Results 31 to 60 of 296
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2012-10-14, 11:04 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Jan 2012
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- Inside the Tarrasque
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
Goodness, I wish I had the self-discipline for this. Last time I tried writing, I gave up around the 7,000 word mark. I also have the same PbP-style problem as Eldan. Nonetheless, I'm trying anyway.
My current concept is one in which a group of people wake up in this mysterious area filled with deadly monsters and hazards. They find various weapons and hone the strange powers they have been somehow granted in order to defend themselves. They eventually find out that the only way to escape is to find the powerful artifacts guarded by the aforementioned monsters and hazards. The only catch is that there are only five artifacts, which means only five of them can escape. The narrative will examine not only the characters' struggles against the challenges they face to get the artifacts, but also the alliances, betrayals, and rivalries that are created amongst themselves.
Although the concept is pretty much finished, I'm still trying to think of specific characters and monsters, as well as a good magic system.Last edited by Halberd; 2012-10-14 at 11:05 AM.
I am a:
SpoilerTwo-handed martial reach weapon. I do d10 weapon dice, weigh 12 pounds, and belong to the Axe group.
Many, many thanks to kpenguin for the amazing avatar.
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2012-10-14, 11:08 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
The Catcher in the Rye was about a boarding school student fooling around in NYC. The Great Gatbsy was about rich people partying on Long Island. The Sun Also Rises was about American and British ex-pats drinking in France and Spain (primarily Spain). Yours are actually the "normal" literary concepts that are seen in "mainstream" literature.
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2012-10-14, 11:24 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2008
- Location
- Bristol, UK
Re: National Novel Writing Month
The first time I tried this was 2010. I wrote one sentence, re-wrote it six or seven times, then gave up.
If I manage to think of a cool idea and have a few things sketched out in time, I might give this a shot this time around.
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2012-10-14, 11:53 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2007
- Gender
Re: National Novel Writing Month
Contrary to all of you, I don`t plan to work on a 50,000 word novel, but I might not be able to resist the temptation to try (and I would most likely fail).
My plan is to focus on short stories - finishing unfinished stories and starting unused ideas. I think it would be much easier to reach the 50,000 word mark that way, but that`s not the point - I want an excuse (I`ll keep track anyways).
I thought on a similiar idea for a world I plan to sometime use for some RPG system. Humans can cast very specialized magic after much effort and training, but to cast spells of many types you have to somehow convince a magical being to give you the initial power. You can train your powers normally after that.
I actully think it`s a good thing. I take a minimilist approach to writing, I don`t like when plots and descriptions stretch, but I do tend to take it too far (which makes this challange even harder for me).Madly In Science, an RPG in which you play mad scientists, you can get it for free.
Spoiler: Some other things.
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2012-10-14, 02:48 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
- Location
- The Battlefield
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
Part of YugiohITPAvatar by Smuchmuch
Warning: This post may contain traces of nuts, madness and/or sarcasm, you have been warned.
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2012-10-14, 03:30 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2008
- Location
- Bristol, UK
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2012-10-14, 04:50 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Location
- Switzerland
- Gender
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2012-10-14, 07:50 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2008
Re: National Novel Writing Month
*revs engines*
Here goes nothing. My hour-long bus commute shall not go to waste.
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2012-10-14, 08:04 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
- Gender
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2012-10-14, 08:18 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
- Location
- Pelican City
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
Technically you can be eligible for their minor prize by copying wikipedia articles until you get your word count and then replacing all the letters with Q. Which is kind of missing the spirit of the thing. You can enter your short stories as long as added together they reach 50,000 words.
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2012-10-14, 08:58 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2006
Re: National Novel Writing Month
Well, right, but it seems that trying to write those kinds of books is seen as pretentious, and it feels weird talking about those kinds of ideas when everyone else is writing about very imaginative science-fiction or fantasy type stories and I generally aim for very small, character-based stuff.
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2012-10-14, 09:44 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
It might be because a good portion of those books are semi-autobiographical. Many young people, for example, have had the thought of writing a novel about their college years cross their minds. I know I did--until I realized that my college exploits might not be that interesting, and I probably can't write a novel . However, if you are a budding Fitzgerald (This Side of Paradise), you can pull it off.
Still, most of the great novels are based off of ordinary people and are character-driven. That's because the authors are writing about what they understand. S.E. Hilton, for example, didn't know anything about Elves or Spaceships, but she did understand classist bullying in her high school, so The Outsiders was born. Anyway, the last thing the world needs is another fantasy or sci-fi novel
So write about what you understand.
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2012-10-14, 09:59 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jan 2007
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- Switzerland
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2012-10-14, 10:10 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
- Location
- Imladris
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
Hmmmm. On the one hand, first semester of college. Crazy.
On the other hand, I already have a story flailing about and wanting out.
On the third hand, I'm on a slumph where I can't seem to write profusely.
On the fourth hand, holding myself up to a stringent standard might help with that.
On the fifth hand, again, college. Crazy. Time management is still fuzzy.
On the sixth hand. NaNoWriMo. I did it twice and both times won, I can do it again.
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2012-10-14, 11:30 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2008
Re: National Novel Writing Month
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2012-10-15, 02:26 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
Re: National Novel Writing Month
Another idea I had was a mystery novel set aboard The USTPS*: Persephone, a former cargo cruiser turned into a parole ship for rehabilitating criminals. Travel between stars can take weeks or even months and communications with a ship in FTL is impossible, so once they set out they are on their own.
*United Solar Territories Parole Ship.
Characters include a robotic chef who killed their former owner in self defence after the owner tried to kill them the day robots received equal rights with organics.
A former scam artist who finds himself in the position of acting security chief after his superior and parole officer is murdered.
An overly officials executive officer whose past holds certain secrets that could p rove vital to the case.
A Cyclopean pseudo avian who seems to fear everything.
And ,well ,I'll have to find my notes, but that's what I got so far.
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2012-10-15, 04:01 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2007
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
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2012-10-15, 05:15 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
- Location
- Pelican City
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
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2012-10-15, 05:50 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2008
- Location
- Sweden
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
NaNoWriMo are one of those things that I absolutely love to bits and desperately want to participate it, but I just don't manage. I guess that's what t's good for; getting over that grind that actually sitting down and writing the words present. That's the achievement here, and it's certainly something I want to achieve.
I have tried before, but I've never gotten over 5,000 words.
Now, unfortunately, in Novemer I'll be writing an essay for my literature course, and I assume that will take all the time and energy I can devote to writing already.Quoth the raven, "Polly wants a cracker."
Pony avatar by the Great and Powerful DirtyTabs. Lotsa hugs!
Scourge Caste avatar by the illustrious Akrim.elf. Thank you!
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2012-10-15, 06:16 AM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2007
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
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2012-10-15, 02:21 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2006
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
Well, I have been kicking around this concept of a tutor/attempted reformed white-collar criminal, the evil mastermind he essentially brought up, and how he learns to betray her. I'll give it a go, maybe. Heck, as it's NaNo, I can even continue to call him Sam Tailor without worrying.
Don't blame me. I voted for Kodos.
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2012-10-15, 06:19 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2010
Re: National Novel Writing Month
I want to try but I doubt my ability to actually do much of anything worthwhile. I've never written much. And I don't think I can do dialogue. Or plot. The only thing that I would consider myself good at would be ideas for somewhat creative settings. Other than that I don't think that I will do very well at all.
DEGENERATION 86: Copy this into your sig and subtract 1 from the degeneration when you first see it. This is an antisocial experiment.
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2012-10-15, 07:09 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2008
- Location
- The Battlefield
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
My advice is to use this as a learning experience... even if you only write three thousand words, that could well be three thousand words more than if you hadn't taken part- and from my experience, doing it along with other people will spur you on to even greater efforts.
Part of YugiohITPAvatar by Smuchmuch
Warning: This post may contain traces of nuts, madness and/or sarcasm, you have been warned.
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2012-10-15, 07:34 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2006
- Location
- Washington, D.C.
- Gender
Re: National Novel Writing Month
This.
NaNoWriMo is an excuse to get yourself writing. The key to becoming a good writer is to write. If you don't write, then you can't learn to become better. Who knows? Maybe you'll find out that you enjoy writing? Or maybe you'll find out like me that every word I put down is torture and the only proper way to do NaNoWriMo is after a couple drinks so that my internal editor sits down, shuts up, and lets me write.
Also, I found out that cursing every other word leads to completely unreadable text that I wouldn't show my mother, but is an enjoyable way to reach my word count for the day.
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2012-10-15, 10:46 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2010
Re: National Novel Writing Month
Thank you. I tried to write a novel once before and got around 7000 words in. It wasn't very good as far as I know. At least this time I have a somewhat solid idea for what to write about. Might as well share it.
First it will be some sort of fantasy. I don't want to do a lot of research. The basic plot will be an innkeeper deciding to go kill a tyrant because he thinks himself to be a good person and good people don't watch others suffer. Other than that I don't know a lot of what will happen.
Also any advice for creating names?DEGENERATION 86: Copy this into your sig and subtract 1 from the degeneration when you first see it. This is an antisocial experiment.
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2012-10-15, 11:33 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2006
- Location
- Hamilton, New Zealand
- Gender
Re: National Novel Writing Month
Make them up. Put syllables together until it sounds like something that someone might say. Pick a letter, think of names starting with it, then twist a syllable or two, or don't. Names are easy and don't matter, you can always find and replace if you find one you like better.
One other thing, a good fantasy novel will require a ton of research. Heck any novel requires a ton of research, though for NaNoWriMo it is less required, though nice. If you worry at all about getting anything accurate you'll want to look it up, even a cursory glance at the Wikipedia page. This leads to more delving, more googling, and eventually you spent an entire day finding out about chickens. Not a random example, I did it once. I mean the story was about chickens but the point stands, research is key and almost impossible to avoid, though you will make mistakes.
I figure any writing is good writing though, so don't give up just because it seems like a lot, any amount is progress. Personally I'm awful at writing anything more than maybe 10 pages, and even that is a stretch, I do best with collections of inter-related stories, but I'll try something different, try to write one story just to see if I can.Avatar by Diabhan
Shapperdash, movie reviews amongst other things.
Natural 1, a tale of critical failures
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2012-10-16, 12:27 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2006
- Location
- Chicago, IL
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
I will be taking part. My story takes place in an alternate world where Greece lost the second Greco-Persian War, Africa is a bunch of tiny islands, and the Aztecs live in the Arabian Desert.
The above post made a lot more sense in my head.
Epic avatar by Mr. Saturn. Thanks Mr. Saturn!
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2012-10-16, 04:30 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2007
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
NANOWRIMO doesn't leave you in the lurch just like that
there are forums dedicated to whatever genre you decide to write in, and dedicated to asking for help when you get stuck..with people sharing and exchanging ideas and ways out.
also, you can join a smaller group on a chat..and have timed challenges... basically you agree with others to write whatever comes to your mind within a set timeframe..can be anything from 5 minutes to an hour or so..and then compare how many words you and the others have written..it's a great challenge and spurs on your "speed-writing".. making it easy to overcome hurdles and such.. and it doesn't matter at all if what you write in those minutes makes sense or is correctly phrased.
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2012-10-16, 04:53 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2006
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Gender
Re: National Novel Writing Month
Exactly. The problems you're facing are exactly the problems NaNo is designed to overcome: you're afraid that anything you write will be crap, so you never write anything.
NaNo's solution to that is to not worry about the quality of what you're writing. You're pounding out 50,000 words in a single month, everyone's novel is probably going to be crap. But don't think of it as having written something bad, think of it as having taken the first step towards writing something good. Once you have a first draft, you can go back and revise and edit. The second draft will come much easier than the first, because you can watch your masterpiece improve with every change you make.The above post made a lot more sense in my head.
Epic avatar by Mr. Saturn. Thanks Mr. Saturn!
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2012-10-16, 06:43 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2008
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- Sweden
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Re: National Novel Writing Month
Quoth the raven, "Polly wants a cracker."
Pony avatar by the Great and Powerful DirtyTabs. Lotsa hugs!
Scourge Caste avatar by the illustrious Akrim.elf. Thank you!