Veterans of NaNoWriMo and those who have explored other threads on the forums are probably familiar with "dares." Each year authors set up dares: items/characters/situations that can be included in the year's novels. Some can be serious, but often they are rather silly and require quite a bit of thought for follow-through. For example, in my first year I accepted a dare to include 3 chickens in my novel -- and they had to appear at least 3 times. This little twist resulted in a dimension to one of my characters that I never would have included on my own -- and it actually enhanced that character!
In Maryland we have our own slant on dares: each year we choose a state-wide dare, something that is associated with our state. In the past we've included mentions of the Renaissance Festival, heraldry, a raven (either the bird or football-related), and last year's "mention as many of Maryland's 24 counties as possible."
So what will it be this year? What makes you think of Maryland? Reply to this thread with your suggestions.
----------
Vickie, ML for 270 corridor
gaithersburg_md@nanowrimo.org
Alternate e-mail: vix94@rcn.com
51,065 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 13 07
Previous years' dares included cicadas, jousting, and blue crabs. So those are no longer eligible. We need a NEW dare.
Lee
----------Winner!: 2004 - String Fling, 2005 - Dark Matters, 2006 - Heaven's Homeless, 2007 - Against Nature, 2008 - Crack Bot
MLing for MD since 2004
25,489 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 18 24
How about including our state reptile? The Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is our state reptile. Also, in looking for ideas to suggest, I found our state motto. It's... different. "Fatti Maschii, Parole Femine" Manly Deeds, Womanly Words. Also, did you know we had a state dinosaur? Neither did I.
I hope some of these help!
Linda
----------I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper. – Steve Martin
1,648 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 18 54
My suggestion would be some aspect of the Poe House. I think that would be apt.
50,509 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 02 55
There's always our state drink of milk!
----------Having been called in here very many times over the past few months to answer for this or that misdemeanor, Oliver was well acquainted with the room's nuances and eccentricities – most of them fungal.
43,616 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 19 29
I'm going with Poe. His house, his grave, his work, whatever.
----------Or ravens!
"My doctor says that I have a malformed public duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber and I am therefore excused from saving universes."
_______________________________
2007: LONGA VIA - 50, 057
2008: Tattoos and Dandelions - 51,252
6,332 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 20 40
How about a calico cat?
50,063 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 22 12
Hey, guys.
We can't do Poe - that was the dare for 2007.
Or at least "The Raven," but I'm pretty darn sure it's Poe as a whole.
The last couple of years, it's been Blue Crabs, Poe, and the Counties in the area.
Still think the super-secret organization that doesn't exist (you all know what I'm talkin' bout) ought to be our dare this year "D
----------~::||Overconfidence||::~
Before you attempt to beat the odds, be sure you could survive the odds beating you.
Yuu_tan.InsaneJournal.com
43,616 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 06 15
ooops, sorry, i didn't see Poe on the list.
Monarch Butterflies?
----------"My doctor says that I have a malformed public duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber and I am therefore excused from saving universes."
_______________________________
2007: LONGA VIA - 50, 057
2008: Tattoos and Dandelions - 51,252
108,301 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 07 36
This. I voted for this last year and I still want it. Though it would have fit into my NaNo better last year than this year. Hmm... ideas....
Heather
----------2008: Winner!
Night Fire, complete at 91,367 words
Resistance, incomplete at 53,760 words
2009 Goal: 150k words, two complete novels
43,616 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 13 20
This. I voted for this last year and I still want it. Though it would have fit into my NaNo better last year than this year. Hmm... ideas....
Heather
I'm confused...
"My doctor says that I have a malformed public duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber and I am therefore excused from saving universes."
----------_______________________________
2007: LONGA VIA - 50, 057
2008: Tattoos and Dandelions - 51,252
"My doctor says that I have a malformed public duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber and I am therefore excused from saving universes."
_______________________________
2007: LONGA VIA - 50, 057
2008: Tattoos and Dandelions - 51,252
51,065 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 15 53
They are referring to NSA, or the National Security Agency, which used to be referred to as No Such Agency.
The most super secret agency that everyone knows about (and tons of people around here work for) - does that help?
I like one of the ideas that came up. No clue how I'd use it, but I always find a way!
Lee
----------Winner!: 2004 - String Fling, 2005 - Dark Matters, 2006 - Heaven's Homeless, 2007 - Against Nature, 2008 - Crack Bot
MLing for MD since 2004
15,233 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 16 12
Monarch Butterflies?
Gah! Surely you mean the Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly! ----------
When asked, "How do you write?" I invariably answer, "One word at a time."
~Stephen King
1,648 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 19 31
I humbly retract my suggestion for Poe house. I wouldn't mind the NSA, but I think that, despite it's presence in a chunk of Maryland, that it screams D.C and government more than anything native to Maryland.
Y'know, my vote is for...
Rockfish (aka Striped Bass)
32,389 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 20 47
Or ravens!
Hey this is already in my story, at least a little. One of my main chacters, her favorite author is Poe.
25,489 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2009 - 04 58
I like the NSA, but it'd be really hard to work into an historical romance! (if that's what I end up writing - I have no idea yet! Eek!)
----------I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper. – Steve Martin
35,412 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2009 - 05 33
Rockfish, yes of course! Last year, all the counties made it into my book and so did a lot of other Maryland stuff. But not rockfish! I think I could easily put that in my YA Sir Gawain of Baltimore sequel. I've also thought that the monarch butterfly migrations are marvelous. We didn't have anything like that in the midwest. Soldiers Delight is an interesting place - an ancient lava flow is in the park. Did somebody say what our dinosaur is? That would be a tough one. M
70,110 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2009 - 06 35
If it were to be NSA, we could always make it a little more general... a dare to include the acronym in some form (a character's initials, even?).
53,385 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2009 - 06 41
NSA/Fort Meade gets my vote.
:-D
----------"Is this a chain of command, or a chain of credulity?"
"There's a difference?" Miles grinned. - Bujold
43,616 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2009 - 07 18
OHHH, ok. :) yes, thanks that helps.
----------"My doctor says that I have a malformed public duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber and I am therefore excused from saving universes."
_______________________________
2007: LONGA VIA - 50, 057
2008: Tattoos and Dandelions - 51,252
108,301 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2009 - 10 31
Or maybe creating within your book a fictional super secret agency that doesn't exist, just in the vein of NSA? Though that might or might not work for historical romance and the like...
----------2008: Winner!
Night Fire, complete at 91,367 words
Resistance, incomplete at 53,760 words
2009 Goal: 150k words, two complete novels
50,063 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2009 - 19 38
I like Jesina's idea, ha ha ha. But we can always be broad and say "put NSA in your novel somewhere" which means it can always be an agency that shouldn't exist but does (which works perfectly with me, ha ha ha). Initials rock too~
Hey, how about Cicadas? They aren't really our "anything" but, Jesus, have you seen 'em buggers during the summer? They're huge! And I just found out that California never sees these things ('cause I'm going to school here and I'm walking and am like 'woah, no bugs buzzin' or nothin'?")
Or maybe incorporate 'finna' or some other Maryland colloquialism, ha ha ha. I actually said that here in Cali and people looked at me like I was crazy.
----------~::||Overconfidence||::~
Before you attempt to beat the odds, be sure you could survive the odds beating you.
Yuu_tan.InsaneJournal.com
50,098 / 50,000
Oct 7, 2009 - 04 56
I vote NSA... the top-secret agency for which the exit is clearly marked on 295.
51,065 / 50,000
Oct 7, 2009 - 09 47
We already did cicadas! Coming from Hawaii I had been so glad there were no huge flying cockroaches here, and then the cicadas came out. Blech!
But some pretty great ideas so far - the butterflies, the rockfish, NSA in some form...
Remember, we can get quite creative with how something can be used. The year we had "blue crabs" I used a Hubble photograph of the Blue Crab Nebula!
Lee
----------Winner!: 2004 - String Fling, 2005 - Dark Matters, 2006 - Heaven's Homeless, 2007 - Against Nature, 2008 - Crack Bot
MLing for MD since 2004
42,624 / 50,000
Oct 7, 2009 - 10 35
The hilarity of clearly marking the exit for NSA on 295 *and* 32 seems to completely elude the folk working there. :-) Of course, it doesn't help that two of the buildings are huge and made of reflective glass. ;-)
Also, I think NSA would work well if written into an historical romance: 1) They're all about the inter-office hook-ups, and 2) the agency has been around--in one form or another--for ages.
On the other hand, who doesn't love rockfish?!
Thanks for reading!
--Cheryl
31,036 / 50,000
Oct 7, 2009 - 10 58
Mr. Boh!!! or Miss Utz. But Mr. Boh more.
0 / 50,000
Oct 7, 2009 - 11 20
I think a super-secret agency that no one admits the existence of would be good one.
I had a landlady who once said she knew a girl who asked someone "what those buildings were by 295 and 32?" this was apparently before the signs were put out there. And she was told, "what buildings?"
:)
----------35,600 / 50,000
Oct 7, 2009 - 17 43
Maybe something about the Metro? I guess that'd be hard for the historical romance, but it'd be neat to work in somehow, don't you think?
0 / 50,000
Oct 8, 2009 - 07 01
The Metro is more of a DC thing than a Maryland thing, though.
----------50,008 / 50,000
Oct 8, 2009 - 09 07
I have Ellicott City as the 'home town' of the main character. And I mention the Maryland humidity. But that's current novel not nanowrimo novel.
:\
----------Jeannette
50,008 / 50,000
Oct 8, 2009 - 09 11
Why is NSA supposed to be secret?
----------It's national security agency not national secret agency.
Jeannette