October 04, 2004

National Novel Writing Month. If you ever wanted to write a crappy novel, here's your chance.

Favouring quantity over quality, "National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30." I vote for Beeswacky to submit a novel-length poem.. link via Stoneface via email

posted by sarah 20 years ago
  • Well, I vote for you to do it instead, Sarah! :)
  • Well, I would, but it wouldn't have nearly the prestige (or notable wordsmithery!) of one written by you. Besides, couldn't we you just collate all the masterpieces from MoFi and submit them as chapters? ;o) Besides, everyone should be exposed to your genius.
  • I have a NaNoWriMo (I seriously dislike that abbreviation) account, but my writing skills are chronically impaired, hence its inactivity. A mass monkey manuscript would be wildly entertaining, though.
  • I am in now way discouraging a mass monkey manuscript, but I feel it important to point out that, technically, that's not acceptable under NaNoWriMo rules. Perhaps this year will be the third year in a row that I fail to finish a novel.
  • Heh. Finishing them is easy -- put down either "The End" or "The Beginning", depending. It's starting the damn things that's difficult. And then there's all that stuff that has to go into the middle...
  • Hmmm, an oppotunity to practice writing crap prose under unrealistic deadline... Brings back fond memories of fanfic challenges... Will try! [off to sign up]
  • A mass monkey manuscript would be wildly entertaining, though. Combined with... It's starting the damn things that's difficult. Equals... Chapter One A Glock is a wonderful thing -- until it jams. I tossed it over the balcony, and then hearing the door finally give way, threw myself after it. The water was a jolt of cold that smelled like a high school gym teacher. "Romantic Venice, my ass," I thought. Ok, your turn...
  • [banana] for Torluath! Chapter One Lips That Touch Liquor Shall Never Touch Football
  • Funnily enough, I had a dream last night that my fiction writing was weighed and found wanting. If that's qualification enough, perhaps I will have a go this year.
  • Dang. I wrote a novel last month. If I'd known about this, I'd have waited. Seriously, I did.
  • Skrik: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN TP: Just write another one next month!
  • MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN That brings me to another funny story. Years ago, I was looking around the National Gallery in London with my then girlfriend. We happened upon Rembrandt's Belshazzar's feast. "What language is that?" she asked. "Hebrew," I answered. "It says mene, mene, tekel, upharsin". Her jaw dropped as she turned to face me. "I didn't know you read Hebrew," she said. I smiled, and said nothing.
  • Skrik: excellent! Now to pretend like you know Klingon.