What Are You Writing This Year?

I'm trying my hand at horror. My MC, Rachel, has undiagnosed multiple personality disorder. The other personality residing within her, Tyler, is evil and slowly takes over her mind and body, using Rachel in order to perform evil acts (okay so I'm a little vague on my plot here). Tyler's always known of Rachel's existance but Rachel has never known of Tyler until now. She has to figure out how to win her body back and lock Tyler away for ever. Because one of the characters will only be around in a mental existance there will be more internal fighting than physical (which works for me 'cause I suck at fight scenes.)

No doubt mine will be fantasy again. I love writing fantasy. Until I actually start writing though I don't really know what I'll be writing.

So far, I have one character and a vague idea. The character doesn't even have a name yet!

A retired Russian Gymnast, 30-ish, goes on an adventure across Europe, discovering clues (or something), hiding from the "bad guys" in the search of . . . something.

He'll definitely have sidekicks helping him out, but I don't know how many or whether they're temporary or what age or . . . anything, really.

Oh well. Early days yet! Good luck to everybody else doing NaNo this year, and hopefully I might be able to meet you guys again. I'm not too conifdent about my chances of success this time though - I have two GCSE exams in November (eeek)!

I'm sure you'll do ok Holliequ, I was in the middle of GCSEs last year, although I have to admit I didn't have any modules in November.

I'm writing a story mid-way between sci fi and fantasy. It's set on the moons around Saturn. One of the moons is trying to take over all the rest, and on one of their bases there's a reluctant alien dragged away from his own, with some grasp of one of the forbidden 'Dark Arts'. On another moon, with a very strict class system, an Under Thief (the lowest class) is chosen to become the first ever Ring Rider for his planet, which basically means flying a spaceship that propells itself from one bit of rock making up Saturn's rings to the next. He is secretly a werewolf (although I haven't worked out how the 'full moon' thing is going to be replicated), despite the fact he's actually descended from the Emporer of the planet and ran away from home when he was young. There's also the daughter of the Imperial Merchant, who meets the Under Thief and is intrigued by his life and by him, and she also has some grasp of the 'Dark Arts' (I think she can manipulate storms). There's a lot of fighting involved, and hopefully the overthrow of the dying Emporer and his three remaining sons left with him, who don't have the ability to rule in quite the same way he does, and I think the whole social system of that moon is going to collapse. That's about as far as I've planned it, and as far as I'm likely to get with it until November.

Looks like you're a lot more prepared than I am.

I've really got a feeling that with this one I'm gonna have to come up with a random situation to put my characters into and let the writing take me from there, then plot whilst i can't write during work... anywhoo Welcome back!

It's Danny P!
Two year veteran.
Two year winner.

Manchester ML (iCongrats to all who made it!)

My story is a fantasy.

The Isle of Atlesea has been occupied for 18 years by the neighbouring country of Kanthos, who stormed the Isle and killed the ruling famiy and then subjected the people, stripping the mountains of the gold and diamonds found within.

Despite the fact Kanthos claim to have destroyed the line of Valadrian, there is a Prophecy that tells of a surviving Heir. As signs that this Prophecy is set to unfurl start to appear, the people of Atlesea begin to unite and await the coming of the King.

Who just happens to be a girl.

My story is sci-fi. Sort of.

The MC is a man, Michael, who realises that some of the population have evolved into developing a kind of psychological advatage (not sure what that will be yet). Michael considers himself to be an ordinary person until he realises that the evolution of this psychological advantage is actually a kind of virus that he has been exposed to. For a bit of a change I will alos be writing alternate chapters from the POV of the virus :-)

Thats my plot so far but I might change it nearer the time!! My main motivation is to develop my dialogue skills and to have some fun.

Wow you guys are really organised. And some amazing stories. My plot is slowly oh so slowly developing itself but it's still really vague. I think I'll just be taking the plunge and seeing where my typing takes me lol! It's developed into twelve other people around the world with the same "sudden" MPD as my MC and the alternate personalities all need to take over their host bodies and use the physical bodies in order to conduct a dark act (not sure what yet - something apocalyptic I think) at a certain time on a certain day (I'm going with a blue moon - bit cliche but it works) and the "real" personalities have to try and win their bodies back before it's too late.

misaditas, I really like your plot :)

This year, I want to finish the fantasy novel I started in 2006 AND 2007. I have always been good at writing short stories and the like but the 50,000+ word count has always been beyond me. Plus, I keep falling into the trap of "I don't have time to write today but I'll do extra tomorrow..." which, as you all know, doesn't happen!

This year I'm gonna do it ... with a little help from my online friends!

Tim

UH Sci fi again (unsubtle)

Yep its Fenamore Conspiracy 3/25 Ther plot has moved on from the Disaster at Penpyshquin and we start to learn more of the universe and the ongoing enigma of just what on planetoids is going on.

The story centres arround the DSS (Deep Space Scout) Stravinsk summoned to the Starwind disaster it first collects a couple of special passengers who then shed further light on the situation and some of the bad guys are brought into the play.

(The Big Bad appears in book 25!)

Plot is semi worked out but as usual I'll let the words flow as they will.

Joy!

Ah, why worry about a little thing like plot? My first year I had a nice plot and characters. Checked the forums just before midnight on the 31st October and saw an opening line. That was it, plot out of the window, characters hustled out of the door as fast as possible and a whole new story was born.

Last year I was listening to a song and it sort of sparked a character and went from there. I'd originally planned to do the story I had planned for the year before but again, plot out of the window and characters sent home and new story born.

This year I figure I'll just start writing and see what happens. It's basically what i've done the last two years anyway lol.

I'm going for something a bit actiony. I really got into the Robert Ludlum 'Bourne' trilogy. I liked the idea of an action book where we spent a large amount of the time looking inside the head of the protagonist. So for me I'm reworking an idea I attempted (and failed miserably at) last time.

In the future a cloud of nuclear radiation hit steh UK, the only safe place being a Haven created where Manchester is right now. Everything continues as normal inside it, but there are those left outside who feel angry that they're being left to die. To quell any uprising, a circle of nine agents were created. They go out into the fallout zone and take out the leaders of any organisations that seem to be gathering strength. After a certain amount of time outside, the radiation becomes too much and the agent is retired, replaced with a new one.

However, what really occurs is the ninth agent (and my MC) Soldier, is instructed to kill them at the end of their final mission. This goes well until Soldier finds himself the victim of such an attack. Surviving it, but finding himself locked out of Haven he has to turn to those he's killed for help. Joining a band of these outsiders, he is drafted into a plan to take down the Haven, using his knowledge of the place to aid their plans.

The story essentially follows his decline, his rage and temper bulding, his body succumbing to the effects of radiation and his only thought being of revenge. The final quarter of the novel will be a focus on the attack itself and whether it will work, alongside Soldier's attempt to reign in his anger and see that what he's doing only causes more pain.

Titled: Hope & Memory because the idea came to me while reading a book of that name by Belgian philosopher Tzvetan Todorov.

Well, so far I'm hoping to write fantasy/humour novel. It's based around the idea of a working-class girl who wants to learn a different type of trade, one that's the sole property of the upper classes. In short, she's a baker and she wants to become a witch.

She takes a job as pastry chef at the College of Mystical Arts and tries to work her way in from ground level. It's not that easy. They have their ways, and the only magic she seems to be able to master revolves solely around baking and foodstuffs. And everywhere, there's the inbuilt assumption that magic isn't for common-or-garden brains such as hers to master.

Then one of the more obnoxious pupils, Seraphina Richmond-Plass, accuses her of hedgewitchery (the illegal use of unlicensed magic for personal gain). It's a serious charge. A battle of wits must ensue, and she must prove herself Serpahina's equal in "fair contest" or lose her job, her liberty and possibly even her life.

It's my first attempt at NaNo. Part of me wants it to start right now, today, this instant. Part of me is dreading it. It's really reassuring to have so many locals doing it to, so we can support each other through the good and the bad.

Yey Manchester! :D

That sounds really interesting Sam! And welcome to the NaNo madness!

Uhhhhh... I have a title. I don't really have much of an idea this year at all, however last year I had a plot and some characters and a rather overly developed map and then I got stuck and only managed about 25k. So I might just see where my mind takes me this year.
Very vague plot so far involves MC trying to stop evil ruler from obtaining a crown decorated with eyes which allows the wearer to see through the eyes of all the kingdom. Its either that, or mix together last year's plot with this years and see what I end up with - or I might abandon this idea and go with another one that's already been formed but never written about a guy who has to stop the sun from being frozen during the night so it never rises again. And there's a whole underground world who have never seen the day who live by 25 hours instead of 24 and stuff. They can control animals and plants and stuff too and surprisingly they're the good guys. And there's FBI and stuff in it too.

I'm kinda spoilt for choice actually, considering I just said I only had a title. o_O

But yes, hopefully I'll be able to actually finish it this year, even with trips planned through November.

I'm going with semi-recycling some old characters. Their world and story were too complicated to really sustain, but I love writing them, so... reboot. I'm going back to them being young (one's 17, the other's 22) and meeting for the first time. Which sounds like romance, but add in the fact that one of them's a kind of psychic... (Remote Viewer).

I have a vague, vague plot right now, but I'm not worried - I never have a plot, I just follow the characters.

I have a vague idea that's been kicking around in my head for a while. Something about a woman who wakes up one morning to find her husband has disappeared - as if he never existed. I was interested in how she'd respond to that, but also thought about breaking up that story with both flashback/memories of when they first met and got together, and also her imaginings of where he might have gone or what he might be doing. I think I want him to be something of a cipher, so the more she thinks about him, or tries to find out, the less she feels she knows him. I guess it's concerned with how well we really know the people we think we know.

I think it's a bit ambitious, but it's been bugging me for so long I have to at least try and get it out. And last year I managed 30k words of nothing writing a story about a chimp (it started off as a dare I think); I feel like I need to aim for something a little more grown up.

Wow Teenage Dreams that sounds really interesting. Good luck with that!

Yeah, that sounds brilliant.

I've fleshed my plot out a lot more now. I think it falls under the genres of fantasy and adventure, although it involves time-travel so I suppose it may be sci-fi . . . but honestly, the time travelling device is a pocket-watch made in the 19th century. I think that would place it firmly in the realms of 'not going to happen'.

I'm very happy with it. It stars two ex-Gymnasts. :3

I think I've decided on my plot now... Although I have a feeling it will be really difficult to pull off.

my main character has the charm, wit and charisma to convince people of almost anything (within reason) and is set up against a guy who's reality is based purely upon his own beliefs.

so basically, my "bad guy" lives through the world as he perceives it. I think in one of my introductory scenes, he'll be heavily sedated, and either walking around the bottom of a swimming pool, or perhaps walking on water. The idea is that because he perceives he can do whichever of these in his tranquilized state that he does it without noticing... obviously, other people notice.

so then this guy is going to slowly awaken and realize (or perhaps not) that he can do whatever he wants, and the longer he's awakened, the more and more ambitions things he can achieve. My MC's going to either be directly involved in or caught up in some situation where he needs to use all the skills at his own disposal to somehow stop the escalating growth of this man's abilities.

I'm going to have to do a bit of research, as I'm going to base this in the UK, and i intend for it to be a sort of action/thriller that delves into the conscious mind.

-Danny P.

I'm not going to say I'm unquestionably doing one story or the other, because I've done the "panic, throw out worldbuilding, change entire plot on October 31st" thing more times than I'd care to count. Well, three times. Still!

I will probably be writing a fantasy Gothic romance, though. It's kind of a new direction for me; I usually write more pulpy adventure stories. All this drama and sexual tension flapping about is a little scary. =p

A comedy (hopefully; if not, a tragedy) about an agency that helps clients, who've drunk too much the night before, track down what happened during the hours they can't remember (sort of a CSI: Hangover scenario).

Romance, although I think Barbara Cartland would be turning in her grave if I pull out the old Arson and Incest plot lines again. Ah well...I quite fansy a spot of magical realism.

I thought I was writing a adventure story but I've been told its a psychological thriller. Not sure I'll leave it up to any-one who wants to put forward there opinion.-

The story follows the character as she ties to to escape from her kidnapper and finds herself having to untangle her dreams from reality .

The adventure part is that the character is trapped in a strangers house and has to escape trying to get back to her boy-friend. (I want it like a console game i.e. She has to find the clues before she can escape out of house, no clues?? - go back to beginning - or next stage of story.)
While she sleeps she dreams that she is in a hospital, as the story unfolds the dream of the hospital becomes weaved into her real life.
The man who has captured her is hunting her down and she starts dreaming that he is at the hospital as well, but as the dream world and reality world starts to merge she finds it hard to distiquish the two.
She escapes on the train and passes a beach, she starts missing her boy-friend but has a night-mare that her boy-friend got murdered - but it seemed so real - was it? she cannot tell any more - she was sure she saw him last night - did she???

She finally finds out the truth behind the dreams and lies - it was not what she expected - but then again lfe never is.

.

That sounds like a really cool idea, lots of comedic potential there. Good luck with it!

Jelena, that does sound more like a pyschological thriller to me. However, there's no reason why it can't be an adventure story too. :)

Reading this topic was slowly convincing me that everybody's ideas worked far better than mine, so many thanks for the kind words. Your sounds great too, and far more ambitious, so good luck with that.

Like Dude, Wheres My Car?

hi

this is my first attempt at NaNoWriMo and i am very nervous about it!
I live in Pendle, Lancashire and i work full time, along with plenty of other activities that may divert my attentions from the task at hand, but im gonna give it my best shot!

Im trying to write a novel based on historical fact if that makes sense. Who knows if this is the idea im gonna finish but hey-ho we shall see

Hey hey, is it really weird that I'm writing a story about myself?

The idea is that I write all the stuff down about myself in one go so I can remember them better if I read them back. I habitually write in third person which amuses some of my friends, but yeah. Is it okay to write about me? o.O

I'm very excited by the way :)