Warwickshire: Leamington, Warwick, Stratford, Coventry ...

I'm from Rugby, which is in Warwickshire.

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Let the rewriting commence!
Working title: Childish Loyalities
Chapters edited: One + Prologue
Outlook: Optimistic

I'd forgotten about Rugby, despite the fact that my best friend from my last job lives there ... Well, hi there.

Any idea what you're writing this year?

Tom

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

Yup, fantasy as always, it's what I do best. I have a plot and everything! A definate imporvment on this time last year... You?

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Let the rewriting commence!
Working title: Childish Loyalities
Chapters edited: One + Prologue
Outlook: Optimistic

Somewhere between lit fic and romance - only more rubbish and less soppy. I've got a pretty good idea of the story, but need to sort out a couple of details - like, where do I start chapter one, and is the 2nd FMC English and 17, or a Polish immigrant and early 20s? But that's just details.

The story is about a guy in his late 20s who comes back to the town he grew up in after 10 years, only to bump in to the woman who dumped him when he was 17. The original idea was Jane Austen's Persuasion from the guy's POV (after watching the recent ITV version - I'm about 1/3 of the way through the book). Although the main plot is the will-they-won't-they between him and his ex, I want to focus a lot on the experience of change, of how he copes with the ways in which the town has changed over the years, and also in how the two of them have changed. The immigrant question came up because it occurred to me that there was a way in which he would feel a bit like an immigrant, moving to a strange place and leaving behind everything he knew - and I thought it might be nice to compare and contrast an immigrant from another country with the MC, who is sort of an immigrant from another time. Plus immigration from Eastern Europe is a kind of topical subject at the moment ... Not sure on that one. The character concerned is a kind of second romantic interest for him, someone he meets and gets on really well with, so there's the question of whether he will go for her or his ex. The other idea for the 2nd FMC was she was 17 (the age he was when he split up with his ex), and that would raise a range of different questions about the appropriateness of a possible relationship given the ages and age difference and the idea that maybe he's trying to return to the past by hanging out with younger people. Plus I had an idea for the scene where he finds out exactly how old she is (and is a little shocked). Maybe I can make the 2nd FMC 17-19 ish and do both, or maybe that's a bit much? I don't know. Any thoughts welcome ...

Last year I had a list of chapters (16) with a sentence outline for each; that worked really well, and in particular helped with pacing. I haven't got that far this year (due to procrastination rather than anything else, plus worrying about the where-do-I-start thing). Must do that ...

So, fancy sharing your plot?

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

I quite like the Polish idea, personally - I think you could get away with both, though. So we're talking an age gap of about ten years? The only thing is, that's not necessarily unheard of any more, my friend's parents are ten years appart. I guess that depends on when it's set though. I have to admit, I haven't read Persuasion - I read the blurb though!

Yeah, OK. Basically, I did NaNo for the first time last year, but I was so keen just to do it, I didn't really think much about the plot, so it didn't work out. What I did have though was some good characters, so I kept their basic outlines - just moved them to a different world and gave them re-vamped back stories.

So, the story is based around an old myth told in my world, where Astra, the Goddess of death, agreed to exchange a girl who was dead for the life of a virgin princess. That didn't turn out to be a great idea, cos the dead prefer to stay dead - in my world, they don't believe death is something to fear, it's just what happens next, and they love and worship Astra just as much as the Gods and Goddesses of life. Anyway, most people learned from that, and that was that (the story has a tragic ending that I ahven't quite worked out yet).

Anyway, my novel is about a girl, Siara, living in the city who works as a sort of spy/bodyguard for the princess. She doesn't much want to, but her friend Rona talked her into it. But her childhood friend Cassi dies young, and Cassi's brother remembers when Siara's grandmother told them that story, and descides to try it for himself. So him and his other brother, and Siara's twin brother Siarl, who loved Cassi, try to kidnap the Princess to sacrifice her in exchange for Cassi. And it's supposed to be Siara and Rona's job to stop them, but Siara's a bit stuck cos they're her friends and her and Siarl are very close, and the punishment's death and obviously she doesn't want that.

And then there's a sort of sub-plot, cos the humans are served by a basic slave race, the Alanti. The Alanti have basic magical powers, but they think that taints them, so they consider themselves an inferior race and serve humans. Kind of reverse racism, but the humans don't do much to stop it. Anyway, Rona's half Alanti, which means she has magic powers, but she can't use them, cos then everyone would know she's part Alanti. So I've got her trying to keep her secret.

So that's about it (sorry, that's a long summary!). It's a definate improvement on last year, so that's a start. And yeah, I pretty much plan the same way plot-wise, plus I've got a notebook for world-building. But I guess you don't need to do that if your story's set in this world!

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Let the rewriting commence!
Working title: Childish Loyalities
Chapters edited: One + Prologue
Outlook: Optimistic

I like the idea of turning the classic thing on its head - having the princess having to die for the normal person. Normally it always tends to be the other way around. And the bit of Rona being half Alanti and not willing to admit it is a nice idea. I wonder where it will all end ...

I know what you mean about worldbuilding, but I don't think the difference is so big. Even when you write about the real world, there's always something you want to fictionalize - the town, the street, the shops... but as you say, it is certainly easier writing about the real world in that way. Plus since I can assume people know what most of what I'm talking about is like already, I don't have the conflict between progressing the story and explaining the world, and how to explain a world which my characters see as normal but my readers don't understand. (Not that I have any readers, but you know what I mean). And when writing fantasy, people are people, even when they're not human, so you still have to think about personalities and how people react to things.

On the age difference thing - it's true, 10 years isn't unknown, but it's unusual and perhaps a bit uncomfortable - particularly in this case when the girl is 17.

And I haven't read Persuasion either - I'm reading it now, I'm about 40% of the way through, and finding it surprisingly a little heavier than the four other Jane Austens I've read (all but Mansfield Park). I thought I should read the original before November as preparation, but I'm mainly thinking about a couple of adaptations I've seen of it on TV (and in particular the recent one with Sally Hawkings and Rupert Penry-Jones from Spooks). Thus far I think I preferred them to the book anyway. I know. Sacrilege!

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

Ah, now that would be telling.

Well I suppose to an extent, there's always "world-building" involved, even if a story's set in our world. Or research, which I find even harder than world-building. I've been working on one story set in 1920s Chicago, something I knew next to nothing about. And I've had to do so much research, just to make the story viable. It's been eally interesting, and I've learnt loads I wouldn't have done otherwise, cos we study that sort of thing at GSCE, but I couldn't take history, which I was a bit annoyed about. I've found it fascinating to find out about, but it is hard work. But I still prefer world-building, cos you get so much more freedom. And yet at the same time, like you said, they're still people, they still have feelings, and no matter how different their world is, the characters are often very similar to real people, even the non-human ones. I dunno, I guess it is harder in some ways, but in others, it's your world, anything goes, and no one can turn around and say "Ah, but you know that that couldn't really happen..."

Yeah, I see your point. Especially as seventeen is technically still a child as well.

Sometimes there's nothing wrong with preferring the film to the book. I think it often depends on what you saw/read first - I saw the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film before I read the books. I've read them since, and loved them, but I still prefer the film. And at last two of my friends shake their heads and glare when I say that, but that's just how it is. And I preferred the fifth Harry Potter film to the book as well, but then I didn't think that was a very good book.

The only Austen I've read is Pride and Prejudice, after I saw the Kiera Knightly film, and it was much easier to read than I thought. Mum I think has read them all except Persuasion, she says she couldn't get into it. But I suppose if your story is inspired by the film you saw, then the story is good for extra information, but the inspiration's already there.

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Let the rewriting commence!
Working title: Childish Loyalities
Chapters edited: One + Prologue
Outlook: Optimistic

Interesting that your mum seems to have had the same experience with Persuasion that I'm having. I think it's the sentence structure - somehow it feels very dense to me in a way I hadn't noticed in her earlier books.

There's a theory that says that in sci fi and fantasy there's a risk that "world building" gets mistaken for or in the way of plot. I'm not sure that's right though - the impression I get is that for a lot of the people who routinely read (and write) these genres, the whole thing of getting to know new worlds is a large chunk of what's so interesting about them. The first Harry Potter book (and film for that matter) would be a classic example of that. Ok, there's a story, but most of the book is about getting to grips with the world of Hogwarts, and that's what's so engrossing about the whole series.

I's funny how OOTP seems to divide people. The review I saw for the film said the film wasn't as good as the other films, as befitting the book being not as good as the other books. Another person I know said that OOTP was her favourite of all the books. Personally I loved the film, and while I thought the book could have done with a little more editing (and incidentally, the next one, THBP, with a little less), it had some brilliant bits in it and I really enjoyed re-reading it. Maybe again it's because it had a little less focus on a single story, and a little more of the sort of side-stories and incidents that invoke the whole world around them. My wife said that she particularly enjoyed the little snippets about their lessons, which of course do nothing do advance the plot per se but are a big part of getting you into the world.

As for HHGG, they're among my very favourite books (although I felt each one failed to live up to the previous one). I've never seen the film, but I read the books before I heard the original radio series (or the TV series) and I preferred the books - apart from one fall-over-laughing bit when they first land on Magarathea ... HHGG is probably an unusual example though, in that each version of it (including the computer game) had original bits from Douglas Adams that weren't in any of the others. On the whole I prefer books to most things, but you're probably right in that it depends a lot on what you know first.

By a bizarre coincidence, I also wanted to take history at O level (I'm too old for GCSEs by one year) but couldn't due to timetabling issues.

I've not seen the Kiera Knightley Pride and Prejudice. Have you ever seen the Colin Firth miniseries version (or as I call it, the "wet shirt" version)? It's fantastic. But I think my favourite character (in book and the miniseries) is Mr. Bennett :)

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

Coventry, right here! There's plenty of buses to Leam from where I live, so getting there's not an issue if there's any chance of a Warwickshire meet.

I can sort of see that point of view - but like you say, to me that's the most exciting bit of fantasy. And in fairness, authors don't tend to get away with an awful plot just cos they've got a good world - I'm sure there's one or two, but anyone who's gonna make the effort to create a good world is gonna put some effort into the plot as well, I guess. HP is especially clever though, because it's a new world set in and around our world, so it's even harder to make things credible, I guess, I've never done fantasy that way.

My favourite was actually the thrid book, I think, but I also thought that was the worst film. It was a lot more inaccurate than the others have been (some of my friends reckon OOTP was rushed, but I thought it was OK - although that might just be because I thought the book was too long to start with, so cutting bits wasn't a problem for me), and also I just don't think it was as good a film - my step mum watches the films but doesn't read the book, and hated the third but wanted to see the fifth one again. (My dad's quite annoying about POA though, cos he says the time travel bit doesn't make sense and is completely impossible. I've tried explaining paradoxes, but eesh, he's too stubborn to listen. Plus - so the rest of it's perfectly realistic?)

Yeah, I guess the Guide is slightly different, I just thought of that one because I have a friend who give me an Evil Look every time I say I prefer the film. As a rule, I tend to prefer books though, but I do try not to go see films if I know I'm intending on reading the books - I still haven't seen the Da Vinci Code film, because I knew I wanted to read it but hadn't when it came out, so I wouldn't go see it.

No, I haven't seen that, although we do have it downstairs, and I've seen pictures of the wet shirt. Complete with Colin Firth, in fact.

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Let the rewriting commence!
Working title: Childish Loyalities
Chapters edited: One + Prologue
Outlook: Optimistic

Hi all

I'm in Kenilworth and am in the envious (?) position of having the whole of November off work - I'm convalescing after major surgery - so hoping I have the energy to keep going through the month.

I completed NaNo once before (I think it was '04) so am looking forward to this year's challenge.

And like my previous NaNo experience, I have no plan for this year, although did have a rather interesting dream last night that laid the foundation of a feabisle plot line.... (must be the morphine!!)

Heather

Horrible deaths: 1
Characters: 8
Believable characters: 3
Missing dogs: 1
Stress rating: 3/10

OddButInteresting: Hi there :) So, have you done this before? Any idea what you're going to write?

JosieHart: Funnily enough, I thoght the POA film was brilliant. Just goes to show something ...

Hetfinch: Well hello there. I hope you're well enough for all that writing. No doubt the Morphine must help a lot :)

So, now that there are more than two of us, does anyone fancy the idea of some kind of get-together / write-in either before or during November?

Weekends don't work very well for me (another reason I don't make the Birmingham meet-ups) but would anyone fancy an evening during the week some time? And some where? Preferably somewhere public that's open in the evening and has electricity for laptops and stuff ... which might be tricky, most cafés tend to shut down after work. But the Virgin and Castle pub in Kenilworth might be a good place, in that it's got lots of different rooms so it ought to be easy to get a quiet place to ourselves.

But any better ideas are welcome.

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

OddButInteresting: Hi there :) So, have you done this before? Any idea what you're going to write?

JosieHart: Funnily enough, I thoght the POA film was brilliant. Just goes to show something ...

Hetfinch: Well hello there. I hope you're well enough for all that writing. No doubt the Morphine must help a lot :)

So, now that there are more than two of us, does anyone fancy the idea of some kind of get-together / write-in either before or during November?

Weekends don't work very well for me (another reason I don't make the Birmingham meet-ups) but would anyone fancy an evening during the week some time? And some where? Preferably somewhere public that's open in the evening and has electricity for laptops and stuff ... which might be tricky, most cafés tend to shut down after work. But the Virgin and Castle pub in Kenilworth might be a good place, in that it's got lots of different rooms so it ought to be easy to get a quiet place to ourselves.

But any better ideas are welcome.

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

tomdg: Really? OK, that's a bit wierd, but I think actually some of my friends thought it was really good, but no one seems to be sort of in between.

Hetfinch: Well being off work sounds good, but hope you're feeling OK for NaNo! It is kinda strenuous, although I didn't notice it last year until afterwards, I was fine all through November. Then I slept. A lot. But I'm just wierd like that.

Meet ups are a bit unlikely for me, my mum'd probably freak out a bit. Sorry!

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Let the rewriting commence!
Working title: Childish Loyalities
Chapters edited: One + Prologue
Outlook: Optimistic

*waves*
Hello! I live in Long Buckby, which is a tiny village write on the Warwickshire/Northamptonshire border. But I spend most of my time in Rugby, so I figure I fit in here better than I do anywhere else. :)
I'm a NaNo Newbie (my friends tricked me into saying I would do it this year), and I will be celebrating my first NaNo birthday this year! (21st, for all those interested.) I specialise in fantasy, and for the record, I think the film of HGttG the books were about 50 times better than the film.

Ah yes, this is the friend I was referring to. And we didn't trick you, we blackmailed and threatened you. It's different.

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Let the rewriting commence!
Working title: Childish Loyalities
Chapters edited: One + Prologue
Outlook: Optimistic

Zingaro: hi there, welcome to NaNo. Yes, it's crazy but I reckon it's worth it. I hope you enjoy the experience :)

JosieHart: I kind of guessed that about the meetups ... good for your mum I say. Mind you - has she ever thought about writing a novel in a month? :)

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

No she hasn't. She thinks I'm mad. Although she's actually fairly relaxed about it, I think, compared to other mums. And yeah, I'm not gonna complain about the meet ups, cos it's exactly what I'd expect from any mum. To be honest, I'd be more worried if she did just let me go off randomly.

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Let the rewriting commence!
Working title: Childish Loyalities
Chapters edited: One + Prologue
Outlook: Optimistic

I bet she's as she is because you recognise and respect why she might have worries!

As one of the MLs for Devon, I'd be happy for a parent to come to a write in, and either 1) reassure themselves we left the axes at home and pose no threat, then go shopping, or 2) stay, albeit in the background, within sight of their child. Whatever it takes to reassure the parent that everything is OK, and then they can be happy, and the child can then do NaNo with no problems.

I'd even be happy giving my mobile number via NaNoMail, so they could ring me and reassure themselves.

Good luck Warks+area!

"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't."
Erika Jong

BFS goals - http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/1075131

Not long to go now....

Thought I had responded to the idea of a meet up, but it doesn't seem to have appeared - I'm not really able to get out and about at the moment, so wouldn't be able to make it - but good luck if you do!

Of course, I've had a complete change of heart about what to start writing tomorrow, so who knows what will happen.....! LOL!

Horrible deaths: 1
Characters: 8
Believable characters: 3
Missing dogs: 1
Stress rating: 3/10

Oh dear - good luck with that. In fact, good luck everyone! Only... five hours and six minutes to go! (Plus a bit, as I intend to spend the first six and a half hours sleeping)

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Let the rewriting commence!
Working title: Childish Loyalities
Chapters edited: One + Prologue
Outlook: Optimistic

Hello!

Daventry calling! Might sound slightly out of place but I've always considered Kenilworth as my home, if only house prices would allow me to live there.

This is my third attempt at NaNo - never before won it though.

I'm struggling so far since I have no plot, characters or ideas. Not even sure what genre I'll be writing in.

Oh well, I'm sure something will come to me!

bigmaddrongo: Welcome1 Find something to write then? (You're word count's gone up, so I'm guessing you came up with something.) Is the name Big mad drongo from a book? Only I'm sure I recognise it. I may just be imagining things though.

So, is everyone doing OK?

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Let the rewriting commence!
Working title: Childish Loyalities
Chapters edited: One + Prologue
Outlook: Optimistic

Yes, I finally came up with an idea but only time will tell where I end up going with it!

My nick is indeed literary in origin. The character Big Mad Drongo is one of the student wizards at the Unseen University in Ankh Morpork. First seen in the High Energy Magic building in Soul Music, his real name is Adrian Turnipseed. That's not my real name though. Gotta love Terry Pratchett.

Anyway, I must return to my distopian vision of the future, this novel isn't going to write itself. Sadly.

Yeah well, that's what NaNo's all about!

That's it! I knew I'd heard it somewhere. Oh yeah, you gotta love Pratchett!

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Let the rewriting commence!
Working title: Childish Loyalities
Chapters edited: One + Prologue
Outlook: Optimistic

Procrastination is fun...
I wouldn't really be able to do a meetup for the same reasons as Josie.
Well, for my first NaNo everything is going okay, but I have a feeling I'm going way too fast for comfort (I'm panicking that next week some calamity will occur which will stop me from wiritng, so I'm trying to get as far ahead as I can.

Word Count: 8134 (Caffeine and Paranoia are a dangerous mix)
Horrible Deaths: None yet! (Surprisingly!)

Wahey - 4800 words before breakfast and I'm back on track :)

And better still, I kind of know where my story is going a lot better now too.

Game on!

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

4800 words BEFORE breakfast!? Two questions - what time do you get up, and what time do you eat breakfast? I can't do anything before breakfast, I get edgy. Therefore, breakfast is as soon as I get up!

Did you go for the Polish girl or the younger girl in the end (or both)?

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Let the rewriting commence!
Working title: Childish Loyalities
Chapters edited: One + Prologue
Outlook: Optimistic

Yeah, well ... about 4am and about 9am. Yes, there had to be a downside. Ah well.

I'm going for the younger girl I think, although I haven't got to the point in the story where she appears yet. But I had an idea for a scene where the MMC is chatting to perhaps a Polish cleaner or something, so I can still use the idea.

I see lots of you are doing even better than me. 14k already is seriously impressive!

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

4 am - WHAH!

Glad to see you're all going strong.

I had a bad weekend, spent most of it in bed, so am a little behind. But getting into the swing again!

My 'inner editor' is seriously beginning to rack me off, however. Any good silencing tips? LOL!

Horrible deaths: 1
Characters: 8
Believable characters: 3
Missing dogs: 1
Stress rating: 3/10