NaNoWriMo

Jack Kerouac wrote 'On the Road' in 72 benzedrine fuelled hours.- a classic of American literature.

McKee's Story is more about the process of screenwriting - a very different discipline than novel writing

Corinthian wrote (see)

Jack Kerouac wrote 'On the Road' in 72 benzedrine fuelled hours.- a classic of American literature.

I'm using strong coffee and thyroxine as my drugs of choice.

I think circa 20 days is the figure generally stated rather than 72 hours, Corinthian, but I doubt if it took 20 days. You couldn't write and finish that in 20 days to that standard of writing, and it does cover 3 separate trips over a period of time.

It's also not a very good book. Nothing exciting happens. 3 out of 5 only.

"Story" is primarily about screenwriting, yes, but its principles go far wider. Essential reading for anyone who wants to write a novel, IMO.

Kwilter with a K wrote (see)

Sure, what's your email address?

I'll give you one at the end of the month if you're still going at that stage.

Oddly enough I have read McKee.  Doesnt change my view.

We don't know what your view is, bos. You took one sentence out of three and attached a horseshite label to it without reasoned argument or explanation.

That is not what happened anon.

You attempted to define the novel in terms of your narrow view of what the process should be.  I´m guessing OCD.

I applaud Kwilter and anyone who puts themselves out there.  Well done.

You have some view that constructing a novel is like painting by numbers according to some plan of which you approve.  Hey, anon, guess what, you dont know what you are talking about.  Go home, sit down, and find something else to get bent out of shape about.

I define a process of, on your marks, get set, go, you have 30 days to complete a novel, as basically stupid.

I don't expect that's a "narrow view". Go and ask 100 leading novelists if they think that's an intelligent agenda, and I expect most if not all of them will say, "No, it's daft. What the hell do such tightly constraining time limits have to do with getting through and completing a piece of work that requires careful drafting? Why go there?"

If it was an intelligent time limit, fine. The best you came up with was someone who says, allegedly, 50 days, yet you congratulate people who aren't professional writers on subjecting themselves to a 30 day time limit. Get a brain.

Iain Banks I think aims to complete a novel in 3 months and then give himself 9 months off. That's 3 months of solid work. By a professional writer who knows what he's doing. You think lesser mortals can achieve it in a month? You think they should try?

I don't think constructing a novel is "like painting by numbers", but I regard it as a scientific as much as an artistic process. I do think they need to have planned the whole thing up front, especially the ending, to see if it holds together, before they get down to serious drafting of the constituent parts. Pantsers (I presume you're a pantser?) act otherwise but end up with a hard drive full of half-completed pieces of work that never went anywhere and which they never finished, a lot of which never got past the first 25 pages. When they have collected enough of those, and wonder why they wasted so much time on a bare idea, eventually they become plotters because it finally dawns on them that if you don't plot the thing, you end up in a mess and can't finish what you started.

I'm not "bent out of shape" about anything. I simply made a comment on this thread. Other people's work methods, and how they use their time, are entirely up to them. I'm keen to point out that NaNoWriMo is a rather stupid idea, and maybe people who want to write a novel should dump the time limit, but people can take that opinion or leave it and I couldn't care less. How they use their time, how they structure their work,  how they live, is their choice.

I do know what I'm talking about. I don't need lessons. Or lectures.  Or a pretence that you know best.

This conversation is now closed.

anon wrote (see)

I define a process of, on your marks, get set, go, you have 30 days to complete a novel, as basically stupid.

I don't expect that's a "narrow view". Go and ask 100 leading novelists if they think that's an intelligent agenda, and I expect most if not all of them will say, "No, it's daft. What the hell do such tightly constraining time limits have to do with getting through and completing a piece of work that requires careful drafting? Why go there?"

If it was an intelligent time limit, fine. The best you came up with was someone who says, allegedly, 50 days, yet you congratulate people who aren't professional writers on subjecting themselves to a 30 day time limit. Get a brain.

Iain Banks I think aims to complete a novel in 3 months and then give himself 9 months off. That's 3 months of solid work. By a professional writer who knows what he's doing. You think lesser mortals can achieve it in a month? You think they should try?

I don't think constructing a novel is "like painting by numbers", but I regard it as a scientific as much as an artistic process. I do think they need to have planned the whole thing up front, especially the ending, to see if it holds together, before they get down to serious drafting of the constituent parts. Pantsers (I presume you're a pantzer?) act otherwise but end up with a hard drive full of half-completed pieces of work that never went anywhere and which they never finished, a lot of which never got past the first 25 pages. When they have collected enough of those, and wonder why they wasted so much time on a bare idea, eventually they become plotters because it finally dawns on them that if you don't plot the thing, you end up in a mess and can't finish what you started.

I'm not "bent out of shape" about anything. Other people's work methods, and how they use their time, are entirely up to them. I'm keen to point out that NaNoWriMo is a rather stupid idea, and maybe people who want to write a novel should dump the time limit, but people can take that opinion or leave it and I couldn't care less. How they use their time, how they structure their work,  how they live, is their choice.

I do know what I'm talking about. I don't need lessons. Or lectures.  Or a pretence that you know best.

I don't have "some view that constructing a novel is like painting by numbers according to some plan of which I approve." People can write it any way they want.

Some confused thinking there Anon.

First of all you tell us it's a waste of our time to do something we enjoy in our free time, then you say we can write any way we want. You don't need lessons, yet haven't attempted to write anything. Other people's methods "are entirely up to them" and you "couldn't care less" yet have been the only person to post in such a negative way on this thread.

NaNoWriMo bills itself as 30 days to write 50,000 words, no-one except you seemed to think this was without any previous planning or idea where it will end.

And you've still not answered my question about where we can read your published works.

 I'm currently pushing 15K and we've just had twins. I already know they'll both be dead within 2 years, as will their younger brother who will be buried on the same day his next sister is christened. Their youngest brother, still not conceived for another 12 years, will live to be nearly 80 and witness the start of WWI. That enough planning for you?

dear anon,

you do not have any right to speak on behalf of "leading novelists".  You do not know know what you are talking about.

Face it.  You dont understand literature.

Conversation's closed.

Hey, I´m just volunteering my opinion.  Like you.

But if you are the anon who posted on the book club threads on RW some years ago I think we have a history of your critical ability.

You know fuck all about literature. It was there to see then.  And it´s there to see now.

Have a nice day and dont presume to tell anyone how to write.

Keep walking.

Conversation's closed.

Here, anon, I'll just pick your toys back up for you shall I?

And the dummy

Conversation is not closed

Something else you're wrong about eh?

So ignoring the twerp, I've just passed 17k words. Written the part I was dreading from the outset, and neatly avoided having to comment on the three consecutive babies born in late August...wonder what happened in 19th century Redruth in November?

Twerp is such a good word, and underused, I feel.

Well it's dark, and cold and what else are you supposed to do with no central heating?

Kwilter what is your goal in writing this ?