Camp NaNoWriMo 2014

[stargazer]

I'm usually able to come up with satisfactory (to me) endings, but my problem is not finishing all the steps from beginning to end. My earlier NaNo stories are complete (while they are stand-alone stories I've continued to write sequels set in the same world with most of the same characters), but my last several NaNo stories are unfinished.

Perhaps this is because of a tactic I picked up on the NaNo forum during one of the November events: if you get bogged down with a certain scene but know what comes next, just insert a placeholder for that scene and press on. You can always come back later and fill in the missing details.

This has been really handy during the fury of November writing, and all of my NaNo stories (except for the 2013 version which I abandoned early on for other reasons) have the endings I envisioned when I started - but it's harder than I thought to go back and fill in those missing pieces. I just need to be more disciplined, I guess.

[wild rose]

I'm doing CampNaNo, I'm in the same cabin with SummerSnow, though we only had a word war once (all thanks to glitchy internet and large time difference.)

This year I'm writing a western romance novel and at first I had a really hard start, I skipped the first week and didn't write at all then the second week barely got to 14k and I figured I had to really kick in with my writing or I wasn't going to make it. I wrote about 30k in the past two weeks and I managed to catch up the writing is going smoothly now and it's all I can think about right now, which makes living with me a little difficult

[aileth]

I saw a few things in that thread--what was it--"50,000 Dirty Tricks" or something like that? Actually, I picked up a few good ideas there, aside from spacing and other true tricks.

My brother told me I should write a first-person story, to overcome some faults that came from third-person perspective. So a few weeks ago I sat down and turned out a short story. It ended up having two first-person narrators, and it was really helpful to keep the flow moving. If one person was stuck, the other one always had something to say, sometimes too much

It took two weeks to get 12,000 words, so I have to speed up production by November. Mind you, that was all hand-written; I'm trying to get used to typing straight onto the computer.

[Ryadian]

Perhaps this is because of a tactic I picked up on the NaNo forum during one of the November events: if you get bogged down with a certain scene but know what comes next, just insert a placeholder for that scene and press on. You can always come back later and fill in the missing details.

I used to write a lot this way, though mostly outside of NaNo instead of during it. My biggest problem was that I started skipping entire sections of the story to get to the "good parts", and then I started to realize that I didn't actually know how to get from one point to another. In smaller doses, though, I think my current NaNo actually would've benefited from something like this. Ah well; it just means that I'm going to have a lot of editing to do.

My brother told me I should write a first-person story, to overcome some faults that came from third-person perspective. So a few weeks ago I sat down and turned out a short story. It ended up having two first-person narrators, and it was really helpful to keep the flow moving. If one person was stuck, the other one always had something to say, sometimes too much

Ooh, a story with two first-person narrators sounds really interesting. I'm curious--did these two characters know/interact with each other regularly, or was it a "two parallel stories" kind of thing, or...?

Hmm, I'm nearing the end of my NaNo, and... I think I may wrap it up at the point in the story where the main characters finally decide that they're going to take an active role, since thus far they've spent the whole time hiding from their enemies. Which means that I'll be ending my NaNo at what's supposed to be the end of the first "Act" of the story, so to speak. I really need to re-think how much time I'm devoting to certain things....

[aileth]

The writing is going smoothly now and it's all I can think about right now, which makes living with me a little difficult

It does become a bit of a mania, doesn't it. And everyone's urging you on, not so much so you'll finish it, as that they want you to come back to normal. Well okay, a little more normal

I guess, 'gazer, that the whole point of employing tricks is to use them till they betray you, and then ditch them fast. I will use placeholders for names or if I can't quite grab the word that I want, but I would be afraid of skipping too much, lest I never make it back to finish them.

Transitions are tricky--I don't tend to cut to the next day or week; instead I write along, wanting to get to the next bit, but not knowing how to stop and skip the finicky details that are getting in the way. I need to practise that more.

Rya, the two-person story I wrote had them both in the same place, just seeing the events from their individual perspectives. It felt funny at times, because one person would describe what had happened and then the other would go over the same scene from a slightly different angle. Doubling up like that was weird.

[Meltintalle]

When I leave stuff in that I know I want to change later I put it in square brackets like this: [town] or [name]. And then when I figure out what goes there I do a find and search for either bracket. (There's a fairly important town in one set of stories that's been known as [River City] or gone nameless since 2010. )

Congrats on reaching a pause in your story, Rya. It sounds quite interesting so I hope you finish it eventually.

[Ryadian]

Transitions are tricky--I don't tend to cut to the next day or week; instead I write along, wanting to get to the next bit, but not knowing how to stop and skip the finicky details that are getting in the way. I need to practise that more.

Oh, transitions; I have a love/hate relationship with them. I've found at several points in my NaNo that I'll either cut too early and get to the next scene, and now I need to take care of things I should've done earlier... or I'll wait too long to transition, and whatever's happening drags on far past the point where it's interesting. *Sighs, and once again says* That's what editing's for, I suppose.

Rya, the two-person story I wrote had them both in the same place, just seeing the events from their individual perspectives. It felt funny at times, because one person would describe what had happened and then the other would go over the same scene from a slightly different angle. Doubling up like that was weird.

That sounds like a lot of fun. It also seems like a good way to, not only keep the story going, but also to maybe give some details where it'd be awkward to explain how one of the characters knew it, but not the other. I often play fast and loose with the POV in my story (usually 3rd person, but it's guaranteed to switch characters between scenes, sometimes within the same scene ), so I have fun with that from time to time. Never done it with two 1st person POVs, though!

When I leave stuff in that I know I want to change later I put it in square brackets like this: [town] or [name]. And then when I figure out what goes there I do a find and search for either bracket. (There's a fairly important town in one set of stories that's been known as [River City] or gone nameless since 2010. )

I do that on occasion, as well. Incidentally, I don't know whether there's some reason why it wouldn't work, but I kind of like the name "River City".

Congrats on reaching a pause in your story, Rya. It sounds quite interesting so I hope you finish it eventually.

Aww, thanks! I'm planning to continue it until I at least wrap up all the plot ideas I have in mind, and I'll come back and make them coherent later. The plot makes no sense, but I really love the characters--I want to tell their story!

[aileth]

That sounds like a lot of fun. It also seems like a good way to, not only keep the story going, but also to maybe give some details where it'd be awkward to explain how one of the characters knew it, but not the other. I often play fast and loose with the POV in my story (usually 3rd person, but it's guaranteed to switch characters between scenes, sometimes within the same scene ), so I have fun with that from time to time. Never done it with two 1st person POVs, though!

The funny thing about it is that it's really just a short story that takes place between two parts of the real story. Except that I haven't written the full-length story yet. Kind of a backwards way to go about it. And the book is going to be in third person. I think. I guess I'll find out when I get to writing it.

Have you ever read The Story of the Treasureseekers by E. Nesbit? She does funny things with POV, and it took me a little while to catch on. There was this space where I'd be going, "Whaaat? But it was just..." Then I figured it out. I don't really care for first person, though I think that trying to do something in second person would be far worse. Oh no, now I'll have to try that, just for the experience. Why do I think up these awful ideas?

The plot makes no sense, but I really love the characters--I want to tell their story!

But isn't that what makes us write? You are the only person who is able to bring these particular characters to life. I'm not saying that plot isn't important, of course it is, but it is so exciting to get to know your characters and find out about them. Though there are times when they get a little out of hand. I wrote a 2,000 word story that is called "The Day the Editor Rioted," all about that subject. My brother said that the plot was excellent. The worst of it? I didn't think it out at all, it just happened, so I can't take much credit for the plot at all.

[stargazer]

But isn't that what makes us write? You are the only person who is able to bring these particular characters to life. I'm not saying that plot isn't important, of course it is, but it is so exciting to get to know your characters and find out about them.

Well said! Even if no one else reads my stories, the pleasure I've received from telling my characters' tales makes it all worthwhile.

I may have given the wrong impression with my earlier comments about placeholders, especially in light of the discussion about transitioning from one scene to the next. In at least one story I have in mind, many of those placeholders are things that could be written into transitions rather than being developed into long scenes. Finishing that story is just a matter of discipline. (But in another story, they resulted because I just got too bogged down with details of the multiverse and its dealings with my characters - Ryadian and other readers of the Ditto Story will understand what I mean, I think).

[Ryadian]

But isn't that what makes us write? You are the only person who is able to bring these particular characters to life. I'm not saying that plot isn't important, of course it is, but it is so exciting to get to know your characters and find out about them. Though there are times when they get a little out of hand. I wrote a 2,000 word story that is called "The Day the Editor Rioted," all about that subject. My brother said that the plot was excellent. The worst of it? I didn't think it out at all, it just happened, so I can't take much credit for the plot at all.

Very, very true. I would've given up on this story ages ago if it weren't for the chance to have these characters together. And like what happened with your story, I'm discovering that the plot seems to work out the best when I let my characters figure out what's happening next, to a certain degree--rather than trying to force them into it.

Incidentally, just by the title, that story sounds amazing. If you ever end up publishing it/putting it online, you'll have to let us know--now I want to read it!

Have you ever read The Story of the Treasureseekers by E. Nesbit? She does funny things with POV, and it took me a little while to catch on. There was this space where I'd be going, "Whaaat? But it was just..." Then I figured it out. I don't really care for first person, though I think that trying to do something in second person would be far worse. Oh no, now I'll have to try that, just for the experience. Why do I think up these awful ideas?

Unfortunately, I have not, but now it sounds like I may have to. As for writing a 2nd person POV... wow. I will definitely wait on that until I have a good story to write it about. To be honest, I don't think I've ever read a 2nd person POV story that pulls it off, aside from interactive stories--like Choose Your Own Adventure books, or video games. Then again, I haven't read many outside of those two categories.

[narnian_at_heart]

Hi you guys!! I thought I'd pop in and say hey and see if anyone is doing NaNo this year. What a shock to have no thread except this old one from Camp NaNo.

Is anyone doing it? Is anyone going to start a thread? I know I'm still writing buddies with a bunch of you from past years. I'm still eaglewings51.

[wild rose]

hey, narnian_at_heart, we certainly are late with the NaNo thread this year . It is open now so feel free to check it out