h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Soothing music plays in the background. Or something loud and shouty to get the blood moving to the brain.

There is an array of drinks. We recommend coffee.

Distractions abound. Solitaire, Solnushka's washing up, even h2g2.

This is your virtual garret from garret. Please come in and make yourself at home.

Although, shouldn't you be writing something?

Nope, not for another week at least

I'm sure there are outlines and such to prep...

Hey Irv. Is this going to be a continuaiton of your paranormal detective novel? Or a new project?

I've just realised there was no sign up thread... there is now! F22114804?thread=8282986

Who's under there? Sol?

Yes, I may technically be a "NaNo Rebel" this year. I'm doing a collection of short stories centering around the same paranormal detective from my existing novel. I've started some of the stories in the collection, but during NaNo I'll be working exclusively on stories I haven't begun writing yet. I think this all puts me firmly in the gray area with regards to "the rules," but it'll be 50k words worth of fiction, one way or another.

You?

Yeah, 'tis I, Sol. Haven't quite got the hang of this switching accounts thing yet.

Oh that's cool. The topic and the rebellion. Gotta push the boundaries a bit.

It occurred to me that NaNo is a very strange thing in some ways as although there are all these people writing their books, and talking about them with other people, they aren't sharing their books that much. Or do they? I quite enjoy that though - it's like reading about art. Satisfyingly metaphysical. Or something meta.

So I want to say, I'll look forward to reading them, and in your case, I guess I might get to? But that's not really the point.

I am not doing NaNo this year. I must must must one year, if only because I can't plot in abstract so the few ideas I have for stories I need to actually write to actually see if they work, and without a deadline I would never ever bother with it. I am very lazy about writing. I love deadlines. That's why I do NaBlo and now NaJo. 30 lovely deadlines all one after another. The rush!

Yes, NaNo is a funny beast. On the one hand, it's got the carefree "write with abandon" thing going, on the other, it thrives on imposed deadlines! And as you said, people talk about their books, but don't.

I totally understand about writing things out. Plotting in the abstract is very difficult. On the other hand, I've tried writing with no conclusion in mind. Everything felt like middle. No end ever materialized.