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Señorita Bitchesela de la Bitchancia (hikky) wrote,
@ 2009-10-07 22:04:00

Entry tags:

who cares?

NaNoWriMo (aka. what the hell was I thinking?)
Hump, yeah! I joined NaNoWriMo this year! I saw that thing last year, but I was too scared of even looking at their homepage! This year I decided to give it a try. As a former graphic design student (or reincarnated Project Runway contestant, haha!), I need some time of impossible deadline to make things happen. But...

1) I'll be writing my novel in Spanish. Not only because it's my mother tongue and it uses more words than English, but because I REALLY want to get shit published. So, my goal is to have something marketable.
2) I feel SO LONELY there :'( There's no Latin American group, let alone anybody else from Argentina. So, you can make a girl happy by just being her NaNoWriMo buddy :D (I'm so lame).
3) I don't know what the hell I'm gonna write that novel about. I have too many ideas, and they run away like scared bunnies when I try to give myself a topic to start chewing on.
4) 50,000 words in a month is like 1,667 words per day. It sounds scary like that :/ Specially for something like me who's more used to roleplay than to write a lot, alone.
5) None of the peeps I know and who could actually write something cool are joining! They're a bunch of lazy asses :( And I don't know anybody who did this before. Hum, yeah, that adds up to point number 2).

(Post a new comment)

	starsguard 2009-10-08 02:04 am UTC (link)
	Congrats for having the guts to do it! I always chicken out at the last second, man. I wish my Spanish was better. I'd love to read your finished novel. :) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-08 02:11 am UTC (link)
	I'll probably chicken out in the middle of it! hahaha, that's worse :( But hey! If it gets published, I'm so giving you a free copy just for the pat in the back you gave me <3 I need those! NaNoWriMo is a scary thing (Reply to this) (Parent)

	eternally 2009-10-08 02:13 am UTC (link)
	I am about to add you: my username is "neatta"! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-08 02:23 am UTC (link)
	Added back, honey! Thanks <3 (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	eternally 2009-10-08 02:33 am UTC (link)
	I'm excited to read what you come up with! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-08 02:45 am UTC (link)
	I'm excited to read what YOU come up with! And to have something to write about. And time, and... not to be too scared haha! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	eternally 2009-10-08 02:55 am UTC (link)
	I'm terrified, too. And I have no ideas yet! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	tygie 2009-10-08 02:14 am UTC (link)
	If you write as well as you make icons, you are going to ROCK NaNoWriMo! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-08 02:29 am UTC (link)
	Awww! that comment made me smile like an idiot in front of my computer haha! Thanks <3 <3 (Reply to this) (Parent)

	ofnarnia 2009-10-08 02:18 am UTC (link)
	So I am a friend because of your icons but I do read and I just read that you are from Argentina? That is so awesome! I am not from Argentina but my mother was born there and I have been there a few times. My Spanish isn't fantastic but it's passable! I just thought I'd give a shout out and wish you good luck!! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-08 02:33 am UTC (link)
	Really? Awesome! Thanks a lot! Maybe I got myself another reader? Oh, man. I feel the pressure and it's awesome! B) (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	ofnarnia 2009-10-09 01:20 am UTC (link)
	I love random connections! And I wouldn't mind reading at all! It would be good practice for my Spanish and I find Argentine Spanish to be the easiest to understand since it's the language my grandma speaks to me all the time! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-09 02:28 am UTC (link)
	Awesome! I'll try not to Argentinize it a lot, since neutralish Spanish is prettier B) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	mintcigarettes 2009-10-08 02:56 am UTC (link)
	Siempre tengo ganas de hacerlo... y siempre me hecho para atrás al último minuto... :'D (Reply to this) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-08 03:07 am UTC (link)
	No seas gallinota! Daahhlehhhh! de última fallás épicamente y listo. No biggie :D (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mintcigarettes 2009-10-08 03:15 am UTC (link)
	Mwahahaha buen punto NO BIGGIE :'D si me inscribo te friendeo y eso ;D (Reply to this) (Parent)

spreadsheets
2009-10-08 03:01 am UTC (link)

I don't speak Spanish so I can't offer to be a reader, but I just wanted to give you an encouraging two thumbs up to do it! I've done NaNoWriMo four times, and although I've only finished twice, it's an awesome experience. Even if what you write isn't publishable (sometimes it's more fun if it's not), it feels SO good to finish a project that size in a short time. Good luck!

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	hikky 2009-10-08 03:09 am UTC (link)
	Aww, thank you so much! Any tip or something you'd like to share? Maybe something that kept you from killing yourself at the middle of it? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

spreadsheets
2009-10-08 03:15 am UTC (link)

LOL! I'm not sure my tips would work well for anyone else, because I'm insane. I'm ridiculously competitive and love random deadlines and countdowns, so it's a good fit for me. I use a spreadsheet that automatically calculates how many more words you have to write per day when you enter in how much you did each day, so some days what got me through was knowing I could enter a number into my spreadsheet (I'm SUCH a geek).

Perhaps more helpfully... the first time I finished, it was because I set a goal for myself of writing slightly more than the minimum word count each day, but not a LOT more--that way I felt ahead of the game without feeling overwhelmed. And I did a TON of prep work on my characters and plot and research.

The second time I finished, I didn't decide to do it until November 19th and totally freewrote the entire thing with no plot in mind, just an intense desire to see a character from a recently-dead RPG live on and get her epilogue. It was not my best writing, but I spent another two weeks editing and cleaning it up after that.

Uh. I think my point was, there's definitely no RIGHT way to do it. But if deadlines really are your thing, play to that, because it can be inspiring!

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

hikky
2009-10-08 03:24 am UTC (link)

Well, that insanity sounds pretty much like mine. We could share meds! :D
And plot, man... I'm absolutely blank with that. But I do remember I had tons of ideas, like stuff I wanted to write about, or to PSL... and it's all gone. GONE!! I need to start writing everything that's at least a little interesting that crosses my mind, otherwise I forget it.

And that thing you say, writing a little more than the minimum every day (I can) sounds great. I'll probably do that, overdosing with Red Bull. Thanks a lot!<3

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	gigai 2009-10-08 05:23 am UTC (link)
	I don't know what the hell I'm gonna write that novel about. I have too many ideas, and they run away like scared bunnies when I try to give myself a topic to start chewing on. Yeah, that sounds like me. >_> (Reply to this) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-08 01:52 pm UTC (link)
	Maybe if we stick our heads into a bunnycage? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	gigai 2009-10-08 01:54 pm UTC (link)
	Watch them bite us. -___- Also, I will totally be your NaNo buddy and we can try to catch the bunnies together! I may have snagged one last night but I'm trying so hard not to hold on too tightly in case it hops away or dies. :X (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-08 02:24 pm UTC (link)
	Yay, NaNo buddy! <3 I'm still in such a blank I feel ashamed! :'( (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

gigai
2009-10-08 02:31 pm UTC (link)

:D I added you (dizzying is me and I'm debating on making a journal, too, for whatever I end up writing) and you are my first! :D And don't feel ashamed! I... have been a blank slate in past years and have given in to it and done nothing. :( I don't even know how this will go, if the idea will stick or not. I'm hoping so. But I will encourage you! You can do it! You've got time and you can always just pick a character of yours you like a lot and just write a story for/about them! :D

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-09 02:30 am UTC (link)
	You can do it too! hell yeah, we're both gonna make it or... well, just cry curled under our desks :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

kikibug13
2009-10-08 06:13 am UTC (link)

Hah. Cyrillic is still (well, was last year, haven't checked this year) not available as acceptable so I can't write NaNo in my native tongue... not to mention that the people who read my work have no clue of Bulgarian, I always communicate and write with them in English. So, second year in a row braving it in a foreign language...

That said. Re 3. Choose one. List them in a poll and have people vote (that does mean you need to do a short summary so people know what they're voting for) if you can't make up your mind on your own. But by the 15th, have a choice, and start outlining and researching. And asking for help, because, you know. It's allowed.

Re 4. The thing that is helping one of my friends who does more RP than writing, when we are doing a round-robin or a fic exchange? "Think of it as a long RP tag". 1700 words might be two or three tags, but still, not that terrible. It will really help if you manage to break down your outline to small chunks, 1K words or less? Then you really can go, okay, this is doable. (Of course, that really depends on your style of RP, but I've been dealing with tags that range from one word (or no words, although cat macros can sometimes be used) to tags that cannot fit in a single comment... so.

Also. When you have a choice on the idea, start developing the characters. You can do profiles for your characters somewhere, like you would do for RP applications, etc. Knowing your characters helps a hell of a lot.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

hikky
2009-10-08 02:06 pm UTC (link)

I can't believe they don't accept it! I mean, they're supposed just to count words and that's it! Those dammed Roman alphabet nazis >( Anyhow, you truly are very brave. I even shiver replying comments in English! hahaha. I feel so rusty :/

But by the 15th, have a choice, and start outlining and researching. And asking for help, because, you know. It's allowed. Oh, yeah. Another deadline and you're right. I need to outline a lot even when I RP before I step in, so this suggestion is right up my alley! Thanks <3

And probably I'll do a lot of Character Profiles! I do need them for background and that little personality things that makes them awesome and not an stereotype.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME AND BEING THE FIRST BULGARIAN PERSON WHO WROTE TO ME! <3

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

kikibug13
2009-10-08 02:13 pm UTC (link)

I think it's not a question of not wanting, more not being able to code the word counter right to get correct(ish) counts. At least that's what I read last year. And awww. But again, those I write with are reading what I do in English, so unless I'd be up to writing and then translating for them (which is double work?) ... yeah. I just... use English allllll the time. ... also, one of them is poking me to try to write two novels this time, and I'm like... wut? I barely scrambled one in last year...

Well, it's a suggestion, rather than a set deadline? But settling on the idea as soon as possible allows you to have a bit more of self-confidence, and trust me, you'll need every ounce of that. But yeah, outlining and plotting help. Last year, I started with a very vague outline (just thirteen lines, orientating myself what I wanted to cover, but again, the character is very loud and talkative, and I decided to try it like that); this year, since I'm poking at a relatively new story, I really break down to small chunks, or try.

Heeee. I like character-driven writing, character-driven plots. I mean, stuff can happen, but usually when stuff happens, unless it's natural calamities, it's persons driving them, based on their own reasons and motivation. And if the motivations make sense, the plot will, too. I guess?

YOU ARE WELCOME AND AWWW! :D

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

hikky
2009-10-08 02:27 pm UTC (link)

Self-confidence? I totally need it. That's why I posted this here to read some sweet words of you IJ amazing peeps! I'm telling everybody that I'm doing this and after they stare at me like I'm some kind of insane person, they say 'yeah, you'll do it' and even suggest what they want me to write! So far, 2 for medieval fantasy and 1 wants me to write about zombies.

And all this coments! They're great, and make me smile and feel internet loved.

Now I need to get my ideas togather. And have a shower!

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

kikibug13
2009-10-08 02:37 pm UTC (link)

Iiiiit is very hard to have self-confidence when you're doing it for the first time. What helped me was loving my character to bits and really wanting to tell his story. And, he's talkative, so I just let him tell it. I was scared all the time that I won't round up 50K words? But in the end I reached the count a couple of days early and with a few scenes left. Then had to nudge myself to finish those scenes too, even they were less wordy than the rest of it. I still haven't dared actually plunge in and edit it. One of these days. But the point is. LOVE what you do.
Hey, zombies is easier than space lesbians fighting pirates! (Not me. A friend.)

HEEEE Yes. People online can support you a whole lot while you were writing. I tend to create an IJ for the novel/main character and post my stuff there when it'd done, so that when people actually want to read what I write, I can link them there.

yes. Shower is awesome. Sigh. *pokes self to finish work-work*

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-09 02:31 am UTC (link)
	SPACE LESBIAN FIGHTING PIRATES <- LMAO I so want to read that! And maybe I'll create an IJ account for my novel/character too. I'll translate some bits into English there and, yeah, that will be a smooth way to procrastinate (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

kikibug13
2009-10-09 02:35 am UTC (link)

:DD I'm watching as the outline is taking shape and HEEEEEEEEE

DON'T BOTHER WITH TRANSLATING BEFORE THE END OF NOVEMBER. Trust me, you'll get plenty sick of the story just writing it, you don't WANT to be translating or otherwise editing.
But an IJ lets you post stuff so people can read and give you feedback; and you can use the icon space to cast your characters and such.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-09 03:02 am UTC (link)
	But, but...! When I'm on a blank sometimes thinking in English helps, because it has tons of awesome verbs we don't (so to say the same thing we use more words) and, and... that would be a way to procrastinate and... hides But yeah, you're right. Now I've got to think about my plot >/ (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

kikibug13
2009-10-09 03:06 am UTC (link)

Maybe. But maintaining almost 2K words a day is not easy. I would advise instead trying to write another piece from the outline. No, you don't need to write it sequentially, you know. If you know the story you want to write, you can pick at any part of the outline if you get stuck on another, and then you can get back to the earlier one later.

I hate it when there's a 'miss' day, when the word count is too low or none at all. But it's still manageable!

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-09 03:14 am UTC (link)
	Actually, I started to outline how the story is gonna develop and... now I have just the beginning and the end, so I can jump around the 'middle' pretty much all I want! Buuut, I'm still not sure about my plot. Well, I do have the time to think about it. And thanks for being awesome and taking the time to comment here and help this poor little soul <3 (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

kikibug13
2009-10-09 03:21 am UTC (link)

W000000t! Yay! Beginning and end are a start, yes, and outlining is good. If hard. *finished first draft of outline, will need to consolidate and arrange later, maybe next week after research*

Hey, figure out a plot. Write it. Then later when you have time and you have seen which parts of what you did write work and which don't, fix it. NaNo = write now, edit/fix later. It's that way because that way works...

You are welcome and ahaha NaNo is sooooo the topic of the week. Well, the coming three ... er, seven weeks. Then in December everybody will be sick of it, so it'll die out for a year.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	hikky 2009-10-08 02:13 pm UTC (link)
	And I just remembered... Hey, you could count your novel in Cyrillic and then make a same-lenght texto with Lorem-Ipsum just to have your world count going! Unless you're a little masochist and you really want to write yet another novel in Scary OMG English. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kikibug13 2009-10-08 02:16 pm UTC (link)
	True. But again, the people who will read it all talk English... And my girl is kind of heading towards tied-up with an RP storyline we're doing with a friend, so. Yeah, I want her to be able to read what's happening/happened. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-08 02:28 pm UTC (link)
	Agh! I forgot about that :/ Well, almost there, Hikky. Good luck next time and... you're awesome and brave and I'll be cheering for you! (Reply to this) (Parent)

24601
2009-10-08 06:56 am UTC (link)

Oh, they have a group for you! Elsewhere :: Mexico, Central & South America and there's even a post in there from someone in Argentina. It's not exactly a massive group, but at least it's fellow Spanish speakers for you to hook up with. ;D

For mine, I found that RPing really helped. I was used to putting way too much effort into developing characters, and things inevitably ended up character-focused. Just remember: editing and making it marketable is for after November, just write while it's going on. You might even be able to salvage some stuff that you thought was crap later on when it comes to editing.

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	hikky 2009-10-08 02:09 pm UTC (link)
	I looked for 'Latin America' and left empty-handed hahaha! Why do I always forget there's South America too? Thank you, honey! And you're right. I have to keep in mind that deadline and try to get all my 50,000 words. THEN I have to polish it up, edit it and take off every clue that could lead you to the idea that somebody was pointing a gun at my head to make me write! (Reply to this) (Parent)

tangledhush
2009-10-08 10:41 am UTC (link)

I did NaNo twice (successfully) and I love it! I just started college though so I'm still hesitating about whether I should participate this year. I am playing with the thought of setting a smaller goal for myself, like 30K.

The thing about NaNo is that you should just try. First time I participated I told myself I would just see how far I could get and in the end I made it easily! You need to get used to writing something every day at first, but after a few says you get into the groove and once you are past the third weeks it will be smooth sailing. It seems a lot, but it's actually pretty doable. I know some people who even write 500k! I did 80k myself last year. And yes, RPing helps. Don't worry about quality, just get those words out.

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hikky
2009-10-08 02:21 pm UTC (link)

That's another thing I should've told you guys before: Next week I'll start college again with 5 classes + any extra class I'll take on saturdays because it's free and awesome so probably I'll live on Red Bull all that month D:

It's been a while since I didn't write anything for more than two days. Thanks Roleplay and being a total nerd for that. So... even when that number is scary, I'll be looking forward to get into that third week with a good ammount of words in my pocket already!

And... 80k. You really gave it to that keyboard!

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	tangledhush 2009-10-08 09:32 pm UTC (link)
	Ouch yeah, that is pretty heavy. I was so proud of reaching the 80k but it was really exhausting so I'm not going to do that again! (Reply to this) (Parent)

tryslora
2009-10-08 07:46 pm UTC (link)

I'm doing it! Sadly, my Spanish is so rusty I probably can't read your excerpts (it's been SUCH a long time).

I've done it a couple of times before. It's handy to have not so much an outline, but a couple of notes for where you're going next each day so when you start up you can see what you were thinking when stopping the day before. I made it through once (I've learned so much about writing then that I LAUGH when I read that novel).

I've got a new project sort of sketched out for this time.

Welcome to NaNo. Feel free to find me there (I'm tryslora, again, always).

(Reply to this) (Thread)

hikky
2009-10-09 02:38 am UTC (link)

It happens to me all the time I go back two, three years and read my old roleplay. Usually I blush and laugh, but if I go like 5 years back, I just want to kill myself. What I love the most about writing is that you just keep getting better, slowly if you suck, but it's like anythin, it takes practice. And NaNoWriMo will be such a good place to practice, and try to kill myself hahah!

Maybe I'm too dumb to understand how that search option works, but I looked for you there and I got no match :'(

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	tryslora 2009-10-09 01:09 pm UTC (link)
	I've just added you! It defaults to searching for content instead of usernames, which seems silly to me, so maybe that was it? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hikky 2009-10-09 08:59 pm UTC (link)
	Maybe I'm that dumb hahaa, but I looked for authors. And I even looked for myself and didn't find me D: anywhow, thanks for adding me, I've just added you back <3 (Reply to this) (Parent)