We've had a string of houseguests this year and are glad to finally have the place back to ourselves. I am looking at some serious house cleaning as a result and this got me thinking about last year's Nano and the state that left the kitchen in. I know paper plates and plastic cutlery would earn me an environmental frowny face, but maybe if I used the slow cooker a bit more often and froze up some meals in advance I could streamline a bit. There has been a bit of wool gathering on long walks through Salcey forest or along the Grand Union Canal. (The dog doesn't mind my inattention - he can find things to roll in all on his own.) Been gathering up some of my favorite references, such as the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable for those "now where do I remember that from" or "how does that go" moments. Dialed up people watching a few notches as well. Might have to go on month long ban on internet sites Facebook and diverse others. Nearly have my idea hatched, but might have to just see where it goes. No outline nonsense for me. I never could write that way.
So, what, if anything are you doing to prepare?
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Je suis devenu le frère des dragons, et le compagnon des hiboux.
33,677 / 50,000
Oct 24, 2009 - 12 32
ohh i LOVE Brewer's dictionary of Phrase and Fable!!!
I'm writing an urban fantasy this year based around the Deleria RPG concept. (Faerie)
I've had the characters and story for some time in my head and its wanting out desperately.
I'll be reading the Deleia Codex to make sure i am in 100% right frame of mind and also folklore books and websites too.
if you like Brewers Dictionary Lunacaster and if you don't know them already, the Wordsworth dictioanry of symbolism and Hazlitts dictionary of Faith and Folklore are aslo very good. The Golden Bough is very in depth, but maybe not enough time to read it before it all begins!
----------"Once upon a time, they said, technology could banish faeries.
They were wrong." - Phil Brucato, Deleria
96,166 / 50,000
Oct 24, 2009 - 12 39
I have the Parragon version but a friend (and member of my writing group) swears by Brewer's.
You're lucky. I don't have a clue what I'll be writing about. I'm currently 39,059 words into novel no 2 (last year's NaNo was novel no. 1) so have 10K to do before end Oct. I hope to finish on Monday so I'll have a few days to look at a stack of ideas I have and see which (a) has 'legs' and (b) will be fun to do!
Meeting sounds fun - would prefer an afternoon (can't do this coming Sat) rather than evening as live in Northampton (which isn't far but...)
----------MB
www.morgenbailey.com
http://morgenbailey.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/morgenwriteruk
http://twitter.com/sentencestarts
42,701 / 50,000
Oct 25, 2009 - 01 55
I believe that my current phrase and fable dictionary is Wordsworth - I actually haven't noticed if it is different from the one I had when I lived in the States. Woo and Hoo - I love reference books. I think I might go look some of these up. Thanks. : )
----------Je suis devenu le frère des dragons, et le compagnon des hiboux.
0 / 50,000
Oct 25, 2009 - 09 03
PREPARE!!! We have 10 people in our three bed flat!
I've been going through my notebook of plot bunnies that come to me at odd times of night/day, but I still have absolutely no idea what to write (or, to tell the truth, just too many).
I'm lucky enough to be living with my parents still, but I've just realised that my mocks are the last 2 weeks of November, and Revision for the first 2. Going to attempt nano anyway :D.
I love Brewers as well.
----------Black Roses and Barbed Wire Rings
12,865 / 50,000
Oct 29, 2009 - 04 49
I had the idea for my story about 11 months ago so have pages of notes and paragraphs I imagined in my head but never wrote down so not to be cheating. I'm not really doing anything to prepare, just tkinking about my main character a lot so I really know her.
8,006 / 50,000
Oct 31, 2009 - 09 55
I've doodled two characters and still have no idea of my plot. Ohhhh yeahhhh. B)
21,317 / 50,000
Oct 31, 2009 - 12 58
I dug deep into my ideas shoebox and found a "mid-life crisis" character who pootles off to France to find himself. Sounds quite attractive, particularly on the food / wine front. Perhaps I need a research trip? ;-)
Finding an antagonist or a decent conflict? Tough, since everyone knows that les Rosbif luv their Gallic neighbours... Can't imagine any organic conflict.
I've sort of roughed out ideas for a few of the chapters, and I guess I'll wing it from there.