The last region I was in (Maryland) always had a dare related to the area. For example: blue crabs, ravens, Edgar Allen Poe, jousting (state sport, who knew?). Then all the participants worked the agreed upon people/place/thing dare into their novels and posted the excerpt in the Dare thread in the forum sometime in November. The fun part is that since everyone usually had such different genres (jousting in a sci-fi?), they had to be really creative. I think the sci-fi writer worked in "jousting" by the MC finding an antique book describing the medieval sport in a space ship's wreckage. The dare doesn't have to play a major roll at all in the plot, just be mentioned.
If it's alright with the ML (don't want to step on any one's toes!), I'll take suggestions until the 25th and then we'll have a vote through the 30th. I'll announce the winning dare on Oct 31st so you "plan ahead" types have a few hours to work it into your plot.
So suggestions for an Indy or Indiana based dare! Off the top of my head, when I think of the area, I think: Colts, basketball, corn. Although just to amuse myself I'm totally trying to work into my novel: "There's more than corn in Indiana. There's soybeans too."
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Katie
http://www.katiefleck.com
76,884 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2008 - 15 44
The Indy 500, David Lee Roth, Axl Rose, Robert Indiana, the Jackson Five, T.C. Steele, Studebaker, Stutz, Auburn, Chord, Duesenburg, Cook Industries, stainless steel, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, Wes Montgomery, Kurt Vonnegut, Ernie Pyle, limestone...and that's about all I got off the top of my head.
----------"What could I do if I did not have to do it perfectly? A lot more than I am now."
50,034 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2008 - 16 38
Too funny. This is the opening of Chapter 20 of the novel I'm currently messing around with (got to have something to occupy myself with in between NaNos):
We were back out in the countryside, on a large but little-traveled state highway. I saw cows and corn (I was sick of corn) and what Julie told me were soybeans; and little else.
----------Steve
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"Best of luck with the exams!"
50,986 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2008 - 18 23
Great idea! I love dares.
Lessee... John Dillinger's grave, Amish jam, and bats.
----------Ericka
Co-ML, Indianapolis
Inspired vessel of the Traveling Shovel of Death
53,692 / 50,000
Oct 12, 2008 - 07 58
I'm new to Indiana (okay, been here 7 years) but isn't James Dean from here? Diane Sawyer, David Letterman? Oh, what about that movie with Jim Caviezal.... ummm... "Madison" maybe? Definitely think of Indy 500, Colts, Hoosiers, corn, crossroads of America, fly-over state, Pacers' rapsheets :D
50,163 / 50,000
Oct 12, 2008 - 12 39
The only thing I can think of that no one has mentioned yet is the movie Breaking Away (1979) that was filmed in Bloomington. IN.
----------No means no, but yes means maybe with a catch.
50,473 / 50,000
Oct 13, 2008 - 06 08
I will go with a more specific dare, combining a couple of the Indiana favorites:
A corn field suddenly appears, covering the entire infield at the Indianapolis 500 Speedway track. This can be during the race or at another time depending on when the book is taking place.
----------Author, The Twenty Dollar Bill
NaNoWriMo Winner: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Script Frenzy Winner: 2007, 2008
http://www.lulu.com/KanapolisFog
0 / 50,000
Oct 13, 2008 - 06 34
This is a neat idea!
What about that Christmas movie that was filmed/set in Indiana? Can't think of the name right now...
----------"A student from whom nothing is demanded which he cannot do, never does all he can." - John Stuart Mill (Autobiography)
50,163 / 50,000
Oct 13, 2008 - 06 50
What about that Christmas movie that was filmed/set in Indiana? Can't think of the name right now...
The movie was called "A Christmas Story" based on Jean Shepherd's "In God We Trust, All Other's Pay Cash" I know this because my mom used to watch the movie just about every day no matter what time of the year it was.
----------No means no, but yes means maybe with a catch.
0 / 50,000
Oct 13, 2008 - 07 55
Ah - yes! Thank you! :)
I've only seen the movie once, and even then it was in parts. It was before my time, but not before my husband's, so he likes the movie and has seen it a million times. His parents are like your mom - they'll watch it whenever!
----------"A student from whom nothing is demanded which he cannot do, never does all he can." - John Stuart Mill (Autobiography)
50,302 / 50,000
Oct 13, 2008 - 08 52
Just thought I'd throw in the movie Terror Squad, which was filmed in 1987 in my home town of Kokomo. I know it's not Indy but since you were talking about a movie filmed in Bloomington I thought I'd bring it up!
I think the dare idea is a good one. My novel will be set in the future (though I'm not sure how far... I guess it depends how creative I want to be in such a crunched amount of time!!) so adding some good ole' snippets of Indiana could help ground my setting!
0 / 50,000
Oct 13, 2008 - 22 09
I'm a Kokomo boy.
I LOVE TERROR SQUAD. If I had a copy, I would mandate we all watch it at the kickoff. It does a whole lot to inspire great writing. And the incredible shrinking school bus? Well, I'd say Oscar-worthy.
I didn't think anyone else remembered the movie.
----------Sweat Equity, 2007
53,692 / 50,000
Oct 14, 2008 - 05 54
Well, I'd have to say I've never even heard of it, much less remembered it. I just looked it up. I guess I thought it was filmed in Kokomo, not set in it. Anyway, too bad Blockbuster doesn't have it.
50,302 / 50,000
Oct 14, 2008 - 09 01
Wow, a Kokomo boy living in Greenwood? Just like me! Except... I'm not a boy. Definitely not.
Anyhow, I thought it was cool that we came from the same place and now live in the same place. So I thought I'd share. :)
Debbie
50,116 / 50,000
Oct 15, 2008 - 09 42
Part of Close Encounters of the Third Kind is set here in Indiana. Really! The scenes where the little boy and his mom are in the farm house are supposed to be set in Muncie, IN. Also Richard Drefuss' character lives in Indiana; in his opening scene you can see a paddle shaped like the state of Indiana, and the letters BSU on it (Ball State University).
Space aliens, anyone?
----------http://indyhermit.blogspot.com
http://tracesofgeek.blogspot.com
50,070 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2008 - 08 23
I spent a large part of my childhood in Carmel, so I'm thinking about including a random roundabout...or 50..... :P
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Nano 2004: Untitled (2k) - Lost miserably
Nano 2006: New Westbridge (37,400) - Almost there!
Nano 2007: Winter in Woodbury (50,063) - Won!!
Nano 2008: Smash (50,070) - Won!!
And now for editing....
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76,884 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2008 - 08 27
Ugh! The roundabouts! I was working up there right west of St. V's when they were building all those on the west side of 31. Nightmare. My route to work changed four times in six months. It was like the city was trying to hide my office from me. Every day was a new adventure!
----------"What could I do if I did not have to do it perfectly? A lot more than I am now."
51,417 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2008 - 10 16
putting in characters (either the exact person or named after) based on Indiana authors?... Kurt Vonnegut? Theodore Dreiser? Booth Tarkington?.... there's a bunch.
Something like (and I'm dashing this off the top of my head):
Tom sat at the formica counter cursing his suddenly non-working lighter and nursing a coffee. "Damn thing!" he muttered, banging the lighter against the metal banding on the side of the counter. He stared intently at the device as though force of will might make it work.
Phil pushed his way through the diner doors carrying a paper sack and dropped onto the stool next to Tom, "Hey! check this out!" he said. Phil pulled a rubber halloween mask out of the sack and pulled it over his head and faced Tom.
Tom looked briefly up from his losing mental struggle with the lighter to see Phil's mask. It was a wild-haired older man with a mustache. Tom instantly thought of Kurt Vonnegut. "you look like a rubber Kurt Vonnegut." said Tom.
"It's a mad scientist!" said Phil, slightly disappointed... he'd always wanted to be a mad scientist.
"I like Vonnegut better. Do you have a lighter? Mine quit."
"No, but you can grab a book of matches up by the register. Lets go, I need a beer."
Tom and Phil got up and moved to the diner doors. Tom reached over and grabbed a book of matches from the box by the cash register. "Are you going to wear that Kurt Vonnegut mask all night?"
"I told you, I'm a mad scientist!"
"Whatever... you can tell everyone I'm Billy Pilgrim... Hang on."
Tom had stopped on the sidewalk outside the diner. He had opened the matchbook to get a match out to finally light his cigarette, but he'd noticed something.
"There's something written inside this matchbook..."
End of stream of consciousness....
Actually Billy Pilgrim would be a good dare, too....
----------"Adventure and love?... there's no such thing as adventure and love. there's only trouble and desire."
0 / 50,000
Oct 23, 2008 - 16 28
I think each novel should have a part where a character has a revelation while looking between his/her/it's knees.
It could be sitting on the toilet in the morning watching a spider walk across the tub, or hunched over with nausea, or bound in a basement... as long as they are looking between their knees when a revelation strikes.
[Only thought I had that might combat the ninja craze of NanoWriM07!]
3,983 / 50,000
Oct 31, 2008 - 09 31
there's always jim davis and garfield. :P
something less well known, like the 'worlds largest fireworks store' on the border with ohio, or the deusenburg car museum?
61,350 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2008 - 05 39
btw, A League of Their Own and Breaking Away were also filmed in Indiana. Breaking Away was Bloomington IN. This is great idea.
------------Janice
"When they try to run you out of town, get out front and pretend it's a parade." George Wolf