Getting close to 44K tonight.

For one beautiful moment, I can dream that I might have been ahead of Ned, for maybe a whole 10–15 minutes.

Hope for the best.

John, you’re going to finish if I have to come up there and stand there while you finish the damn thing yourself. (“And you WILL finish your homework, young man.”) I’m a mother now, I have new intimidation skillz. Plus there’s no way I can finish, so HSTNGS glory depends on you and FB (assuming he’s still not in a turkey-induced coma).

Ned, what can I say, you scare me still, you always will.

Seriously considering finishing this thing tonight or tomorrow, if my head doesn’t cave in from all the missing words in my brain.

Awesome!!!! GO JOHN!

what are you guys talking about?

NaNoWriMo.

www.nanowrimo.org

It’s a great way to punish yourself and your loved ones for a 30 day period.

I’m still at 1300!

You got a few days left.

I’m still at around 13,000. I got 10 times further than Dan, which I’m pretty sure says only that Dan is smarter than me. As if I didn’t know that already.

Ended up just shy of 42,000 before I quit for the night last night. May just finish this thing yet. :)

Wow—you’re almost there, too!!! That’s AWESOME!

Okay, over 46,000 now...

600 words behind that rat-bastard raggett. Gdmn.

Accentmonkey is keeping pace with both of us. I have a feeling we’ll all cross this finish line together.

I sure am, despite the worst cold in history. I am going to finish this book if I have to throw in 6,500 words of random Hungarian history to do it.

43,799 and counting. Good luck, all.

You guys rock. Good luck with the big finishes!

DONE.

WOW. Congratulations!!!

Still at 1300!

Ah, I’m still at 13,000 or so. I wrote a few today, though!

Hurrah to John! :-)

It seems like we should have a balloon drop or throw confetti or something. I’m completely impressed.

I expect you’re on the verge as well, Ned—closely followed by accentmonkey and jonviachicago.

I envy!

Congrats John! I’m hoping to pass 47,000 before I finish up for the night. After working my way through this for the first time, my hat is definitely off to anyone who even attempted this crazy venture whether they will finish or not. ’Twas not for the faint of heart, that much is certain.

Now, if only I had a title. I’ve always been horrible with those.

Okay, and its 48,120 as I head for bed.

48000 for me as well. Finish tonight, maybe...let me get some coffee.

Good luck Ned, now excuse me while I bathe in the extremely brief glow that is me just a smidgen ahead of you. ;)

Astounding!

2,100 today and tomorrow and I’ll be done too. Congrats, John.

Woot woot! Of course, the problem is that the story is going to require at least 20–30K more, which I will have to write using that fleeting fickle personal motivation I’ve heard so much about.

See you all in the winners circle. They have free pie here*.

*Actual pie not included.

do you think I can finish in time? I think I have 2500.

Sam... maybe not, but hey, 2500 words is still something!

John, I’m sure you can finish that many more words—look how far you managed to get in one month!

Sure you can. Just completely sever yer internal editor, write about tangental things. When I was getting blocked for a while, I worked in an old story from when I went to college and it ended up changing the direction for the better. I don’t know if this works for everybody, but my fastest sections were things I paraphrased from real life, because you don’t really have to create plot.

xpost: wait, I thought you had 2500 to go. You can still finish, but you’ll need drugs and a locked room.

were things I paraphrased from real life, because you don’t really have to create plot.

This is what makes talking to MJ so dangerous these days; you don’t know if one of your stories is going to actually wind up in print. She borrows from everybody she knows. (This is why it made me happy to include one of her craziest habits in my story; MJ is famous for walking up to brides and announcing loudly, “You’re getting laid tonight and your parents know about it!”)

Sam—drugs and a locked room might work.

As for me, I’m still far behind A. I’m kind of hoping to catch up with him somehow, though. (ah, fantasyland is a great place, isn’t it.)

I was totally kidding. I gave up on this on the first week. I shall have my own private NaNoWriMo in Jan or Feb.

MJ is famous for walking up to brides and announcing loudly, “You’re getting laid tonight and your parents know about it!”

What reactions does this get?

That kind of depends.

(Sorry for incomplete answer: I had to eat lunch!) The brides I’ve seen her do this to were all familiar with MJ’s sense of humor. Still, at least one looked horrified. Everybody else rolled their eyes at her, laughed, or said, “Janice...” in a warning tone. So far as I remember, she’s never done this in front of anyone’s actual parent.

Sam—I think January is the perfect month for your own private NaNoWriMo. January is usually pretty boring and quiet.

Dudes! I have only 3,200 words left to write, and a great/terrible piece of luck has befallen me! I have contracted pneumonia!

This is great, because it means I don’t have to go to work tomorrow and can finish in style. Terrible because that style will be “drug-induced haze”.

Wow, I hope you feel better and are able to enjoy your sick time off... and I hear some people enjoy drug-induced haze style writing. Best of luck!

My GF likes to point at my brother-in-law’s huuuuge smile in pictures from the day he wed my sister and voice “Hey Grady, I’m toooootallly going to have sex with your sister tonite!!!!”

i am 99% sure my sister saved herself for marriage.

That is really funny. (Brothers are so cute.)

he has an enormous smile too.

sorry to hijack yr thread.

Go everybody!

Hurrah!

Anyway, done. 50296 total, works for me. For those wondering, the giant turkey skeleton exploded.

Booyah, Ned. Are you enjoying the pie?

I should treat myself to some dessert or something, now that you mention it. I’ll get something as soon as I’m done listening to Chet Baker here.

I think I am going to do this starting monday, as I am on holiday until the end of the year. is that cheating?

YES. You have until tomorrow to finish.

bugger.

NED, U R AWESOME! Congratulations!

Thank ya!

You are most welcome, kind sir/Novelist Dude.

And.......... DONE. 50,625 words anyway, the novel is a ways yet from being complete.

Confetti, tickertape, etcetera. WHO’S NEXT? WALK AMONG US. PIE!

Congratulations to you, jonviachicago! Very amazing and awesome!!!!

YES. You have until tomorrow to finish.

Ned, for shame. A person can do nanowrimo whenever they want! Haitch (not haitch) is perfectly free to write a novel in December if they so desire.

Why yes, I am procrastinating because I’m somehow stalled on the last 3,000 words. How kind of you to notice.

Go accentmonkey—YOU CAN DO IT! (Perhaps after a short coffee break...)

I think I am going to do this starting monday, as I am on holiday until the end of the year. is that cheating?

I say no as I’m doing the same thing (well after xmas I am.)

I think it’s great that you guys are going to do it during a non-November time. That would never work for me, though, as I only got as far as I did due to perceived peer pressure. (Also, when my husband got lazy about it, I did, too.)

So Sam and haitch (not haitch)—you are both better people than me!

I finished! I am so happy. And I donated too. Twice. Hooray.

Not really sure what to do now.

knit.

accentmonkey—congratulations, you ROCK!

As for what to do now, I would take a big nap before I started knitting.

Srsly, I would love to knit, but I am so bad at it, you wouldn’t believe. No-one has any patience to teach me, either. Teachers in school, my mother (who used to knit professionally), nobody. I’m the saddest kid on the block, with my stupid shop bought scarf and hat.

(who used to knit professionally)

what job is this and how do I get it?

srsly, is there like a pro knitter’s circuit?

There used to be, but a lot of it is done in the developing world now. But yes, my mother used to knit cardigans and jumpers for clothing manufacturers in Ireland. It was only ever for a bit of extra cash, and because she would be knitting anyway. She does not really knit now.

Wow, I only wish I could knit that well. I have a tendency to bungle it badly and then need to be rescued by more competent knitters.

Accentmonkey, I’m sorry to hear about your learning-to-knit woes.

It’s okay. If only people would accept home-made novels starring themselves as Christmas gifts, I too could make my Christmas gifts with love.

Hey, that sounds like a great gift to me! Or people also seem unduly impressed by even easily baked cookies. You can always do that...

You’re too nice. Most people are only impressed with shop-bought novels. Home-made cookies is a good idea though...

I love shop-bought novels, but a story featuring the recipient is pretty unique. I have a very few stories that I’m in that others wrote (from a group of high school friends—written long ago) and I still love them. They are great fun!

If anyof the people I paraphrased in my Nanowrimo ever got a hold of a copy, they would have a sad Christmas indeed.

This may speak to the company you’ve kept, John. Personally, I’m waiting for the definitive biography or autobiography. I feel like I might be missing some stories there.

Some inspiration for the rest of the year (for writing, music, or whatever else you’re involved with):

“There is a vitality, a life force and energy, a quickening which is translated into action—and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost. The world will not have it.”—Martha Graham

Also, this:

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” -Rudyard Kipling

Kipling was stoned when he wrote that.

And congratulations to everyone, even if you only wrote one word.

Kipling was stoned when he wrote that.

I always forget you two used to hang out...

Oh, so last night I decided to do a NaSoAlMo after all, and wrote and recorded an album in 3 hours.

YSI?

Wow Chris. Are you going to put it on your blog so we can listen to it for free?

Badass achievements by all. Pip pip!

I am amazed by you all.

I’ll make the link public soon. I’m going to tweak some of the levels probably and come up with some album art. But if you’re really impatient, e-mail or IM me and I’ll send you the link. It’s not too bad for something written and recorded in 3 hours.