NaNoWriMo is here!

[Venetia]

number of words: 173,304

 

[dadevvtsvre]

I think I've used the word "shocked" about 100 times in my novel so far. :x

 

[Venetia]

crap
i had plans to really sit down and blast out some pages this last weekend, but a bunch of stuff and overtime work got in the way. I'm like 3k words behind now.
i was always more interested in quality over quantity but i was hoping to keep up a little better! :I
I'm not giving up but I sincerely doubt I'll ding 50k by Nov. 30th now.
Oh well, atleast I have a good deal of pride in what I've been doing.

 

[dadevvtsvre]

The plot holes in this thing are killing me, you guys

Every time I think back and see how much my novel resembles swiss cheese, I can't help but shudder.

 

[Perihelion]

I'm super behind. I dunno if I'm gonna win this year. On the plus side, the story is growing rather complex and potentially awesome in my design document, so I might be okay with that. There are a lot of complicated character things going on, though, and I feel like it's gonna require a good deal of planning.

 

[glorious caesar]

guys don't do nano it forces you into poor writing habits.

protip: books don't get published based on word count

spend your november doing something significantly more important: grow a mustache


only fags use protip

i advise people to spend your time listening to someone that is actually important or worth noting in the world: which is anyone in the world other than despain.

what? why did someone edit this post? i wasn't being a faggot this post was legitimate.

people who take nano too seriously will find themselves developing poor writing habits. it's not such a big deal if you know what you're getting into, but it's worth warning people that nano does NOT exist to help you become a good writer. nano's all about QUANTITY over QUALITY, and in the real world it's the other way around.

the official "how to nano" book is titled "NO PLOT? NO PROBLEM!". seriously.

i'm not saying "lol dont waste your time" and i'm sure a lot of people already know this. but for those of you don't, it's important to keep in mind what exactly nanowrimo is. it's not for serious writers (though it can be) and while i fully support it as a fun little activity, i want to make sure that it's accurately represented as a fun little diversion that functions more as a marathon rather than an exercise that helps you as a writer.

i think nano is a really cool and fun thing to do and agree with the "just write something!" attitude that nano's all about (or at least originally). but lots of people—and not necessarily the people in this topic, but perhaps the people reading this topic—might miss that in the huge surge of popularity that nano has had in the past few years.

seriously if you guys only saw my post as some thin troll then maybe you should sit back and start realizing that i don't have some sort of grudge. don't try and "one-up" a LEGITIMATE post, especially since it wasn't aimed at whoever edited it to begin with.

 

[Stardust]

Dude, they make it incredibly clear that this isn't meant to be good writing. In all of the e-mails and stuff they emphasize that this is about getting something done and editing it AFTER you have something solid. It's meant to encourage people to work on something and actually finish it.

Maybe if you explained yourself instead of posting a single sentence and said something that wasn't incredibly obvious your post wouldn't have been edited like that. :\

 

[glorious caesar]

guardian that was exactly my point. YOU guys know that stuff because you're involved in it. but to the outsider looking in (a LOT of people), nano is being presented as "become a writer in a month", and that's not what it's about.

i'm not blaming you guys, or the nano team, or anyone. and i'm not trying to make a big deal out of it (which is exactly why i thought that my original one sentence was enough—i didn't think it needed an explanation because of the reasons you mentioned. i figured that you guys would agree with me and leave it at that (and your post here just proves that you know what i'm talking about so i don't get the point anyway)).

my post was intended as a warning for the people who didn't know much about nano and were just reading through the thread and liked the idea. just a "know what you're getting into first man" kind of thing. it's obvious to you and me, bro—but remember the nature of the internet.

sorry if you guys misunderstood me but maybe now you'll think twice before assuming i'm trying to be a dick all the time.

 

[Guest]

;D

 

[Stardust]

noise... people can read 0_0 It isn't like an elite ability or anything.

 

[Guest]

;D

 

[mawk]

which is exactly why i thought that my original one sentence was enough—i didn't think it needed an explanation because of the reasons you mentioned.

guys don't do nano it forces you into poor writing habits.

 

[glorious caesar]

mawk exactly. seems pretty clear to me. :\

nah

seriously dude you're not welcome here

clearly

That's enough (not aimed at anybody in particular, this is the last post) - back on track or I don't love you any more. ~wyatt

 

[Stardust]

Honestly, I've lost like all of my creative energy. :\ I'm thinking of just working on this on my own and breaking away from the contest, but I'll see how I feel in a couple of days. In the meantime, I'll post something that Unity posted. It's a story inside a story. I actually have quite a bit of poetry and I'll have a couple of short stories inside the greater story of the forum.

this a short story I started recently. there isn't going to be a whole lot in between the first event I'm going to post now and the ending, but it should be an interesting read. possibly very disturbing to some people in places and i don't refrain from having characters curse occasionally, so i thought i'd warn you now so no one can yell at me. :P

Spoiler: Part 1

A young man knocked gently on an old wooden door. “Your highness?”

A male's voice answered, “Come in, Jacob.” The young man turned the handle nervously and stepped inside. The room was cooler than the hallway he had been in since a large window was open to the quiet night. Decorations in the room were discreetly ornate, giving an air of wealth but not the overwhelming royalty of the occupant. The king sat on his bed, watching Jacob with dreamy eyes. David was never a traditional ruler. His parents had been assassinated and since his older sister went silent and then disappeared afterwards, he was made king. Youth still held him in its grasp, but ever since his crowning his mind always seemed to hover in other worlds.

“Is there anything you need before you slumber?” Jacob asked, falling down on one knee. He couldn't help but appreciate the blood-red carpet underneath him.

“That depends,” King David said serenely. He stood up with the grace of an angel, which was only heightened by his bright blonde hair and blue eyes. Beauty was often the first word people used to describe him, and Jacob fully agreed. “And you shouldn't feel the need to lower yourself in my presence.” He put gentle hands on Jacob's arms and lifted him up.

Jacob was caught in his brilliant eyes and struggled to form a sentence. “D... depends on what?” David's white robes seemed to be getting closer to him every moment.

“Have you ever wondered how I won over so many former kings and queens?”

The question was the last thing Jacob expected to hear from his king. “Because of your excellent speaking skills, your highness.”

“Please, call me David.” Jacob couldn't help but notice that David's hands hadn't moved from his arms. “And that's not the full story. You see, I have the unique ability to hear everything a person says.” Jacob froze. Could his thoughts be read by his king? His thoughts would easily get him killed for even thinking them. David leaned closer so he was whispering in Jacob's ear, “And once you know what someone wants, it's easy to seduce them.”

Jacob was yanked forward and their lips met. His head swirled in bliss and confusion. He felt his arms wrap around David's body and pull tightly, afraid that letting go would mean the end of the dream and his life. A gentle stinging sensation hit the middle of his back, making him strengthen his grip on his king. Slowly, he felt himself slip away into darkness.



David let the lifeless body slowly fall from his arms, a bloodied dagger in hand. “It's a shame,” he said to no one in particular, “he was such an attractive man.” After staring at Jacob's bleeding body for a few moments, he became aware of a presence behind him.

“You are a wicked bastard, aren't you?” a rough voice said between chuckles.

“That depends on your definition,” David said, turning to see the hideous creature that had spoken. No matter how much they saw each other he couldn't get past the fact that the demon was hard to look at without feeling sick.

“I have to say I appreciate your style, however,” the demon choked out, getting a little closer to David. He had such a foul stench. “How did you keep him from feeling his lung being ripped open?”

“My seduction goes beyond the realm of simple knowledge,” David said silkily. He looked down at the dagger in his right hand and contemplated licking it clean, but thought better of it. Regardless of who Jacob was, he was still a peasant who could have diseases.

“So who should I frame this time?”

“The guards picked on him all the time. Find the broad-shouldered one with short brown hair and hazel eyes.” With both hands, he presented the dagger to his horrible company. The demon snatched it with a speed David couldn't follow and it disappeared. With a glance behind him, he confirmed that the body and blood had also vanished. “I really did like him, but he was stupid to believe he could desire a king.”

“So you feel bad for killing him?” the demon teased. “Our evil king is getting soft.” David shot him a vicious look that would have made any human step back.

“I don't feel regret. I'm just playing the game right.”

“I doubt it's a game to his family.”

“His family isn't important.” It took a lot of energy to keep him from punching the ugly thing. “If they had played the game right, he wouldn't be dead.”

“If you didn't treat life like a game, he wouldn't be dead.” The demon grinned wickedly. “But who am I to complain of the sacrifices you make to us?”

David stepped back over to his bed, ignoring the demon that still lingered in his room. With a sigh he laid down and let the cool night air fill his lungs. After some time the presence disappeared, leaving behind no evidence of the past few minutes except a door that was forgotten open. David was too tired to correct it and instead worked on formulating a speech to give once his soldier was caught. When he was mere moments from sleep, he heard a woman screaming, far in the distance, and smiled.

 

[dadevvtsvre]

Ugh. Kind of contemplating giving up here. I've been thinking about it, but realized that I CAN do it - I just gotta reorganize my priorities.

I'm nearly at the halfway point now - I've come too far to give up now :box: