Okay, so right now a lot of you are looking at that title and scratching your heads. I shall explain. Every November, there is a self-imposed challenge that a lot of people in the writing community take a stab at: Write a 50,000 word novel, from scratch, between Nov. 1st and Nov. 30th. It is a monumental task, but I’ve often toyed with the idea of giving it a try. As I do whenever I make a big decision with the books, I figured I’d float the idea by you folks. Here’s how it breaks down:
The Pros:
- I’ll potentially have a whole extra (short) novel that I hadn’t intended to write for a long time.
- If I do this, I’ll probably write it more or less in the open. I’d set up a page on the site and do updates every few days showing off my progress, or lack thereof.
- If the book reaches completion, I’ll probably price it at the minimum (99 cents), if not outright free. Unless I decide to bulk it up to “Typical Jo Novel Length”.
The Cons:
- This will take all of my writing time for an entire month, putting the breaks on Lain Origin and any of the side stuff I’ve been working on.
- There is no guarantee that I’ll succeed, which would result in a wasted month and an incomplete story.
- The resulting story might well be the worst thing I’ve ever written.
A few answers to anticipated questions:
If you were to try it, what would the story be about?
Well, the rules say it needs to be written from scratch, so anything you’ve heard me say I was working on (Lain Origin, Entwell Sidequest, Second Trilogy) would not be it. It could be something entirely new. (I’ve already got people suggesting “that wacky superhero thing you were talking about”.) Stuff I’d mentioned as potential future projects but never actually started would be fair game. Maybe I’d even do a poll.
If you plan on doing it out in the open, why would you ever consider selling it?
Because the version I’d put on sale would be more carefully edited, and I’d probably try to get Nick to make an awesome cover for it. One of those takes extra time, the other takes extra money. Who knows, though, I’m just making this up as I go along.
If you are so incredibly busy, why even suggest doing this?
Because sometimes I hear about something neat and I get excited about it without thinking it through.
I’ll do the usual disclaimer here. My brain is fickle when it comes to stuff like this. I could be gung-ho about it for a week and then completely abandon the idea the day after. It is almost certain that I’ll ditch the idea before the month starts, and I’m frankly amazed I’ve remained enthusiastic about it long enough to write this post. But whether I do or I don’t I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can comment here, hop over into the forum to discuss it, or even visit the facebook fan page, where a matching announcement will shortly be made. You might want to check out the official website of NaNoWriMo, just to see that I’m not making the whole concept up.
Thanks for indulging my impulsive pondering, and thanks for reading.
To NaNo or not to NaNo? I have the not at all accomplished experience that is mine and the see that’s how it’s done experience that is my friends. I have always wanted to write a book and in my head I feel like I have a good concept. What I lack is the confidence that kept me from ever even putting one word to paper. Quick background I am pretty confident in person and feel like I am a bit of a people person and a good story teller, however when it comes to putting my story’s to paper all insecurities come up and I shy away. Last year my friend talked me into at least trying it out, now as I said this is the not at all accomplished experience so to make the long story short I did not finish the book in the one month time line but I did get get words to paper for the first time 4500 words. I know that is not a book but it did give me a bit of the confidence I was lacking to get the book started. I am a bit of a procrastinator so almost a year has gone by and I am still not done with the book but I have not given up altogether.
For my friends experience she wrote her book within the months time over 80,000 words. After months in the editing process she published her first book Fae Hunter in June. Since then she has wrote not only the sequel to Fae hunter but also a novella that are due for release in November and December.
So I think that even if you do not get to meet the goal it will in the very least get you thinking of a new story.
I can absolutely relate to the confidence issues when it comes to writing. I still grapple with insecurity when it comes to my writing. I’ve seen Fae Hunter floating round the same lists I show up on, so congrats to your friend! And if you enjoy writing, certainly stick with it. Even if you never publish, just hitting the end of the story is a very rewarding experience. I’ll definitely let everyone know if I decide to take a stab at the NaNo. Thanks for your thoughts!
I love this time of year. ^_^ Everyone starts to talk about NaNoWriMo and I have to decide if I’m going to do it myself. I was just talking about this at my night class and recommending it as a fun thing for anybody to try. It also suits my style of writing so its an exercise I love and have done for the past two years.
If you do decide to take part, I may well catch you there!
Neat! I’m perpetually on the fence, because I know my daily average word count isn’t enough to hit the goal, but I always wonder if having a deadline and a fresh idea would change that. Decisions decisions…
DEACON-CENTRIC BOOK
lolz, I only read 1/3 of the post so far.
Deacon’s story is coming, but I certainly wouldn’t do a speed-run to try to write it. That’s going to be a slow, careful one.
*has a spasm* YOU MUST DO IT! MORE BOOKS BY JLALLO = VERY HAPPY PEOPLE even if they don’t get to read it (Just knowing it’s there :’D)
) a Funk 
I think you should do an Ether or Ivy centric
I AM SO TOTALLY GOING TO DO NNWM!
Hehe…NiNoWriMo is my birthday month…explains a lot…
By the way: What does a Funk look like? I am Coloring (Yes, coloring, because I cannot convey how the Funk’s shape is in my mind because it’s already copyrighted by like, GameFreak
Thanks! I’ve got ideas for something short for Ether, and likewise something short for Ivy, but the more I think about it, the more I don’t think I can justify the NaNoWriMo. I really need to get my current project done.
As for the funk? Here’s what I was able to come up with.
Funk Sketch
The white lines are just to show where the details are, since black on black doesn’t show up and I’m not enough of an artist to figure out the right way to do things, and the red dot is the little glass bead/light. This is a rough sketch (since I can’t do a NOT rough sketch). A proper drawing would probably give it stubbier legs, an even fluffier tail, and maybe a fluffier/pudgier belly.
*growls like an angry Funk* NaNoWriMo…Raaaaaaaaarrrrr…
And Aww! That Funk is actually really cute. My imaginatory Funk looks like a skunk colored Eevee
Well, I haven’t ruled it out ENTIRELY…
As for your “Eevee” funk, I’d say that comes pretty close. They are both fairly foxy.
Having read both the Book of Deacon series and the first 2 books with Lex, this was my first visit to your site. I feel compelled to comment on your suggested ‘con’ of a wasted month should you not achieve the November novel. A month spent pursuing a goal in a field where you already excel and exhibit great passion could NEVER be considered a waste! Go for it!