Well everyone, I just passed the 10,000 mark this evening! Still working to get past this really boring part that I'm at. I feel like I'm basically spewing out a bunch of information. I will have to think of a more interesting way of incorporating it later, but for now I'm just going to write it all down and move on.

I've been having fun word-warring with you guys and with my real-life friends!

Woot woot, lots of excerpts popping up (and wordcounts going up, too!) You guys are looking super-good this year. And Wildrose, your writing is far from horrible.

Why, thank you, Winterlife. I'd love to have some of y'all take a look at my novel come December.

I know some of y'all pass your novels around for reading when they're done; out of curiousity, how do you do that? Do you post the chapters on your blogs, or what?

I just hit 10k earlier today. I see a lot of other people have as well.

Congrats everyone!

I'm stopping tonight at 14.2k. I've written for the past two hours and I am thoroughly worn out . I think a few hours of sleep should do the trick. Would anyone find me pretentious for thinking of putting a "Part I" or "Part II" section title system in my book?

I've just passed 7.2 K. I'm going to have to spend my days off from work churning out the word count to catch up. Fortunately I don't have any major coursework to do this week for school.

I got 14k yesterday; really excited about how I've been doing. I won't be able to write much today at all, but hopefully at least 1 thousand, and maybe 2.
Congrats to everyone else, especially those lucky few with 15-20k.

I've got 10 K now, myself.

I'm at 12K. Congrats, everyone! Here's a short excerpt from the end of my last chapter.

“You know what I think? I think you’re a liar!”

The train approached, rattling along the tracks and roaring like a live animal. It sliced through the night, cutting the chilly silence and leaving behind a lonely call that drifted upwards through the smoky air.

And then it was gone.

Mindy looked across the tracks and the boy, too, was gone, vanishing without a trace...as if he had never been there at all.

Rose, that looks quite good I always enjoy a good fantasy book...any chance I could get a signed copy when it's done? (and sent a friend request )

oh dear how flattering uh sure, if I ever get around to publishing it I'll be sure to send it to you....or I could send it to you be email (if you really want it that is )

I read you synopsis and excerpt, very very interesting

ChristProclamer haha, thanks so much, I just hate my writing right now cause it's so very very rushed and I'm the sort of the person who writes and rewrites everything to make it perfect, so me not editing and just going on and on makes me not like the way I am writing very much

wow MLD I love your excerpt, very intriguing

I hit 4 K yesterday I'm behind the pace though

Wow, congrats to everyone doing NaNo this year for your progress so far! I'm not doing it, but I just thought I'd pop into the thread to see what it looked like and how people were doing; it's exciting! I encourage all of you to keep on writing - you can do it! Maybe I'll do NaNo next year...

Edit:

I'm starting to think that I don't have time for this. not only do I have writers block, I have a job...I am still trying, but I got distracted with a book and got behind

Aww, keep trying, Libby! I'm pulling for ya! (And, out of interest, where are the words and pictures in your avatar and signature from?)

Elanor, wild rose, and Shadowlander, those synopses and excerpts look great!

(don't want to horrify you with my horrible writing abilities )

I just hate my writing right now cause it's so very very rushed and I'm the sort of the person who writes and rewrites everything to make it perfect, so me not editing and just going on and on makes me not like the way I am writing very much

That excerpt from your story doesn't indicate in the slightest to me that you have "horrible writing abilities"! Far from it! Having read your synopsis and excerpt, I can say with certainty that I'm looking forward to reading your story when you're done! And I know what you mean about wanting quite desperately to go back and edit what you've written; I haven't done NaNo at all, but I'm a perfectionist, too, and whenever I write a post or anything, I go back and reread/rewrite like crazy! (Which makes me wonder if I should even try NaNo next year! )

Here's the synopsis and the excerpt, which reads more like horror than Sci-Fi, but no worries, it'll get there soon enough!

Yeah, it does kind of have a horror slant to it! But I'm sure, with your guidance, it will have turned into Sci-Fi by the end!

Three questions for y'all:
Question #1 (since I'm really very new to the whole NaNo world): what is "word-warring"?

Question #2 (again, since I'm new to this subject): I know that it is possible for NaNo participants to have their stories "published", in a way. Are participants allowed to, once November is over and they've written their 50 000+ words, go back and edit their story before it's published?

Question #3: who all is doing NaNo for the first time this year?

Thanks, Nellie! It's lots of fun!

My 'problem' is that ideas come to mind either early in the morning or late at night, when the computer's not on. I have to scramble for a notebook to record them. Alas, I'm much faster typing than handwriting.

Up to 11,700 words now. For the most part, I'm actually writing the second half of the story now rather than the first. Weird.

About your questions:

1. Word wars are (generally) informal competitions between writers to see who can write the most words in a specific amount of time (like 10 or 20 minutes). It's all part of that incentive to get to 50k.

2. I've never published so I can't answer this definitely, but I imagine the opportunity to edit exists. One of the 'goodies' of winning NaNo is a special code that allows you to get a free copy of your book. You have time to edit before submitting the manuscript.

3. This is my third year. I won last year but not in 2009; real life kept me down to about 35k words that year (though I did eventually finish that story).

Well I wanted to hit 10,000 this weekend, but I'm not sure if I can. Here's hoping I can somehow catch up by the 30th

I'm hoping to have 13,000 by Tuesday!

Oh, and Nellie:1. I *think* word warring is when you and a group of people get together and compete to see how many words you can get in a certain time frame.
2. Yes, it says in the beginning email that December and beyond is for editing.
3. ME!!!

Soo . . I just thought I lost all but a few thousand words of my book. Yeah. I cried. A lot.
And my brother couldn't find a way to get it back. And then I told my sister, and she googled it, and - lo and behold. I have, officially, the best sister that ever was. I cried again, but for a different reason. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Makes me love my book.