Things to do on long car rides http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303 Contemptus It's sort of a given, isn't it? I have a MC in her late teens and a MC in his mid to late 20s, and I'm trying to find or think of things for them to do while driving cross country. There's only so much baner you can write before it gets stale, so some variety would be nice. Thanks. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:26:07 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144302 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144302 Aria617 1) you can always cut to when things happen. No need to give a play by play if it's just filler 2) when i drove cross country, I talked, listened to audio books, read if i wasn't driving, sang along with the radio/my ipod, played the license plate game (see how many states you can get) but yeah, nothing all that interesting to read about. If it doesn't need to be there, cut it and skip to stuff happening. "By that evening, they had reached Utah..." Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:35:10 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144440 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144440 Irukazab There is really only so much to do. At that age, probably music and sleeping... Maybe stopping at the world's largest ball of yard or something like that... Unless they start getting on each other's nerves real bad. Small thinks can irritate the dickens out of you in a confined space. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:45:58 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144469 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144469 FamilyFriendlyComedy Always liked Mad Libs - you can get some off a computer or make up your own - but it's harder when only one person can give answers. I Spy seems like a kids' game, but if they're a bit silly late at night, sure. Depending on personalities it could get very silly (the third button on my shirt, for instance) Same with 20 Questions, although that can be an adult one, too. Is one a good prodist? Perhaps they try to parody some famous song, and discuss what words fit in where. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:42:18 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144723 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144723 Tricket Road side attractions! On every cross country trip I've made, I try to find strange places to stop. It may take some time out of the drive, but it makes it far less monotonous. I have a tendency to collect those attraction pamphlets from the Welcome Centers, and have driven an hour or so out of my way to see something really interesting. Fainting goats, hay bail museums, strange little zoos, odd circus attractions... There's all kinds of odd wonderfulness on the highways :) Sometimes, though, the attractions are let go in favor of less-strange fair, such as a little bit of sight seeing in towns and cities along the way. Again, the tourist centers are pretty helpful in directing these ventures. Of course, if you're on a time constraint, this wouldn't work. In that case, it's a matter of seeing how utterly hyped up on caffeine one can get, have a camera handy for cool picture opportunities (old barns and houses, cool road signs, etc.), and just plugging on through until the destination is reached. Music, audio books, foreign language CDs, etc. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:54:35 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144758 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144758 ArtsyGal Wow, I would have loved this one three days ago. It is kind of hard to find things to do, especially if you're kind of on a schedule and can't really spend time on stopping to see interesting things (though that is a nice way to add some variety:) None of these are very action packed, but you might get some ideas:) See how many different license plates you can spot Take photos of the funny/odd signs you see. (Like the "Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers in the middle of barren, dusty hills:) Set your radio on scan, sometimes the commercials will sound hilarious when it flips to a different station in the middle of someone saying something:D (And why is it that you can get Country anywhere?) If you happen to have somewhat of a morbid taste (Which I don't, but it kind of surfaces on trips because I'm so bored) you can count the roadkill along the highways and see how many different animals you can see and which ones get run over most. (Usually skunks:) Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:33:15 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144844 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144844 sovay I've got lots of experience with car rides, seeing that when I was younger, my family drove 10 hours (each way) to visit family, at least 3 times a year, and now I go to school 3 hours from home. On car rides (when I wasn't driving) I always commandeered the whole backseat and read, that was most of my entertainment, but that doesn't make the best story! In winter we always made a game of counting cars on the side of the road, or cars that were getting ticketed by state troopers (then we always hoped this didn't happen to us!) We always made a point to stop at our favorite rest stops (because yes, we had them, we drove so much). We looked at the license plates - usually we see the same ones, but once or twice we see ones from Washington and Florida and we always comment, "That's a long way from home." My mom always ate Tootsie Rolls - small ones, straight from the bag. You have to keep Tootsie Rolls in the bag otherwise they get hard, but whenever my mom pulled one out they were chewy and then the wrapper was this kind of crumpled plastic. We got lost sometimes because of construction - the entire state of Indiana is always covered in orange cones - and then we'd have to take bypasses, etc. Once we got stuck behind three army trucks and missed our exit, since we couldn't see the sign, and almost went to Kentucky by way of Chicago. Hope this helps! (: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:42:15 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144866 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144866 J.Kievsky [quote]If you happen to have somewhat of a morbid taste (Which I don't, but it kind of surfaces on trips because I'm so bored) you can count the roadkill along the highways and see how many different animals you can see and which ones get run over most. (Usually skunks:)[/quote] The formalized version of this is Roadkill Bingo, which has passed the time on many a long drive. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:45:41 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144875 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1144875 larelmian Things I've done with my family . . . Enjoy the scenery. Listen to audio books. Crank the music and sing along. Try to come up with as many songs as you can that have the word "blue" in it. Or some other word, or theme. Crossword puzzles. Sing songs specifically chosen to drive the other passengers insane. (99 bottles of root beer on the wall -- for example; first time I heard somebody sing it all the way through was while driving to Mt. St. Helens -- only time I've done it was starting on the Wyoming-Utah border.) Randomly repeat everything one person says for about four hours straight. Look for license plates from different states. Record in detail everything that's happened. Write a ballad about everything that's happened -- including the time your sister really needed to go and there was no rest area in that part of Montana. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:13:46 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1145175 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1145175 nawilla I don't drive, but on long train/bus trips, I bring knitting/crochet/cross stitch to work on the trip. Also good on airplanes. (Of course, you need to make sure your scissors are approved by the TSA. Yes, there are scissors that are allowed on airplanes). Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:47:57 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1145326 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1145326 CadaeicCicada I recently took a two-day, twenty-two-hour drive halfway across the country. These are some of the things I did. Reading, if your characters don't get carsick doing that (I'm blessed with the almost complete inability to get motion sick). Sleeping. A LOT. Music. Contests to see who can sing along the loudest (or most off-key). Keeping track of places the plates on other cars hail from. I didn't do this one, but I just thought of it: Buy some teen magazines and take turns doing personality tests on each other. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 04:18:08 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1145781 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1145781 Dan Diego Share a six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon Change drivers without stopping Pick up a hitchhiker (or at least, discuss it) Get Lost Create a new language (comes in handy later in the plot) Trace your route on a roadmap with a marker Emergency rest room break at a biker bar Fix a flat tire (first time using manual only) Sit in the 'Truckers Only' section of a diner Check on the body stored in the trunk Avoid truckers driving aggressively after the diner Slip screen (drafting) a semi truck to save gas Buy a CB Radio and torture truckers with police sightings My wife and I did half these things on our last five hour drive to Vegas, baby. No conflict, no story for me. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:56:37 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1146505 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1146505 keolah I say "don't write filler". Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:26:22 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1147554 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1147554 WritingGeek97 Dad doesn't mind trips if he has Mom and I with him (or even just Mom or if it's just me). I hate trips with a strong passion. (Well, I get intestinal troubles anyway let alone getting them in a enclosed can which is constantly in motion. XD) Mad-Libs. 20 Questions. The People Game (like 20 Questions except about people we know) A movie or two. Audio books. Books (and notebooks and pens for me). Knitting. Sewing. Music. Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:20:00 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1147731 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1147731 Contemptus Oh, this is so much help, guys! Thanks so much! Strange as it is, Roadkill Bingo would probbaly be the most in-character for my MCs, along with count-the-car-accidents, or something along those lines. Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:41:02 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1148095 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1148095 Dragonchilde Moving to Plot Doctoring Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:16:54 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1150218 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1150218 Imaginative Insanity My favorite road trip games that would be interesting on a car would be the license plate game (I played it so hardcore when I was little that I looked at every license plate on entire 12 hour car rides and marked them all down) and the alphabet game (which I play so hardcore that I can still win while driving). If there aren't enough billboards around for the alphabet game, and there's enough traffic, I sometimes switch to finding the letters (and numbers) on license plates instead. That one, I've never made it all the way through. Sun, 19 Feb 2012 04:26:32 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1151880 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1151880 lilly32261 Reading, music, sleeping, taking pictures if the windows aren't too covered with fingerprints. Last time we went on a field trip, my friend and I played bingo (whoever sees five yellow cars first wins) and pedophile van (You know those vans that don't have any windows except in the front? Find five of those. She won that one twice and was one away from winning a third time by the time we got back to school. It was a fifteen minute trip. I don't even want to know what that says about our town -- only one of the vans was marked, too. The rest were completely white.) You reach up and touch the roof for those. The licence plate game. I've only played that one once, and we almost got all the way through it. We even saw a Las Vegas plate, which was exciting since I that's where I'm from. When I visited my aunt and uncle over the summer, we drove through Custer State Park, and my cousin sang the whole time. (He's an amazing singer. He managed to make Baby sound decent.) Eat. Whenever my parents take us on a road trip, they bring a cooler of food, usually stuff like pepperoni, chips, and jerky. Sun, 19 Feb 2012 05:22:34 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1152144 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1152144 StarE Well, aside from the standard chatting, sleeping, and listening to music, here's a few things that my friends and I would do on long road trips. On the way to Disneyland when I was twelve, my friend and I developed our own theme park. It was pretty detailed - we even drew a map, though the bumpiness of the road sort of ruined the artwork. We based the attractions on a story we were writing, so each character had a ride themed after them. We even came up with joke-restaurants to fill the park, like "The Calorie Cluck" and stuff. Whenever we came up with something, we drew it on the map. This kept up busy for quite awhile. :) My friend is an actress, so she spent a lot of a recent road trip reciting and memorizing her script out loud... "Can you give me the cue line for this, StarE?" "...Dude. I'm driving." "...Just real quick?" There's also the insane hunt for a bathroom because SOMEBODY said they were "fine" at the last rest stop and now their bladder's threatening to explode... Or the hunt for a McDonalds because it's the only roadside restaurant we can think of that FOR SURE sells milk, and holy heck do we need milk, because the cookies we brought along were super dry (but delicious) and we both just had five... Reciting all the words from a movie we memorized... Usually "The Lion King" or something else from Disney... Playing the "Just Imagine" game, where everyone but the driver closes their eyes and someone (maybe the driver, but not always) starts telling some kind of story that usually went horrifyingly wrong or violent, so that everyone would have to imagine something they really DIDN'T want to think about... Drawing on your arm with a pen... "Chinese Fire Drill". ...We did this at a stoplight once, and it was stupid, but it happened. The driver suddenly screamed, "CHINESE FIRE DRILL!!" and we all leaped out of the car, scrambled a full circle around it, and then jumped back into our seats and slammed the doors just as the light turned green again. (I have no idea why it's named this...) That's all I can think of at the moment. Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:02:10 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1160654 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1160654 Dennis Dunjinman On car trips, I like to be the "Chewie". That is, I sit in the passenger seat and hold the road map in my hands, keeping track of every exit we pass and every route we take. So I have no excuse to say "Are we there yet?" On time, we were driving home on what would ideally be a four-hour trip, except that there was a deep blizzard that day. We made a sport of counting every stranded car, and totalled over 100 before we arrived. Also on that trip, we had to stop to brush ice off our windshield when I noticed the recorded outdoor temperature was unusually high and that the ice must've been blocking the vent and causing it to overheat. Glad that trip went okay. Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:42:52 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1161168 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50303?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1161168