So, I've been wondering. Is the second week slump more related to the the actual time spent writing, or your word count? Becuase I could see it go either way. Getting from 10k to 25k was very hard and uninspiring for me, even though I was still well inside my first week. Whereas now I'm in the second week as far as time goes, but I'm feeling confident with my story, and I'm really surprised that I'm so close to 30k, when it seemed like it took FOREVER just to get to 20k!

So, I think the slump has to do with your word count, not your actual timing. But I guess it could be different for everyone.

*cheers everyone on* You can do it! You can do it! *hides the pom poms and returns to serious ness now*

Hmm...good question about the second week slump. While I have to be truthful and say that I don't think I've yet experienced it as many others here have, there have been a few days towards the end of the first week, especially this past time, that I really....felt....slow...and....sluggish. I'm not sure why, but come Sunday things improved. Hmm. Anyways. Whether that helps or not I don't know.

*sends a huge round of applause to everyone for their word counts* You can do it guys!!

If I set my mind to it and quit messing around. And if my manuscript is there.

Oh yes, that would definitely help, I'm sure. I hope that you were able to write some more after our word war today- that was such fun!

Aw, Fanny, I do hope that your sister starts feeling better soon!

The Dear America books were what inspired me to write a book like this.
Hmm, right now, it's more of a day to day diary, but I do have certain events that will happen to her. . . It's set during the Civil War and the war just now started, so more will be happening to her and hopefully my writing picks up. Did that answer your question?

Thank you! She's doing much better already! & Thanks again- yes, that does indeed answer my question! How is your writing going? *hopes all is well*

Just watching the length of my novel grow and all sorts of twists and layers I hadn't thought about appear is a treat. I'm really, really enjoying it!

Yes! Isn't it wonderful! And to know that the ideas you put down on paper, the random ones perhaps that somehow would point and build up to whatever goal, have indeed done that, or are leading upwards in what feels like sometimes tiny steps, and finally we can look back and realize that we wrote a novel, and even if we think the story line isn't that great, it is still ours. You know? Wonderful feeling indeed!

Flambeau: Glad to hear you are better of course! How is your writing going?

Well. My writing continues well, I had a lovely word war and chat with Queen Susan today which was a blast, and most encouraging. It's just a little hard to believe that my story line is almost done, I mean, throughout the year I have all these storylines I develop in my head, plan it all out, but never actually write it, preferring to keep it all in my head since I find for me words are so limiting, so to actually have a storyline that has actually been committed to words, that will never be the same to me again, well. It's bittersweet, I guess.

Anyways! Keep at it guys & gals!

@sweeet: Hehe, ninjas. I don't believe that would work well in my story at all.

I'm at 16K and still haven't gotten to the main plot... I'm still setting the scene I guess. Dreadfully boring? I think so, but oh well.
I'm not excited to write, but I'm not stumped yet.

Edit: Oops, missed FF's post. Hey! Yes, I had a delightful chat with you today!! I did get in about 30-100 words afterward. Not much I'm afraid, but... oh well. Now my family is watching a movie, and I must go join them, so farewell!!!

I haven't been facing much sluggishness in this second week, but I didn't write much yesterday, so...

Today I was able to do around 1,500 words which places me at 16,500. I sort of want to get 35k this week, but I don't know if that's going to happen. We'll see.

I don't think I have so much difficulty starting stories, it's just having a direction for them that's so challenging. I have a vague one, but I hope it soon forms as I write the story...

Sweetlilgirlie: It worked! Well, not so much the Ninjas thing, but the Making Something Happen bit worked well. All it took was a little knock at the door...(okay, five knocks at the door). I'm up to 25000+ now! *does a happy dance*

Gymfan: I dunno...for me the second week slump shows itself mostly in an overwhelming desire not to write because I think I won't get anywhere. So for me, it's the actual time spent writing.

Queen Susan: Don't feel bad about taking a long time to start your plot; one of my main characters and the plot centerpiece(s) haven't appeared yet. Character development, that's what I'll call it!

You know, maybe the title of this topic should be changed from: "NaNoWriMo 2009 - Start your planning now!" to "NaNoWriMo 2009 - Start writing now!" or "Keep writing now!" or "You aren't dead yet!"
Hehe, just kidding. About all of it.

Thanks, ChristProclamer!

sweeetlilgurlie - Ninjas! Now that's a brilliant idea. I just might have to think of a way to work something like that into my plot...

Sounds like everyone's doing great! Keep up the good work...don't let the slumps get you down, you've come too far to quit now. At least, it feels like we've come pretty far...I can't believe there's still two whole weeks after this one. *faints*

But I've finally hit 15,000, yay!

Well, i managed to get over 15k (which surprised me), by adding a dream scene - however, i was always planning on including it, and it fits with the story, so i didn't have to slay my dignity to do it. On the downside, it is now really early in the morning and i'm still up. The cost of NNWM, i guess.

Second-week slump: well, mine comes in the form of i hate my novel. I wasn't totally sold on the concept when i started, but i just couldn't find anything else to use that had a setting and an ending. Now i hate it even more, but i really want to have a novel that is finished by Dec. 1st, not just 50k long.

I'm glad to hear that (for the most part) everyone's writing is going well! I hope that the 'slumps' don't stick around for too long and that y'all are able to get a lot of writing done!

I got 3,000 words in yesterday!! w00t!! I'm hoping for the same thing today, I'll be almost caught up if I do get it.

Flambeau: Glad to hear you are better of course! How is your writing going?

Thank you! My writing is going quite well! I'm pleased with most of what I've written so far, and my word count is finally going up! *does a happy dance*
Thank you all for the encouragement! I've really appreciated it! I have not hit the 'second week slump' yet, but I'm thinking that it's because my word count is just finally starting to up where it needs to be. I'm feeling pressure to get caught up, and that's giving me some good motivation.

Is it weird that I'm not writing my book in order? I'm actually almost writing it backwards (as in, I've written a part towards the middle of the book and I'm now sort of going back and filling in the part before that)... not really on purpose, that's just sort of how it worked out. It's working out quite well, so I guess it's okay, right?

I am loving word wars!! They are awesome, they force me to write things that I wouldn't have thought of normally, and they up my word count! I've been trying to do several a day, so if anyone is interested in doing one with me, just send me a PM (I probably won't be doing any until after lunch though)!

Happy NaNo-ing to all!

--- flambeau

Despite not trying to get to 15,000 by Sunday, I ended up doing it anyway.
My writing has been going very well, I think; thanks mostly to a black cat named Mel. I've been making my goals steadily, and haven't even had to get up at 6 am lately.

I do feel a little "slump-ish", however; I'm at the point in my novel where I don't know what's going to happen next-at all. I know where the ending's going to go, but there's a lot in between now and the ending. . .

It's great to see everyones word counts soaring!!! The word wars have helped me immensely too, and I hope to do many more. I'll ditto flam's comment that if anyone wants to do a word war with me, feel free to shoot me a PM. Otherwise, I'll probably be hanging out in the NW chat most nights.

Well I decided to join a bit late but have already managed to eek out 3508 words today. So I'm hoping that I can catch up with all the NaNoWriMo masters here.

JBC

Apparently I have chronic indecision. I started in my Paperblanks notebook, switched to a standard 3 hole, college ruled notebook and now in Week Two I'm back in the Paperblanks (with a written reminder not to rip out any more pages!).
I have also given up counting words as I write; it's too time consuming. Instead I estimated how many pages equals 1667 words and that number of pages is my new daily goal. So far this has been far more do-able. Though, we’ll see tonight how well the estimation corresponds to reality.
Congratulations on everyone's word counts!

Hello, Peoples.

You're all doing wonderfully! Some of you, though, I want to put in a straight jacket or two. You are discouraging us little people!

I have 18,595 words now. I'm one third through my novel, and one third through the month... and half of the main characters, who were supposed to be there from the beginning, just arrived. My book is the story of a couple people's lives, so it could end anywhere. But I did want to get at least past a certain point, and now it seems like I won't even get near it...

I didn't write at all on Sunday, and it was hard for me to start writing on Monday. Being separated from my book makes it even harder for me to write when I come back.

I don't think I would have/will meet up with This Second Week Slump if everyone didn't keep talking about it... Aren't the Pep Talk Emails hilarious? I'm enjoying them. Especially Gail Carson Levine's. Battery acid on all of her telephone keys except for the 1, 9, and Send. And not checking the word count more than once every fifteen minutes. The others weren't so much like me, but that one really was!

So far, two NewWebbers in my novel, Mel and Queen Susan.

"My aunt Mel gave us the idea," Cecily said. "We were talking about how we needed a name for our house, and she told us we should call it The Place, like Terhune does in his Lad books. So we did."

"Susan is the perfect cat," Jane said.
"Don't stretch your luck, Jane," Theo said.
Susan leaped out of Theo's hands and stepped gracefully over to Jane, purring ecstatically, and rubbed against Jane's leg.
"She is, Theo, and she knows it."
....
"Theo... Susan is a big cat-"
"No doubt about that," Theo interrupted.
"And is quite capable of entertaining herself," Jane said. "Do get off the floor and wash your hands and help us set the table."
"Alright... But I do think Susan would rather be held. She needs bonding time, you know."
"It isn't fair to make her bond with you," I said.
"And why not? I'm the one that found her," Theo said.
"Silly," Jane said. "Cats do not 'bond.'"
"Susan is a very special cat. She might," Theo said.
"She's still a cat," Jane said.
"But Theo.... you're saying the same thing you told Jane not to say," I said.
"Special... and perfect. Two very different words."

I've taken part in word wars on two evenings... and want to do more! Every night would be ideal. Hey, anyone else?!

Word wars are life savers. XD
I barely managed to pull myself through the first week staying on par...and then I rediscovered the word wars forum (I had used them last year, too, which rocketed me to win even though I was only at 25,000 on November 22...but I thought I could go without this year. Guess I was wrong).
10 or 15 minute word wars are BRILLIANT. I can average around 350 words in ten minutes during a word war, 500 if I know what to write about, and then I get 5-10 minute breaks between each and it works amazingly well. I'm thinking that this novel might not end before I reach 50,000 after all. 😀

Just out of curiosity. Are folks sharing their work with anyone as they go, or are you planning to after you finish?

JBC