I first heard about National Novel Writing Month last year, when Victoria Wilson asked me if I would be participating. After hearing that one needed to paste one's work into the NaNoWriMo website to be counted I vehemently declined. None of my work goes on the internet anywhere until I'm ready to give it away for free. Besides, I had just started my new job, and that was enough to deal with.
This year I think I'll attempt it. After all, why not? I have a story I really want to write but which I don't think will be commercially viable in traditional markets, but what's one month? Ok, if I actually manage to get 50,000 words down on it I'll be working on it longer than a month…but I don't see a downside there either. Maybe I'll make a podiobook out of it.
I'm still not pasting it in anyone else's website though, even if it does supposedly get erased immediately with no one seeing it. I'll copy however-many-words I get done out of some Wiki articles and put my count up that way.
I LOVE NaNoWriMo!
ReplyDeleteI find I can get 50k down in a month, the stories just need lots of revision afterwards - but then again, I have yet to write a perfect story on the first draft! It has always been a good way for me to get those ideas out rather than letting them languish in my head.
I haven't felt any qualms about pasting my work into the site, especially because so far, none of my novel ideas are ones I really end up pursuing long-term. They're practice novels. Maybe if I felt like I had a viable idea, I'd feel differently.
I can't help it, I'm paranoid. I'm sure it's a fine site, but I just can't.
ReplyDeleteAnd no first draft is perfect. That's why it's a first draft! Even if I do hate editing.
Use a Word Processor of your choice, most of the good ones have a word count feature then use a lorem ipsum generator to create a text file for submission. I did this last year when I wrote most of my attempt by hand. You do not have to submit the text of what you write, just as long as it is the same length as your endeavor.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a lorem ipsum generator. How neat! Thanks for the great idea Henry!
ReplyDelete