Can I write a novel in 24 hours?? | a writing experiment!

[@reginaduke7451]

The first chapter problem: I finally accepted the fact that the first chapter I write is almost never the first chapter of the final product. This is very liberating! Just jump in and think about chapter one later.😃😃🥰

[@KateCavanaugh]

OOohhh yes, that's definitely what I need to do! :) ALSO HOPE YOU'RE DOING WELL REGINA!!!!

[@reginaduke7451]

I get out of rehab on Thursday and going to spend a few days with my bff the nurse I may not have my MacBook at her house but I hope to have my iPad. So tired of this lessened mobility. LOL

[@jewellscott]

We need a Kate's 24-Hour Experiments bingo card. LOL

[@KateCavanaugh]

☠️☠️☠️

[@A_Bookish_Obsession]

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!! 😆😆😆 Lmao the "you could 12 2-hour sessions, wait no... Well I mean technically you could do that" killed me 😂😂😂

[@SarahCahillWrites]

First chapters are difficult, especially when you're rewriting. 10k is such a good result, congrats! I fully embraced writing crap, because I wouldn't have survived otherwise. Would I do it again? Perhaps. Maybe I'll find something even more chaotic to try.

[@lakeshagadson357]

I wish kate and I were roommates

[@hannahhasenyager5846]

Same

[@calmyourmind5665]

“People will die.” “In the story, right?” ….. “Only people in the story will die, right!!??”

[@KateCavanaugh]

😈 ... ... (yes)

[@pixelsbykris5494]

Kate: "444 words is a good number!" Me, a Japanese person who knows that 444 is so unlucky in Japan that some people believe 4:44 am is cursed: *nervous laughter.* "Yeah...A GOOD number...right..." On a more serious note: I can't believe I forgot about this! I wanted to participate, too!

[@lxtatar7773]

Why is it considered unlucky? In Chinese "four" sounds similar to the word "death", is it something like that in Japanese?

[@pixelsbykris5494]

@lxtatar7773 It's exactly that, actually! "shine" means death/die in Japanese, and the number four (4) is pronounced "shi" Some buildings literally skip the 4th floor entirely. Whether that be by rendering it unused/unusable or just labeling it five (5), instead.

[@KateCavanaugh]

Ahahaha, my Vietnamese MIL would agree with you. Can never go home with leftovers in 4s! Always have to have one more item added or taken away bahaha.

[@pixelsbykris5494]

@@KateCavanaugh I'd never complain about having MORE food!

[@KateCavanaugh]

@@pixelsbykris5494 Same same same!

[@gaiamasottiauthor]

I have been waiting for this video longer than my degree 🤣 I love this challanges. This year, unfortunately, I was not able to attend, but next year I will definitely try to organise myself earlier 😍

[@KateCavanaugh]

Lolol! I'm hoping to do this next year too, only I'll be sure to purposefully plan to do 3 8-hour sessions instead. 😂

[@bodine219]

I use the forest app! However, for this challenge I split into two 12 hour days rather than tracking my actual writing time. This was a mistake. I have a probably case of ADHD and it just so happened that the challenge days fell on Bad Brain Days. I think next time I'll use forest to track challenge hours and that way I can just shift it to a day where I have an attention span greater than the average squirrel.

[@KateCavanaugh]

Ooh, Bad Brain Days are so tough to plan around too! I love these once-a-year events because everyone is doing them all together, and that's part of the magic, but sometimes those Bad Brain Days pick the worst moments to rear their little heads, and I hate when they end up coinciding!! Definitely would love to hear what you think of the challenge next time with what you've learned. 🐿️

[@madametrafficjam8347]

I totally thought about Lord Farquad when you said that line! I did not do the 24h novel but I wrote over 9k words during the relay and finished my first draft of my november nano project, ended at 148k words. Lots of editing to do now in other words lol

[@AuthorZaraHoffman]

Yay! I’m here in the first 10min of being uploaded

[@nevisnebis1207]

First ~15ish for me, but glad to be early 💪

[@mirahall4736]

It never matters to me or whether no you succeed. I just love the way you tell the story of you try things and how you learn. It really makes me happier than any show. Thank you for trying things and sharing what that is like with us! thank you thank ythank you :) hwaiting!

[@johntubbs6617]

This sounds like Flash Fiction Technique to me: Where you can start with either Content (Genre expectations) or Structure (Beginning, Middle, or End) or Method (Stream of Consciousness and tonalities etc.). And each draft expands all the various parts. It takes about 15 to 20 redrafts to find a story in reality. Outlines are just a guide or road map of possible directions etc.. There are many different levels of writing a novel, it's very hard to do all at the very same time without many published works under your belt. We all have M&R units and their internalizations (Interiority modes) it can be maddening at times - best to let the page cool of then comeback to it a month later for redraft - 15 scene types, 5 tonalities we write in. So many writing tools and techniques to juggle in the drafting process it's freking crazy when you think of it.

[@reginaduke7451]

I think the “trick” to this challenge lies in the prep. Let’s be honest. It took far more than 24 hours to outline the story. That is half the battle. The actual 24 hours of writing is just to get your feet wet and get you excited so you want to carry on as efficiently as possible.

[@Kitahand]

This was an amazing challenge, well done! I loved watching the writers involved, sad I missed the livestream with Sarah and Shay. Sarah was insane for this one also….geez…all in one day xD

[@Jocrazyface]

I went into this pretty head empty - no outline, no real plan. I wasn't fully committed to doing it right up until the first stream, but I surprisingly got so much done during these 24 hours and I am feeling much better about this WIP!

[@KateCavanaugh]

AHHHH YAY JO!!! So glad it helped you feel better about your project, that's the best possible outcome!

[@lunakenton1722]

Oh my... I've been waiting for this video 😂I was on holiday on that weekend so I couldn't participate but it sounds so exhausting and at the same time like so much fun. Definitly going to try it one day! But maybe I'll work my way up, eg starting a 12 hour writing challenge.

[@bluebunbunny]

IM SO EXCITED IVE BEEN WAITING LIKE A WEEK AAAAAAA TYSM!!! i just love your videos a lot 😅😅😅 like i watch them instead of writing...

[@annahcreates]

I was just wondering if you had posted lately and here it is! The post I've been waiting for! So excited :)

[@sydney2802]

I didn’t participate in the 24 hour novel challenge, but using the forest app to count is a great idea! I routinely forget I have it installed, so that’s a great use for it. And I feel like first chapters are so hard bc you put so much pressure on yourself by convincing yourself that you have to grab readers right away. But that can be for later drafts! I always think to myself ‘it doesn’t have to be perfect the first time.’ Because a lot of times, writing the rest of the story helps you figure out what the first chapter should be to really get the reader.

[@rebeccahiggins6202]

Well done on the 10k! Having the first chapter done is a super great idea, getting started is the hardest part of any new project for sure! After seeing you plot everything out with specific programs I really want yo tove that a try going forward, honestly they look so helpful! I ended up with 50k in 15 hours! (Can't wait to try it again with uou next year 😉)

[@REnos811]

I just started 4TheWords and one thing I'm really digging about it is that it counts the words written and not just your total word count. I'm doing edits/rewrites right now and I'm deleting a lot and my total word count isn't really moving, but 4TW is counting all the words I write. one hundo percent recommend :D

[@KateCavanaugh]

Oooooh that's awesome to know! Would definitely help with the occasional demoralizing feeling that sometimes accompanies revision, even when I know all the deleting is for the better bahaha.

[@fardareismai4495]

I've been excited to watch this since you posted and now I finally have the time. You're insane in the best possible way, these challenges are so fun!

[@KateCavanaugh]

[@lr5612]

Fun video, and Vin's eye close up and squeaking was gorgeous 😻 but it might be more fun at some point to attempt to go all in with sprints for four hours in a day for six days to get the 24 hours, or even two hours a day for 12 days and see how far you get with a novella or something that way? You could do dramatic 24 tv show titles for each hour. Less flashy title for KZbin but personally as a spoilsport I prefer slighlty more realistic challenges!! I wonder if you could also do it as a partner challenge where you both do the 24 hours over 6 days and alternate loosely planned chapters and do a follow up vid/stream of how it fits together 😂 Lol here's me suggesting a separated 24 hour version and getting to the end of the video when you're like, yeah I want to count hours up to A HUNDRED 🤣

[@cassie_hart]

I think you did really well, all things considered! I love the idea of tracking a whole project. I'd want to get granular about it and know how much time was research and how much brainstorming and how much drafting and then editing as well - but I'm terrible at tracking anything at all, so I'll just enjoy other people doing it 😅

[@honeybooks8443]

Yayyy finally! I was so excited for this

[@harryathornton4463]

i CANNOT wait to watch this!!

[@Chivalrytotem]

If I were in my teenage or early 20s, I will certainly try that too. On second thought, I might be able to do it still but on other type of writings not novels though.

[@EuphoricBlights]

Your cat is adorable and I love the names of all the furbabies ❤

[@NicoleWilbur]

Such a fun experiment!! I totally feel what you said about rewriting scenes. I've found I need to write a scene at least twice: write once, completely rewrite right away to get anything halfway decent. It's slow but I've made my peace w it haha 😛😂

[@KateCavanaugh]

OMG YES. It's so great once we know ourselves. Like ~in theory~ this might be better, but alas, my brain works this way, so I must make peace with it bahaha.

[@NicoleWilbur]

@@KateCavanaugh exactly hahaha

[@arellskan]

i just did a 10 k day, and because i needed to fill the murky middle in it worked. I don't think I could do it in rewrites or edits. But in zero draft, no probs. Thank you for sharing!

[@ziyanda_theartist]

This video just made me hungry, honestly... Is that a bagel?!?!

[@TheJaiyda]

Saving this video for motivation when 3daynovel comes around in September. Maybe you can try that one year as it's not quite as draining 😂

[@SDHegyes]

I did not do the 24-hour challenge or the Storyteller's Hearth Weekend because my girls had swim meets, but I love a good writing challenge, so I think I might have to do that in the future. I'll plan it for a writing retreat weekend, so I can be away from the fam and animals and have less distractions than usual. I also love the idea of doing a 100-hour writing challenge. Hmmm...

[@MissLucyJane]

I wanted to participate in #24hrnovel! Planned and everything. But I started a new job the week before, returning to an office environment for the first time since 2020, and of course I caught COVID that week :(. (Lots of other things happened that weekend, too, that got in the way.) Maybe next year!

[@rainyhammer9235]

I didn't do the experiment, but I did finish my screenplay outline which I was really excited about. Now I am working on writing that. I have no deadline really I am just hoping I finish it before I move which is 55 days. That is doable.

[@KateCavanaugh]

AHHHH RAINY!! ⛈️ Congratulations on finishing your screenplay outline! That's awesome!!

[@stephfoxeh]

Great vlog

[@anjakuemski]

This was a fun experience even though I could only join in for one and a half days. I'm thinking of doing something similar again to kick off Camp Nano and getting a head start.

[@KateCavanaugh]

Ooooh that'd be such a good idea! I know it's popular (in some spaces, lol) to do a version of this to kick off November's NaNo and I bet that rush is incredible. GOOD LUCK if you decide to try it (and even if you don't, bahaha). Hope you have a great start to Camp!

[@sheryl3049]

Kate can you point me in the direction of writing challenges or regular writing streams. I'm looking for some company/accountability for a week in Aug but I seem to miss things like world wide writeathon streams

[@glitchscribble44]

great job!

[@chesterdavis27]

Challenge Idea: Write a novella in 36 hours on a manual typewriter :-)

[@KateCavanaugh]

Omg if I had a manual typewriter, I'd totally try it. One day! There were several people who aimed for novellas during this challenge AND accomplish them! So amazed and proud.

[@herothebard]

So I posted my 24hrnovel results video which is honestly a mess and even now I am like “I probably could have edited that video down some more” (because a lot of it is me repeating myself and looking dead) but I am not going to do that because it’s a 21 minute video showing the real chaos of me with my with chronic pain trying to do a 24 hour writeathon and failing.

[@michellem7225]

I did not know Bubble Tea in a can existed!!!! Bubble Tea is one of my favorite drinks on the planet and I just discovered my Walmart has it. 🎉🎉 I did not get to do this challenge…not even a little. The whole weekend was too busy 😢 I’m already planning on next year though. There is no way I can do 24 hours straight. I am…not young anymore 😆😆 3 eight hour or even 2 twelve hour sessions sound feasible so next year I am going to do my best to make this happen!

[@KateCavanaugh]

It definitely doesn't compare to "fresh" bubble tea bahaha, but it's surprisingly good for being in a can!! So glad I could help introduce you to hopefully your new favorite thing. 😂🤞 And I'll join you in doing 3 eights or 2 twelves next year. No more 24, I AM SO SERIOUS bahaha.

[@RocketNinjaSlap]

I really wanted to do this challenge, but somehow I couldn't find the actual dates until after it had passed. I definitely want to do it next year, though!

[@glowllama]

This was a fun challenge.

[@makeuploverjess5170]

Personally I'd buy your grocery lists. I've loved your channel for years💜💜

[@raymondkim3740]

16:50 Kate: It's almost midnight, I'm now at 6423 words total. I also think... I'm making up words now, so... That's where we're at. *Immediately cuts to Kate grabbing a bottle of wine*

[@nuwanda_ell]

for me, i try to write a novel, expecting it to be done in a day. i spend 3 hours looking for a prompt, 4 hours looking for character names that arent basic, arent to unique and sound nice. i spend 5 hours thinking of a title after changing the prompt i found until its basically completely different. then i spend 2 minutes writing and dont do this again for 3 months.

[@chloec8745]

Kate, Scrivener only tracks things under the “Draft” folder. Everything else is unincluded!

[@t0dd000]

Outlining. People only don't do outlines because outlines aren't easy to put together and they are generally not fun. :)

[@joannaholden943]

We've all been waiting for this video with baited breath....

[@Francis-d2l]

If youre going to do a 24 hour stint, may i suggest an autotelic, stream of consciousness format,😂 it can come off as gobbledygookish if you dont warm up first, but also, watch out for subjective burnout, flash forward side longs and other time configurations can be rather useful plot threaders, i myself find the idea of doing an entire twenty four hour period of writing to be a seriously mortifying thing to think about, as im horribly awful about goals and points, lousy with worldbuilding and also, irritable about my similar sounding characters...of, course, its part of my genre, horror/humor noir, but, just ask my nonexistent professor if you think he can teach you anything about it. And well see you in the comments😅

[@shebreathesingold8043]

Hey, Kate. Used to watch you for years. Curious if you've published anything since I've been away so I can support you in, even with pen names. Been waiting for your books forever. If anyone reading this knows, let me know!

[@KateCavanaugh]

Hi! I haven't shared anything I've published under my pen name yet, I waffle back and forth on if or when I'll share. Publicly under Kate Cavanaugh, I have a short story in the horror anthology WE'RE NOT HOME, and hopefully one day A Closet Full of Cauldrons bahaha. :)

[@shebreathesingold8043]

@@KateCavanaugh Great. I'll check out the anthology.

[@KateCavanaugh]

@@shebreathesingold8043 💜🩵

[@Francis-d2l]

Have you ever done a sidelong glance? Instead of just staring straight through the reader, the way "conventional" writing is taught?

[@Francis-d2l]

I feel like such a wastelander without my Cuisinart, 😭😭😭

[@flameazaleas]

kate, this is wonderful. but every single person who has done this challenge terrifies me. much love, but i am afraid. lolol

[@KateCavanaugh]

Muahahaha, be afraid, be very afraid! 😈

[@little_cramezy]

Maybe I just have not found the video but you have never shown us how you line edit. I would be interested in that.

[@Heothbremel]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@SpencerSalt]

Please create a discord server!! I would absolutely love it x

[@Doitnow7]

Hello my friend 😊❤

[@KatisWritingStill]

I just have one question. How can I be your friend? I don't have any writing buddies and sometimes writting novels can get so lonely... Sigh. You seem genuinely lovely and like we would get along.

[@lakeshagadson357]

you are so smart how you could do a novel 📖 that fast I like to write a whole book or memior that fast

[@nildam.bonilla5849]

❤

[@zm3248]

Vanessa Bayer has played you in SNL before

[@laurlovesliterature]

lmaooo not lord farquad

[@TheHexedLibrary]

Am I supposed to hold you accountable to the "I'm never doing this again" this time or????

[@0Raiin0]

Good video, but wondering if anyone actually wrote a novel in 24 hours? I've done 50k in less than 24 hours, and 10k days for me aren't that uncommon. I was a little disappointed this didn't lead to a full novel. By no means should you push yourself, of course, so you did great restraining yourself to your capabilities. I just mean disappointed based on the title. The experiment felt more like just pushing yourself to write all day, but not with the real intent to finish a book. Anyway, still a fun video. Cheers.

[@KateCavanaugh]

Check out Sarah Cahill's channel! She also undertook the challenge and wrote ~48K, I think, and used it to complete the novel she'd been working on! I'm sure some other people who did the challenge also managed to write a whole novel! You can search with the #24hrnovel, I know a lot of people who participated are also over on Twitter and Instagram. And turns out the answer to my video's title is "no". ;) Lolol.

[@daniellealvessoueu]

I forgot the german shepherd's name 😭

[@chrishoshnix]

Not to be rude but “writing” several projects for over 5 years, there are no finished products. Where are these experimental pieces? The biggest part of writing is critiquing and using it to be a better writer. This content feels like a dog chasing its tail with no end in sight. I enjoy Kate’s romanticization of the process but would also love to see the results just as much.

[@modernbuys]

The harsh part of my brain says Kate has defaulted to writing for entertainment. She came to authortube to make money, and it didn't necessarily have to be from publishing books. When her channel took off, she defaulted to that being her priority, therefore, she literally writes for money, but not by publishing novels, but by doing writing challenges and from project to project, and selling her work as a youtuber. That can be highly entertaining for some viewers, and a bit shallow/hollow for others. I'm a bit in the middle. I get inspired by seeing projects/challenges, but over the years, it does feel like waiting for something that may never happen. The kinder part of my brain says maybe Kate is like me. She's a perfectionist and doesn't want to publish until everything is perfect. She's highly ambitious so she may be wanting to traditionally publish and self-publish and have both be successes. She's highly creative so she gets dozens (if not hundreds) of ideas and has trouble sticking to just one thing for a long time. She is highly sensitive, so she feels the pressure of having nearly 50,000 people waiting for her to publish a book, year after year, weighing heavily on her. Year by year, people expect more and better, so six years into it, maybe she's too afraid her books won't be good enough or that she may be one of those popular authortubers who gets cancelled after they publish their books. All real and understandable fears. Final words: These are just my opinion. For all I know, Kate is on the cusp of finally publishing a novel to share with her audience this year. I really don't know as I only check in every few months now. Time will tell!

[@KateCavanaugh]

I have finished products, just none I've publicized for THIS audience (yet). I'm submitting short stories, I'm participating in contests, and I'm publishing romances under a pen name. I totally get the value in wanting to SEE an end result and that's not something I've provided (outside random short stories I've shared from experiments, or a singular story in an anthology for charity). Hopefully that's something we can see under the Kate Cavanaugh name soon!

[@KateCavanaugh]

I appreciate the kinder part of your brain, as that's more/less exactly how I felt a couple years ago!! I still struggle with perfectionism and have enjoyed keeping my pen name secret for ALL those reasons you listed and more. Just one clarification: I didn't come to authortube to make money. I've been here a long time and didn't even realize that was an option when I started! But you're right, I am very cognizant that I lucked into something, and these videos currently DO help supplement my author income by a wide margin. I do all these experiments for FUN and having this channel really helps remind me of how much I love the writing process outside of publishing as a business. Someday I'm sure I'll share the business side again more. And someday (hopefully soon) I'll have published under Kate Cavanaugh.

[@randomgirl124]

@@KateCavanaugh Honestly I love that all of these challenges are for fun! I feel like a lot of the time it's easy to get bogged down focusing on the end result of a project. These videos help remind me not to be so hard on myself and to enjoy the writing process and have some fun with it.

[@thenovicewriter3196]

@@KateCavanaughHow has writing romance under a pen name gone, Kate? Can you give a general answer like "Good" or "Better than Expected" "Fantastic" "Not as good as I hope" "Poor but improving". You know, anything. Thanks! Also, I hear that romance is an easier market to break into. Has that been your experience? And what have you been writing? Romance novels or shorter forms like novellas?

[@kittea1804]

i've never seen someone incorporate so much alcohol into their writing routine, at least not in writing vlogs

[@KateCavanaugh]

I'm usually more of a single glass of wine a night (or nothing) but 24-hour writing experiments call for something a little more fun and crazy! 🍹🧉