This Year's Challenge

Does it have to be something Ottawa-related?
Like the phrase "Greener than the roof of Parliament!" Or something?
Or just a character or object that appears randomly?

It doesn't have to feature Ottawa. One year, we had the door to nowhere as a challenge to be included.

ML Ottawa, Ontario
NaNoWriMo 2006: Lethal Ladies (complete!)
NaNoWriMo 2007: Digital Magic (win!)
NaNoWriMo 2008: Crossover (win!)
NaNoWriMo 2009: The Soul Blade

A door to nowhere sounds like an interesting challenge, heh. It would certainly be easy for me to work in, too. ^__^

Be with me always - take any form - drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!
~ Heathcliff, Wuthering Heights

A door to nowhere would be a very simple task in my book seeing as everything is about magic. >_>;

Maybe someone makes a comment about an inanimate object mocking them? (must be humourous though)

*Is a Demonic Author that eats NaNoWriM-O's for breakfast*
2008 Achievement - 50K : Six Days.

2008 - Witching Hour - WIN!
2009 - Magi-Nation

How about inclusion of a Tim Hortons? Bonus if someone asks for a double-double

(It's actually something I've already done, but given the fact that I'm writing science fiction, I was surprised when it came up. And it even seemed to flow!)

NaNo 2009: Lost and Found (19,052/50,000+)

Hrm, well, seeing as I intend to publish this book eventually, I'll have to avoid putting in something that's a Registered Trademark or business name. (Plus, it's not much of a challenge if you've done it already, is it? XD )

Hrm.. somethign that everyone should be able to include regardless of genre or storyline but is sitll a little difficult to add...

A Rube Goldberg Device?
An unusual machine that does something unexpected?
Very unseasonal weather? (Like snow in july)
Someone with a third eye?
Talking doll?
A dead/missing person appearing in a photograph or painting? (or disappearing from said pictures)

*Is a Demonic Author that eats NaNoWriM-O's for breakfast*
2008 Achievement - 50K : Six Days.

2008 - Witching Hour - WIN!
2009 - Magi-Nation

Um, my Yuletide story last year was about snow in July. In fact it was called "Snow in July". I also hold it responsible for my bout of writer's block. Let's not do unseasonal weather.

I do like this one a lot:

This may be because inanimate objects mock me all the time, especially my laptop. :D

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Born on the 20th of NaNo

You know, I'm pretty sure you are allowed to mention registered trademarks. I remember the issue came up once at writing workshop I attended years ago. After all, if you weren't allowed to use trademarks characters would never be able to ask for a Kleenex or Scotch Tape since those are brands; they'd have to ask for tissues or adhesive tape, which are terms rarely used by real people.

Meanwhile I normally write fantasy so it's not an issue that comes up often for me. ;P

That said, I'm willing to use any of the above suggestions even if if they don't make sense in my Nano. At worst I can just have one of the characters have a strange hallucination and edit it out later on the rather remote chance that I might want to do something with the end product. I do sort of like the idea of unseasonal weather though.

2005: The Chosen-- Winner
2006: In this Together -- Winner
2007: Crack(ed) -- Winner
2008: Reality Check (or How Weird Al Yankovic Saved My Nano) -- Winner!

I think the challenge should be having to refer to a fluffy white teddy bear. Bonus points if the teddy bear is real in the story (a character carries it or owns it. Extra bonus points if it becomes a plot point/device.

By the way, the door to nowhere begat the best chapter in my first NaNovel.

An author spends months writing a book, and maybe puts his heart's blood into it, and then it lies about unread till the reader has nothing else in the world to do. -- W. Somerset Maugham

I vote for the mocking inanimate object. It's sufficiently ambiguous to fit into any genre.

It is better to write for yourself and have no audience, then to write for an audience and have no self

2006 - Into the Fray (win)
2007 - The Ties That Bind (win)
2008 - Black Rose (win)
2009 - Devil Ins

Whatever the challenge is going to be, we need to decide soon because a week has already gone by.

Does someone know how to make a poll? If so, can we put the suggestions into one and set a deadline for voting?

An author spends months writing a book, and maybe puts his heart's blood into it, and then it lies about unread till the reader has nothing else in the world to do. -- W. Somerset Maugham