Is anyone else out there making the leap into Nano without a story idea? If so, how are you going to do it, just wing it each day or plot-build and character-develop as you go? Any special websites or worksheets you are planning to use to help you?
This is my seventh Nano and the first one in a long time where I have no idea what I'll be writing. For the past several years, I've spent all of October prepping, with plot outlines and character-building and research and everything that I needed. Not that it's always worked, because last year I got partway through and my story fell apart so I started a new one.
This year I've struggled to come up with an idea, so I decided to stop trying to force something to develop and wait until the start of Nano to see what would come out of my fingertips. Could be I'll end up with five half-started attempts by the end of the month, but I figured it was worth a try to see what I could come up with. I'm going to keep a notebook full of notes as I go, so I don't lose any ideas along the way for how the story should develop, if I manage to get that far. Very basic, 3-ring binder with blank paper hole-punched and put inside so I can shuffle the pages as I need to. That's about as far as I've gotten.
Carissa
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34,008 / 50,000
Oct 31, 2009 - 14 51
I'm using a former short story as prestory, and then after that... Who the heck knows. Do you think it's pregnancy or business that's preventing the creative juices? I feel like I'm in a similar boat as you this year. I've been battling ruthless migraines as well as morning sickness, so I feel that if I can even get through November with a word count I'll be a success.
I dare you to do a somewhat modern story plot where your character wins a prize (washer and dryer set) from some contest they didn't know they were entered into. I only say that, because the first year I was writing I took a dare very similar to that. Hope it inspires you.
----------Write all day, write all night, write write write, just don't turn out the light!
57,398 / 50,000
Oct 31, 2009 - 15 28
I would be interested to see a historical piece with a washer dryer prize. It could be fun explaining the anachronism, especially if the story was otherwise historically accurate.
----------Name my novel!