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[Fniff]

NaNoWriMo is coming up has arrived continues is over! Yaaaaay!

A Basic Explanation
NaNoWriMo is simple in premise. It's a self-challenge to create a novel by the end of the month. The minimum word count is 50,000, though you can go beyond that. So why am I posting this thread when it hasn't started yet? One simple reason: planning. You should have time to think about what you're doing, though you can't write any main part of the novel until it actually begins. Character sketches and outlines don't count.

Helpful Links
NaNoWriMo Site
NaNoWriMo Countdown
Last Year's Bay12 Thread

NaNoWriMo Bay12ers
People on this very site who are doing NaNoWriMo! Just ask if you want to be put on this list.

Spoiler: List (click to show/hide)

Fniff

[Cryxis, Prince of Doom]

Ptw

[TD1]

Ptw

[Arx]

Also posting to watch. Not to participate unfortunately, I'm writing exams in November.

[GiglameshDespair]

I'll try.

[sjm9876]

PTW. And maybe attempt. Maybe.

[Furtuka]

ptw

[Parsely]

PTW

[Prudent Viper]

Yeah, I'll have a bash at this too.

[WillowLuman]

Alright, I think I'll try again with my idea from last year, starting over.

[Fniff]

So, this is actually my first attempt at NaNoWriMo. Any advice from regulars?

[Kadzar]

I may come to regret this, but I resolved to do this thing the next time it came around, and if I don't make it or it doesn't come out very well, at least I can say I tried.

[Willfor]

So, this is actually my first attempt at NaNoWriMo. Any advice from regulars?

If it starts feeling like you're writing crap, keep going. If it starts to feel like you could never in a million years make a good thing from it, keep going. If you begin to feel like you'd rather stab yourself in the eye than put another word down, keep going. You're likely going to hit all of these things, and the point of NaNo is to get past these points.

The biggest thing that participating in NaNoWriMo ever taught me was how to push through the crap. It's an extremely valuable skill.

[Prudent Viper]

So, this is actually my first attempt at NaNoWriMo. Any advice from regulars?

If it starts feeling like you're writing crap, keep going. If it starts to feel like you could never in a million years make a good thing from it, keep going. If you begin to feel like you'd rather stab yourself in the eye than put another word down, keep going. You're likely going to hit all of these things, and the point of NaNo is to get past these points.

The biggest thing that participating in NaNoWriMo ever taught me was how to push through the crap. It's an extremely valuable skill.

This is going into my big list of "Great Advice From Strangers".

[Darkmere]

Hell yeah, I'm in. Second victory in a row, coming this November.

So, this is actually my first attempt at NaNoWriMo. Any advice from regulars?

Outline everything. Start now. I have my A and B plots done, with character sheets of the major players and most of the relevant world-building in progress. Every shred of work you put in now is that much less time you spend staring at a blank screen in panic in November. It's not critical that you stick to the outline, really, but having a plan will keep you from writer's block later.

Don't revise or edit anything in November - there's no time. Write your daily goal and if you have inertia, keep going.

Grab some cheerleaders if you can. Alpha readers are even better. Someone reading your story with a fresh perspective can point you in directions to help expand your story to meet wordcount or give you plotlines you didn't know you needed.

What you end up with won't be a masterpiece. The name "zeroth draft" gets tossed around a lot, and it's true. What you have will be an awesome framework for revision, if you choose to do so.

If you aren't on pace, don't give up. If you run out of ideas, drop some ninjas on your protagonist or something and let them spend a chapter dealing with random plot ninjas... but don't give up. If you aren't done by December first, DON'T GIVE UP! The greatest novel never written is worse than the shittiest first draft in the history of literature... because whoever wrote that shitty draft had the grit and vinegar to get it done.

Also a hearty +1 to Willfor... there will be a time when you hate everything you've written and want to burn the manuscript. The big secret is... everyone feels the same way. Everyone hates their work, no one feels like it's good enough. Doesn't matter, write anyway. For the record, I STILL don't know if my novel from last year is good or not, I simply can't tell. But I do have one, so I got that shiny winner's badge.