Mini-NaNo: A Bit of a Failure

This is one of those moments that reminds me what I'm not being graded on my ability to complete NaNoWriMo. Not only is it really hard to write during college, but it is almost impossible to get back on track once you've fallen off.

Mini-NaNo got to be about ten thousand words. This was less than half of my total word count. Which, overall, isn't the worst showing I've ever done. (I once got 3k into NaNo and just stopped for the rest of the month. Depressing, no?) The story itself still interests me, and I will definitely continue writing it once I'm done with all this (or maybe, I'll cheat and finish it for November NaNo).

Right now, I have three time to write up an outline for NaNo. I will still be asking for input from my possibly existent readers and definitely existent friends. Actually, I'm going to ask for it right now.

Should I continue my mini-NaNo, therein flouting all the "rules" of NaNoWriMo? Or should I start outlining furiously so I can attempt to maybe for once actually win this dastardly contest with myself? How lazy should I be, ladies and gentlefolk?

Personal: Mini-NaNo Update

Whelp, we all knew it was going to happen. A bunch of tests and homeworks come my way and I crumble like a paper crane in a biker's fist. I missed, as of today, an entire week of mini-NaNo. This cute little app I got for my phone (which will be an upcoming TIL), says that I'll need to write almost 1000 words a day to get back on track. That isn't actually worrisome, because I've been averaging bout 900-and-change on 750words, but it's never fun to be behind.

I do plan on completing my word count goal this month (23,250 words in 31 days.) However, I will warn everyone: This is just a test run. It is a lot more important to me to complete the real and actual National Novel Writing Month than it is for me to finish a practice mini-Nano. Especially since I also need to keep posting about online writing tools and keeping this blog worth reading.

Hope all of you possibly-existent readers are enjoying this escapade as much as I am! See you later in the week :)

<3 Meghan

EDIT: I did a little spreadsheet to compare my Percentage of Total Words and my Percentage of Total Time Left. I'm approximately 36% done with the total number of words and about 50% of the way through the month. This is a totally doable situation. My faith has totally been restored :)

Personal: Second Week of mini-Nano

Hello all! Just a little update on my October mini-Nano! The text is, as I promised, up on Fictionpress. There's a chapter for every single day, which is gonna end up pretty darn lengthy, but I can always edit that in December or whenever I get to editing it. I'm writing out sort of ghetto phase outlines* for each day. I've gotten as far as the 16th (which I believe is a test day for me) and have realized that this story will not be finished before November starts. Which means, I'm really sorry guys, but it will go on hiatus as soon as NaNoWriMo starts up.

Writing this has been really easy. I definitely think part of it was the platform- 750words. The badges are great motivation and signing up for the October Challenge was a great way to keep me on track.

So far I've JUST gotten to introducing the character everyone voted for. Don't worry though, he's definitely playing a major role. I've also stolen a couple of the suggestions that didn't win and am finding ways to incorporate them. I also have another question for you, my possibly existent readers!

A lot of stories like this, the ones where magic is suddenly real and has been hiding for who knows how long, involve rewriting history to accommodate the knowledge of magic. My question is two-fold. One: What historical event would you like to see re-written to involve magical creatures? Two: What is your favorite nursery rhyme? The one you remember the most from your childhood. Teeelll meee reaaddeerss. Tell me yooouurr storiieess.

*For those of you who don't know what a phase outline is, read this thread, which explains everything. It's kind of like writing the book before writing the book, without all of the fun stuff like adjectives and descriptions. There is a distinct possibility that I am going to do a review of this system, along with some other outlining systems. It probably won't happen until November or December, but I'll totally do it. These are for all you planners out there.

Personal: First Day of Mini-NaNo

Well, today is October 1st. Aaaand, well, that's a little nerve-wracking. I have two tests this week, plus a group report, plus a HUGE paper I have to write by the 10th. So it's going to be a tough month. But I can handle this. I mean, it's only 750 words a day, right? (Note: I'm wearing my worried face.)

So, for this update, I'm going to tell you guys two things. One, you get to know which magical creature is making a big appearance in the novel and, two, you get to know part of the mythology behind the story. Without further ado, point one.

DRAGONS won the day, with 3 votes out of 18 comments. Some of you posted a lot of options in your comments, which was sort of cheating ( ;P ), but I counted them anyway. So, look out for a dragon character as an important part of the story. I'd like to tell you more, but you'll see as the story goes along.

Point two, is the myth of the Bear Statue. Geneseo has a fountain in the center of main street. It looks like this.

Credit: kwalt0888, flickr

The story of this statue, in relation to the college, is as follows. If a virgin graduates from Geneseo, the bear will crawl down off the fountain and come to life. First of all, take this moment to laugh at that. Secondly, let's see where it goes, no? 

This has been an incredibly vague post, so I hope no one's angry with me about that. But there will be a bunch of these posts throughout the month, plus the text up on fictionpress. So, let's watch this unfold. (I wrote about 1200 words today, none of which explain this vague post. So, yeah, sorry! <3 )

Personal: October Mini-NaNo Overview

So, for my October Mini-NaNo, I wanted to combine two things I love dearly- being a lazybum and fantasy. Now, anyone who writes fantasy novels knows that it is very hard to be a lazybum while doing so. There is worldbuilding, racebuilding, townbuilding; there is so much building involved in fantasy that I might as well be a contractor. So, to make my load a little lighter (especially since I'll be worldbuilding for November DURING October Mini-NaNo), I decided to do a modern fantasy, something set in the real world but also not. I also thought it might be nice to set this story in the town I currently live in, primarily because I've never heard of anything being set here. So, while this will end up being a bit of a self-insert (I'll give hints as time goes on as to which character is based on me), I'm excited to present, the plot of October's Mini-NaNo!

Our main character is a senior at small town SUNY Geneseo. She is double majoring in history and creative writing and decided, for her thesis, to do a paper on the history of magic in literature. As she researches, she comes upon hints and information that the world is not all that it seems. Academic at heart, she decides to determine what this means, unintentionally launching herself into a world just below the surface of reality, where magic is real and nothing makes sense. 

 

Pretty vague, huh? Well, that's because I'm not really sure where it's going. But it'll be easier to write knowing I don't have a world to build! ;)

My first question to you, community of possibly existent readers and definitely existent friends and family, what is your favorite kind of magical creature? The one who gets the most replies, by October 1st, will get a large role in the story ahead.

The story will be written in 750words, so I can get some badges and maybe defeat the October Challenge. However, I will also post what I've written on fictionpress.com (primarily because it is an easy to use platform that I have experience with). The fictionpress account tied to this blog is aptly named "the Capstone" and can be found here.

Edit: Obviously, my own replies don't count. 

Intro: "Mini-NaNo"

The website "Toasted Cheese" holds what they call a "Mini-NaNo" during the month of September. This warm-up for the real thing asks you to write 167 words a day for 30 days, leaving you with a grand total of 5,000 words that month.

While I have never participated in the official "Chasm and Crags" version (which I assume is their forum space), I thought it would be a great idea to do a mini-NaNo in October, primarily because I am a masochist.

I am going to use an online writing platform, dear to my heart, to do so. This platform is also the one I just reviewed- 750words.com! In case you were clever, you'd notice that that means I am writing WAY more than 167 words a day. Yes, I plan on writing 750 words every day for the month of October, for a total of 23,250 words. This is a test to see how motivated I can stay and will, hopefully, be a good indicator of whether or not I can (finally) complete National Novel Writing Month.

Why am I telling you this, you ask? Because I have a favor to ask of you, my possibly existent readers. Part of my project has been to understand the development of an online community around NaNoWriMo and her home site. I would also like to bring a bit of community into my own blog. Each week (at least), I will post an update about my work and my story. In that update I will ask for your opinions and your decisions as to how the story will go. Yes, I want my writing to be interactive. The text will be posted on whichever hosting site I chose and everyone will be able to read the shitty, unedited version as I produce it. Best of all, you will be able to see where your input affected the story.

Sound good? I'm excited, so I can only hope y'all are :)