Novel ideas, non-ideas, and inspiration!

I have no idea whatsoever!

That's a lie. I do have an idea, but I have absolutely no clue if I can write even a page on it, let alone a whole novel. It's nothing I particularly want to write, so I need something better!

Rawr.

♥Abba♥

My novel is called "Memorial High." Originally, it was going to be a screenplay, and the idea's been bouncing around my head for a few years, though I never put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). When I first learned of NaNo and signed up, the thought immediately came to me to novelize this, then adapt it to screenplay if it turned out halfway decent. I've been developing my characters and outlining my plot ever since, to the point that I really want Nov. 1 to get here so I can start officially writing this puppy.

The plot is a bit disturbing, and I wouldn't be shocked if every single person thought I was a "tasteless worm" for doing it (my mom's words when I told her, not mine). The plot centers on a shooting at a high school. Each chapter will explore the events leading up to each character's brush with death (some will live, most won't), including back story, interactions with other students, and (in the shooters' case) their motives, told through third person narrative.

At this point, I'm pretty sure I've got the story outlined enough that I can hit the 50k mark with little difficulty, assuming I just keep at it. As far as inspiration, the original idea came from an image that popped in my head (which later becomes one of the death scenes) a few years ago, and I thought it would be a good shot in a horror movie. That idea evolved as I discussed it with friends. Their responses all pretty much amounted to, "It's not original," and, "What can you do for horror that hasn't already been done to death?" So I wracked my brain and tried to think of one realm of terror that hadn't been fully explored, and then it hit me: School Shooting. There have been hints of it, a scene or two in a film, but nothing fully centering on it that I've found, either in prose or on screen, mostly because a lot of us (myself included) think the subject is a bit taboo, if not completely tasteless.

For many, it hits way too close to home, but that's kind of the point. What makes this idea scary, why it works in horror (and why I'm amazed that there hasn't been a film or book about this yet), is the fact that this could actually happen. I've seen Jason Voorhees hack and slash his way through a high school rave, or Michael Meyers attack a house full of teenage babysitters, and no one blinks an eye, because these are completely fictitious (and somewhat comical) monsters. But get a bunch of highly motivated (and truly angry) teens together with a few weapons and a list of targets, and have them take out their classmates one by one, THAT can scare people, because as we've seen all to often in recent years, it is VERY much within the realm of possibility.

The other reason I decided to do this story was because I want to get out of my own comfort zone. When I write my screenplays, as well as my blogs, I usually stick to snarky humor. This whole month is something of an experiment, so why not experiment myself with a genre I've never tackled? Do I have it in me to be a killer? Can I create a fully realized person on paper, knowing I'm going to put a bullet in their head in a few pages? We'll see.

I have too many ideas, actually.
I'm considering re-writing last years (building off last year's random stream of ideas), along with debating three plotlines that are bouncing around in my head.
I've done a considerable amount of research on one (The title in my signature) and I feel like it's a crime not to write it. It includes the concept of the personified seven deadly sins trying to take over the world with an organization dedicated to stopping it. I'm planning this one on paper as my NaNo.
BUT
Then there's another promising plotline that I came up with the other day that could carry me through November, and yet another fantasy-genred idea that is taking a mind of it's own.
*flail*
My brain hurts!

Head of the EWS Genshiken Brigade (anime club.)
WriMo '08- Shadow Chronicles Part 1
Wrimo '09- Ghosts of Greed

Abba - if it's nothing you want to write, don't write about it, silly! Find something you'd absolutely LOVE to write about - bad or not, and write about that!

WJHammon - First off, I believe we work together. Second, may I suggest if you want to see how others treat a similar subject:

http://www.amazon.com/Hey-Nostradamus-Novel-Douglas-Coupland/dp/15823441...

and

http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Falls-Richard-Russo/dp/0375726403/ref=sr_1_...

Both approach the subject matter with both the heart and the brain, (If you can get that far in Empire Falls, the first 300 pages took me six months to wade through, the last 100, a night), and offer a ton of insight.

EnergyHawk - That's my problem too. I have two full outlines done for novels I'm certain I could write in November, but there's just the lure of something messy, and crazy and awesome that I can't tear myself away from. Well, we've got some No Plot? No Problem! Meet ups in the works (promise) and if nothing hits us like a cast iron skillet over the head, we'll stick with something sensible!

I have an idea, and for once it includes the ending, What I don't have yet are characters or any subplots..

Stop there JP! STOP THERE!

Secondary characters and subplots always sink your battleship!

WJHammon:
19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult is a fluffyish novel about a school shooting. It's pretty good, and it's an interesting way of approaching the subject because, if I remember correctly, the main character is the mother of the person who shot up the school. I think.
After (I don't remember the author) is another book that (sort of) approaches school shootings, at least in the first couple chapters (then it becomes about aliens). It might be worthwhile for you to check out because in the beginning the character is very frank about his feelings of what happened. (The school shooting happened at a neighboring school, but still.)

NyKitty: Haha I know, but I need a plot! And if I can't come up with anything better I'm going to use that plot, loosely, and see where it goes- just as a practice for writing daily and such. Still, I hope I come up with something even better! :D

♥Abba♥

Thanks for the tips, guys. I'll be sure to check those out (I may wait until December just to make sure any similar plotlines and scenes are purely coincidental). Now I'm really psyched cause I know I'm not a complete sicko.

I agree with NyKitty. Subplots sink life. It gets so messy and confusing... that's why I'm thinking of re-writing last year's NaNo.
Or sticking with this one. *whacks head on keyboard*

Subplots really come in after you've ironed out where you're going. (Of course, my thought process might be different from everyone else's, so beware.) I suppose it also depends on the genre of the story. You can get away with a bit more crazy plots in a fantasy setting than a murder-mystery.

Head of the EWS Genshiken Brigade (anime club.)
WriMo '08- Shadow Chronicles Part 1
Wrimo '09- Ghosts of Greed

I have an idea!

I've been working on it since I was twelve. I'm now seventeen. That's a good five years. Yes, I know I'm crazy.
I have this entire world in my head, where things just...happen. I'm sure on some level I'm definitely controlling who does what and what happens when and stuff, but the vast majority of it isn't conscious. Which is cool. There are three different timelines, with time in between where nothing happens. Having spoken to my friends about this, they're not sure that I can actually fit the first timeline into 50k words. They might be right. I figure I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Anyway, I'm exceedingly excited for this whole thing. I can't wait to finally get this five-year endeavor onto paper! Or...virtual paper, whatever.

I'd explain the plot, but it's really complicated. In a nutshell, it's kind of a mash up of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, comic book superhero, Golden Compass, and Narnia, all crammed into your basic girl-turned-heroine story.

Guess what my inspirations were. xD

As a senior in high school who has a ton of college stuff to finish, I'm thinking that maybe signing up for this was a bad idea, but it's too late now. I'm committed. I guess I'll just have to forget sleep for a month. Oh noes.

By the way, I like that school shooting idea. I think that if you can pull it off right, it'll be awesome. The ending will be the hardest part, though. It'll have to be perfect. Convey exactly the right message. I wish you luck!

Last year's work was equal to that of a Lifetime Movie :P I suppose everyone has a book like that in them. This year I'm back to what I do well (at least I think so): world building and fantasy. I've got my main protagonists, my main antagonists, the main the plots, the subplots and the time since I was laid off in April and haven't been fortunate enough to land myself a job to reenter the workforce. This means I'll probably ending up changing my mind last minute or wanting to chuck the pc out the window when I run into a wall of being bored because I"m too familiar with it. :)

Nano '07 - Miele (won)
Nano '08 - Mad World/Working Title (Won)
Nano '09 - Untitled (hopefully another win)

I've been thinking for awhile on what I want to write. Do I want to restart from scratch something I have been working on and keep getting stuck on. (The idea is good, the way I kept writing it wasn't) or do I want to do something new (of which I already have a few ideas)

So, I guess I'm gonna have to sit at the brainstorming table and decide what to do.

On the plus hand, if there are no plots that I have found myself really liking, I do have the story plot I keep wanting to rewrite all completely planned out and that will most certainly not be something I'd have to plan much for.

Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul

I got nothin'. And that's ok. For now...

2006 Winner: Conflicts of Interest

I've always thought subplots added words so they were delightful. But I know what you mean about them being messy. One you can get away with. But at some point it can get bloated. With words!

I have a pretty good idea of my novel this year, but I'm thinking about writing 2 novels and aiming for 120k, and I have 0 ideas for the second novel. Nothing has inspired me yet.

Most Words in a Single Day - 10,219 on Nov. 1st
# of Characters - 12 + kids + very minor
# of Points of View - 5
# of Days with No Nanoing - 0
# of Trips through Time - 3
# of Aliens - 1
# of Murder Scenes - 1

I love last year's NaNo too much to let it go, so I'm keeping the setting and framework, but using new characters and a different perspective. It's international spies and world-saving and drama ... and also the normal people who knew those international spies before they were running around saving the world all the time. And it's about how very annoying it is when your best friend runs off to save the world and doesn't send so much as a postcard for years, then phones up out of the blue to see if you're free to meet for lunch.

Sarah

Current NaNo: Anna & James (2009)
Wins: The Angel's Wife (2007) | The Guardian's Guide (2008)
Losses: Untitled (2004) | Arrangements (2005)

Finding that out always psyche me up, too.

Last two years, I failed, and I think that was due to overplotting, or just caring too much. This year, I'm thinking: Nano is a blitz, and I'm just going to fly by the seat of my pants with a few juicy bitty-bits of ideas to keep me champing at the bitty-bit until Nov. 1.

1: It's a deconstruction of yer typical hero cycle.

2: Instead, of having a clear plot, it may just be 30 narrative essays of about 1667 words for each of the chapter titles. I may or may not write them sequentially.

3: I've already written 30 evocative chapter titles. They're in my profile if you wanna see.

4: The narrative will be written in the second person "to" a character who is witnessing the events from the afterlife. (E.g. "You see the MC walk into a bar. It looks like it hurts.")

5: I have no idea who the protagonist is other than that he's "a hero". My idea is sort of this: who the hero is isn't nearly as important as what we the viewers feel about him. (Or her.)

6: Congratulations! You now know as much about my novel as I do!

Steve this is exactly what I expect from you.

On a side not - yes, it's an important point, there's a fine like between caring and caring too much during Nano.

Got a plot.

Single mom and 21yr old son are contestants on the Amazing Race. They deal with both old and new conflicts. No shortage of interesting characters (fellow racers and locals). Fun locations, and I can use my Thailand trip from this past summer.

Feeling good about this!

2006 Winner: Conflicts of Interest

wjhammon -- Definitely make the characters real, even if they're going to die. If you've read "Black Hawk Down" by Mark Bowden, what makes it powerful is that he tells us who these soldiers and pilots are in deep detail -- they are real to us and their capture or deaths makes a much stronger impact on us as readers than if they were two-dimensional characters we barely knew.

"What say ye, men, will ye splice hands on it, now? I think ye do look brave."

You pretty much hit the nail on the head, there. It'll be difficult, but that's why I love the challenge. BHD's a great example, too. Also, from a non-novel standpoint, if anyone saw "Harper's Island" this year (and if you haven't, buy the DVD), there's another good case. Every episode at least one person died, but even the first victim had a decent backstory and plotline which got developed even after he was offed. That's basically what I'm going for. Some of my characters will seem like high school stereotypes, but those stereotypes exist for a reason - some kids are actually like that. The balance I have to strike is to make all the characters, even the two-dimensional ones, elicit some kind of emotional reaction from the reader as their story unfolds and they have their brush with death.

I have no idea what I am going to write...

I am basically at the point where I opened my email saw the note from Chris Baty and said "Oh %#$^%$, it will be November in 2 weeks and I haven't even thought about my novel!"

So here I am it is crunch time and I have nothing........yet.

Hey All

My intention is write sort of an adventure story. It'll take place in a city in the relatively near future (21st century) in a post-apocalyptic world. The basic premise is that this young man is living underground from most of civilization and as environmental and political problems rise, more and more people like him sort of move out of the darkness and start living in the fairly uncontrolled city. A large event will occur that essentially cuts off any remaining sense of a government and people start freaking out so the narrator will be forced to leave and while trying to get out of civilization into the wilderness he'll meet fellow escapees/anarchists, average citizens that have reverted to instinct, disease, and possibly armies and mutated animals.

I'm excited to write it, might be a little cliche, but I intend to go for fairly good scientific accuracy. Although, that intention will probably go out the window in a week and it'll turn into some sort of absurd sci-fi novel. But we'll see what happens :)

I'm stilling trying to decide what the perspective or voice should be (first person, third omniscient) and whether he should be a solitary character or should be with a group.

Hopefully I work out the kinks in the next two weeks, what do you guys think?
Andrew

It sounds great Andrew - everything is a cliche at heart, you just have to make yours more fun than the last!

I favor a limited third for protags with a strong voice - you can still get insights in, but you're not as limited - but I'm strongly critical of most first persons.

Kinks? We fight kinks with plot ninjas in November - deft subtly is for December.

With big thanks to abba315 and Olivia (don't know your name on the boards!) I have somewhat reinvented my plot. It might make sense sense than before, and it might be full of quite a few more gaping holes, but I am way more excited than I was a few days ago.

Yay for brain storming and throwing ideas around. I can't wait to see what comes out of the next meet up!

Sigh. I haven't the foggiest! The last two years, I got up to a word count of 25-30 K or so, and then - started overthinking EVERYthing, and never finished. I had plenty of ideas to start with, too.

I thought of picking up from one of my plot threads from a previous year, but they're just feeling....stale right now. So I really don't know what I'm writing about at all, or even what genre I'm writing in!

I brought my laptop to work today, so I think I'll be doing some brainstorming during lunch...

I'm considering a few ideas. One is about two geeks who think there's fantasy in their world- but there isn't. Actually a romance. Other than that, there's always Melanie, who's discovering what it's like to date someone with a mood disorder- and putting a positive spin on the concept. I like the second better, actually, but I have absolutely no outline on it. I was thinking of doing something realistic this time, because as much as I love urban fantasy, I need to try something new.
Now for the panic.
*hurried breathing*
I'll get some outlining done during class. It might be first person for once, though I tend not to know until I actually sit down to write. Okay. *breathe*

Nano eve and I have no ideas whatsoever!! I love it! I see lots of padding in my future at this point.