NaNoWriMoSest

[Wavid]

This might be a bit of an ambitious idea, but we could try and give it a go...

November 1 sees the start of NaNoWriMo, the thing where you have to write a 50,000 word novel during one month, about 1,600 words a day.

Some really famous authors are taking part this year too, it seems.

We could try doing this, but producing a group story that everyone contributes a load of words to. Alright, sometimes two people might be writing at the same time and wires get crossed, but that's fine - at the end I'll just skim through it and try and make things fit.

What do we think?

[Stewart]

Sounds great. Count me in.

[Wavid]

We need to come up with a title and a plot, of course, before we commence the writing!

[Stewart]

Sean Wright and the Jizzman of Astrojazz?

[Wavid]

I think we have mined the taking the piss out of spec-fic vein pretty thoroughly, haven't we! And isn't Graham Parsnip supposed to be working on something rather similar to that at the moment?!

[HP]

Wish you all the best for the joint Palimp Scribblefest but will have to take a back seat for this one. Apart from much scribbling of my own to be done, will be away for most of November. Have fun!

[John Self]

Didn't kumquat do this last year? In fact I am sure we have a thread on the subject. According to her blog, she's doing it again this year, but only aiming for 30,000 words this time.

[Wavid]

It should be a lot easier with a few of us working on it though, and could end up being really funny.

Or shit.

[gil]

But I always feel that this NoNoWriMoSest thing is so unsatisfactory. No-one reads your stuff except you; it's just a sort of crutch for people who can't get moving on their book.

[knovella]

Hey Pals.

One way to do a potentially readable book as a group is to have chapter assignments, each one from a different (assigned) character's point of view relating to the same event.

For instance, ten people are all heading to the same party, maybe a birthday party for someone they all know well, each on their own terms. Some may be travelling with each other, others on their own. One chapter might be from the POV of the person honored at the party.

Or they're all going to a funeral or leaving the scene of an accident. Or they might each be headed home after a day of work in the same place.

To make it work, the 'situation' and characters have to be defined at the outset. But the rest could go pretty smoothly. The point is, each voice is legitimate in its own right, and the chapters don't occur serially but simultaneously from different viewpoints.


Just an idea.