Tag: NaNoWriMo

Writing

Look Who Else is Doing NaNo! – NaNoWriMonday – Week 2

Posted on by J.W. Martin

I’ve known I was going to NaNo this year since finishing NaNo last year! But this is the first year I’m doing it while consistently posting on the old web log.

Originally, I wasn’t sure about doing a weekly NaNo post. I mean, it’s mostly a reading blog. Would people be annoyed that I was suddenly talking about writing? To be fair, the two are pretty closely related, but you get my point.

Yes, I’m comparing a writing post to lighting a match on my own teeth. Pretty similar, really. #rebel

I did it anyway (cause I’m a rebel like that) and then something great happened. I started to see NaNo posts popping up all over the place from other book bloggers that were trying their hand at NaNo, some as veterans and some as rookies.

So who else is doing NaNo?

The Orangutan Librarian is doing a modified version of NaNo with the third installment of a dystopian fantasy trilogy.

Eden @ Thrice Read had a slow start, but last I checked she was picking up steam.

Also @ Thrice Read, Jenn is making a second ever attempt.

Amanda @ Literary Weaponry is making her first.

Super-powered blogger Lia @ Lost in a Story is struggling with her motivation, but still going strong!

Kyera @ Kyera’s Library is taking part and says that she’s “excited and terrified at the same time.” Lol. Been there. Know the feeling.

meltingpotsandothercalamities is making another attempt and has a really interesting premise cooked up.

And for those that need a little inspiration on their NaNoWriMo journey, enjoy this post @ By Hook or By Book.

Almost forgot to give an update on my word count. As of Sunday at midnight, I’m at 18,101. By the daily target, I’m supposed to be at 20,000, so I’m a little behind, but I’m not worried about it yet.

If you’re taking part in NaNoWriMo this year, and I don’t have you listed, let me know in the comments and I’ll add you to the growing list of NaNo’s! Good luck everyone!

Fun fact about this post: I’d be much further ahead with NaNoWriMo word count if I didn’t make this post (but I wouldn’t trade it, or any of my posts, for another few hundred words!)
Writing

NaNoWriMonday – Week 1

Posted on by J.W. Martin

My progress this week

As of Sunday at midnight, I was supposed to have 8,333 words. I have 8,647. I’ve had some nights where I’ve gone far beyond the daily recommendation (1,667 words) and I’ve had a few nights where I was way, WAY below that number. However, I’m pretty okay with where I am for now. I’ve kept up with this as well as written and scheduled all my blog posts for this week. By tonight at midnight, I’m supposed to be at 10,000. We’ll see how that goes.

At this point, I have characters, and I’ve been putting them through hell. It’s good fun. You might think that’s mean, or the fact that I enjoy it is mean, but that’s what you’re supposed to as an author.

I once heard writing a story described as chasing your characters up a tree, and then start throwing rocks at them, and just when they’ve figured out how to avoid being hit by the rocks, someone else is in the tree with them and they’re sawing off the branch that they’re all sitting on.

Fun fact about this post: I’ll be re-using this GIF in a post later this week. Which one will it be?
Writing

What am I going to write? – NaNoWriMonday

Posted on by J.W. Martin

Last week I talked a little about what NaNoWriMo is for those people who had never heard of it before. This week I wanted to talk a little about the novel I plan on writing over the course of November.

The working title is Evolution, but that’ll change. I have this weird affliction where I can’t start working on something until I give it a name, even if it’s a temporary one.

“Kai is a young swimmer, with water abilities far exceeding those of the other sub-species. Coak’s lives with the people in the mountain, skin tough as rock and able to see in near perfect dark. Micah is from the sky, lightweight and aerodynamic, able to fly through the sky with the help of a small jetpack.

Three young sub-humans, each a different sub-species, are forced into a heist that’ll lead them to steal something from each of their people.”

I have a lot more details about the story, but I’m not sure how much I want to give away just yet.

The sub-species in this story all started as humans, but I’m not quite sure it takes place on “earth” as we know it. The world is a mixture of what you might expect from a fantasy world as some aspects that you might find in steampunk. I’m not good a deciding what genre stories belong in, so use your best judgment and tell me what genre I’m writing!

Fun fact about this post: Doubt goes with writing hand in hand, and even a post like this one begin to allow the doubt to creep in. Okay. Perhaps this isn’t a ‘fun’ fact.

MiscWriting

NaNoWriMonday — Na No What Now?

Posted on by J.W. Martin

With November around the corner, and my intent to take part in my 7th NaNoWriMo, I thought I’d do a weekly post (as long as all goes well) from now until the first Monday in December.

For anyone who isn’t down with the nano, NaNoWriMo is some weird camel-case short form for ‘National Novel Writing Month.’ The original goal isn’t necessarily to write an entire novel in November, but to get 50,000 words. It’s a personal goal, so some people have taken to changing their goal to whatever makes sense for them. 10K, 50K, 100K, edit an existing manuscript, building a tribute statue to the brilliant show Doctor Who. Whatever.

Me, I prefer the classic 50K challenge. This means 1,667 words per night. It’s also going to be the first day that I’ll be trying to balance NaNoWriMo with semi-consistent blog posting. Fingers crossed!

Next week, on NaNoWriMonday, I’ll reveal the story I’ll be trying to write in November. It’s an idea that I’ve had bouncing around my head for a few years now, so it’s nice and marinated!

If this sounds like something you’re interested in doing, I encourage you to go to nanowrimo.org and find out more. It’s a good time.

Fun fact about this post: NaNoWriMo + Monday = NaNoWriMonday! I’m a genius! #NotAGenius