Middle Grade Madness! discussion

What is NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and it's an annual internet-based event run by the non-profit organisation NaNoWriMo during the month of November.

What happens during NaNoWriMo?
All around the world writers of all kinds gather themselves together with the goal of writing 50,000 words during the month of November. This can be in order to write the first draft of their novel, revise an old draft, or prepare their book for publication.
Some even use the month as an opportunity to focus on their writing, the 50,000 word goal isn't a necessity, so don't be put off by it!

Do writers actually achieve their goal?
Yes! Since the event started in 2006 more than 400 books have been published that were written during NaNoWriMo.
In fact, you might even recognise some:
Cinder, The Night Circus, Anna and the French Kiss, Fangirl and many many more... (check more out here: https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1...)

I'm not much of a writer, can I still take part?
Yes, you absolutely can. You don't have to be an amazing writer to write. All you need is an idea. And NaNoWriMo provides a bunch of resources to help you plan your idea so that your story can flourish.

How do I take part in NaNoWriMo?
Sign up to NaNoWriMo here: https://nanowrimo.org/sign-up
Alternatively, you don't even need to sign up! Just pull up your Word doc, start typing out your story, and try and reach 50,000 words or your own personalised goal by the end of November.

Please note: I am not at all sponsored by the organisation NaNoWriMo in any way. I just love to write and have taken part in the event myself before and thought maybe learning about it would benefit some aspiring writers on the group!

Do you like to write? Have you ever had any awesome story ideas you'd like to share? Have you ever taken part in NaNoWriMo?

I'd love to hear from you all!

are you taking part this year too?

i thoroughly enjoy writing , and my biggest struggle is a lack of motivation to actually work on things, so i've been going back and forth on deciding whether or not to join nanowrimo this year! and then when you posted this i was like, what do i have to lose? the worst that can happen is i don't write, but maybe it'll get me motivated to at least do a little, right?😂

so i was looking into it and starting a project on there, and i didn't realize they had stuff for scripts too! i've been going with my sister to her acting classes and have been working on a lot of small script projects, and currently the goal is to finish something in it's entirety by the end of the year, so i think i'll try something for that for nanowrimo since i'm already doing something similar!

I'm definitely taking part this year! I've got my newest idea planned out (mostly) and ready to go.

I've just realised that I didn't actually take part in NaNoWriMo last year! I took part in Camp NaNo instead which runs in July and is a lot chiller, like you can set your own goal it doesn't have to be 50,000 words, so I was more free during that time seeing as it was the holidays for me and I loved it. I wrote 30,000 words and even though that story is now dead (RIP that beautiful mess of a story) I considered that to be a pretty big success I've never written so much before!

For several years before then I kept saying I'll take part in NaNoWriMo but much like you I'd go back and forth and never do it. But you're totally right, I mean what is there to lose? Just remember not to put too much pressure on yourself or you might find it a bit demotivating if you're not writing on target. The chiller you are the more enjoyable I reckon it is.

Yeah I remember during Camp NaNo I met quite a few people working on scripts instead of normal book manuscripts which is pretty cool! Script writing is like a totally different ball game. It's really cool to hear you're going to take part! Maybe I should set up a progress discussion page so we can both see how we're doing during the month...

even though you're not moving forward with that story, 30,000 words is seriously impressive!

and it's so immensely different, it's crazy. but a progress discussion page would be great! i also noticed on nanowrimo they've got a "buddy" section too, so that might also be a thing we can do? it's definitely a lot more motivating to get things done when you've got other people to talk to about it and to also sort of hold you accountable😂

@Jessica I just logged into the Nano website and wow they've changed it so much since I last logged in like last year! Feel free to add me on the buddy section! My username is Kadi P on there (what a surprise😂)
And yeah I feel you there! Having a group of people to talk to last time I was doing it made me feel as though I wasn't alone in the writing process and it was also very motivating because everyone else wrote so much more than me it made me want to work harder! I'll set up a progress discussion page when November starts and hopefully we can rope some more people into joining in with us...

that's definitely a big motivator for sure! and it would definitely be awesome if more people joined too

Thanks for sharing this! I've signed up and I'm looking forward to experiencing what it's like to participate.
It looks like a really excellent organization with a wonderful mission.
I added you as a buddy Katie!
Jessica, let me know if you join!
My goal is to write my story, The Song of Zaratan, which I'm very close to having a finished outline. It's about these elves and gnomes who live on the back of a giant turtle, and for the sake of their existence, they need to learn to get along with each other again, and with the turtle too.
Yay! This will definitely help motivate me!
JP

J.P. wrote: "Thanks for sharing this! I've signed up and I'm looking forward to experiencing what it's like to participate.
It looks like a really excellent organization with a wonderful mission.
I added you ..."

i'm planning on joining! you can add me too, i'm jesshagen

and your story sounds awesome!

jessica wrote: "J.P. wrote: "Thanks for sharing this! I've signed up and I'm looking forward to experiencing what it's like to participate.
It looks like a really excellent organization with a wonderful mission. ..."

Thanks Jessica! I've added you and I'm looking forward to hearing about and supporting your script writing projects! I've worked on a bunch of films and theater pieces also, including writing and developing scripts, so hopefully I can be some help to you.

One of the more notable projects I worked on was the film Twixt, where, as Prop Master, I got the rare opportunity to help Coppola develop his dream inspired novella into the actual film script. It was huge fun.

Cheers!
JP

Thanks for sharing this!! I'm working on the first draft of my second novel, book 2 in a series. I've been plucking away at it slowly, and I'm about 2/3 done. I’ve got fans waiting for it, and this has motivated me to try and finish it this November!! Yikes, here I go!!

@JP your story idea sounds very fantastical! And wait, Coppola as in Francis Ford Coppola? Because that would be amazing and you’d have to tell us more!

@E.S woah! Whacking out a whole first draft in a month? I salute you! That’s also my plan but I still have a few kinks in the storyline to work on first. Like creating battle scenes! I have none right now and I need at least 2 gotta get that action in there👏🏻

I wasn't planning on participating, because I haven't been writing for years or not like a lot. But this week I got inspiration and motivation again and started yesterday with editing a finished story. I read the edited pages that I did and it made me super excited, so I will try and participate. I'm not going to make an account, because I write in the old fashioned way, so counting words is too much trouble, but I would definitely like to have a chat here about everything. Will post the synopsis of the story then as well.

E.S., what's the name of your series?

And A Robin, it's awesome to hear that your story edit is going well!

Kadi, ya, Frances was really fun to work with! Actually the main character in Twixt is a horror writer and there are some great dream conversations about writing between him and Edgar Allen Poe. One technique that's discussed that really helped me as a writer is to know your ending before you start writing a story. The discussion in the film is inspired by Poe's essay "The Philosophy of Composition" which is a bit heady, but worth checking out if you haven't already.
Cheers!
JP

@J.P. it's a middle grade fantasy series called The Blameless. I agree that it's important to know the ending when you begin your story. It definitely helps with foreshadowing and dropping hints to the readers.

I would only be finishing up the last 1/3 of the draft @Kadi!!

Good luck, everyone!

@E.S. ooh 1/3 seems more manageable! Then again what am I saying? I'm planning to do as much of my first draft as I can😂

Also you're working on the second book of your series that's amazing! I've literally just been working on the writer's showcase and I can confirm quietly on the side that your book was chosen for it... I'll be sending a message with details on that soon!

@J.P. This time for my latest story idea I already have the ending sorted out. It's solid and I'm definitely not going to change it (I say that with determination because often halfway through Nano I come up with a better idea and change everything in the story so this time I'm determined not to do that). Filling in the middle bits is proving to be difficult! I have to find a way to connect the start events that I know are definitely happening and the end events...

@Robin it's the most amazing feeling being motivated to write again isn't it! And when you've left some of your writing for a while and you go back to it and you're like "wow did I even write this? It's actually kinda good!" is so so amazing. I used to always look at my writing like it's so cringy whilst I'm writing it but now I get why writers advise that you leave your writing for like a month or longer and then go back to it because you can see the mistakes way more clearly but most importantly you can appreciate the good parts like you never would have been able to before!

@Kadi, extremely exciting news!!!!! Looking forward to your message!

🎉🎉

@Kadi Yeah definitely, it's an amazing feeling. I hope I can keep that feeling up and write more in November.

Here is my nanowrimo synopsis for The Song of Zaratan:

Neither elf nor gnome had crossed the Great Ridge since the old stories turned to myth. But then the world started shaking, and the oceans began rising, and the elders whispered endertime. Evan and Ella, the young eagle-riders, believed the old stories though, that their world was alive, and they were sure that salvation lay over the Ridge, in the world of the gnomes.

Any thoughts?

I'm almost done with my outline for the novel. My goal is to get my outline locked down so I can dive into my writing on Nov 1st.

This is my first attempt at high fantasy and I'm pretty excited about the story and the world I'm building.

The elves are gonna be small playful and mischievous, as opposed to the taller more serious lord of the rings type elves. The gnomes are gonna be steampunky engineers.

(BTW - Zaratan is the classic name for the legendary giant turtle that is as big as an island.)

@JP that synopsis sounds so interesting! I'm not a gan of high fantasy but I do love a good adventure story and that's what yours sounds like!

I should finalise my synopsis and send it here too!

Also look what I just found, guys!
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1...
Even more books that were written during NaNoWriMo! You will all definitely recognise some of the books on that list. I'm going to add it in the top message too!

Nice!

Nanowrimo! It's like a future kid who hasn't learned the difference between an n and an m yet talking about a tiny rhino.

Any updates?

I wrote only 76 words today. I spent most of my writing time putting the finishing touches on my outline. And the very first words of the book are worth savoring.

In a deep booming voice I declare, "It has begun!"

I wrote 200 words on day 1 (I know, pitiful) and I literally will take any opportunity to show it off to someone😂 I’m so happy with it I showed it to 5 different people already like “look! Nanowrimo has started! 49800 words left!!”😂

Good job guys! I haven't started, because I've had a headache for a couple of days now.

Here is the synopsis of my story btw:

Graham Gold is a very normal guy. He has a lovely husband and two adorable children and loves his job working as a psychiatrist. He has one secret though: at night he is The shadow, a vigilante who helps the police with unsolved or difficult cases. Can Graham keep up with his family, his job and his secret, also batteling a trauma from the past?

@kadi literally same 😂 i got 223 words toward the story written on day 1

@Robin wow I love the sound of your story! I love vigilantes and superheroes! I’m also writing a superhero story!

@Jess here’s to hoping we can make up for our low writing count with extra words today😂 I completely forgot to log it on the nanowrimo website as well so I missed out on getting one of the badges and I really wanted to collect them all🤦🏻‍♀️

@Robin - Yay! I love superhero stories! And the idea of him being a psychiatrist during the day is fantastic.

I love hearing about what people are working on!

Thanks so much guys!

progress update:

day 1 - 223 words
day 2 - 253 words
day 3 - 372 words

total: 848 words

not much at all for each day, but at least the word count is growing a bit each day?😂
i've actually got time tomorrow to write, so i'm hoping i can get a lot more done then. maybe actually catch up on the word count goal lol

@Jess Woah it’s already day 3? I’ve been losing track of time! I better get some writing done right now I haven’t done anymore since 200 words on day 1!

Also, you’re doing a great job! At least you consistently write similar amounts everyday!

Progress update:
Just hit 1000 words!🎉 Writing dialogue scenes really beefs up the word count quickly! On the downside, according to my stats chart on the nano website I'm supposed to hit 6668 words today which is so not happening😂😩 The gap between where I'm at and where I'm supposed to be is only going to grow bigger from here on out!

even if it's not where you're supposed to be, 1000 words is still an excellent place to be!🎉
and i 100% feel that. but even though i'll probably not reach the goal, i'm just excited to have the motivation to be writing something. even if i only get 10,000 words, as long as i write something each day, i'll be happy, because i haven't been doing even that recently.

and i feel like me and the stats page will have a love-hate relationship😂 it's lovingly telling me at this rate, i'll be done on 24 june, 2021 lolol😂

i suppose i should probably actually start getting my writing done for today😅

i'm fairly pleased with my progress today. i got 1,279 words written. not enough to catch up, but better than the first few days!

@Jess the stats page just exists to mock us!😂 It's telling me at the rate I'm going that I'll be done in April 2021😂😂

I totally get you about being excited to have the motivation to write. For me it's been quite a long time since I've been actively writing. Like it feels nice to get back into that rhythm of even when I'm not writing I'm still thinking about the story.

Often what I do is I'll just write in my head whilst I'm doing odd jobs and if it sounds good I'll start to write it. Does anyone else do that? I dialogue a lot in my head between characters. And I don't write in chronological order of the story at all😂 I'm just randomly writing the scenes that come to me. I'm not making it up like I have the scene planned already but I'll pick any random one and write for it rather than working in order of the scenes. For me I find that more exciting and it keeps things fresh!

i write in my head too! although usually by the time i can actually write it down i've forgotten the specifics and things that actually sounded good, or completely forget the whole thing altogether😂 that especially seems to happen when i'm thinking of scenes as i'm falling asleep.

and i don't always write chronologically as well! for me it helps when i get stuck on a certain scene, instead of just stopping, i try to write another scene i've got planned so that way i'm still progressing. then, usually by the time i go back to where i got stuck, i'm still motivated and can add some more. bc i know if i get stuck and don't push through, i'm going to keep putting it off, which means no progress and no writing for a while

so definitely derailed by the election stress... what a distraction!!

I'm only at 1870 words!! I'm planning on doing some serious writing over the next few days.

How's everyone doing, any ideas need hashing out?

I'm still trying to figure out the ultimate baddie that my heroes will have to battle to obtain the song of Zaratan.

it will only appear as a boss type enemy during the climax, but I need to hint at it, etc.. throughout.

it is a boss that will appear at the back of a shrine that needs to be beaten by a group of little elves and little gnomes. the elves use song to cooperate with birds and animals and the gnomes have gadgets and machines.

right now I'm generically thinking of a monster type creature, a twisted grim that flings blades, swings from tail, and has a stunning scream.

but any ideas for me?

So far, from friends I've heard ideas like vampire bat, psychotic clown, troll, chupacabra...

I definitely enjoy writing. This is my fourth book and my second NANO. Technically my books are only 40,000 words but it's a great program for motivation. I'm currently only at 2008 words but I'll catch up over Thanksgiving.


Book 4 in my series is going to be a completely different book than before. Up to this point the kids have been largely on their own. With Mother back in the picture there's going to be a whole different dynamic. I've also got some twists and turns planned that I can't wait to see how they come out on paper.

Update on my Nano
I have grinded to a pretty fast holt! November is turning out to be a super busy month for me! I guess there's a reason why I took part in Camp Nano in July last time instead of actual Nano in November. I'm putting so much pressure on myself to finish reading stuff before the end of the year as well as all my uni work that honestly I think I don't have time to keep writing.

I have decided I should use this time to write the next few chapters for the Choose Your Own Adventure Challenge instead of writing this story I'd already started. I've got 3 chapters left to write (and a few variant chapters for people who chose different options and took different paths) and it's actually kinda fun to get back into it and tie up all the loose ends I've left open!

Kadi wrote: "Update on my Nano
I have grinded to a pretty fast holt! November is turning out to be a super busy month for me! I guess there's a reason why I took part in Camp Nano in July last time instead of a..."

All the words you write count! Keep it up and write whatever your heart desires!

I'm having some challenges just getting the time. Writing is not my full time gig, but usually when I get an hour I can crank out 750-1000 words. I'm hoping for some time off around Thanksgiving to get caught up. One thing that keeps me focused is music. I've been listening to video game sound tracks lately. No words to distract, but usually a rousing beat or ominous tone to fit the mood of the chapter I'm writing. Listened to The Division soundtrack this morning. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6qO... My characters are planning their next step in the battle and it worked well.

@kadi i definitely agree with j.p.! writing is writing, so write what you want when you want to! putting too much pressure on yourself for it can definitely take the fun out of it

@allen i love listening to video game soundtracks while writing too! or movie soundtracks that are instrumental based (pirates of the caribbean is my fave). i love the skyrim soundtrack too

@Allen 750-1000 words an hour is actually a fantastic job! I also love listening to epic music, it's great for when you're studying too, the lack of words makes it less distracting. If you're writing fight scenes and stuff I recommend 2 Steps From Hell they make a lot of great fight scene inspiring epic music, I'd also recommend Audiomachine they make all kinds of epic music. Really I'd just say check out the youtube channel Epic Music VN because they make tons of playlists for whatever kind of epic music you're looking for.

I personally don't listen to epic music when I write because I find it very influential if there's some sad music on it'll make the whole scene sad even though it's not supposed to be. But I do listen to it whilst I draw it can be very calming. I love listening to shire music from Lord of the Rings and the Spider-Man PS4 main theme and Ezio's Family from the Assassin's Creed games those are my go to. Also Flow Like Water from The Last Airbender movie and Oogway Ascends from Kung Fu Panda are so beautiful!!

@Jessica I'm a big fan of Hans Zimmer's soundtracks! I especially love the Marry Me suite from the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean film!

Hi all, Just found this thread. I am working on my MG novel during NaNo. About 12,000 words so far. Glad to be joining all of you:)

@Pam 12,000 words in!! That's so awesome wow👏🏻🎉🎉🎉 what's your NaNo project about?

Kadi wrote: "@Allen 750-1000 words an hour is actually a fantastic job! I also love listening to epic music, it's great for when you're studying too, the lack of words makes it less distracting. If you're writi..."

I can listen to foreign-language songs. The whole World Beat and international folk genres give you a lot of options for matching mood. I've written books to French Canadian, which is a bit like Appalachian, but not in English, and my French is inadequate to understand more than "voulez-vous danse".

@Eugene I never really listen to foreign music! For me music with lyrics in it are all about the lyrics, I love poetic lyrics full of meaning (I think that stems from being a reader😂) so music in languages I don't understand just doesn't do it for me! But I imagine that may be what appeals to you; you don't understand it and so it doesn't distract you from writing.