Archives for : NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo – The Return

Posted by :David Manly On : November 3, 2013
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Category: "The Black", NaNoWriMo, secret project

November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, for short), and I’ve participated in it for the past number of years, but with a slight twist.

The purpose of NaNoWriMo is to force you to write a 50,000 word novel in just four short weeks.

But I’ve never done that. I always used NaNoWriMo to further the creation of my own novel, “The Black.”

I came up with the idea for the novel when I was in journalism school, and I started writing it on this very blog. It was fun, interesting and I knew exactly where I was going. Until about chapter two or three, where the book I ended up writing did not resemble the one that I had begun.

So, I decided to stop and spend some time thinking about exactly what I wanted my novel to be. I sat down and wrote an extremely complex timeline, then a plot summary, character descriptions, etc. My book was perfectly laid out in about ten pages. All that was left was to write it.

So, I basically took what I wrote previously as a guide, and started from scratch. Since then, I have been working on it on and off for years.

My problem is this – as a writer and journalist, I spend all day writing, editing, reading and researching for work. So, when I get home, doing the same thing for hours can often feel like a bit of a chore. Sometimes, the words would just flow and I would have no problem writing and writing for hours at a time. Other times, I’d struggle to complete just one- if that.

That is not to say that I do not enjoy writing, as I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be a writer and a journalist.

So, I used NaNoWriMo to not necessarily start a new project (though I do have two other ideas for a novel and a short story that I’m keeping in my back pocket), but to force myself to continue writing “The Black.”

And it worked, but I am nowhere even close to being done. At all.

But this month, I am going to try something different.

Instead of continuing to write “The Black,” or even a new novel or story, I’m going to devote all that time to a new project I am developing. This project will require a lot of preparation, research and a whole host of other stuff.

But, I am extremely excited about it, and think it could incredible. And I have some amazing people that have offered their skills, expertise and extensive experience to help me out with this.

What is it?

Well, that will remain a secret for now, until it launches. But if you know me (or follow this blog), you’ll have a pretty good idea what it is about … *cough* animals *cough.*

Stay tuned!

Last November Update – YOU Decide

Posted by :David Manly On : November 30, 2012
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Category: "The Black", Decisions, Movember, NaNoWriMo

And thus ends the Movember and NaNoWriMo great experiment!

How did I do?

Well, let’s see:

For NaNoWriMo, I managed to get through a pesky piece of writing that had been bothering me for quite a long time. I could not come up with a good way to get my characters out of a particular situation, but thanks to this (and some help from writing friends), I managed to overcome that hurdle and write what I think is some pretty good stuff.

Is “The Black” done?

No, not even remotely. But, I wanted to make a dent and a dent has been made. I will endeavor to write more of it soon and will, of course, keep you all apprised.

As for Movember, I am facing a bit of a crisis. I do not know if I should shave off what I have cultivated over this past month. So, I thought, who better than my loyal readers and friends to decide for me?

So, I pose it to you – below are pictures of me in my “clean-shaven” and “Movember” states, and I want you to let me know what you think. Should I go to one extreme or the other? Perhaps some transitional state? Or, should I just let go and grow a full beard?

The choice, as they say, is up to you.

Let me know your choice through either the comment section below, a tweet or whatever way you wish to contact me, and I promise that I will follow thorough.

Movember – Doin’ It Ginger Style!
Unshaven – Blue Steel (or Le Tigre, if you prefer)

You have 24 hours to decide … GO.

A November Update

Posted by :David Manly On : November 11, 2012
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Category: charity, Movember, mustache, NaNoWriMo

Welcome to November!

Or, as I like to call it, the month of doing …. things!

There are two things that I am taking a part in this November, and I will be using this blog to keep you, my loving readers, up to date on the progress.

The first, is that it is National Novel Writing Month (or, NaNoWriMo), in which aspiring and professional writers are encouraged to write a novel during the month of November. There are a few rules, but, I have decided to do my own thing in the spirit of NaNoWriMo.

I have decided to pick “The Black” back up and start writing it again.

Now, there is no way that the story will be able to be finished, as it is turning into a long story. But, I hope to be able to put a significant dent into the writing.

As of today, I have finished 13 chapters and it is amazing how many things keep popping up to write about. My goal is to write a little each day and for one full day on the weekend (at least). We’ll see how I am able to stick to that schedule.

The other thing happening this month is that it is the month of Movember, which is where men grow mustaches of all shapes and sizes, to raise money for Men’s health awareness (specifically prostate and mental health issues).

At work, all of the male employees have decided to band together and grow mustaches and raise money.

Once the month is done, I will post a before and after picture, so you can fully appreciate the mustache 🙂

If you would like to donate to me or my team, you can click the link here.

See you all soon for another update!

The Mustachioed Manly

The Return of The Black

Posted by :David Manly On : October 23, 2012
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Category: "The Black", NaNoWriMo, novels, Scientific American, writing

In just over a week, professional and amateur writers from all over the world will be participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which I have missed the past few years. I always heard about it far too late into the month to really do anything about it, but not this year.

The goal of NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org/) is exactly what it describes – write a novel over 30 days. Easy, right?

Actually, no.

But this year, I am determined to give it a shot (however, with one minor addition). Instead of writing a novel from scratch, I’m going to pick up my old and dusty copy of “The Black” and continue writing that.

I figured that, since the article on twins and the search for individual identity that I wrote for Scientific American has been published in The Best Science Writing Online 2012 (buy your copy here!), now was a good time to write as much as I could possibly stand.

For those new to my blog, The Black focuses on Roger Wilks, a lab technician for a big pharmaceutical company. After a series of very unfortunate events, he gets exposed to something that causes him to hallucinate his own past. But, when he begins to run out of past to remember, new memories begin to pierce the veil and drive him slowly insane. He then ends up in an asylum known as “Limbo” where he meets a cast of misfits that help him escape and ultimately, discover his destiny and that life is more than a series of accidents.

How does that sound?

I know the entire plot, all the character arcs and the major story beats that I need to get to, the major difficulty is just putting the entire thing down on paper. I’ve been slowly chipping away at writing this for a few years and while it will probably take longer than one month to write it (as it looks to be a long one), I hope to be able to put a dent in it.

This blog will serve, for the month of November, as a chronicle of my progress.

Every week I will update it with my progress, issues that I am having, interesting developments and the like. I will even ask for advice from time to time, which will directly affect the plot.

 I hope you are all looking forward to sharing this neat little adventure with me, and maybe when the month is done, I will put some chapters up for the hive-mind to look at.