Has anyone ever done NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)?

[Jenny in GA]

Yes, I know, wrong time of year for it ...

 

But I got the idea in my head to write a novel this summer. The reason I even thought it was remotely possible is because I've heard of NaNoWriMo.

 

If you've ever done it (or know someone who has), I'd love to hear about your experience.

 

First of all, did you actually finish your novel in a month? If not -- did you eventually finish it?

 

I guess the idea of writing a novel in a month is curious to me because .... well, doesn't it normally take people a year (or longer) to write a novel?? I guess, to be blunt, I'm wondering how good a novel could possibly be if someone (especially a first-time writer) finished it in 30 days.

 

Is the idea just quanity over quality?? Is the idea just to work around the clock for 30 days so you can do it in a month? Is the idea that, sure, you can write a novel in a month ... but that then it will take another 9+ months to revise it into something decent?

 

Do most NaNoWriMo participants try to get their novels published? Did you? Were you successful?

 

And most importantly -- what was that month like for you?? Did you spend ten hours a day writing? When and where did you write? What was helpful to you? Was it exhausting? Difficult? Easier than you thought?

 

Any recommendations or advice if I take the plunge? (I'm thinking of doubling my allowed time -- write the novel in June and July.)

 

Thanks for sharing!

[Joules]

. Double post .

Edited May 24, 2012 by Joules

[Joules]

I can't help much, but I've been thinking about giving it a try this year. Have you seen Camp NaNoWriMo? I noticed it when I was browsing through the site. It might be perfect for you since you are considering writing during the summer.

[elegantlion]

I've done Nanowrimo for the last several years. It's great fun and can be addicting. I also do a writing challenge in June, put together by some friends, called WriDaNoJu (Write a D*** Novel in June). It's the same 50k guidelines in 30 days, but we're smaller scale.

 

I think Nano serves a purpose. No one writes a sellable novel in 30 days. But you can pound out a decent rough draft if you do it right. You can also realize that hey, I'm pretty good at this, or that you're not so good at it.

 

Nanowrimo is a beast unto itself. It's like that camping weekend where you forget about hygiene, go fishing, eat what you catch, get caught in the rain, and bond with fellow human beings. You might always enjoy it while you're there, but you'll have something to talk about afterward. And you want a really good shower when you get home.

 

It stretches you to see if you really want to devote more time to this whole noveling gig.

 

Some people decide to do Nano and that's the extent of their noveling plans, some people use it as practice for different goals. Either way it's quite a rush. :D

[WistfulRidge]

I've done Nanowrimo for the last several years. It's great fun and can be addicting. I also do a writing challenge in June, put together by some friends, called WriDaNoJu (Write a D*** Novel in June). It's the same 50k guidelines in 30 days, but we're smaller scale.

 

I think Nano serves a purpose. No one writes a sellable novel in 30 days. But you can pound out a decent rough draft if you do it right. You can also realize that hey, I'm pretty good at this, or that you're not so good at it.

 

Nanowrimo is a beast unto itself. It's like that camping weekend where you forget about hygiene, go fishing, eat what you catch, get caught in the rain, and bond with fellow human beings. You might always enjoy it while you're there, but you'll have something to talk about afterward. And you want a really good shower when you get home.

 

It stretches you to see if you really want to devote more time to this whole noveling gig.

 

Some people decide to do Nano and that's the extent of their noveling plans, some people use it as practice for different goals. Either way it's quite a rush. :D

:iagree:

I like it simply because forcing myself to write 2 or 3 thousand words a day forces me to remember just how much I love writing... which I think is the whole point of NaNoWriMo: to get you writing. I don't necessarily write an entire novel in that month, but I do write the 50,000 words. Last year I finished up a shorter novel that I'd started several years ago and never gotten around to finishing... it topped out at not quite 80,000 words and was a nice break from my norm. It was kind of refreshing to write the whole story out in 30 days instead of taking a year or more.

[SuperDad]

I've done Nanowrimo for the last several years. It's great fun and can be addicting. I also do a writing challenge in June, put together by some friends, called WriDaNoJu (Write a D*** Novel in June). It's the same 50k guidelines in 30 days, but we're smaller scale.

 

I think Nano serves a purpose. No one writes a sellable novel in 30 days. But you can pound out a decent rough draft if you do it right. You can also realize that hey, I'm pretty good at this, or that you're not so good at it.

 

Nanowrimo is a beast unto itself. It's like that camping weekend where you forget about hygiene, go fishing, eat what you catch, get caught in the rain, and bond with fellow human beings. You might always enjoy it while you're there, but you'll have something to talk about afterward. And you want a really good shower when you get home.

 

It stretches you to see if you really want to devote more time to this whole noveling gig.

 

Some people decide to do Nano and that's the extent of their noveling plans, some people use it as practice for different goals. Either way it's quite a rush. :D

:iagree:

 

This holds mostly true for me.

[higginszoo]

For me, it's definitely about quantity over quality. It's also about getting one more story bug out of my head so I have a hope of putting something useful in the place that it's taking up.

 

I won in 2006, 2007 and 2011 ... I attempted in 2008 (in the middle of having a house on the market and househunting ... no wonder I didn't get it done) and 2009 (not as good an excuse), didn't attempt in 2010.

 

It's a really cathartic experience for me (and yes, I usually go a week or two neglecting other things, but I can usually bang out 50-60K in 10 good solid days, whether they're consecutive or spread out ... when they're spread out, I might get a little bit written on the other days). I might be able to combine two of my NaNo books and come up with something that would be better than some of the self-published garbage available on Kindle sometimes, but I really don't have the time, energy or desire to do so at this point.

[marbel]

My children and I did it in 2010. It was my idea for them to do it, but they talked me into joining them.

 

Kids can set their own word goals. Adults cannot. So they had an easier time of it. It was great fun but also stressful for me. We ate very badly that month.

 

I did discover that I don't enjoy writing fiction.

 

None of our novels were any good, but everyone did write a complete (bad) story! We never did anything with them, though. I do know a young teen girl who self-published her story and sold a few copies to family and friends. She already had the writing bug but that reinforced it for her.

 

In 2011 my kids did it again, without me. It wasn't as much fun for them and though they "won" by completing their word goals, they did not finish the stories. My son works on his occasionally, though.

 

It was a crazy month where everything else fell by the wayside, a lot of pizza and coffee (or hot cocoa) was consumed, and we talked and laughed about our writing. So glad we did it together at least once. I would do it again!

[Guest]

I did it successfully in 2010. For me, it was kind of like, "write a novel in my lifetime, check!" It was fun, it took a lot of time, and I haven't touched the draft I printed out since I finished. I would love to do it again someday, though.

[LittleIzumi]

I wrote over 50k last NaNo! It was NOT my entire novel, though. I have to write the other half this NaNo. :tongue_smilie:

[Robin M]

I've done it every year since 2007. Not much else gets done during November except for writing. It helps to create a very rough draft. The key is to lock up your internal editor and just write. Don't edit. At the end of the 30 days, you'll have the makings or the beginnings of a story. It is a challenge in every way. And you have to have the support of your family because writing that much takes up a lot of your time.

 

This last year I just barely made 50k and tried to keep up the pace to finish the story by the end of the year. The year before that I wrote a bit more slowly and it took 8 months to finish the story. I'm in the process of editing one of my stories now. Whether you are a panster or a plotter, it's fun and well worth it. This year I plan to plot a whole heck of a lot more, discover who my characters are and do the world building first instead of after. It helps if you have a basic outline and have an idea of where you want the story to go.

 

I say go for it. You'll have the full support of those of us who will be joining in again this year.