Philotic Web

Okay, kids...

Who is doing it this year? I finished my novel last year, so, I'm looking forward to doing it again. Of course, I have some rather personal history with NaNoWriMo that will likely keep me coming back, but that's besides the point.

Anyone started character development, plot outlines, whathaveyou?

Ugh. I wish. I Wiiiiiiish.

I wish I had a novel in me. I'm dying to write one.

I have always wanted to do this and never had time. Ironically, this year I have time and very little motivation.

We will see.

I will write over 100,000 words begging people to accept me into their internship programs.

I swear, two years from now I will do a NaNo based on that.

Some sort of grad-school fantasy. Where you defeat the dragon and use its horde to buy 10,000 packets of ramen. Or pixies take up residence in the cramped little grad student office.

Ugh. I wish. I Wiiiiiiish.

I wish I had a novel in me. I'm dying to write one.

You so do. I challenge you.

I've had one kind of fuming about... I suppose I could try to enter this year.

[Edit:]Well, since I've been pretty much thinking about it almost non-stop since I posted this, like, however many hours ago, I suppose I'm doing it. I sort of started a couple pages absolutely ages ago, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to rewrite them.

So Mich is in! Any other takers?

I'd love to try, but five classes all 300+ and two days of work a week tell me that it would be academic suicide.

I'd love to try, but five classes all 300+ and two days of work a week tell me that it would be academic suicide.

Nonsense! I'm taking six courses this semester (two level 300, four level 400), working 35-40 hours a week at one job, 10 hours a week at another, and trying to manage a social life.

If I can do it, anyone can.

Ugh. I wish. I Wiiiiiiish.

I wish I had a novel in me. I'm dying to write one.

You so do. I challenge you.

Gasp! Oh no you didn't!

Wanna make it a bit of a competition?

Word for word...

Need a reader?

Ugh. I wish. I Wiiiiiiish.

I wish I had a novel in me. I'm dying to write one.

You so do. I challenge you.

Gasp! Oh no you didn't!

Wanna make it a bit of a competition?

Word for word...

Only if I can keep working on my current novel. But the words already written wont count.

Otherwise, hell yeah!

I'd love to try, but five classes all 300+ and two days of work a week tell me that it would be academic suicide.

Come on, Rei. I'm taking five classes and working 30 hours a week. Of course, my classes are 200 levels, but still. It's not like it's a priority that comes FIRST, just one that comes when you have spare time. You can do it!

Ugh. I wish. I Wiiiiiiish.

I wish I had a novel in me. I'm dying to write one.

You so do. I challenge you.

Gasp! Oh no you didn't!

Wanna make it a bit of a competition?

Word for word...

Only if I can keep working on my current novel. But the words already written wont count.

Otherwise, hell yeah!

You almost made me wet myself. I didn't think you'd accept!

Umm.. Uhh..

I have to think of a novel to write... Umm.. I need to decide on a genre!

Oh, and NWS, I'm not sure if you meant me, but of course I do! But I wouldn't inflict a rough draft novel on you; I like you too much

Of course I meant you.

Geez, I don't know what schools you guys are going to, but I never had time when I was in classes. Not November, when all the exams and essays and stuff start coming due. You're all nuts.

Geez, I don't know what schools you guys are going to, but I never had time when I was in classes. Not November, when all the exams and essays and stuff start coming due. You're all nuts.

I'd have to agree; I was a writing major, and it was all I could to find the time to write fiction for my classes!

Seriously. 3-4 papers of 8-16 pages each (it varied), 200 lines of Latin each week, take-home exams... November's bad enough as it is.

This year, I am not in classes. And I just can't seem to muster much motivation. I think I'll blame my independent studying for my non-participation this year. Next year when I'm busy, I will, of course, want to write.

Come on, Rei. I'm taking five classes and working 30 hours a week. Of course, my classes are 200 levels, but still. It's not like it's a priority that comes FIRST, just one that comes when you have spare time. You can do it!

Exactly. It's all about time-management. It's not easy and I'd be lying if I said it was. But, that's why we do it, isn't it? I have between 150-191 pages of essays to do this semester. Plus my senior thesis for Honors in the Literature department and another in the History department (another 20-30 pages each). That's not counting the everyday homework assignments and such; that's just the "term papers," "research papers," whatever you call them. I'm a busy man.

Hell, my professor has eight children between the ages of three and seventeen. She teaches at four colleges/universities (for a total of 8 classes), owns her own business (three stores), plays a big role in community theatre, and still manages to do NaNoWriMo every year. She's much busier than I am.

Time isn't the problem. It's an excuse. If you're going to sit around and wait until you have "time," you'll wait forever. Because it will just be one thing after another cutting into your "free time." Budget it. You can still make academics the center of your attention without neglecting everything else. It'll be hard. But you never know what you can do until you try, right?

I think we're just going to have to agree that what works for one person doesn't work for everybody. "Lack of time due to schoolwork" isn't an excuse. It's a reason, and a very valid reason. Maybe I could have hacked out 50,000 of the crappiest words ever written when I was in school, but my schoolwork would have suffered, my friendships and relationships would have suffered, my Latin would have suffered, my sleep would have suffered... I would have suffered.

And if I (or anyone) makes the judgement call that school is more important to me than NaNo, no one should be making fun. The quality of my work is very important to me, and my academic aspirations demand very high quality. And it's not just about time management. It's about priorities. NaNo was never very high on my priority list. It was something that would be fun to do sometime if I ever had the time to spare. It's supposed to be fun. It's not the be-all and end-all.

So lighten up. Stop pressuring people who have different priorities. Your standard is not the universal standard.

Ali, I'm not making fun of anyone. I'm not saying it's for everyone. I'm not saying that you--or anyone else, for that matter--are some kind of evil person for not doing it.

I'm saying that doing it while it college (or even high school) is possible. I've done it. Several of my friends have done it. Thousands of college students across the nation have done it. People with lives far busier than our own have done it. That doesn't mean that you should do it. Nor does it mean you have to. It means what it says: it can be done and it is done by many people.

You've decided that it might be something you'd like to do someday, but you don't want to spend the free time you have doing that. That's fine. I'm not judging you for that and your insistance otherwise is more than a little silly.

But that's not what Brent said, is it? He said that he'd love to try, but that it wasn't possible for him to juggle it with five classes and working twice a week. Which may very well turn out to be the case. Maybe he can't. But he'll never know that if he doesn't try. And given the plethora of people who have done just that -- and more! -- I think he has a shot. By no means am I saying that it should take precedence of his academic work. I've said just the opposite. But to say that it can't be done is the specious part.

Honestly, time really isn't the issue. How you manage that time is. And, believe it or not, prioritizing is part of time management. The time is there, whether you choose to utilize it or not. The average computer user types 33 words a minute. That's less than an hour of writing per day. If you can type 50 words a minute (which is on the low-end for most college students), it's cut to about half an hour. Of course, that doesn't include time to plot and such, but that doesn't have to be done at the computer. Everyone has time to let their mind wander; take a notebook and jot some notes.

It's certainly not for everyone, though. And I didn't mean to come off like I was saying that -- though, I think you read a lot more into it than was actually there, but I digress. The point wasn't that everyone has to do it. The point was that everyone that wants to do it can, or at least try. It isn't academic suicide. It isn't the death of your social life. It doesn't mean you're going to get fired from a job. It just means you spend between twenty and fifty minutes a day actually writing instead of doing something else. We all have an hour somewhere through the day that we can give up, even if it's spread out. I write during meals. I plot as I walk between classes. The time is there, if you're willing to utilize it.

I'd love to try, but five classes all 300+ and two days of work a week tell me that it would be academic suicide.

Come on, Rei. I'm taking five classes and working 30 hours a week. Of course, my classes are 200 levels, but still. It's not like it's a priority that comes FIRST, just one that comes when you have spare time. You can do it!

I'm taking 0 classes and working 60-70 hours a week. If it's not a top priority, it won't get done. I spend what little spare time I have checking various boards online where I can at least pretend to have a social life.

Sorry, I actually didn't mean what I said to be any sort of pressure. Just... a nudge if the person was just looking for excuses. If you honestly feel that having it there would distract and actually hurt your schoolwork, then by all means, don't enter. You would be a much better judge than me on how it would affect you. I know that if I had a completely crammed schedule (and, thankfully, my classes aren't too taxing on my time outside of class), I wouldn't put the pressure on myself to get something else done, even if it were "optional." Heck, I've obviously done so for the past four years or so.

But, if you actually WOULD have spare time, and I have about an hour extra a day, time allotted for homework, then be encouraged that you'll be able to do it. 'cause I'll be juggling school/work/NaNoWriMo, too.

I've finally found some time to catch up on pweb. And I can say that in my first week I have close to a hundred pages of reading and over forty lines of Latin to do, and the time that it takes to do that is well over half of my free time (I've taken to doing Latin on the subway). And I've tried to do NaNo before, and that takes well over half my time as well. So I think I can safely say that I do not have sufficient time to do both in their entireties, meaning I will drop one to do a better job on the other. And the one I choose is the one that will help me into grad school.

I've decided that I may - MAY - attempt NaNo this year. IF I can think of a half-decent plot, and IF my other commitments look to permit it by the beginning of November. I don't know if I'll ever have another November free enough to try it, so I will this time, if I can.

I'm thinking about it, although I'd much rather write a play. I'll see in about a month when I actually know how much work I'll have to do in November.

I'm thinking about it, although I'd much rather write a play.

Well, there is Script Frenzy, created by the same bunch of people, but it happened in June, so you kind of missed the "real" time to do that. Though I suppose you can make any month you want to the month.

I will probably write a NaNo this year ... if only because it would seem really really weird to not be NaNoing during November. I've participated and won the last five years - some of which have gone better than others.

That said, perhaps I should start thinking of a premise or a plot or something.

I think I have a premise!!!

I think I have a premise!!!

Damn you. I am aquiver with jealousy.

Everyone ready?

Oh, yes. I have an outline... character sheets... specific timing plans... it is going to be oh-so-fun.

And my roommate is in. So even more motivation. Who else?

You have an outline, character sheets, a plan, AND a supportive environment!??

What the hell!

I'm probably out. I barely have time for real-life stuff.

I'm having trouble choosing between two ideas...

And, in the mean time, I'm beating up my computer.