Tuesday, November 1, 2011

On your marks... Get set... NaNo!

NaNoWriMo begins today. Did you know?!
Let's have a little fun. Put down your pens... er... minimize your word document...

Do you have a set idea in mind for your NaNo novel? Think you know where it's going? This might work best if you're a panster rather than a plotter, but who knows?

Last year when I did NaNo, my light-hearted, rom-com-esque novel inspired by a friend turned into an emotional, dark journey into the past, and it did not have a happily ever after. Whoops. (and no, I'm not NaNoing this year--too intense for me, and too time consuming)

Tell me, in one or two sentences, what you think your NaNo novel is going to be about. Visit me again at the end of the month and give me another short blurb to see if or how much changed. Do you have any fun NaNo-changling stories from past years?

Happy (as in, don't go insane) writing!

19 comments:

Amy Tripp said...

I don't really fly by the seat of my pants, but I don't heavy duty outline, either. I used to outline my novels, but then so much would change that the outline was useless.

I've got just over 2000 words in for the day, so good enough. :)

My novel's blurb: Set against the backdrop of a small town scandal, a teenage boy struggles with his sexuality.

Are you nanoing this year?

Jess said...

Good luck in NaNo!!! My novel is going to be my sequel so I guess it's just a continuation of the story line... hopefully that's not cheating... But once again, good luck!

Deirdre Puff said...

I'm usually a fly by the seat of my pants kind of person - but I'm trying to plot it so I don't get lost.

Looking at para-rom with lots of action and intrigue. I had a dream about it a year ago..and haven't had the time or the freedom to just write. So I'm making it now!

Blue Remy said...

My lil blurb: DEA Agent infiltrates notorius motorcycle gang, falls in love with Presidents daughter. Danger, action, struggles.

We'll see.

Heather said...

Blurbity Blurb: Sixteen-year-old Sarah Whitman has finally freed herself of the pirates who held her captive for two years. Now she wants revenge on the men who ruined her life and killed her family.

It's the sequel to my first book, and I'm really excited about writing it!

Good luck Nano-ing!

Holly Hill said...

Ah, yes, I've been outlining my little heart out in preparation for NaNo.

I'm writing a YA Fantasy:

Olea blossomed from the single oleander in Eden, destined to destroy humankind, but when she finds love among the enemy, Olea must decide who to betray -- herself, or her creator -- and if love is worth death.

Theresa said...

I never usually plot, but for my first time participating in NaNo I decided to be prepared.

A girl is transported back to August 1925- on the day her great grandmother lost everything. Millie has the chance to right the wrongs of the past but what she fails to realize is that these wrongs are meant to be a bigger lesson for the present.

Good luck to everyone.

Cat Carlisle said...

I've got a one page plot, but I'm superstitious and afraid that I'll ruin it if I talk about it too much, so this is all I'll say about the plot right now: it's a paranormal bromance!

Bonnie said...

Mine is supposed to be about the war between Heaven and Hell with Earth caught in the middle, and two teenagers finding out who they really are and what they are capable of...we'll see if that is the same in the end. I plotted and outlined, so I am hoping that it doesn't stray too far.

Kelly Lyman said...

My blurb: hitman falls in love with his next victim and helps her cheat death when others try to get to her, causing him a whole bunch problems...

Most likely, something paranormal will appear as that always happens to me!

Unknown said...

My 2011 novel: a homeless teenager turns vigilante with the help of a lie-detector priest and overzealous ex-cop.

I don't outline in advance, but I do some character development and then let them carry the plot forward.

The Writer Librarian said...

Foster children mysteriously develop super-powers. We'll see where it goes...

Heidi W said...

Great idea!

Mine is about a seventeen-year-old girl who is destined for an arranged marriage. She is kidnapped in the first 3000 words (so, by tomorrow!) and has to fight to get back to a life she isn't sure she wants.

Martha Ramirez said...

Yes! I just completed 2,000 words and taking a short break. Back to work.

I'm usually a pantster but now I can't write another novel without Save the Cat's beat sheet.

And yeah--that's it--trying to keep sane. :)

-Jo- said...

I usually fly by the seat of my pants, but this year I made a plan.

Super Secret Agent Milkshakes is assigned to track down a missing scientist who specializes in researching and developing scents for sinister purposes. She's not sure which is worse, the church full of over-confessing patrons, the game show host of “The Truth Hurts—Feel the Pain” or her new rookie partner.

Obviously, Nano is where I get my cheese on.

Margaret M. Fisk said...

I plan my novels, including NaNo, so usually have some idea of what it will be like. More often the middle changes than the whole, though I had a complicated look at perception turn into a teenage romance once.

As to this year, my story is the journey of a fugitive natural--think Girl Genius spark--attempting to reach the safety of others of her kind instead finds acceptance, even love, among the crew of an old packet ship.

I'm expecting it to stay true to the framework of that, but already I'm seeing some changes in how all this comes about.

NaNo name is MarFisk, FYI.

Anonymous said...

I'm hoping to finish the even-longer sequel to my superlong Russian historical novel sometime within the week, and then I'll turn my attention to something new. (I don't want to start the third book immediately, since I've learnt my lesson about starting a sequel too soon after finishing a saga. I'm still coming down from a huge writing high and a lot of time with these characters, and need time to unwind away from them.)

I'd be writing the third book in another family saga of mine. The second book is on hiatus, and I'll eventually get back to it. All along I had a much more detailed story in mind for the third book, so that's what I'd turn my attention to. The storyline is inspired by Margaret Sidney's 'Phronsie Pepper,' the last book in the classic late 19th/early 20th century Five Little Peppers series.

My blurb:

Justine’s jealous feelings at the birth of Julie’s first child are quickly turned around when she reconnects with David, now twenty-five years old and a Ph.D. student at SUNY Albany, with the five-year difference between them suddenly no longer so inappropriate. However, it’s going to take a little convincing for all of her older siblings and their friends to see her, after years of being the precious family baby, as a grownup woman who’s old enough for marriage, motherhood, and moving out with her new family.

Given that my non-YA books have so far all been well up in the 300K range (I write deliberate sagas with large story arcs, lots of characters, and a number of subplots), I think it's safe to say I won't be finished with this one within November, but it's at least nice to start. I started the first book in this family saga last November, and got quite a bit done on it, after all.

Shelley Watters said...

I'm a pantsing plotter. I have an outline (even down to the scenes) but then I let the characters do what they will within the confines of that scene.

My Nano is a YA thriller which is best described as Distrubia meets Paranormal Activity. I'm guessing it'll be about 70k in the final draft. It's already fully outlined, of course. :)

Lynn(e) Schmidt said...

11 days later I actually start my NaNo project. This is my idea:

The night of Sarah's 18th birthday turns tragic when the vehicle in front of her, containing her sister, parents, and sister's boyfriend, collides with oncoming traffic. Both parents are dead within minutes. Her sister's boyfriend dies at the hosptial, and her sister is left in a coma with severe head trauma.

Now Sarah is left with the decision in light of turning 18; obtain custody of her sister and help preserve what is left of her sister's memories or allow her baby sister to fall into foster care.