# What's Your Word Count?



## kidstaple (Nov 2, 2008)

As of right now, I'm at 9,876 words.

What's everyone else at?

~Rodney


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## Tiamat (Nov 2, 2008)

5,110 words.  And I aim to have another thousand in before midnight, which gives me... an hour an a half.  I should get off the forum then and stop wasting time.


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 2, 2008)

mine is pathetically poor because I had to work late last night and tonight

783

but i'm happy with what i've written so far and think I'll catch up quick since im on holiday from work now.

I hope I do!


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## moderan (Nov 2, 2008)

On the site, it's 11, on my hard drive, 4215. Going to get after it again post-dinner. I'm doing the best I can to pace myself and work just about 1667/day. Another 800 words and I'm right there. Two hours a day will do the trick.


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## Tiamat (Nov 2, 2008)

Up to 6,022 now.


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## Crimson Threnody (Nov 2, 2008)

2655, which isn't bad for mostly writing on my breaks at work and a little at home. Writing at least another 1500 tonight...at least


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 2, 2008)

Let's see.... I am at approx. 3,900 words. I figure I will do a couple hundred words over each night so it will accumulate and put me ahead in case of a day or two that I am unable to write for god knows what reason. Plus I have two academic papers to write. Poo!


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## Katastrof (Nov 2, 2008)

Like 1000 because I already got discouraged, but I'm finishing this beast because I've wanted to write this novel for awhile.


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## kidstaple (Nov 2, 2008)

Katastrof said:


> Like 1000 because I already got discouraged, but I'm finishing this beast because I've wanted to write this novel for awhile.



I understand what you mean. I've wanted to write this novel for a while as well. At first it was just a short story, about a year old, but I've breathed fresh life into it and it's become more and more fruitful as I go about it. I'm so stoked.

~Rodney


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## Tiamat (Nov 2, 2008)

Katastrof said:


> Like 1000 because I already got discouraged, but I'm finishing this beast because I've wanted to write this novel for awhile.


[Rob Schneider]You can do it![/Rob Schneider]

Hang in there!


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 3, 2008)

HAH! Got a surge of inspiration and I'm up to 5,000 words now! Whoo hoo!


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## PSFoster (Nov 3, 2008)

7745.  I think I'm gonna take off the whole month of December to sleep!

I'd get more done if I wouldn't read all these forums I belong to!!


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## karax268 (Nov 3, 2008)

1200

But I'm hoping to catch up today. I work part-time, so I have lot's of free time


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## moderan (Nov 3, 2008)

5440. Moving right along. I've wanted to write this one for awhile too, I just didn't know it.


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## Tiamat (Nov 3, 2008)

Up to 8265.  After the intro, I pulled it back a notch, but it's starting to pick up again now.  This excites me.  Muchly.


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## Sam (Nov 3, 2008)

229,920 words. Oh, you meant for the nano thingamajig? Then that would be zero. 

Fair play to everyone who's doing it, though.


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## Wallmaker (Nov 3, 2008)

805... still learning to use my screenwriting software as novel writing software.  I keep getting distracted by all the little gidgets and gizmos.  But I can generate a report telling me the amount of profanity I'm using.   That's everyday life sort of useful...


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## valeca (Nov 3, 2008)

10015, but I had to really push for my word count today.  Worked til 10 last night, was back on the floor at 6am, worked all day, then had a meeting with a teacher after school.  I felt like my head was full of fluff by this evening.  The words just didn't want to come.

Still, I'm on track.  No cushion, though.  That's a first for me.


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## Tiamat (Nov 3, 2008)

Is this your first time going for 100k Val or have you done it before?

(8265 for me.)


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 4, 2008)

I'm at 7,000 words and upon reflection the most recent chapter I finished is BORING. But that's okay, moving on toward more exciting parts. I'm really trying to pace myself as I don't want to burn myself out either.


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## moderan (Nov 4, 2008)

6230 now. About halfway through the incidents in the extended synopsis I posted a while ago. Not enough homages, inside jokes, and Milleresque subreferences to obscure scifi novels for me though. I shall have to pad. 
My novel takes place in an election year...and "real life" is interfering as I have been watching television and keep writing political attack commercials which I have to delete as they're too current/topical (there went another 2000 words or so). Last night I watched the news and then football and was treated to 82 consecutive political ads (I counted), a full quarter of which were slams against the same area Dem.
That'll teach me to write social commentary/satire, I guess. Maybe I should go in for fantasy.
I saw someone in the forums who says they already have @90,000 words. Don't remember the name but that floors me...@23,000 words/day. Plus time to hang out in forums and such and write even more.


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 4, 2008)

about 8,000 so far - hoping to make it 10,000 by the end of the day

Trying to stop thinking about a new idea I've had that I'm itching to research though. When I take breaks I'm scribbling out plot lines and character info for that lol

I'm totally loving this experience so far!


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## Selorian (Nov 4, 2008)

I'm at 5268 before starting to write today.  I'm right where I need to be with a couple hundred words padding.  I'm shooting for another 3600 words for today, adding to my cushion a little in case something happens like it did over the weekend and I can't write.


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## valeca (Nov 4, 2008)

Tiamat10 said:


> Is this your first time going for 100k Val or have you done it before?



It's my first time doing the 100k.  Since I've done the 50k for the past 4 years, and never had a problem getting there, I thought I'd challenge myself to double it.  

'Course, that also means twice as much editing will have to be done.

I have to do the proud Mama thing and also say that my two oldest spawnlings (they're doing NaNoWriMo's Young Writer's Program) are well ahead in their word counts.  Woohoo!


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 4, 2008)

That's cool that two of your kids are involved! Hope they find it a fun experience too


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## valeca (Nov 4, 2008)

Yeah, NaNo has become a family affair for us.  I love watching how excited they get when they talk about their stories.  It's very inspiring.

I'm now at 13712 and can stop for the day.  It's a very small cushion I have (roughly 400 words), but I'll take what I can get right now.


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## Sen Yama (Nov 4, 2008)

@ 2000 words and falling behind schedual rapidly.


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## Tiamat (Nov 4, 2008)

C'mon Sen!  There's still time to catch up.

I reached 10,125 just now and I think that'll do.  I'm always excited when I get to multiples of 10,000.


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## PSFoster (Nov 4, 2008)

14,742 at the present.  Had to take a little break.  I would have more, but ran into a snag on a scene.  I should have skipped it and wrote a different one, but I was determined to get this one right!

At this rate, I'll have my story finished by the time I get to 30,000.  I'll have to go through and do some (a lot) of padding.  I'm used to writing short stories where you cut out all the fluff and unnecessary stuff.  

And my stupid inner editor won't leave me alone!  He keeps changing things and cutting words out.  I need my words!!!


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## Tiamat (Nov 5, 2008)

Even so, PS, I'm really amazed at how much you've done so far.  Way to go!


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 5, 2008)

BAH!! I didn't write at all yesterday! What with the election happening here andwaiting for some douche bag to come interview about renting a room (bastard didn't even show up!)

Plus I drank 3 glasses of champagne (thank GAWD Obama won!!!) and got really sick because I had only eaten one meal. Stupid me, enough excuses. Between class and after class I will be writing!!

VIVA!


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## PSFoster (Nov 5, 2008)

Tiamat10 said:


> Even so, PS, I'm really amazed at how much you've done so far.  Way to go!



Thank you, T.   My family has started calling me the "hermit."

BTW, right now I'm up to 16,036 words.


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## moderan (Nov 5, 2008)

Very nice. I'm still at 6230 because I'm taking a couple of days to develop some song ideas for the NaSoAlMo "competition" which I'm also doing. I have three now out of the fifteen or so I'll need to fill a cd's worth of time.
But by tomorrow at this time I'll be over 10000. At @1000 words/hour, that's a reasonable estimate. Could be a lot more as I type way faster than that, but I'm enjoying taking the time to craft the passages.


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## Tiamat (Nov 5, 2008)

I'm up to 12,531 as of today, and I'm quite excited because I do believe I've just written my favorite scene in this book -- when my MC has his first encounter with a dragon.  He's hated all the animals up until this point, you see.  So it's exciting.


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## valeca (Nov 5, 2008)

I'm at 17,118 today.  Tomorrow, I feel, is going to be one of those difficult days due to having a zillion things that just have to get done.

Ah well.  That's just part of the fun!

Excellent job, everyone!  Keep going!


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## Inara (Nov 5, 2008)

I'm at 9770. I don't think I'm doing that badly considering I slacked off the first two days and had to catch up Monday. I wrote 4088 on Monday alone because of my slacking off. I'll probably be writing somewhere around nearly 3000 words per day. I also have high school, dance and choir to deal with. This is my first NaNoWriMo, so I don't think I'm doing too badly....


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 6, 2008)

Ugh I only wrote 967 words today because my back is killing me but I'm still only 300 words behind the daily "quota." So I have plenty of time this weekend to get it done, especially as my boyfriend will be off with his friends.


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## moderan (Nov 6, 2008)

Yeah...I don't worry too much about daily quotas as long as I'm writing consistently. Everyone's doing well so far. I have five tunes now..one of which I wrote for my grand-daughter, and a short story unrelated to the novel that popped out by accident last night. *shakes head* I dunno what that's all about. This is Thursday, so I'll be in here writing tonight while Ugly Betty and Gray's Anatomy play on the living room tv *grimaces* those shows are not for me. Should be over 10,000 by midnight. Did clear up a couple nits I had with the last section and am now at 6900.


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 6, 2008)

Im still around the 8000 mark which isn't too bad considering I should be at about 9000 and something according to my nanowrimo graph. I'v got a busy day ahead of me so will use the weekend to catch up big time!

Well done to those who have reached the 10,000 mark!


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## Tiamat (Nov 6, 2008)

See, I shoot for quotas, and mine is 2k words a day, minimum, and 2.5k if I have nothing else I need to do that day.  I hope I can keep this pace up for the duration, but if not, at least I'm working to give myself some slipping room.

Broke the 15k word mark today.


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## PSFoster (Nov 6, 2008)

Yay!!  Way to go guys!!!!


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## Inara (Nov 6, 2008)

12,768 at the end of today. I'm still on my near 3k a day thing. Of course it's only day 4 for me, so let's see how long it lasts


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## moderan (Nov 6, 2008)

I did 1500 words while waiting for my roast to cook and plan on @2500 more tonight after football. That will take me to the end of the first section and into some of the interstitial material.
So far the thing is going exactly according to the outline, which concerns me in an obscure fashion as I've never had that happen before.


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## Crimson Threnody (Nov 6, 2008)

7633 and just started writing tonight ^,^


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## moderan (Nov 6, 2008)

Now that's industry. I'm at 8895 and have stopped there for now. Will get back at it later.


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## Tiamat (Nov 6, 2008)

Crimson Threnody said:


> 7633 and just started writing tonight ^,^


Damn!  Well done, you.


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## PSFoster (Nov 7, 2008)

18,691 words that are dripping with blood, sweat, and tears.  No, not the rock group!


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## moderan (Nov 7, 2008)

Currently at 12,366 after this evening's efforts. With no plans for the weekend, I may get up to halfway by Monday morning. Starting to skip around a bit instead of working sequentially, as the novel has all kinds of little interstitial bits; tv commercials, random incidents, a couple of parallel narratives, newspaper articles. And I've barely touched my snacks!
Starting to think I may have the wordcount in and the novel completed before the end of the month and am entertaining the idea of doing an edit and maybe another draft before the first of the year.
NaNo has been a boon for me so far. My production has been dragging since midsummer. At the very least it's rekindled my ambitions.


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## Tiamat (Nov 7, 2008)

> NaNo has been a boon for me so far. My production has been dragging since midsummer. At the very least it's rekindled my ambitions.


Amen to that.  I haven't been this productive in about a year.  And the crap I was writing a year ago wasn't readable, so... woohoo!


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## moderan (Nov 7, 2008)

A year ago I was pulling 60+ hours a week at a job I hated and having pain issues. Couldn't write a thing. This is much better, and no Black Friday to face.


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 7, 2008)

my writing has been sporadic at best this year, but this is the most intense I've been working at it and it's much more enjoyable


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## PSFoster (Nov 7, 2008)

Up to 19,752 words now.  I was hoping to hit the 20,000 mark today.  I may be able to come up with 248 more words before midnight.  If my MC hasn't gone to bed yet.


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## valeca (Nov 8, 2008)

23,505.  I missed writing yesterday, so I had around 6700 to do late tonight...or last night, depending on how you look at it.  

There was one long crap scene, but there are two that I'm actually quite please with overall.  Surprising what'll come out when you push.


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## richie (Nov 8, 2008)

I'm at about 10600, one day I lacked inspiration and I'm way behind. Gotta get like 4k till next week.


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## moderan (Nov 8, 2008)

18,540 words now. Have gotten into the second section, moved out of the mc's living room and into the streets of 2020 Chicago. Much fun! I can see the city clearly in my mind's eye and am simply being a camera.
edit: Deep into second section now. Couldn't sleep and did 3500 words on one cuppa. Whole weekend still ahead, and it's gently raining outside which I love to write to. Breaktime...more coffee and some donut holes!


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## Tiamat (Nov 8, 2008)

Woohoo, wtg moderan!

I'm still at around 17k cus I haven't written anything yet today.  Going to shortly.


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## valeca (Nov 8, 2008)

26,702 and I'm done for today.  Got plans for the night!


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## Inara (Nov 8, 2008)

19,069 and still counting. I've taken a challenge to write 10k before Monday. Only made 3417 of that so far.


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## Tiamat (Nov 8, 2008)

I'm at about 19k, and I'm bound and determined to reach 20k before midnight.  So, naturally, I'm screwing around on here even though I've only got 2 hours left.


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## moderan (Nov 8, 2008)

LOL...my plush Cthulhu and the six-foot alien that stands next to my desk are conspiring to take over my novel as they're not in it. I actually found myself thinking it wouldn't be so wrong if I just let them pad the wordcount...the novel is still going exactly to my outline and the suspense of waiting for the other shoe to drop is just killing me. I figure if I just hijack the thing myself I can spare me that trauma *grins* haven't done any writing on the novel yet today but I just woke up a little while ago. Did do a flash fiction and three articles before I turned in though.


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## Tiamat (Nov 8, 2008)

Heh, I deviated from my outline some time ago.  I'm still sorta kinda following it, but I've added a lot of stuff and changed a few things around is all.

Oh, and, 20k words -- boo yah!!


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## moderan (Nov 8, 2008)

Nice. I put in three hours after dinner and am at 23,445 
Plus I made a pumpkin cheesecake. I meant to make it for Hallowe'en but things got out of hand with the grandchild hanging about.
Still on outline. *shakes head* Almost halfway!


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 9, 2008)

Nooooo!! I'm falling behind obviously! I just broke 10,000 words today. It's just been crazy. My boyfriend's off to South Korea for a year in like 2 weeks. Hard to gauge what's more important ;-) Kidding but still... must... write... more...


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## moderan (Nov 9, 2008)

You're not that far behind. Just double up one day and you're right on track.


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 9, 2008)

Yeah exactly... must... find... day... to... double... up....

;-)


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## valeca (Nov 9, 2008)

I've reached 30,205, but more importantly, I'm liking the story!  All of these neat little complexities I hadn't planned are coming out and interweaving together on their own.  

By far, this is turning out to be my best NaNoNovel yet!


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## Tiamat (Nov 9, 2008)

Yay!  Wtg, Val.    I'm actually liking mine too.  Against my better judgment, I read over what I wrote yesterday, and actually said aloud, "Hey, this doesn't suck!"

22,607 words down, woohoo!


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## Sam (Nov 9, 2008)

You're averaging 2,000+ words a day, T. Nice! Good stuff. I think I might take up a discipline like this nano thing - it might help me finish this damned fifth novel!

Edit: Shit! Val - you're averaging 3,000!


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## Tiamat (Nov 9, 2008)

I think Val's going for 100k words, though.  Which means she's braver and way cooler than the rest of us.  I'm just planning ahead for laziness, which means I'm clever and, well, lazy.  

You should've done Nano though, Sam.  It's great fun.  Plus, it's done wonders for my productivity, if not my social life.


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## Sam (Nov 9, 2008)

One-hundred, Val? Damn! You don't like to make things easy for yourself, do you? 

Maybe next year, T. Maybe next year. 

I once wrote a 230,000 word novel in five months. I don't know what that averages out to. I suck at Maths.

Edit: I did it on the calculator. It comes to 46,000 words a month, on average. Just four-thousand shy of the nano target. Or fifty-four thousand short of Val's nano target!


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## PSFoster (Nov 9, 2008)

I'm up to 21,453 words on the NaNo sit, but probably got another 1000 I haven't added yet.  I'm so proud of us!!!!


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## valeca (Nov 9, 2008)

HAHA!  Thanks, Tiamat.  Hardly, but I'm considering hiring you as my own personal cheerleader!

This is my 5th time around the NaNo Block, Sam, so I felt I needed a to up the anti a bit--hence the 100k goal.  3k isn't too bad (technically I have to hit 3334 to stay on track).  On average I put in about 2.5 hours a day.  On previous attempts, when I cared less about the story, I averaged about 5k, but I type very fast, so that gives me an edge, I think.  

Two years ago I did it in 8 days (which is nothing compared to the 3 Day Novel Contest), but the story was shit.  The 3k this year allows me to write something I can actually work with in an edit.

You should give it a try.  It's a great experience, a lot of fun, and the community is great.


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## moderan (Nov 9, 2008)

Yes! Everyone NaNo! 26,338 now...and six songs for NaSoAlMo. Over halfway and still on the outline...that's puzzling but why not? If I don't get to sleep I may have another pass at it this evening. I'm liking mine more and more as I go along. I like what I've seen of everyone's else's too. Go WF!


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## Sam (Nov 10, 2008)

valeca said:


> HAHA!  Thanks, Tiamat.  Hardly, but I'm considering hiring you as my own personal cheerleader!
> 
> This is my 5th time around the NaNo Block, Sam, so I felt I needed a to up the anti a bit--hence the 100k goal.  3k isn't too bad (technically I have to hit 3334 to stay on track).  On average I put in about 2.5 hours a day.  On previous attempts, when I cared less about the story, I averaged about 5k, but I type very fast, so that gives me an edge, I think.
> 
> ...



I guess you just go with the flow, then? No editing, no going back, just head down, fingers on keyboard, and whatever comes into your head you type? It also sounds like a really good way to convince yourself that there's no such thing as writer's block. If you can write 3K a day (doesn't matter what the quality is) you can write it _everyday_, November or not. 

When it comes to writing, I think typing is a great skill to have under your belt. Thankfully, I did a class called Office Applications when I was in high school. They taught us how to type properly. You know - ASDF JKL; - and now I can type around eighty to ninety words a minute on a good day, and one-hundred when my fingers and brain are almost intuitive. It's a great advantage - especially when you can type as fast as you can think. No going back in your head to remember what you had thought. 

There's twenty days left, which means I would have to average 2.5K a day to make the deadline. I don't think I could do it. It certainly sounds like fun. Maybe I'll just give it a go and see how far I get.


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 10, 2008)

You definitely should, Sam - I think you would catch up no bother!


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## moderan (Nov 10, 2008)

1667 words/day is not that tall of an order. I edit. 
You can do it, Sam.
30,411 now! Yay for me!


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 10, 2008)

well done, moderan! 

I'm aiming for 15k by midnight tonight


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## moderan (Nov 10, 2008)

Thanks, lilac...I'm not gonna stop at 50,000 if the thing isn't done-the whole idea is to finish the piece, I think. I've seen people on the boards with 100,000+ listed. 10,000 words a day! It makes me wonder about the quality of the prose. And about sandbagging. Call me a cynic if you want but that's a big old horse pill to swallow.
It would be totally cool if Sam would join us on this adventure...but if not, I think we all understand that it takes commitment above and beyond the call of duty.


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## Sam (Nov 10, 2008)

Moderan, you sound like an army recruitment officer! 

Okay, I'm in. So what do I do? Just write it on my own computer, or do I join some sort of community? Apologies if that's a stupid question. I'm new to this whole thing.


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## valeca (Nov 10, 2008)

Go to:  NaNoWriMo and sign up officially.  If you don't, you can't win officially and collect your prizes.

Then go here to find out about it.

And if you have more questions, go here.

Remember, you need to start a novel from scratch.  You can't use something you're already working on.

Oh, and don't forget to find us here.


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## moderan (Nov 10, 2008)

Both, actually...the community is at National Novel Writing Month, and you can get information there on how to post, et cetera.
Our WF Forum is at WF@NaNo.
I'm sure that I or anyone else here who is involved will be more than happy to answer if you have additional questions. Welcome to the madness!

edit:LOL! My connection went wonky and Valeca beat me to the punch!


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## Sam (Nov 10, 2008)

valeca said:


> Go to:  NaNoWriMo and sign up officially.  If you don't, you can't win officially and collect your prizes.
> 
> Then go here to find out about it.
> 
> ...



Whoa, slow down, Val! Prizes? Nobody said anything about prizes! What prizes?

Edit: Excuse my childish excitement.


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## valeca (Nov 10, 2008)

Nothing too grand.  Mostly bragging rights and some icons and a certificate, but this year the people who cross the finish line on time get:



			
				NaNoWriMo said:
			
		

> As a 2008 winner of NaNoWriMo, you will be eligible to receive a free proof copy of your trade paperback book. Details will be posted here and on the "I Wrote a Novel, Now What?" page on December 1.


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## Sam (Nov 10, 2008)

Okay, signed up. Looks good. Now I just have to figure out what in God's name I'm going to write about.


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## moderan (Nov 10, 2008)

prizes


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## Sam (Nov 10, 2008)

You keep missing the ball there, Moderan. LOL. Val already beat you to it. 

So, would I be right in saying that a lot of the stuff I'm going to write won't be my best? I have to write 2.5K a day for twenty days. Doesn't leave an awful lot of time for editing!


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## moderan (Nov 10, 2008)

The contest is about getting the words out and not necessarily about the quality of the prose. *chuckles* I'm doing other stuff than posting...Valeca's quick anyway
Like I said above somewhere, I'm editing but I have time on my hands.


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## valeca (Nov 10, 2008)

Editing is for December, January, and March.  November is strictly writing.  Yes, you'll write terrible things you wish you'd never put on a page.  But you'll be amazed to find out just how many jewels pop out when you aren't try so hard to make everything perfect the first time.  

Have fun and enjoy it.


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## Tiamat (Nov 10, 2008)

Welcome aboard, Sam!    Knew we'd win you over in the end.


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 10, 2008)

Yay, Sam's signed up!


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## valeca (Nov 10, 2008)

33,771, now.  I may add to that by the end of the day, but for now, I'm taking a break.


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## Tiamat (Nov 10, 2008)

I don't think I'll be doing much writing today, and none at all tomorrow.  Packing and all that.  But Wednesday I'll have ample time and absolutely nothing else to do, so I'll make up for lost time.


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## moderan (Nov 10, 2008)

I did some but am holding back the wordcount til the day is over. I've determined that I will finish this week.


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## Sam (Nov 10, 2008)

2,532 and counting. I only started at lunch time (seven hours ago). I think I deserve a break!


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## valeca (Nov 10, 2008)

35,139.  And moderan, I'll race ya.


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## Sam (Nov 10, 2008)

Hi, Steph, where'd you get that cool word-counter in your sig?


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## valeca (Nov 10, 2008)

I'm not Steph, but here's where:

Word Count Widgets | National Novel Writing Month


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 10, 2008)

so whats your novel about, Sam?


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## Sam (Nov 10, 2008)

Cool. Thanks, Val. I must say, just writing and letting things flow like this is quite enjoyable. Almost at 3,000 words now. Guess I didn't want that break after all.


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## Sam (Nov 10, 2008)

lilacstarflower said:


> so whats your novel about, Sam?



Two brothers, living in Crossmaglen, who wake up to find the town empty. As they try to leave, they discover roadblocks at all the exits from the town. It's been quarantined. 

Probably cliche, I know, but I've always wanted to write horror, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a try.


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 10, 2008)

sounds cool - can't beat a good horror!


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## Sam (Nov 10, 2008)

Thought I'd round it off to three-thousand for the day. Not bad. If I can manage that for ten straight days, I think I'll have a good shot at completing it. The novel has to finish, right? Can't hit fifty-thousand words and just leave it on a cliffhanger, can you?


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## valeca (Nov 10, 2008)

All you have to do is cross the 50k line.  You're certainly welcome, even encouraged, to finish the novel, but you'll enter the winner's circle at 50k regardless of where you are in your novel.


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 10, 2008)

I broke 14,000 yesterday which was good cuz I'm a bit behind with getting my boyfriend packed and everything. After the 20th will be a real good opportunity to pound out the word count because he'll have left, I'll be grieving, and I have a break from school.


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## valeca (Nov 10, 2008)

That's great, RH!  Not far off the mark.  Sorry about the boyfriend having to leave, but glad to hear you'll have a break to really put in the words.


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## Inara (Nov 10, 2008)

I'm at.........27,822...and still counting for today.


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## moderan (Nov 10, 2008)

valeca said:


> 35,139. And moderan, I'll race ya.


 
You're on! 36,871 so far. And another song. Eight out of fifteen now to make the cd 90 minutes. 50 minutes so far.


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## PSFoster (Nov 11, 2008)

I'm at 22,660.  I won't get to write today, too much to do & have to work this evening.  I might get a few words writ when I get home around midnight.  

Having to come up with new scenes now, I've used all the ones I had outlined.  But the story is really going better than I thought it would.  I'm just a little uncomfortable writing sex scenes, and not sure how to word things.  I guess I need to go read some porn or something!  

Just to explain, the sex scenes are important to the story!!  You can't write a story about sexual abuse without telling what happens!


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## moderan (Nov 11, 2008)

Yes. Sex scenes can be difficult...especially when you're doing something of the nature of your undertaking, where you absolutely have to be realistic enough to make the reader uncomfortable and are not working to titillate.
Porn probably wouldn't help with that as it has a different aim.
I bet if you poked around on the net you could find some good examples of testimony for your story though.


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## PSFoster (Nov 11, 2008)

moderan said:


> Yes. Sex scenes can be difficult...especially when you're doing something of the nature of your undertaking, where you absolutely have to be realistic enough to make the reader uncomfortable and are not working to titillate.
> Porn probably wouldn't help with that as it has a different aim.
> I bet if you poked around on the net you could find some good examples of testimony for your story though.



Since it involves child sexual abuse, I don't know how much I would want to read of actual testimonies.  It might turn me off altogether, you know?

I don't want to go into really detailed explanations, just the acts, and let the reader use his imagination.  I'm more focused on the emotional side of it and lasting effects.  I find so much contradictory information, it drives me crazy!  Like can it be mentally blocked or not, or can it be overcome without damage to the psyche, stuff like that.  So I guess my MC will handle it the way he handles it.  He hasn't told me the whole story yet.


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## moderan (Nov 11, 2008)

Sure. The actual act can take place offstage and you can focus on the results. That's what I'd recommend unless you really want to get into the graphics of the act.


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## valeca (Nov 11, 2008)

I do believe you're going to beat me, moderan.  I unexpectedly had shifts added to my schedule this week (also for later in the month, blah), so my writing time/days off has been cut down significantly.

I might still be able to give you a run for your money, but not as well as I might have.  Ah well.  If nothing else, I'll be hot on your tail when we cross the finish line!


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## Beja-Beja (Nov 11, 2008)

39900 

I am only a third through my novel though.


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## Beja-Beja (Nov 11, 2008)

Oh I have been writing this thing since the summer though and dont see myself finishing until spring at the earliest.

Slow and unprofessional I know but this is my first novel and I really want it to be good even if i am the only one who will ever read it.


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## Sam (Nov 11, 2008)

5,000 and counting.


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## moderan (Nov 11, 2008)

valeca said:


> I do believe you're going to beat me, moderan. I unexpectedly had shifts added to my schedule this week (also for later in the month, blah), so my writing time/days off has been cut down significantly.
> 
> I might still be able to give you a run for your money, but not as well as I might have. Ah well. If nothing else, I'll be hot on your tail when we cross the finish line!


 

Well, in all fairness, I'll keep moving along and try to finish the novel before the end of the month. That might give you a shot at it as my recent bout with insomnia is definitely catching up to me. I'm within 3000 words of the goal now and will likely get there early this morning or tomorrow. I realize my self-employed status gives me a certain advantage in that most of the time my work doesn't demand much of my time and entails very little effort. But it took me years to get to this point so I'm not going to apologize for that
It's very cool that Sam is doing so well, and cool in general that everyone's moving along.
Beja-Beja, thanks for your thoughts...you should note though that this thread is specifically targeted toward NaNoWriMo. Good luck with your novel.


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## valeca (Nov 11, 2008)

Yeah, even with just doing the minimum, I'll finish on Friday, so I'm not too upset with you getting there before me.  Besides, I owe you one for the links to the songs.  Heh.  They helped.

Anyone else notice the NaNo icons aren't updating the word counts?


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## moderan (Nov 11, 2008)

They're taking about five or six hours. When I first noticed I would go to the site and try to force an update by hitting "update" over and over. The site's been unavailable a couple of times today also. They really need to get a better template and/or servers. I'm not crazy about drupal as a forum template. Not my decision though.
You're welcome to the songs. Glad they helped. I have about four cds' worth of random ambient stuff I cooked up that I use for my own soundtrack.


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## Beja-Beja (Nov 11, 2008)

Oops well in that case the novel I so happened to begin at the start of Nov is at 12000 words. Its really short so I can see myself finishing it in two weeks if I dont get distracted. This one is a slipshod effort I'm afraid.


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## moderan (Nov 11, 2008)

That's what rewrites and editing are for


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## PSFoster (Nov 12, 2008)

I've not updated yet, not enough written to warrant an update.  Since I write in longhand, then type into Word, it takes me longer.  So I've got some written, just not on Word yet to count the words.
Working evening shift this week. I hate it. Not enough time to do anything!


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## Necromortis (Nov 12, 2008)

I started eleven days late (today's my first day), but my current word count is 3,868 words.

~Christian


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## moderan (Nov 12, 2008)

Nice! Don't forget to come and join us at the WF NaNo Forum.
Moderan ftw! (slides into home ahead of the throw and takes out the catcher) Safe!
50,700! Woohoo! Double woohoo!
Now I have a code in my nbose. Boohoo.


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## Sam (Nov 12, 2008)

6,000 now. I only got 1,000 written today. Bitterly disappointed. 

There will be 4,000 written tomorrow!


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## valeca (Nov 12, 2008)

Congrats to moderan, the first WFer (WFite?) to cross the finish line!  Woohoo! Much celebration and ticker-tape!

That's awesome!

Sam, don't sweat it.  I had one of those days, too.  It happens.  Life has a way of...well, getting in the way sometimes.


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 12, 2008)

Go Beja! 



> Sorry about the boyfriend having to leave, but glad to hear you'll have a break to really put in the words.


Yeah you know what's great? He's doing NaNo too, as well as one of my roommates so we've been having major NaNo sessions. At least he understands and we mutually ignore each other with no hard feelings ;-)

I am SO stoked to be crossing the 20k line today as this is my first NaNo! I'm surprised at how much easier it gets to flow the story after a while. I was worried because I had entire days where I didn't write anything. And then the 3 of us sat down and I banged out 7,800 words, my roommate 5500 and my boyfriend banged out around 5000 as well. WHEW! Too bad I actually have class today. WHO NEEDS SLEEP?!?!


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## Sam (Nov 12, 2008)

Yes, sleep is so over-rated. 

Congrats on getting to twenty, RH!


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## Inara (Nov 12, 2008)

I'm around 30k. I know it's safe to say that, but I'm not sure exactly how many I have since I'm still typing what I wrote yesterday. I didn't feel like typing yesterday and my wordcount for today is utterly pitiful. I've written less than a page today. T^T


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 12, 2008)

By the way moderan... we hate you. But love you. Because you kick ass. Because you kicked OUR collective ass :-D

GOOD ON YA MATE!

*cue the midget strippers and kegs of overflowing beer*


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## Selorian (Nov 12, 2008)

I'm at 17,535 today.  I need to have a couple 3500 word days to get caught back up.  What I wrote yesterday I totally enjoyed.  What I wrote today though, I hated, but kept going to get the word count up.

Congrats, Moderan.  Way to go.


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## moderan (Nov 12, 2008)

I don't know whether to bow or duck *laughing madly*
But thanks...on to the finish of the novel...y'all can make it if I can


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## PSFoster (Nov 13, 2008)

moderan said:


> I don't know whether to bow or duck *laughing madly*
> But thanks...on to the finish of the novel...y'all can make it if I can



DUCK!!!!!!


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## valeca (Nov 13, 2008)

In theory I should finish the 50k tomorrow.  Saturday at the very outside.  

I'm still liking this story of mine, which utterly amazes me.  Usually by now I hate the plot, hate the characters and despise the writing.  It's a strange place for me to be when novel writing, but I'm not going to question it--just enjoy it.


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## moderan (Nov 13, 2008)

*nods* It's a strange year for strange things. I'm still on my outline. You're on target for your hundred..that's good to see


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## valeca (Nov 13, 2008)

Yep.  And I'm still on my outline, too, which I believe is the first time that's happened.


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## moderan (Nov 13, 2008)

I don't think I've stayed on an outline for more than a page before. *shakes head* It just feels weird. It's this storyboarding technique thing that does it, and it helps me to write fast, but it's still just weird.


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## Sam (Nov 13, 2008)

You guys outlined? Whoa. I'm just taking it one line at a time. I thought my writing on the first two days was pretty good, all things considered. The thousand words I wrote yesterday, I hated.


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## moderan (Nov 13, 2008)

Yeah...I spent two months researching and outlining and pumping myself up to write this thing. It's not only compressed in time but the most ambitious project I've ever set for myself. The outline is something like 5,000 words by itself, with all kinds of byzantine plot turns and if-thens, almost like a computer program.
The "storyboarding thing" is working scene-by-scene from the outline-visualizing the setting, keeping in mind the plot segment, and determining how the character will act, before writing anything down. It's really elementary and doubtless not new, but it is to me and it works wonderfully.
But that's different...if I had jumped in as you did, I'd have gone with a different story and made it up as I went along.


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## Necromortis (Nov 13, 2008)

So I'm afraid that I'll finish my story before I reach my word count.  I started on the 11th, and haven't been writing as much as I want to because I had to write an AP English essay yesterday, but I'm currently at 6,325 words.

Anyway - here's my problem.  I'm taking my story one line at a time (like Sam) with a very basic mental outline, and I feel like I'm going through too much plot in too few words.

Does everyone feel like this?  Any tips for overcoming this feeling?

~Christian


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## moderan (Nov 13, 2008)

I felt like that when starting, as my tale was projected @30k, but it made itself larger without padding. You can expand each scene in greater detail, leaning on sensory information and conversations, tell more of it in passive voice which generally uses more words, add extraneous subplots, be mean to your characters...there are a lot of techniques to add wordcount.
Mine was to add commercials, but my mc spent most of the first half of the novel watching tv.


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## Sam (Nov 13, 2008)

Well, I got my four-thousand written today, and now I'm absolutely knackered. Ten-thousand down, forty-thousand to go.


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## Beja-Beja (Nov 13, 2008)

You are my hero moderan.


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## Selorian (Nov 13, 2008)

I quit today at 20,090.  I still like about a thousand being caught up.  Tomorrow should do it for me, then I'll try to get a padding built up so I don't have to play catch up again.


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## valeca (Nov 13, 2008)

Sam Winchester said:


> You guys outlined? Whoa.



Not all of us treat it as something cavalier, although, I get that a lot of people assume it's nothing more than a useless endeavor with pages and pages of horrible writing that get left and forgotten come December.  While there's certainly some, even a lot, of that (nothing wrong with it, either), there's a good many people who treat it as any other writing project with months of research and planning behind it.  I'd hazard a guess that the people who fall into the latter category are among those who've gone on to find publishing contracts for their NaNo Novels.  

I've been working on my story since mid-summer and have had a lot of fun doing it.  Maybe next year you'll do it again and have the benefit of having more time before hand to plan your story out, if, of course, that's something that works for you.


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## moderan (Nov 13, 2008)

Beja-Beja said:


> You are my hero moderan.


 
LOL...thanks, but why aim so low?



valeca said:


> Not all of us treat it as something cavalier, although, I get that a lot of people assume it's nothing more than a useless endeavor with pages and pages of horrible writing that get left and forgotten come December. While there's certainly some, even a lot, of that (nothing wrong with it, either), there's a good many people who treat it as any other writing project with months of research and planning behind it. I'd hazard a guess that the people who fall into the latter category are among those who've gone on to find publishing contracts for their NaNo Novels.
> 
> I've been working on my story since mid-summer and have had a lot of fun doing it. Maybe next year you'll do it again and have the benefit of having more time before hand to plan your story out, if, of course, that's something that works for you.


 
That's the aim...I've never subscribed to the idea that one has to cast unedited flotsam onto the page in order to make the wordcount. I just needed a swift kick in the ass and nano has done that. Along about March or so I anticipate starting an agent hunt for Milk and its sequel Identity Crisis. By then, given half of my daily nano wordcount, I should have two more novels and a story cycle entering the edit/polish stage.


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## PSFoster (Nov 13, 2008)

Well, I'm just happy that I finally reached the halfway mark!  25,462 words!!!

Problem: My story is 3/4 done.  I need to stretch the last 1/4 to 25,000 words?!! Yikes!!


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## moderan (Nov 14, 2008)

Yay for you!!!
An extended epilogue? A "whatever happened to" segment? False endings/alternate endings? Hostile takeovers by plush Cthulhus (oh, wait, that was what I was gonna do)? Write a completely different piece?


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## PSFoster (Nov 14, 2008)

I know I have a lot of scenes that can be enhanced, and a few places where scenes could be added, but I don't want to add just a bunch of junk.  I'd like to have quite a bit of story left when I edit out the crap, y'know?

Some parts are real emotional, and I almost cry when I read them over!  Some parts are funny, and a lot of it is just boring.

But I'm pressing on. I hope I can get 50,000 word by the end of the month!


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 14, 2008)

urgh, haven't written a word for two days because of stupid work!! Only got to write 10,000 over tonight and tomorow though to catch up which should be easy-peasy


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## moderan (Nov 15, 2008)

Updates? Success?


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## Necromortis (Nov 15, 2008)

I'm aiming to hit 10,000 by the end of today.  I just wrote 1,800 words (took me to 8,056 words total), but have to take a break because my girlfriend is coming over in a few minutes.

I was sick yesterday, and couldn't write.  So now I'm aiming to try and get at least 3,000 words a day...and I'm really feeling good about today, so I may and try to get 9,000-10,000 words written by the end of tomorrow (I'm trying to reach the halfway mark by the end of this weekend...it may be slightly unrealistic, but I really need to get rid of the whole 'starting eleven days late' disadvantage I'm at), so I can relax slightly during the school week.

I think teachers should give no homework to participants, but I don't think that suggestion would fly.

~Christian


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## valeca (Nov 15, 2008)

Well, I cross the official finish line a few minutes ago.  50,118.

I didn't get to write yesterday due to a union meeting after work (second lousy offer rejected--arbitration here we come!).  By the time I was finished everything, I'd been on my feet for 15 hours straight and I just couldn't push out 3.3k words.  I should have, though, because I ended up with an extended shift today due to people calling in sick, leaving us with only two out of five nurses on our floor.  I'm wiped, but happy I've got my green bar.

I still have the other 50k to do now, but officially, I've won another NaNoWriMo Challenge.


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## PSFoster (Nov 15, 2008)

Up to 28,000!!


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## Necromortis (Nov 16, 2008)

I met my goal of hitting 10,000 words tonight - I'm going to sleep at 10,067, with 3,821 written today.  I think my goal of having written 10,000 words over the weekend is doable - that's just 6,000 words (two chapters) that need to be written tomorrow, and I think I have the events pretty well mapped out in my head.

I find it's easier to write that much if you think of getting to the next 100 word mark.  Doing that really speeds things up for some reason.

I'd write them now, but my eyes are beginning to close involuntarily and I'm having more and more trouble opening them again.  Time to sleep for me.

Inane rambling over,
~Christian


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## Sam (Nov 16, 2008)

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to back out now. I got up to 10,000 words written, but I'm afraid that I haven't written anything over the last three days, and I'm way behind schedule now. Plus, my best friend has tickets for Aston Villa vs Manchester United next weekend and I'm leaving on Friday. The next weekend, I'm off to see the Manchester derby, and the weekend after that, I'm staying in Antrim for the weekend with my girlfriend. It would be impossible to get caught up with all that missed time, and I'd need to write 5,000 words a day just to pull it off. Unfortunately, I don't have the time right now. I'm gutted, of course. I've really enjoyed my experiences with this so far, and I will definitely be back with a bang next year. Howdy, folks, and it's been a pleasure.


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## moderan (Nov 16, 2008)

Sorry to hear that, Sam, but we'll be looking forward to next year, I'm sure. Have fun!


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 16, 2008)

Heh. I am at 22,000 words but a bit behind. Planning on banging out quite a few words today to get caught up. Yay!


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## Necromortis (Nov 16, 2008)

2/3rds of the way to having written 10,000 words this weekend - currently at 13,128 words.

I haven't had dinner, but I have 6 hours in which to eat dinner and write about 3,100 words.  Doable.

~Christian


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## PSFoster (Nov 17, 2008)

I hit 31,379 words tonight.  I'm having fun!  I don't know if it's the writing or the fact that I'm alienating my entire family!


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## moderan (Nov 17, 2008)

Good going, people. Keep it up!
I'm working on the fourth and last section of my novel and can see the end coming.


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## valeca (Nov 17, 2008)

Hats off to you, moderan!

I've run into a problem.  I'm not going to make it to the 100k.  Well, I am, but not by Nov. 30th.  On one hand, I'm relieved to have some time back, but on the other, I feel like I'm giving up or rationalizing or justifying.  

I've come to the conclusion, though, that I have to accept my limitations on this one.  Pushing myself is healthy.  To the exclusion of all else, not so much.  

I'll have to attempt the 100k again, but right now, I'm going to revel in the fact that I got my green bar while still loving my story.


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## moderan (Nov 17, 2008)

*nods* 100k is an awful lot...figuring on three-four hours a day of meaningful typing. Most folks type much faster than that, but writing involves all that _thinking_, alas, which slows down the process.
Pushing yourself to produce is good, but this isn't a life-or-death situation. If you were trying to sell the piece in a hurry like some of the old pulp writers, then that's a different story. Getting to the 50k while still loving the story ought to be enough. I'm getting kinda upset with mine but I think quitting smoking yesterday has more to do with that than anything else. Whole lotta extra air between my ears right now.
Anyway congratulations on reaching 50k.


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## Inara (Nov 17, 2008)

40,442 as of tonight. Write or Die has helped me greatly.


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 18, 2008)

well done val for crossing the 50,000 line!

I'm even further behind now because I've been staying late at work every night so don't think Im going to make 50 k by the end of the month : (


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 18, 2008)

I feel good that I've continued to pace myself and have even had full days off from writing. I have many hours to write tonight so I will try and bang out as much as possible since the next two days will be my VERY LAST DAYS spent with my boyfriend. Then this weekend it's back to the grindstone! Still loving my story, interesting to see it stretch and evolve in different ways. I also have a huge mental list of things I'm going to have to go back and fix but I'm shocked at how successful I have been at suppressing my inner editor. It's really a very liberating experience and it makes me feel much more confident. Though this draft is still shit, I'm actually looking forward to draft two! Or at least, so far...


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## kidstaple (Nov 19, 2008)

I just reached the 65,000 mark. I thought that I would post at the 50,000 mark, but found myself to irritated with the characters, so I had to keep pressing on. I've been away from writing my NaNo novel since last weekend and decided to blow it out of the water and prove to myself that I could write it all out. Didn't think it would take me a day and a half. Ha.

Now, to continue writing!
~Rodney


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## moderan (Nov 19, 2008)

Nice. I'm within 5,000-8,000 words of the end of the novel at 69k+. Starting to slow down some and lose motivation but it's almost done.


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## moderan (Nov 20, 2008)

Going to finish the novel today. Just have the closing chapter and the epilogue to do, and it's a wrap. Will finish the NaSoAlMo album Friday, just have to do the final mix on three of the tracks. Plus this is my fifth day without a cigarette, after 35 years of smoking. Yay me


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## Inara (Nov 21, 2008)

2k away...from 50k...


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## moderan (Nov 21, 2008)

Nice! Keep going, you're almost there


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## moderan (Nov 24, 2008)

Added 5,000 some-odd words to final manuscript for nano, total 81,389. Waiting for my bar to turn purple


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 26, 2008)

AhhHHhhHH!!!! Only 3 and a half days left and I only have 31,000 words!!!! NOOOOO!


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## moderan (Nov 26, 2008)

*notices Raging ran away immediately and hopes she's writing*
Good luck to you


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 29, 2008)

Ah. Well.... I am sad to announce that I won't be finishing NaNo this year. And although I'm a bit sad I'm also a bit proud that I wrote as much as I did on my first try. I know that next year will definitely be a success since I won't have a boyfriend leaving to South Korea, etc. Man, it was a lot of fun though. I've had a really great time and I'm so excited to see what everyone has written and to continue writing the story I have started. Congratulations to everyone who has finished and hurrah for everyone who didn't! It's a journey anyhow. 

And you know, I've learned something today. Sometimes it's okay to say "I can't do it all" and to still feel good about the path traveled. It's also a good place to cheer on others who are still struggling to make it. 'Cause isn't that what NaNo is all about? 

Cheers, all. Cheers.
Lindsay


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## lilacstarflower (Nov 29, 2008)

Raging - I'm in the same boat, almost (without the boyfriend going away part). 

I myself have reached about 39,000 and have no chance of making the 50,000 by the end of the month but I will continue writing a little more everyday until I finish the novel. Next year I will win!! I'm really pleased with what I've done so far because it's more than I have ever written for one piece.

Congratulations everyone for taking part!


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## Raging_Hopeful (Nov 29, 2008)

Yay, lilac! Yeah 39,000 words is a lot anyhow so it's a definite good start to a novel project


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## Selorian (Nov 30, 2008)

With a final push over the weekend, I finished at 55,615.  I know when I go back to it, I'll only have probably half that worth working with.  Still, not a bad start to work with later.

Our son and daughter also finished in the NaNo Young Writers Program.  Our son, ten years old, set his word count goal at 500 and hit it.  Our daughter, twelve years old, set hers at 5,000 words and she just finished it up to win too.

So four of the five of us in the house accomplished it.  Now we're just waiting for our six year old to join in a few years and it will be an entire family affair.


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## moderan (Nov 30, 2008)

Everybody who plays wins!


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## Pinkey (Jan 20, 2011)

I have about 49,000 words


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## Thekherham (Feb 19, 2011)

I've been doing NaNoWriMo for eight years now, and I've won each year. This time I finished with 50,134 words, a far cry from the number of words that I wanted to write... about 120,000, maybe more.


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