The Confabulator Cafe

Tag: NaNoWriMo

  • The Un-NaNo Solution

    By the time this gets posted, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) will have begun. But not for me.

    Last year was my second attempt at NaNoWriMo. After failing the first year, I met 2011 with determination and attacked NaNo with gusto. I took a full week off of work at the start. I hit it hard. And by November 30th I had 50,000 words.

    They weren’t great words. In fact, I had written several scenes by the seat of my pants, unsure where they would fit within the structure of the novel. I had sub-plots that died out. I had characters who remained under-developed. And when I looked back on my story, I realized that several things were happening TO my main character, not BECAUSE of her.

    I wanted to start editing my mess of a zero draft, but first there was Christmas, then one thing, then another. The year flew by. The next thing I knew, my friends were talking about NaNoWriMo again.

    (more…)

  • On the November Wing

    Ah, NaNo. That magical time of the year when for 30 days, I’m pretty much checked out on anything other than typing. A lot. Chances are if I’m not typing, I’m off being ill. One November, I had the worst case of strep throat I’ve ever had – also the only case of strep throat I’ve ever had! Another, I didn’t personally get sick, but my beloved red tabby had his second case of feline cystitis – I spent the last week of November in and out of the vet office with him. The winner, of course, was the November where I spent half of NaNo with half of my face paralyzed thanks to a bout of Bell’s Palsy. In the end, that’s neither here nor there – sadly, Bell’s Palsy did not end up playing a part in my novel.

    I spend all year, starting with December 1st, thinking about what I will write for the following November. To be fair, that’s not the right way to go about it – I should think about what I’m writing tomorrow, but NaNo is exciting. I feel like my best ideas are saved for NaNo every year, and I’m hoping this year will be no different. (more…)

  • Rebel with a Cause

    I am a rebel.

    There. I said it. While most everyone around me is nervously putting together a plot and interesting characters for a brand new novel they can’t wait to start tonight at midnight, I’m just biding my time.

    I’m about 30,000 words into book three of my Monster Haven series. Tonight, I will open a new document and start the rest of the book. 50,000 more words will get me to 80k by the end of the month, which will be the end of the novel. If not, I’ll write more than 50k. The important thing is not the 50k for me, it’s getting to the words “the end.”

    This is how I’ve done it for the last two years, and it’s worked out really well for me. (more…)

  • Confessions

    Can I be honest with all of you for a couple of minutes?

    I’m terrified about this year’s NaNo. I don’t have a plan. I barely have an idea. And I certainly don’t have time. And even worse? I know what to expect.

    Last year was my first time participating in NaNoWriMo. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. It seemed like a great idea at the time—and don’t get me wrong, it was—but now I do know. It’s an amazing roller coaster ride. It’s life consuming.

    And I’m completely unprepared for it. I’m worried that I’m taking on too many things at once. I’m terrified that something’s going to slip. (more…)

  • The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

    National Novel Writing Month is my favorite time of the year. I see it as a month long holiday designed specifically for writers. A whole 30 days where we can justify putting our writing before pretty much anything else in our lives. A time when new friendships are formed, new worlds are created, and writers everywhere discover their limits – or lack thereof. A month of not enough sleep, way too much caffeine, and thousands of words (around 50,000 of them).

    This will be my eighth year participating, my fourth year as Municipal Liaison for the Lawrence Region, and hopefully my seventh win. It’s kind of fun to think about: winning National Novel Writing Month seven times will mean I’ll have written at least 350,000 words during my writing  career.

    So this November, as Municipal Liaison, I will be writing pep talks, hosting write-ins, spoiling my Wrimos with treats, cheering on those who are ahead and encouraging those who are behind, drinking way too much coffee, trying to fit in the homework assignments for my online class, and also probably finding new ways to procrastinate. (more…)

  • Dear NaNo: I’m Coming for You

    I’m generally a guy who hates unfinished business.

    Whenever a project languishes, it eats away at me. I don’t sleep, I get pissy, and I start withdrawing from my friends and family. I just want to be left alone to stew in my own frustration.

    Unfinished is the status of the last novel I set out to write, and it’s been that way for far too long. I love the story, and it has its fair share of really funny sections, but for whatever reason, I never saw it through to the end.

    Well, it’s about time that stopped.

    (more…)

  • Remember, Remember the Last November

    Last year, I decided to finally take the plunge from writing short stories into writing an actual, honest-to-God novel. I joined the local writing group for National Novel Writing Month.

    I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had been writing for quite awhile, but I hadn’t really socialized with other writers. As part of a recent re-affirmation of my writing efforts, I decided I needed to throw my hat in and become a full member of the literary community. This meant joining a great group of speculative fiction writers called the Dead Horse Society in Kansas City, a group called Writers of the Weird in Lawrence, and the Nanowrimo group, which would become the basis for this website.

    Writers of the Weird never totally took off, and the commute and time conflicts have kept me from the Dead Horse Society, but this group, and this site, is obviously still going. It all started with Nanowrimo. In more ways than one, Nanowrimo changed my life. I became an author, I met my girlfriend, and I solidified my writing career. Since Nanowrimo, I’ve submitted consistently and have had five stories accepted for publication. I completed my fifty thousand words in just over two weeks and finished the month with around sixty-five thousand words. (more…)

  • The Coming of NaNoWriMo (Week Ending November 3)

    National Novel Writing MonthThis week, we’re getting ready to celebrate. No, not Halloween. We did that last week. (And if you haven’t read the traveling carnival stories by our Cafe writers, you really should.)

    We’re celebrating the written word. The writers in the Cafe are in preparation mode for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Thirty days, 50,000 words.

    If you’re not familiar with this event, it’s a month-long endurance test for writers all over the world. Starting on November 1, writers are challenged to write 50,000 words before November 30. That works out to approximately 1,667 words each day.

    Over the next five days, our writers will be writing about their upcoming NaNo projects. You’ll get a sneak preview of the stories that our writers are planning and plotting in anticipation of the November 1 start date.

    Then, throughout November, we’ll be hitting you from the trenches. Our normal weekly post assignments will be replaced by short updates from our writers on their NaNo progress. So this will be the last update from me for awhile.

    Until Next Month,

    The Cafe Management

  • Strengths and Weaknesses (Week Ending October 20)

    They say that once you start doing something you love, you’ll never go to work again. So why are so many writers frustrated by a craft that they love? Maybe because — as one grows as a writer — writing gets more difficult.

    We all have strengths and weaknesses, but every writer is different. This week, we decided to see how our writers in the Cafe see themselves. We asked them to describe what is easiest about writing and what is the most difficult.

    As we move out of October and into November for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), we want all writers — ours included — to focus on their strengths. But also to be aware of their weaknesses.

    How are you getting ready for NaNoWriMo?

    Until Next Week,

    The Cafe Management

  • Jemma Behker Shares All (Or So We Hope)

    Good morning ladies and gentlemen! Usually right now I would be blathering on about some writing topic or entertaining you with a story I spewed out after a few glasses of wine. But today I have something different, something special. I’ve managed to secure an interview with Jemma Behker. You may remember her from my 2011 NaNo novel. She’s a lovely young lady from the Kingdom of Callador and… well, why don’t we cut straight to the interview?

    Good morning, Jemma.

    Jemma: It’s the middle of the night.

    Technically, yes, but…

    J: I’m not stupid. It’s the middle of the night.

    Right, right. Good evening then. Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself? (more…)