Are you ready?

[Chilari]

With only a few days left of October, are you ready to start your NaNo novel on Friday? What have you still got to do in preparation? What have you done? Are you excited to start on November 1st? Nervous? Reluctant? Eager? Do you want more time or less?

I'm nearly ready. I've got to work out a few more characters, but I've got that in hand - I've been blogging about the story and using that to make sure I'm ready, but the characters I have left to work out now are those I'd spent the least time on earlier on. I've got the antagonist group and the later allies group still to work out still so I'll be working on those today and tomorrow. I think I need to have a better idea of my protagonist's voice too - I plan on writing first person. As for the time left, I think it's about right - though I wouldn't mind if payday came a bit sooner!

What about the rest of you?

 

[RedAndy]

I wrote out some character profiles the other day, which is pretty much the most preparation I've ever done before NaNoWriMo. I have a good idea of the setting and the initial part of the plot. I also have a decent idea of the ending, but how I get there will be an adventure!

I'm looking forward to it. I'm one of those people who enjoys having written more than actually writing so I find NaNoWriMo incredibly useful for getting the first draft out of the way and having something coherent to work from.

 

[GeekDavid]

Just about. I need to work on a map and finalize my pantheon (I've decided to make my world pantheistic, since it's loosely based on ancient Greece, though there will be competing religions), and come up with names for some of the characters, but names can be picked on the fly.

Barring acts of God (or the gods, if you prefer), I should be ready by Friday.

 

[NellaFantasia]

Am I ready? No...

I have the beginning of my outline done, but I'm stuck on the middle and have been for a week now. I've been in a "I'd rather pull my fingernails out than write" slump for two months and it doesn't feel to be letting up. Part of me wants more time, but I know if I'm not pushed to write this thing then I never will.

 

[Chilari]

Am I ready? No...

I have the beginning of my outline done, but I'm stuck on the middle and have been for a week now. I've been in a "I'd rather pull my fingernails out than write" slump for two months and it doesn't feel to be letting up. Part of me wants more time, but I know if I'm not pushed to write this thing then I never will.

What is it you like about the story you're planning on writing? What is the core element that makes you interested in it? Maybe try focusing on that, and see how that can inspire you in working out what the middle will be.

 

[Amanita]

I actually have a much more detailed outline this time and I already know all the characters who will turn up (maybe except for a few ones in the background.) The cast is much smaller than in the other stories I've attempted so far and the plot very clear. I really wonder if this is going to really help or not.
The story won't be fantasy this time even though the characters wonder if they might not be in a haunted house along the way. There are natural explanations for everything though.

 

[Butterfly]

I am outlining right now and have the main protag group and antag group sorted out pretty much. The main group is much sorted, the antag group needs more events to take up their time.

I also have a secondary group of characters in another part of the world who all need more to do on their plotlines, so I need to pull out some ideas there.

I think for Nano though, I'm going to focus on my first group and the antag group. That should be enough going on to fill the 50,000 words at least.

 

[Rinzei]

Not at all ready - completely lost track of the month! I'm still not sure what I'm going to work on, either. I thought to be a rebel and continue one of my previous NaNo starts, but when I've looked at the story and tried to jump back in, it's just not there. I may do a reboot of my first story, which I've been meaning to do, but change aspects of it (such as the fundamentals of the setting, etc.) to make a different story entirely - only sharing a few key plot points here and there.

 

[Chessie]

I'm part way ready...although it seems the more I plot/plan, the more questions I bring up for myself. So I've decided to just...be free and happy until Nov 1. The one thing that I do want to be sure of is how to start the damn thing so I can be ready for take off. Still figuring that out.

 

[Asterisk]

I haven't even decided if I'm doing it. I'll try to use NaNoWriMo as something to get me back into the rhythm of writing, but I don't know if I can make it through the month....

 

[Chilari]

I haven't even decided if I'm doing it. I'll try to use NaNoWriMo as something to get me back into the rhythm of writing, but I don't know if I can make it through the month....

I know that feeling - in the last two years (including NaNo 2011 and 2012) I've written about 30k words, maybe a little more. Not much anyway. Not a NaNo novel, anyway. So aiming to write more in the next month than I've written over the whole of the last two years is quite a hurdle. I'm out of practice, and that could spell disaster. But I'm going to try anyway, and I'm going to try in earnest, no giving up out of laziness, because I'll never get anything done writing otherwise. If I don't quite manage it, well, something is better than nothing and I've got something to keep working on going forward. If I do succeed, wow, great, and I've got a very good start on my Mythic Scribes Blood Pact plans.

Even if you don't go for the 50k words, I urge you to at least use November, use the resources and the community of it, to get something written. Even if that's only 100 words a day, you're still making progress, you're developing a good routine and discipline to writing, and you're exercising your creative muscles.

Tell you what, how about this: if you do try and write something during November, after every writing session, send me a message. Tell me what you've written. I don't need to know word count, I want you to tell me what's happened in what you wrote and how you feel about it. Nobody else needs to know - no public forum posts - just you and me. I'll be your cheering squad, chasing you when I don't hear from you and congratulating you when I do. How does that sound?

 

[Ophiucha]

Well, I haven't named any of my characters yet, so...

But I've got a good plot structure for the main plot and most of the subplots, and the worldbuilding is solid enough to write a first draft around. I'll just have to write it entirely with [BatChef] and [MilitaryBrat] as my characters' names until I've gotten a chance to develop my conlang.

 

[Writeking]

I am ready. I have an outline written out. I'm just waiting for the clock to strike Midnight

 

[Chilari]

I am considerably less ready than I thought I would be. I am also posting from work, where I have been for the last 18 hours. These two facts might be related.

 

[Jackarandajam]

In the immortal words of Heath Ledgers The Joker, "And here... We... ... Go!"

If anyone would like to find me on the NaNo forum, my name is the same. This will be my first year, and the most ive ever written in a month was about 8k words... Needless to say, I'm all redbulled up and hyperventilating in a dark corner right now, but hey. Lets all go on a grand adventure.