkward to do so, but you need to slow the narrator down and be sure that everything important gets dramatized, not summarized.

Yeah, I'm currently trying to make sure I do that with a first person fanfiction that I'm writing at the moment. :D

Hey Word, can you post those links again? The ones you posted before? :D

Good idea, I can indeed. :D

http://www.thescriptorium.net/world1.html

http://www.thescriptorium.net/biography.html

http://www.thescriptorium.net/sketch.html

http://www.thescriptorium.net/critiqueprnt.html

http://www.thescriptorium.net/scenelist.html

http://www.thescriptorium.net/plot.html

Have fun using the links, everyone!

Thanks for those links. I've browsed through them before, and it's good to have them on page one for easy reference.

Also, I picked up the NaNoWriMo book No Plot, No Problem! the other day. Freaking brilliant so far -- great pep-talk.

You're welcome, Christopher - It's just my genius showing, as usual. (Just kidding!)

And Dejsha, here's a message from Lexie: "No, I did not get your PM because you asked me to block you from the old RL, and that means blocking you from accessing my account at all, which means you cannot send PMs to me!!"

I can write first person, but I tend to spend too much time in their thoughts and not enough time on basic scenery and imagery, so I try to stay away from it. Third person is always better, in my opinion... although they are some novels I can't imagine as anything but that.

Dejsha, this from Lexie about the PM you sent:

No, I did not get your PM, because you asked me to block you from the old RL, and that means blocking you from accessing my account at all, which means you cannot send PMs to me!!

Hey:)

Dejsha, we don't check the RL emails everyday, ok. Lexie's not ignoring you, and she's not happy that you left, she just hasn't had a chance to deal with it.

I'm not really sure what the problem is, though... it shouldn't matter if you're blocked from the old forum because no-one's posting there anyway, and obviously you can post here just fine.

Charli, I am sorry and hope you forgive me, new forum, new start:*

You can't delete posts, even if they're your own, unless you're a mod. And I think that most of us want to finish Randomness up so we can started on the new one here.

And Lexi, your doing a great job, i love you babe.

er, what was the original post?

Huh?

It was something along "Lexi, thanks for being a great mod"

Sexual harrasment?

What, the...

It's storming:(

I apologize Dejsha. It was a joke for a friend. It was very wrong of me to edit it. And it has been returned to its original state.

That's okay Charli, there is nothing wrong with joking:)

But i'm upset:(

*hope we're okay *huggs* love you babe:)

*Pretends to have no idea what's going on* Excuse? I'm new (and no, I don't really want to be filled in either, please)

I'm so cross. I can't change my NaNoWriMo penname... unless I sign up again, in which case I lose my shiny "WINNER" thing from last year. And after all the blood, sweat and tears I poured into that ... hell no.

That's definitely something they should fix. Flexibility is a good thing

yes, totally:)

Lexie, were you planning on changing it to "Just Lexie"?

can I have everyone's pennames? I'd love to add you all as writing buddies!

Mine is TheWordFountain! Everyone can add me!

Lexie, were you planning on changing it to "Just Lexie"?

Lol... maybe? I don't know. It was more that I wanted to change it from Lexie-H. I hadn't really thought a lot about it. SCV - I think I have most people on my Buddy list, if you go into that just hit their links? =)

You should change it to...to... *taps chin thoughtfully* I can't really see you as "Just Lexie" or anything else. OMG - I know...your new penname. SPARKLYPANTS! That's it. No question about it. I've decided. My word is law.

(Heehee - my word, my name's Wordy. Ahhh...I'm so funny!)

*laughs extremely, extremely hard*

Oh Wordy, if only you knew my last name.... *sighs* I'll give you a clue - that's not the first time I've been called that =P

But anyway, I can't change my Nano penname without signing up again, and for reasons I explained above, I'm not going to do that, so ... *shrugs* I'll deal =P it's cool

Okay. You know what else I've decided - I have powers. I have like a extra sense where I can just guess things that are totally random and be right. :D I'm so awesome. *American arrogance begins blooming*

Okay...so - Sparklypants. *is thinking VERY hard*

Actually, I can probably give you a very helpful clue, though I only learned this last night myself. I believe I share a last name with one of your American Idol winners. And if you work it out, please don't type it online, please?

No, I wouldn't do that. I'll PM you if I get it! *searches internet* I've never watched American Idol... :(

...Wow I should have thought of that. *feels idiotic*

Lol. I assume you worked it out? (No PM?) but most probably ...

Bingo

I like that last name. It's pretty. :D

Lol. Thanks. I like it too. I think I'll always keep my maiden name.... especially (for example) since I find Matt's last name very ordinary. Not that he understands this *sigh*. Anyway!!

:D As soon as...I have a chance, I'm going to change my last name. I hate it, and I much prefer my mom's maiden name. Her's might be generic, but I prefer it to the one I have.

Also, I picked up the NaNoWriMo book No Plot, No Problem! the other day. Freaking brilliant so far -- great pep-talk.

Really? Because I have no plot... Where do you get it?

Oh, and I forgot my penname on Nano... Does anyone I added as a friend remember? XD

Lol whoops..... *goes off to check*

I don't know if No Plot, No Problem! is out in Aus. I should have a look, shouldn't I? =)

You're not enjoythe_silence, are you? (And if not, who is? I can't recall...)

Edit: Nevermind, that's Huffie....

The stupid profile page doesn't even display half of my writing buddies *is cross* they seem to rotate them instead

lol, Lexie. No, you haven't added me. I think it was only Rosie and RKC, although SCV might've.

That book would be really good because I seriously have no plot. All I know is that I want to do this. I have no idea how to actually go about it. :/

I don't think you're on their buddy lists, sweety? (not that I can see anyway, though they don't show all of them all the time....)

Just ... start writing?

Hmm, that's odd. Maybe I don't actually have an account on Nano...? lol.

I've tried that, but whatever comes out is just rubbish that happens to be on my mind at the time. Like school, this guy, dust, how bad of a procrastinator I am, etc. And they all tend to be short little drabbles that I can't string together because they're so random. :/

Dust? Lol.... I find that particularly amusing because I know a girl who writes these beautiful, beautiful stories, right, and she will ALWAYS work 'dust' as a description into them somewhere. Subconsciously. It's like she's fixated.

You don't ever read a story and think - damn, I want to write something like that? (Well of course you do, you write fanfiction... but have you ever then sat down and thought of your non ff options??)

but have you ever then sat down and thought of your non ff options??)

Constantly! Which is why I've been consciously resisting the urge to flesh out the ff plot bunnies that are bounding around in my head at this very moment. I want to focus on "serious" writing for awhile. But alas, I'm addicted to this community!

We need a 12-step program or something. "I'm Cassie and I'm an HP fanfiction addict!"

Here's a tip: get out of your account. I've so far managed to resist the urge =) (though I need to finish my stories off.... and I will.... just ... having a break first. Getting some distance)

Though I suppose, realistically, it's only been 2 days lol. But as soon as I decided I was doing this, my will to continue writing beyond finishing what I've started has dissipated.

Actually, for me the forums are the big draw. I enjoy hanging out with the people here and it's a great way of procrastinating. As you well know. Lol!

Oh, absolutely - why do you think I'm still here?! lol

Dust? Lol.... I find that particularly amusing because I know a girl who writes these beautiful, beautiful stories, right, and she will ALWAYS work 'dust' as a description into them somewhere. Subconsciously. It's like she's fixated.

Yeah, dust.... I don't know, I was just thinking about it someday because there's this poem writing contest. The first prize is $500 and I figure, "Hey, no one joins anyway and I could use some extra money." So I was thinking about simple things to write some prose about... You know poems about hands and trains and doors and how the metaphors behind them or whatever. So I thought about dust. But that fell through.

You don't ever read a story and think - damn, I want to write something like that? (Well of course you do, you write fanfiction... but have you ever then sat down and thought of your non ff options??)

Yeah, I have. But mostly just for Nano or for contests like previously mentioned. I don't want to think about it though, I want to be inspired. I'm trying to do everything I can to just get something in my head, but nothing's working.

Hah, I suppose you're getting tired of me complaining about the same thing over and over again. Sorry. :/

Nanowrimmow pen-name: lady.polgara

:) yaeh

I love nanowrimmow:) but i hate exams, just wrote 3,100 words for english today:(

My pen name is cubie_louise, SCV.

I'm thinking about just writing, this year.... and not going in with any expectations or heavily structrered plots. I just want to test the waters, I guess, see what I can do... I already know I'll be back next year.

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