RPGC #6: The NaNo One!

[Dedonus]

@Keyguyperson I suppose it would still be better than doing something you used to absolutely love, working yourself to a shadow over it, and then still not being good enough in the end.
*glances at her pile of sheet music and then looks at the clarinet-key-shaped raw spots on her fingers*
Not that I know what I'm talking about or anything.
Edit: And by the way, I'm still hoping you'll let me read your novel when it's through.

@RomanAria

Quick question. Before you tried the NaNo challenge, did you plot out your novel (or novella)? In other words, did you at least plan out the basics of the narrative (intro, climax, conclusion, etc)? While I am no expert at writing works of fiction, I would guess that this would at least help out somewhat so that you would have a focused direction in your writing. Others who are more, well, qualified than me in this regard should chime in if I am giving poor advice.

Also, on an unrelated note, I just counted up the number of words that I have written for one of the roleplays that I am currently in and I am over the 100,000 word mark (according to MS Word). Does that mean I win, even though that roleplay began in January 2014?

[Keyguyperson]

@Keyguyperson I suppose it would still be better than doing something you used to absolutely love, working yourself to a shadow over it, and then still not being good enough in the end.
*glances at her pile of sheet music and then looks at the clarinet-key-shaped raw spots on her fingers*
Not that I know what I'm talking about or anything.
Edit: And by the way, I'm still hoping you'll let me read your novel when it's through.

@RomanAria

Hey, at least you're not the one who might end up dead at the bottom of the ocean because you had a childhood dream relapse.

*Hides NJROTC application papers*

And I'll definitely let you read it, might not post it here though, my delusions of grandeur are leading me to consider publishing it.

<Snipped quote by RomanAria>

Quick question. Before you tried the NaNo challenge, did you plot out your novel (or novella)? In other words, did you at least plan out the basics of the narrative (intro, climax, conclusion, etc)? While I am no expert at writing works of fiction, I would guess that this would at least help out somewhat so that you would have a focused direction in your writing. Others who are more, well, qualified than me in this regard should chime in if I am giving poor advice.

Also, on an unrelated note, I just counted up the number of words that I have written for one of the roleplays that I am currently in and I am over the 100,000 word mark (according to MS Word). Does that mean I win, even though that roleplay began in January 2014?

@Dedonus

I'm gonna comment on this because I like talking about myself sharing information.

I didn't do any plotting aside from thinking "Hey what if I did this", and just kind of came up with plot points as a wrote. I currently have the full thing more or less planned out (I don't write in the style of "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it"), but I honestly would have lost interest if I planned it all out first. It just doesn't work for me.

As for the roleplay, did you write half of that in 30 days or so?

[RomanAria]

@Dedonus Aye, I did, but very vaguely because I already knew I wasn't going to be able to stay with it. I'm too impulsive to write novels.
@Keyguyperson I looked at the synopsis you put on NaNo. It's a sound storyline. You'll do well with it. I look forward to reading it at the end of the month. :P

[Naril]

Day eight! 13,600-ish words, and I quite like them. I've settled into a little bit of a routine, with a nice cup of herbal tea, one of my cats, and 90 minutes to a couple hours gets me my word count for the day. I ran into a scene from yesterday where I really think I need to entirely rework it on a second draft or a the rewrite, but I'm so excited for how much better that scene will be that I don't mind the waiting. :3

[Dedonus]

As for the roleplay, did you write half of that in 30 days or so?

@Keyguyperson

No...

I think of myself as the tortoise. Slow and steady wins the race, even if it took (almost) 2 years.

[mdk]

Well I'm not *quite* caught up, but Action Scene pt. 2 didn't happen today, so I've still got that coming. They're just meeting Benevici now, for anyone who already read the story in TTL. 11.5k. Using a new (free) program called Quoll -- google that if you're still using Word. It's so much better.

[Frettzo]

I'm using Darkroom myself. I love the minimalist design!

[Naril]

I'm using Scrivener, and I can't believe I worked so long without it. They're offering a 45-day trial for NaNo right now, and if you win, you can buy a copy for half off. I'm absolutely in love - this is so much better than how I used to organize my writing.

[PlatinumSkink]

@Dedonus Oh, yes. All of it is to be plotted out, start to finish, before any writing starts, in my case. Before I start writing I will always make sure that I know the beginning, the stages the story will go through, and the end. ... This of course doesn't mean I know exactly how long the different stages will be so they might drag on far longer than I intended, or if I get a brilliant idea mid-writing that makes me have to rewrite 50% of my text in order to work in my awesome new idea, but at least when I start I know what I want when I'm finished. And this makes no difference regardless of how long a story I'm writing.

I'm too busy on other things to actually partake in this, but I thought I'd answer the question I saw. For another soul's input on the matter.

[mdk]

(basically) caught up! I'm technically 300 words back, but I'll get it later. I got everyone on the train, and that action scene was.... well, I mean, a total cliche, I guess, but IT WAS A LOT OF WORDS DAMMIT. 15k in, and it finally feels like the story has actually started.

[RomanAria]

*dons cheerleading uniform*
Gimme an N! Gimme an A! Gimme an N! Gimme an O! What's that spell? NaNo! What are you all slaving away your lives over? NaNo!
Um.
There is a reason I'm not a cheerleader.
Aaaanyway.
*cough*

[WilsonTurner]

*dons cheerleading uniform*
Gimme an N! Gimme an A! Gimme an N! Gimme an O! What's that spell? NaNo! What are you all slaving away your lives over? NaNo!
Um.
There is a reason I'm not a cheerleader.
Aaaanyway.
*cough*

@RomanAria

I'm not slaving my life away.
...

Well, at least not to Nano.

[Keyguyperson]

(basically) caught up! I'm technically 300 words back, but I'll get it later. I got everyone on the train, and that action scene was.... well, I mean, a total cliche, I guess, but IT WAS A LOT OF WORDS DAMMIT. 15k in, and it finally feels like the story has actually started.

@mdk

I'm still at 12,000. Ugh, guess it'll be an all-nighter while sick. That's good for my health, right?

Gimme an N! Gimme an A! Gimme an N! Gimme an O! What's that spell? NaNo! What are you all slaving away your lives over? NaNo!
Um.

@RomanAria

That hit so close to home that... uh... the batter... had to... something.

[RomanAria]

@Keyguyperson Oh, goodness. Key, sweetheart, shush and get some sleep. You're not being coherent and you'll write better when you're rested.

[ayzrules]

@RomanAria now all you need are some front tucks and back handsprings :D

[WilsonTurner]

@RomanAria@ayzrules

I will be the audience

[RomanAria]

@ayzrules Umm I'll leave the gymnastics stuff to you. I used to be able to do handsprings. When I was about six years old I could handspring all the way across the gymnasium. Then swimming happened and I haven't done gymnastics stuff since then and I don't even think I could do a handstand right now.

[Naril]

Day nine, and 15,300-ish words. I'm not being particularly nice to my heroines, but their lives are getting very exciting.

[Keyguyperson]

@ayzrules Umm I'll leave the gymnastics stuff to you. I used to be able to do handsprings. When I was about six years old I could handspring all the way across the gymnasium. Then swimming happened and I haven't done gymnastics stuff since then and I don't even think I could do a handstand right now.

@RomanAria

Once upon a time I played baseball. Then I took a laser to the eye. I'd have totally tried to get LASIK, but...

well...

I don't look as good without my glasses, and I already don't look that good.

@Keyguyperson Oh, goodness. Key, sweetheart, shush and get some sleep. You're not being coherent and you'll write better when you're rested.

@RomanAria

Shut yer mouth, I'll be just fine. I have an entire bag of throat lozenges in front of me, and a half-empty can of ginger ale next to me. That ought to last me the night. Besides, the only problems I ever have at night is talking like I'm drunk and thinking that being an astronaut is 100% plausible.

Day nine, and 15,300-ish words. I'm not being particularly nice to my heroines, but their lives are getting very exciting.

@Naril

One of my main characters has never slept on a bed that isn't hard, cold, metal in her entire life. She also walked uphill both to and from school. That last one is not a joke.

[Naril]

Tonight's words came a little slower than yesterday's - I needed about 90 minutes and two cups of tea! I blame my (nearly endless) supply of cats that wanted petting, though. :3 My girlfriend has been, as ever, as loving and supportive and excited about this as I could want, and just as excited as I've been, too! And now that we're ten days and over 17,000 words in, I'm almost done putting the pieces in place to light off some really exciting scenes, including a couple that I thought of before I even started my (increasingly extensive) outline. :3

I'm really enjoying NaNoWriMo this year.