Go ask the lizard-guy something....

[JOJ650s]

Looks like you already made nice progress on this year's NaNoWriMo!

Got any advice for someone who just started?

[Sstavix]

Got any advice for someone who just started?

Yep! Here's my advice - just keep writing!

A lot of times, you'll be tempted to look back and start editing your work. Maybe jump back to the beginning and start tweaking. Don't do it! Save the editing process for after you get your first draft - your 50,000 words - written. Editing now will simply slow you down, and maybe even lead to self-doubts about finishing. So edit later, and write now!

"No Tux, no Bux" as the saying goes...I probably would've bent the rule for Legend of Grimrock II, though. I love me some classic dungeon crawl.

Hmm... that game is available for Macs.... However, I never could get into the first one. I couldn't figure out how to cast spells, and never took the time to look it up....

When did Christmas become 51 days away? O_o

About 51 days before Christmas.

[Deepfreeze32]

You skipped my question.

[Sstavix]

Whoops - somehow I missed it! I'm sorry about that!

Got a plan laid out (I know you have some idea of what you want to do), or are you planning to wing a fair amount of it?

A little bit of both, really. This time around I'm going to write it as a serial, so each chapter is going to be around 1,200 to 2,000 words, with ways to tie in with the previous chapters. So I have an idea of what I want to do with certain chapters, and will just have to figure out how to tie them together.

Ultimately, I hope to have 52 chapters written by the end of the month. Then I'm going to start posting one a week on-line as a way to attract readers. In a sense, I'm going to be giving away a good portion of the novel I'm writing this year. I'm hoping it will work with getting my other novels published. Or at least, if there's enough demand for it, this one in a single form.

[Chozon1]

Hmm... that game is available for Macs.... However, I never could get into the first one. I couldn't figure out how to cast spells, and never took the time to look it up....

The first one is available on Linux. And I *think* you need a staff. I found one early on, and after that you just right click it, select your runes, and click the fireball. I never tried casting a spell without it.

That said, the magic system in that game is terrible. It doesn't pay to use more than one element, since choosing more than one means you will only be able to cast high-level spells when you're almost at the end of the game. But by only using one element, you can't utilize some creatures weaknesses, and heaven help you if you pick one that doesn't have good spells. O_o

Doctor Strange?

[Sstavix]

Doctor Strange?

He's strange... and no, I'm not making a pun there. Those are some weird comics, and I'm sure the movie is just going to be as weird. It'll still be worth watching, though.

[Chozon1]

I like him, from the cleaned up versions you see in the various animated series. I'm actually tempted to go see the movie in theaters, which for me is something reserved for Tolkien or Star Wars movies.

Peppermint Patties?

[Sstavix]

Peppermint Patties?

If you're talking about the candies, they're pretty darn tasty. Then again, you can't go wrong with mint and chocolate.

If you're talking about the Peanuts character, I find her amusing, but I used to find her extremely annoying.

[Chozon1]

The candy. They make my teeth hurt, but I want to eat them all. <3

Under preparing?

[Deepfreeze32]

So I've just not been feeling the story I started. Each day, I come to the computer, and I cannot bring myself to write any more words on it. It's not that I hate it, I just have no concept of what to do without a plan. People say "Well just write!" as if it's possible to just will comprehensible sentences out of the ether. I can't. No words come to mind. Only random gibberish from me pounding the keyboard in frustration.

So I guess this exercise has shown one thing, and that's that discovery writing is absolutely NOT my style. Unfortunately, it takes a while for me to plan to the point where I feel comfortable writing, and that means I will probably not "win" this year. I would have made a plan, but my job has successfully killed most of my attempts at forming hobbies outside of work, and any motivation to do, well, anything.

Any advice?

[Sstavix]

Under preparing?

Depends on what you're preparing for. Sometimes you can just wing it, and sometimes you have to just jump in with little more than a prayer that you'll succeed. Or learn from your mistakes and prepare more next time.

Note: You should always be prepared for anything. From flash floods in Oklahoma (even if you live in Idaho), to a sudden attack by ninjas, you should be ready for anything!

So I've just not been feeling the story I started. Each day, I come to the computer, and I cannot bring myself to write any more words on it. It's not that I hate it, I just have no concept of what to do without a plan. People say "Well just write!" as if it's possible to just will comprehensible sentences out of the ether. I can't. No words come to mind. Only random gibberish from me pounding the keyboard in frustration.

So I guess this exercise has shown one thing, and that's that discovery writing is absolutely NOT my style. Unfortunately, it takes a while for me to plan to the point where I feel comfortable writing, and that means I will probably not "win" this year. I would have made a plan, but my job has successfully killed most of my attempts at forming hobbies outside of work, and any motivation to do, well, anything.

Any advice?

Well, I would have to echo the sentiment of the other writers. Just write. You claim that it's hard to pull "comprehensible sentences out of the ether," then I would say you should write incomprehensible sentences! Just write off whatever random, nonsensical stuff comes to mind. It seems like there have been many writers who have done just that, and they've been able to shape their insane ramblings into beloved classics. (Two examples that come to mind would be Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett - because, come on. Their concepts make no sense, but that only adds to the humor.)

Here's a question for you - you say that you need a lot of planning to write. How much planing did you do before forming this forum post? What if you wrote from a first-person perspective of someone doing a daily blog or journal? It could even be your journal, if you'd like. Give it a spin or a twist, though. By day you're a humble IT staffer, trying to survive a horrible boss. But at night, you become a superhero. Or a werewolf. Or a Don Juan. You have to live this double life without getting caught, and still get enough sleep to make it to work the next morning. You can use your writing as a form of escapism, to write about the life you'd rather have, rather than the one you've got now. Don't go into the journal with a plan for the next plot twist, or a fully fleshed out villain, or even with a coherent storyline. That's often not how real life works. Most people don't know exactly what they're going to eat for breakfast five years from now. After November is over, and you've hit that 50,000 word goal with a bunch of nonsensical ramblings, then you can pick through it and glean what you can. Maybe that little aside you wrote on day 15 and you never did anything with will be the gem that inspires you to plan for the next year.

[Chozon1]

I've been ready for a ninja attack since I was 7.

Roguelands?

[Sstavix]

Roguelands?

I've seen the trailer, but that's about it. Do you recommend it?

[Chozon1]

I'm not sure, actually. It's a Roguelike, with all the personality traits the genre has; though if you reach the end of a level and put your stuff in a box, you don't lose it upon permadeath. So the next character will be stronger because you can start off with armor and such. Plus, death never feels meaningless: you typically unlock a new race, or augment or something upon death.

Still, it's very, VERY, grindy. I'm about 10 hours in, and I've only seen 5 or so of the planets in the game, because to go any further is basically to coat myself in bacon grease and jump in a shark tank.

Complaints aside, I am having a lot of fun with it. The combat is fun, the pace is frenetic rather than thoughtful, and there's always something new (and potentially lethal) around each corner. So if you are the kind of person who enjoys Roguelikes and don't mind grinding, I would recommend it.

Thoughts on the new pres?

[Sstavix]

Thoughts on the new pres?

I mentioned it elsewhere, but I'm not so happy about Donald winning the election - I am quite pleased that Hillary did NOT win, though. I hope that this will be the last we've heard of the Clintons for a while. Like the Kennedys and the Bushes, those families have had their dynasties, and now it's time for the Clintons to go away, too.

One thing that I do hope, though - that both of the Big Two political parties have learned from this election cycle. I'm hoping that they will nominate two principled, corruption-free candidates so the media - and the American people - can evaluate them from their policy standpoints, rather than who has the better character. It seems like this election was more about mudslinging and insults, and the issues that actually would affect this nation took a back seat. I'd rather not see that again... but I'm not holding my breath, either.