Nice opening!

It's kind of hard to believe it's November already (in a few hours in this time zone). Time seems to fly.

I first learned about NaNo years ago right here on NarniaWeb. I've participated a number of times, but it's been a while since I got to 50k words in the month. Of late I've been writing short stories set in the same universe as my last novel (still a work in progress that I enjoy working on every now and then), so technically that would make me a rebel (though they softened the rules some years ago, allowing people to continue on works in progress, for example, rather than requiring a fresh start on something new).

I like to have some idea of where the story is going but don't make a detailed outline. Sometimes the characters tell me what to do, so to speak, and I'll be inspired to write a scene or interaction that may not fit into the story just yet, and then fill in the details and the transitions later. (That's the plan, anyway. Filling in the stuff between what I'm inspired to write isn't always as much fun).

Advice? Just write. I hear "turn off your inner editor" a lot, and just let the words flow. There'll be time to edit after the month is over. It may not come out very polished and might even seem embarrassing when you read it later, but you're still writing, and it can be refined later.

My current story setting is a fantasy type (like Tolkien, but different than Middle-Earth).  Magic is more common than in Tolkien but still pretty rare. The story follows the adventures of a small group as they roam the earth and seek to stop the bad guy's evil plot (it sounds trivial when put that way, but I think many stories follow a similar sort of plot - and with NaNo it's about the fun of writing).

Thanks, @stargazer and @rose! I never knew there was such a thing so thanks for introducing it to me. I love writing, short stories and such. I'm very glad there's a month dedicated to novel writing because so many authors have changed me through their writing.  About last year, I decided to take on writing some stories myself and I'm glad other narniawebbers have the same passion for writing as well.   @stargazer, you're totally right about things sounding embarrassing after a while. Sometimes just for fun, I look over my old writing and just start cringing. Though that never discourages me to stop! And yes, I will try to turn off my 'inner editor' (though not always easy!) and just write because you have a story to tell and it's fun to tell it.  

Weary veteran, I think, though a mere babe compared to some people around here.  This is my eighth time; starting on book number 14 (depending on how you count books). Also, today is day 366 of writing every day, a minimum of 100 words a day.  One's word count really does add up after a while.

This year's story is pretending to be a medieval Ruritanian adventure story, beginning with The Twelve Dancing Princesses some twenty years after the fairy tale, and going off from there.

I'd say I'm not quite a Rebel--I wrote the first chapter of the story six years ago, and thus won't include it in my word count, but it's not as if I've done half the book--it is a fresh story, sort of.  I plantser: no outlines or character profiles, but a fairly good idea of where the story will go, with scenes and characters spontaneously interrupting my plans, sometimes with a shoehorn.

Advice? Start writing, and keep writing.

I don't remember how many times I've attempted NaNo. None of them have ended with 50,000 words, but I have managed to churn out a few short stories (none of which will be seeing the light of day ).

Advice from a veteran: Try not to get discouraged. You will probably not create an amazing novel your first time. Maybe not even your tenth. The point is to put words on the page and enjoy the experience. And also to get in the habit of writing every day. And if 50,000 words is too intimidating check NaNo's camps which happen earlier in the year and let you set your own word count.

As for what I'm writing this year . . . I haven't decided.  

Oh, and if you're not sure how to jump into writing a specific genre, NaNo has official forums! They have lots of good resources for a variety of topics and also are a good way to procrastinate if you just can't stand staring at that page anymore.

I believe this is my fourth time doing NaNo. I participated in 2010, 2011 and 2016 and failed to varying degrees in all attempts. I hit the 50k mark during the first two tries, but they were not novels; they were a patchwork of excerpts from multiple stories. 2016 was looking promising, but I had to drop out early.

Anyway, during this time, I've come to learn what works for me with NaNo and what doesn't, and so instead of trying to draft a single novel, I generally use this time to brainstorm and write a lot of new material and aim to hit that word goal without worrying too much about sticking to one story or writing in a linear fashion... because this is what would always happen anyway regardless of my best intentions to do otherwise. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I am a NaNoRebel through-and-through, so if I have any advice to newcomers, I'd say throw the rule book out the window and come to the dark side; we have cookies.

This year I have a modified goal of 25k words and I am trying write (or at least start) ten different fairy tales, about half of which are heavily altered retellings and the other half being original. I have been thinking about several of these ideas for a while and most of these fairy tales are also doubling as outlines for actual future novels, so there's some method to my madness. (I am again reminded of the fact that I have been meaning to post in Writer's World for months. @kingedthejust, you might want to check that thread out!)

@stargazer and @aileth, your stories sound like fun.

We're a week into November - where has the time gone?

How is everyone's writing going?

I was getting stuck in my story, so I decided to write a side tale set in the same world, with a new character in a previously-unexplored part of the continent. It sounded easy and started well, but I've stalled a bit. Writer's block, lack of creative juices, that sort of thing. I just need to sit down and write anyway. A few words are better than none, right?

Decidedly sub-par, so far as word count is concerned. I've recovered from slumps like this before; hope is not entirely dead, I guess.

In spite of barely keeping above water, the story itself is going well, so there's that to be thankful for.  Part of my problem may be a bad case of double-mindedness.  I had planned to drop the book I've been working on since May, to focus on the new one, and it calmly and coolly refused to be dropped.  So I'm working on both, so far not counting words from the previous one (which surpassed 50k in its own right back in October).  I may have to go full rebel and include the November bits to reach the goal.  I'll wait and see--I'd love to do it with just one book, as usual.

Hope things are going well for the rest of you!

How's it going with me? As far as word count, I am quite short of where I need to be at this point but regardless am enjoying myself immensely. It's like an unwritten law of NaNo that I get swept off course by "real life" around the beginning of the month and get unexpectedly busy, but I've still been plodding along with scribbling and outlining and reading fairy tales for research and generally having a swell time. Hoping to catch up a bit on words this weekend, but I'm not stressing about it too much. I want to hit that 25k, but my primary goal was to figure out what novel I wanted to write next, work on generating and refining ideas for other future novels, and finish the month with a nice big bag of interesting scraps to work with... all of that is going swimmingly so far. #NaNoRebelLife