June 2009 Weddings
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
NaNo?
Is anyone from our awesome J09 board participating in NaNo this year??
I was fully planning to, but am at a complete loss for a plot/storyline/characters etc...Kind of important components in writing a novel. 
If you're participating, get me inspired please!!?
Re: NaNo?
I've never heard of this, but I'm TOTALLY going to do it! (amidst everything else I've got going...)
I don't know what I can do to offer inspiration, but I can suggest three awesome books:
(1) The Write-Brain Exercises (bonnie neubauer)
(2) The Writing Experiment (hazel smith)
(3) What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers (anne bernays/pamela painter)
AWESOME! Thanks so much SBS, ordering these tonight.
I know if I sub writing time for nest time, I can totally do it
?
I've been thinking about it. I'm at a loss too. I used to "think" myself to sleep at night by planning my outfits for the next few days, now i try to come up with plots. It's not really working, but I've been getting to sleep a whole lot faster
I think my problem is that a lot of what I think i could write about well draws from sad experiences i had with my mom. i don't really know if i want to conjure up miserable times in my life, if that makes sense.
Sad face about your mom experiences
The mom in me wants to crush you with hugs right now!!!
And yes, I totally know exactly what you're saying. When I was in college, I wrote best when I got myself in a miserable place (in my memories). I don't know why that is, but it just seems to be so much more genuine than anything else and I think people really identify with that when reading it. And I totally get not wanting to go there at this (or any point) in your life.
I totally see you writing a clever story based around your Irish honeymoon! You are super sharp and I always like to read what you have to say. I think you should definitely go for it now. At least at the end of it, if nothing else, you will have a rough draft to be able to turn into something great.
I am totally getting those books SBS recommended. I don't know why I don't have them already, being an English major in school. Guess I need more help in the creativity department now. I think I am just going to jump in and commit to it. I really have nothing to lose, but lots to gain. Please let me know what you decide!
I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that my honeymoon wasn't exciting enough to build a novel around!!
I'm glad you understand. Even when I was 18 and had a livejournal, it was always so much easier to write when I'd had a bad day.
What are some thoughts you've got floating around? Maybe we could bounce ideas off of each other!
I would love to bounce ideas! I've had these 2 really heavy story lines in my head for years involving people fighting cancer and AIDS, but I am similar to you in that I don't really want to make myself miserable writing about that.
So to that end...I am stumped! Mystery is my favorite genre so I am drawn to doing something along those lines. I was thinking maybe I could set it in Palm Beach and work in some of the crazy people I met while I lived there--I would definitely not have a lack of characters that way! Plus I think it would have an easier time 'flowing' since I know the island inside out.
What do you think? What are your ideas??
Your palm beach idea sounds like fun! I think it would be best to write what you like to read and what you're familiar with. Plus, it sounds like a place that people would be interested in reading about, and you know a lot about it (ie you wouldn't have to do a lot of research!) which is a big plus. You'll probably be more likely to stick with it rather than a story about a chronic disease that will make you sad
My favorite author is Curtis Sittenfeld, who writes a lot about misunderstood young girls and how they come of age. I would like to do something like that, I'm just having trouble thinking of an original plotline. Also, I kind of see myself as someone who belongs in the North living in the South and just not getting a lot of the people here. I could definitely do something like that, I just can't think of a plot other than girl meets boy, etc which is so played out.
Once you sign up for NaNo, I think you can add "writer friends" -- maybe we could find each other there?
I have three good friends all planning weddings right now. I have a feeling my novel may be about them... (I'm starting myself out "easy" and going for "Chick Lit" as my genre!)
I would love to read your chicklit, sbs!
I didn't even realize you sign up for this - I thought you just went for it. I guess I should sign up, then maybe I'll actually do it!
I did NaNo in 2005, 2006, and 2007, and won all three years. It's an awesome feeling to know that you can be a "novelist" with a little bit of coordinated effort.
I wrote two fantasy and one sci-fi novel. I suggest going with what you know best, as it will flow much easier.
I wish I could participate this year, but my honeymoon will interfere. Maybe I'll try to catch up when I return.
(Yes, I'm a lurker, but I couldn't pass up a convo on NaNo!)
Clearly I had not done enough research on this before deciding to do it... literally, I just thought all you did was decide to write something and do it. I didn't realize the community aspect, and the "winners".(Penaltyshot, you totally tricked me by saying you won, I thought you were famous or something
)
I also didn't realize that Sara Gruen's novels were a result of nanowrimo. I loved Water for Elephants !
Sorry about that! Yes, all I did to win was write 50,000 words for my novels. There's a verification engine that you submit with after Nov 25 (I believe) and then your profile shows up with a winner status.
The engine also will track your progress if you update daily and you can see your wordcount rise, which is very motivational! Make sure you hit your 1,667 word goal per day and you're golden.
The community is amazing. I met some really cool people doing "write-outs", where you go to a coffee shop or bookstore and write at the same time. It's nice to get ideas from others and give advice when people get stuck. ("What's the evil wizard stealing in order to ruin the world?" "A magical gem!")
So cool to hear, thanks for sharing! And congratulations to you for 'winning' so many years!
Dandy-I am signed up. It's easy, and took under a minute probably. When I decide to do it 100%, I am going to add the cool siggy badge here.
You really have to do it. You can do a funny, clever book from your POV (which is usually quite hilarious) in the vain of something like a David Sedaris "Me Talk Pretty One Day." I think it's a very interesting dynamic you have going on and I am always surprised when I remember you live in LA!
I find myself often getting bogged down by the "it's not good enough, it's not original enough" argument/mindset/devil on my shoulder. But just look at the movies being made now, nothing is original or even that good! I think it it's done well, it will be great no matter what!
One of my friends just got a literary agent for her 200-page book and is in the editing process now. I want that to be me! It's so inspiring.?