Exercise 29: National Novel Writing Month

[Creole Ned]

Exercise 29: National Novel Writing Month

I'm announcing this exercise a bit early to give potential participants additional time to prepare.

For the month of November, there will only be one exercise and that will be to participate in National Novel Writing month (http://www.nanowrimo.org/). You can sign-up at the site and they have tons of resources, forums and more available (I am there under the same name as here, Creole Ned).

NaNoWriMo is pretty basic: during the month of November you are to write a 50,000 word novel. This averages out to about 1,666 words per day or 2380 if you take weekends off. The intent isn't to write a polished masterpiece but to simply write and worry about editing later.

I have not yet decided on a topic for my novel but I've got a few ideas knocking around. Here's hoping a few others get in on this!

[Creole Ned]

Aw, no one else is going to do this?

[russellmz]

i'm going to give it a stab but it's probably going to be end up as national novel writing 2 years.

and i'm finishing off something i started last year so technically it doesn't count according to the rules.

[Creole Ned]

I'm likely going to use a pre-existing story, too, but will be rewriting it from page one, so to me that counts as new, or close enough. I may change my mind and do something else, though.

[Rimbo]

I haven't figured out what I'm going to do, but I'm definitely going to give it a shot.

[Rimbo]

I'm likely going to use a pre-existing story, too, but will be rewriting it from page one, so to me that counts as new, or close enough. I may change my mind and do something else, though.

That's pretty much what I'm going to do as well. I think it'll be easier to have some idea of where I'm starting, even if I have no idea where it's going to end up this time. :)

[Creole Ned]

And we're off!

I did go with using an unfinished story but I'm starting it over from scratch, just keeping the basic plot and a few of the characters.

[Creole Ned]

And three weeks later, I am done. The Ferry is a 50,810 word novel about a bad trip late at night. Now I need to go back and make it readable!

Rimbo actually finished his novel a few days before me, the rascal.

[Rimbo]

I'm thinking I'm not going to edit mine much. I'm gonna leave it as much as it is as possible, and move on with life. And by "life," I mean, I think I'm going to try and write another novel. I won't be in as big of a rush this time and I wont' have it as well-planned, but I think... I think the key to art is that it must be created. You can't wait for the Muse; you have to start writing and honing the craft first, and THEN she'll show up.

Anyway, here it is, for the non-QT3ers out there: http://rimbosity.com/writings/triad%20nanowrimo%202009.pdf

[Creole Ned]

Mine is far too unpolished to not go over again. While the story as is might be serviceable I know I can make it better and I think it's worth the effort. Second (and subsequent) drafts are just as important to the writing process. Anyone* can barf out a lot of words. Getting them in the right order is the tricky part! But I was treating NaNoWriMo as more than just an exercise to begin with.



* well, almost anyone. But volume was never my problem, anyway.

[Tai]

Anyone* can barf out a lot of words.

Tai points at his post count.

Congrats to the both of you on finishing. :thumbup:

[russellmz]

I'm thinking I'm not going to edit mine much. I'm gonna leave it as much as it is as possible, and move on with life. And by "life," I mean, I think I'm going to try and write another novel. I won't be in as big of a rush this time and I wont' have it as well-planned, but I think... I think the key to art is that it must be created. You can't wait for the Muse; you have to start writing and honing the craft first, and THEN she'll show up.

Anyway, here it is, for the non-QT3ers out there: http://rimbosity.com/writings/triad%20nanowrimo%202009.pdf

pretty good for a 30-day novel!

as i mentioned on the qt3 board i liked the intro.

spoilers:

.
.
.
.
.

i also liked the genre change.

the setting described near the end is
cool but the ending is kind of a downer.
the tone change jars with the lighter tone i
expected the story to have starting around
the sniper vs wizard action. good job there
by the way, i always wanted a sniper to do
that to a supposedly deadly wizard.

i thought you'd be making a point with the post
wwi reparations/post wwii rebuilding/lack of one-third
reparation demands in the magic world.

also, i'm kinda pissed at the advanced tech human
lady for putzing around and casuing 6 billion dead.
i'd think the main character would be miffed as well.

here's hoping for a sequel involving time travel
to save earth prime...

[Creole Ned]

We have an actual spoiler tag here. I know, it's shocking after the austere defaultness of the Qt3 forum.

Exercise #30 should get posted tomorrow!

[Rimbo]

Well, first things first, russell -- THANK YOU for taking the time to read a very rough draft and provide feedback on it! I owe you a beer. I hope you enjoyed it, warts and all.

I am thinking I'll go back and revise it, so I really appreciate the feedback.

So, to answer a few questions in response to your feedback...


Glad you like the genre change. That was planned. Originally (and thus the title) there was going to be a third world, which is referenced a bit near the end, but it didn't add much to the story in the long run. It might make a good story for a world on its own, apart from this one.

I'm glad that the sniper part worked. I was worried about how that would take; after being set up as an accidental hero, we now have him being a deliberate zero, and even though this is how I planned things to end, other than Lara's desperate cries for attention it's not really ever hinted that this was the inevitable outcome.

As to the last two points: Probably the first edit that entered my mind after "finishing" was to add a "foreword from the editor." You'll notice a few Editor's comments peppered throughout (e.g., "I don't know why he says 'Union of the Snake' here.") The idea being that this is a manuscript submitted for publication from a person who, by now, has become incredibly famous, and has written his story for the benefit of historians (and of course, to the massive profits of the publisher). Unfortunately one of the things he requests is that the manuscript be published in a nearly unedited state. Being an icon, he has the clout to make such a request.

Putting this there (and throwing in a few more editor's footnotes, with the explanation that this is allowed by the terms) helps me in a few ways:

1. By implication, the reader knows that the end of the story is not actually the end of the Earth, that the people of Earth manage to repel the attack, and that he and Kurala/Sees-the-Ghost become legends for discovering the bug-aliens' weaknesses, and the Prophecy as hinted by Advanced Tech Humans of humanity reuniting and eventually dominating the galaxy comes to pass.

2. Some of the details impossible to reveal from a strict first-person point of view can also be revealed, such as the fact that David's story becomes a huge alteration in how the Kingdom of the Serpent, Grundel and the other Eastern states settle with the Western Baronies after the war -- making him a legend on TWO worlds. I'd also like for them to figure out the M16, but that probably would be inconsistent within the universe such as it is.

3. I hope it will partially excuse some of the poor style, pointless anecdotes and the like as "This is this character being a character." :)

Oh, and you are quite right that David should be much angrier at Advanced Tech Human Lady (and the President), for the same reasons he was angry at the end of the first half of the book (when his assassination of the sorceress supposedly "ruined everything"); I probably should have devoted some more writing to demonstrating that.

And I really think it needs to end with something like, "Goddammit, I just destroyed the world, didn't I? If anyone asks... I didn't do it."


Anyway, again, THANK YOU for the feedback. I'm going to spend the next couple of months' writing time drafting another book, then come back to this one and make a pass through it to edit it. And then... well, it'll be a proper book, I hope!