If any of you are lucky enough to know what you're writing about, that is! Tell us your plots, characters, settings, anything at all about your novel? What genre are you writing in?
Personally, I have two basic ideas, neither of which have a plot... If you know what I mean? When the idea is good, but you have no clue what can happen with it to make it into a novel? One is chick lit, one is young adult. I will probably end up going with the young adult one because I seem to enjoy writing for teenagers more than I do for adults!
*shrugs*
Hopefully I'll figure out a plot before November!
I'm curious to know what you lot are doing though!
----------
Twittering NaNo: http://www.twitter.com/WelshGirl
Blogging NaNo: http://chicklitwritergirl.blogspot.com
NaNo 2006: The Perfect Man - 91,549 words!
NaNo 2008: ... ... ... ... ... ... .
72,987 / 50,000
sept. 28, 2008 - 13 23
I was lucky enough to have the germs of a plot fall into my lap over the summer, and I've been trying to work out details since. It's slow going, as I'm having to come up with a lot of backstory for the fantasy world that half my plot is set in. The gist is this:
Alyssa is in her mid-twenties and having to look after her teenaged brother Daniel after the sudden death of their parents. They find themselves transported to a strange world where their lives are threatened by invisible creatures that only the inhabitants of that other world can see, and who can only be fended off by being close to one of the inhabitants, who have an immunity aura to the creatures. Alyssa and Daniel are rescued by Saiba and Asheran, twin children of the chief of one of the tribes, and together they have to try and find a way to either get Alyssa and Daniel back to this world or make them immune to the creatures as well. On top of this, the magical shield that has been protecting Saiba and Asheran's country from the surrounding desert is failing, and their whole way of life is at risk.
Basically, the idea of the story is going to be that all of the four central characters have to change themselves fundamentally, either to rescue themselves or to rescue the world that they live in. I wanted to explore the relationship between people and the land that supports them, and also themes about coming to a better understanding of yourself and how to communicate with those around you.
Did any of that make sense? It's the first time I've tried to explain to someone what my novel is about - I swear it sounds better in my head...
What are your two ideas? I'm sure you'll come up with something in November, judging by your past success!
----------"Since it is beautiful, it is truly useful." Antoine de Saint Exupery, The Little Prince
0 / 50,000
sept. 28, 2008 - 15 51
I'm planning/ hoping to write out my long-awaited brain child - a story of steampunk pirates and victorian conspiracies.
The story-so-far evolves around the pirate crew of the airship Vaguary and their tangling with the crew of the seaship Xanthos after it was attacked. There is a lot of other stuffgoing on...I just havn't come up with it yet hehe
----------Be free and fearless
65,119 / 50,000
sept. 28, 2008 - 16 53
Wow! That sounds really good and really complicated!
I'm almost definitely going with the horror-comedy-young adult idea that involves the theory that you still have to go to school, even if you're dead. Or a zombie. Or something else... I don't know. I keep telling myself that I have a whole month to brainstorm!
----------Twittering NaNo: http://www.twitter.com/WelshGirl
Blogging NaNo: http://chicklitwritergirl.blogspot.com
NaNo 2006: The Perfect Man - 91,549 words!
NaNo 2008: ... ... ... ... ... ... .
72,987 / 50,000
sept. 28, 2008 - 23 32
Thanks.
Having to go to school when you're dead, or undead, or otherwise - sounds full of possibilities. Is it normal school (i.e. they have to mix with ordinary kids) or do they have their own school where they can be themselves? Either way, it sounds like a lot of fun to write!
And I love that NaNoWriMo doesn't just take over November, but October as well for planning and brainstorming!
----------"Since it is beautiful, it is truly useful." Antoine de Saint Exupery, The Little Prince
72,987 / 50,000
sept. 28, 2008 - 23 35
Ooo excellent. What sort of genre are you writing in - cause writing about pirates has lots of comedy potential, but if it's Victorian, you're also branching into historical?
----------"Since it is beautiful, it is truly useful." Antoine de Saint Exupery, The Little Prince
65,119 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 02 43
Hehe, I haven't figured that part out yet! But it did seem like a good plot to include a few dares in and have some crazy characters!
Half the fun of NaNo is spending October brainstorming! And hanging out on the forums without the "Ack! I should be writing" thing!
----------Twittering NaNo: http://www.twitter.com/WelshGirl
Blogging NaNo: http://chicklitwritergirl.blogspot.com
NaNo 2006: The Perfect Man - 91,549 words!
NaNo 2008: ... ... ... ... ... ... .
0 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 12 10
its more vague fantasy really :P not historicall correct enough to go in that category...more like gaslamp/science fiction - well, mad science anyhow. its going to be an adventure romance :P thats ho i'm classing it so far anyway.
----------Be free and fearless
8,657 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 12 29
That sounds really interesting! Can't wait to see what you do with it! I think mine is likely to be chick lit......not really got much of a plot in my head yet but something to do with the heroine's mum living in a granny flat down the bottom of the garden.......lol Calling it 'Keeping Mum' :)
51,674 / 50,000
oct. 3, 2008 - 10 15
I'm planning a sort of historical fantasy novel. 5000-year old immortal Sal promises her dying husband to revisit important parts of her life. She travels all over Europe (or the world? not sure yet), reliving episodes from her past.
The idea is still a bit half-baked and I think I'll end up with a mix of geographical and chronological continuity (as in Sal will probably start off in the south of France, where she thinks she was born but then travel north for a while, to places she lived in the early Middle Ages, then possibly ancient Rome/Greece/Egypt followed by early collonial America. Not sure yet - I basically want to use random bits of historical knowledge I've accumulated over the years.
I'm determined not to repeat the mistake of previous years though, which was getting bogged down in research during NaNo. This year, I'll try not to care about historical inaccuracy and just get the basic story written, even if I have to make up facts/dates/etc. I can always correct the details later. :)
5,088 / 50,000
oct. 3, 2008 - 15 52
OK, I'm a bit of an intruder here since I'm a German usually hanging out in the Scottish and Norwegian forums, lol, but I have traveled Wales, does that count?
The reason I'm visiting is that I'm looking for a mountain. Yep. I have this Alternate Historical Fantasy whatnot thingie I'm doing for Nano, and I need a mountain in Wales that has a magical aura, you know, a place where the druids once met or the fairies are said to live, something like that. Like the Eildon Hills in Scotland.
Got anything that might work? And don't worry about names, I can pronounce all those ll and dd. :)
Oh, and if anyone has more info about the legend of Cantre'r Gwaelod than what Wikipedia has, or knows a research source, that would be helpful as well.
Thank you.
----------Proudly Failing Nano Since 2003
18,240 / 50,000
oct. 5, 2008 - 03 42
Try these links; http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/wales/w_mid/article_1.shtml
http://www.celtnet.org.uk/legends/cantrer_gwaelod.html
http://www.legendarylandmarks.com/index_files/Page786.htm
http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?tab=all&q=cantre'r%20gwaelod&start=1&go=homepage&scope=all
The last one links to a search page for details of Cantre'r Gwaelod on the BBC. I grew up on the coast of Cardigan Bay and my school windows overlooked the bay - spent many dreaming hours staring out to sea wondering what had been underneath!
Most of Snowdonia seems to have links to ancient druid activity and mystical happenings, and parts of Snowdonia (such as Cader Idris) overlook Cardigan Bay if that connection is helpful. Keep us posted!
5,088 / 50,000
oct. 5, 2008 - 07 19
Thank you, Shanan.
Looking out of the window and coming up with stories sounds a lot more fun than listening to the teacher, lol. I'm guilty of that, too, only I had no such interesting place to look out at.
I traveled around in Wales in May this year, and after seeing those castles, beautiful landscape and Roman remains, came back with a bag full of plot bunnies. :) One of these involves some of the Lost Kingdoms / Sunken Realms like Cantre'r Gwaelod, Kêr Ys and Vineta - and some magic stones. Another is about the Romans in Wales, and I won't be surprised if there's some Medieaval Welsh Prince lurking among all the plot bunnies under my bed.
And it's not that Germany has no Roman remains and castles. We got plenty of those, too. Which means more story ideas.
----------Proudly Failing Nano Since 2003
20,265 / 50,000
oct. 6, 2008 - 12 13
Hi Gabriele,
If you do find a Medieval Welsh Prince lurking under your bed I hope you dont keep him all to yourself!
Christine
PS, to everyone,...Im writing about the Romans in Wales too - particularly in Caerleon. Did anyone else go to the Writers Holiday/conference there this year?
----------Lost the plot already!
20,265 / 50,000
oct. 6, 2008 - 12 13
Hi Gabriele,
If you do find a Medieval Welsh Prince lurking under your bed I hope you dont keep him all to yourself!
Christine
PS, to everyone,...Im writing about the Romans in Wales too - particularly in Caerleon. Did anyone else go to the Writers Holiday/conference there this year?
----------Lost the plot already!
235,678 / 50,000
oct. 8, 2008 - 21 54
I'm writing the third in my NaNo series (the first two were stand-alones). Sequence is:
Book 1 (2006) Killed off most of the world's population, leaving a small group of survivors marooned on a certain Scottish island, their boat wrecked and their supplies finished.
Book 2 (2007) My heroes spent their first year trying to survive and build the foundations of a new civilisation. A few other survivors find them and the colony starts to grow, but only just finding enough to eat and other basic essentials.
Book 3 (This year!) They're going to start feeling that they might survive long term, so I'm going to throw some really evil obstacles at them. The disasters that put them in this situation haven't entirely finished with them yet, and not everyone who's still alive is friendly. Oh, and I get to kill off one of my main characters ...
----------2007 The Second Time: The First Year - 195,966
2006 The Second Time - 145,943
2005 In the Middle - 51,998
2004 Ape-x - 52,288
50,009 / 50,000
oct. 9, 2008 - 02 06
Oh my God Jay, i am absolutely astounded by your previous word counts! And scared to death... lol!
50,370 / 50,000
oct. 9, 2008 - 03 18
I've got germs of ideas... Nothing really solid though. One's a fantasy novel where a girl's in a coma and her sister's psychic and goes into her mind to try and un-coma her by unblocking bad memories and meeting weird mind people along the way...
The other idea is a murder mystery that I have no idea to write because I'm not so much with the story telling in a linear fashion (hmm, maybe typing it will help, I can fiddle with chapters and things). But it's about a serial killer who is kinda messed up in the head and is killing people the way a novel character did. I messed around with the idea in a chapter of last year's NaNo but it was hard... and I rushed things. Meh.
Kinda dreading November, but in a 'OMG will I do it again this year?' way not the 'OMG I will so FAIL!' way.
----------I could rule the planet, but I decided to write.
17,448 / 50,000
oct. 9, 2008 - 05 55
Not really sure what I'm going to write about. I know I'm going to do a fantasy story, but not sure on the plot. At the moment I'm thinking having a second Dark Age style to the setting.
235,678 / 50,000
oct. 9, 2008 - 15 09
How do you think I feel? I think my fingers link directly to the more primitive parts of my brain and the words just keep coming. It's very little to do with me - if you know what I mean.
----------You don't want to know what those word counts look like now, after the editing I've done so far. And there's still more to do, but not until December!
2007 The Second Time: The First Year - 195,966
2006 The Second Time - 145,943
2005 In the Middle - 51,998
2004 Ape-x - 52,288
65,119 / 50,000
oct. 10, 2008 - 02 47
Also seriously impressed with your word counts, JayWalker! And editing? You put me to shame! I have yet to properly edit anything I've written!
----------
----------Twittering NaNo: http://www.twitter.com/WelshGirl
Blogging NaNo: http://chicklitwritergirl.blogspot.com
NaNo 2006: The Perfect Man - 91,549 words!
NaNo 2008: ... ... ... ... ... ... .
Twittering NaNo: http://www.twitter.com/WelshGirl
Blogging NaNo: http://chicklitwritergirl.blogspot.com
NaNo 2006: The Perfect Man - 91,549 words!
NaNo 2008: ... ... ... ... ... ... .
50,284 / 50,000
oct. 10, 2008 - 04 40
Last year I did complete, (and have even published 'Foolproof' on Lulu, just to have a hard copy in my hands for fun) but I had so little idea of how to start that I began with a real life memory, and only remembered I shouldn't be writing autobiography by about day three! At that point I realised I could 'make stuff up' and enjoyed having a little more room to move. Even so, it remained rather embedded in real life experiences, and thinly disguised friends (the roman a clef).
So this year I want to give myself room to move from the word go - my ambition involves writing funnier, sillier, lighter. As a theme I have already started circling around treasure hunters - from armchair treasure hunters like those who pursued the hare in the Masquerade adventure back in the 80s, to geeks with metal detectors wandering at random, to archaeologists and archivists working systematically, etc. The modern evolution of the Masquerade thing (when, even when it was over, many people did not stop looking, convinced it was just another twist in the tale, and that their solution was correct) seems like the ARG (alternate reality game) which blurs fiction and reality in the protagonists' experiences - and can lead to conspiracy theories, etc.
I don't want to 'talk' it out too much - but it feels like a fairly fruitful area to explore. :-)
----------"I hate writing; I love having written." Dorothy Parker
17,160 / 50,000
oct. 15, 2008 - 17 03
Normally I write for teenageers but this time around I'm making it a bit more aduilt. (Partially so I can play around with the concept of *gasp* sex scenes. Lol.) Still about vampires though....I'm planning for an assasination, a bit of hide 'n seek, quite a bit of sexual tension and of course, the happily ever after. :) Already loving this one.
----------"There's no such thing as a literature of despair because writing a sentence is an act of faith." ~An old Prof of mnine~
9,009 / 50,000
oct. 16, 2008 - 03 40
Well last year I wrote about a boy who crosses into a fantasy world, only to find that he plays a key part in a war. He meets gypsies, pirates, vampires, faes...and I really enjoyed it. I got inspiration when I went to see Stardust, left the cinema with my friend just going "I'm going to write a fantasy novel"
Never finished it though, due to too much school work. But luckily, I'm not in school now, so fingers crossed I get it done.
My idea for this year is a kind of fantasy horror, in which the Seven Deadly Sins are actually people, who kind of encourage others to 'commit' these sins - but at the end of the day, they prove that they were only proclaimed 'deadly' by the church, and actually, lust/anger/greed etc are all part of basic human nature. Already know which sins are going to be male (pride, greed and sloth) and which are female (envy, lust, anger), and I don't like to really plan things, so I'm very much looking forward to Nov 1st when I can just start writing
235,678 / 50,000
oct. 16, 2008 - 03 58
Looks like there are some great plots out there!
Witchy - for sex and vampires, have you read any Tanith Lee? Not suggesting you nick her ideas, but it's a great way to get you in the right vein (!) with reading before November.
----------2007 The Second Time: The First Year - 195,966
2006 The Second Time - 145,943
2005 In the Middle - 51,998
2004 Ape-x - 52,288
100,043 / 50,000
oct. 16, 2008 - 04 32
Last years plot was a "let's use all the cliche's" fantasy for some friends who wanted to be heroes and have big battles. Finished Nano with it unfinished on 105K. Took me about another 6 weeks to finish and ended up at 155K. I was totally drained by the end!
This year, I'm going for a sort of urban fantasy/parody. Basic premise - A probably drunken Snow White is found beside a water fountain in the middle of Victorian London. What do a bunch of Fagan-likes do with someone like that? Especially when she tells them she is a Princess... It must have been a good night, she can't remember how she got there.
----------Nano Winner: 2005-2008
Collective word count: 438k
Worst Typoed Sentence: Cannot it wait?" you are a profet of the people
17,605 / 50,000
oct. 16, 2008 - 07 09
Hey all,
I'm pretty new to NaNoWriMo, this is my first year. I only just found out about it! I can't believe that! I love to write, so am glad I was born in the right month (will be 18 mid November).
I'm not decided on an idea yet... I have a few that I can't decide over. Completely different ideas:
1.Young Adult, espionage, main character has to run away from the 'baddies' (lets call them that for now!) and thinks her father has died in a horrible car accident.
2. Adult, dystopian fiction, a different world run by masochist aliens that use young humans as anything they want.
3. Romance, adult I think, main character falls in love with his brother's wife. There are more unusual twists, but I'm not decided on the basic plot at this moment.
If anyone can give me any clues which one to follow up on, that would be brilliant. All criticisms welcome. (I will probably return to the two ideas I don't use at some other point in time).
235,678 / 50,000
oct. 16, 2008 - 07 23
Hi Amber, good to meet you.
Go with whichever one is shouting the loudest. I've given up arguing with the plots floating around my head, I'm just the conduit for them to reach the page ...
Glad to meet another November birthday. In theory, my birthday is the one day in November I don't type any words. In practice, I find it hard to resist.
Are you able to join us at one of the meet-ups? It's a good way to meet other NaNo-ers, and helps to convince you you're not alone!
Welcome aboard.
----------2007 The Second Time: The First Year - 195,966
2006 The Second Time - 145,943
2005 In the Middle - 51,998
2004 Ape-x - 52,288
53,261 / 50,000
oct. 16, 2008 - 18 04
Hello!
I'm not from Wales, I'm a born-and-bred Chicagoan, but my novel this year is set in Cardiff so I thought I'd drop in and say hello! I'm writing a Torchwood fanfic, I'm actually very anxious to start this year because I love my characters (it's an AU so they're all original characters but based on the regular TW team). And thanks to Torchwood I've been reading a lot about Wales, because of all the lovely shots of Cardiff they show. :D
Oh and I'm a November baby too! ;) November babies rock!!
~MJ~
----------http://knitchick1979.livejournal.com
9,009 / 50,000
oct. 16, 2008 - 18 16
I have to admit, I only recently got into Torchwood. Lucky for me they film a lot of it in my local area - was late for school for the first (and only) time in 7 years as me and my friends tried to catch a glimpse of the TW team outside the local theatre (the episode with the travelling circus people was filmed there). It's great watching the show and trying to pinpoint scenes we saw being shot :P Especially when they're not in the city but actually in our small town, pretending to be Cardiff.
Anyway, yeah my birthdays in November too (there seems to be a lot of us), was my 18th last year (first time doing NaNoWriMo) which is one of the reasons I didn't finish -experiencing the joys of legally drinking.
-Dreamer
100,043 / 50,000
oct. 17, 2008 - 11 48
KnitChick,
Welcome to you! Nice idea... been following Torchwood on and off over the last year or two and rather enjoy it. :)
(And one of the scenes was shot around the corner from my house... hubby even noticed they'd put in a pedestrian button for crossing the road where one didn't exist! :D)
I've lived in Cardiff only just over a year but I don't plan on leaving any time soon - it's far too lovely!
Any questions about Cardiff that I can help with, feel free to ask me! :)
----------Nano Winner: 2005-2008
Collective word count: 438k
Worst Typoed Sentence: Cannot it wait?" you are a profet of the people