Wednesday 31 October 2012

The NaNoWriMo Post

Happy Halloween! Hope everyone has fun whatever you're doing. On the eve of what will be a month of madness for many of us, I thought I should get round to posting about it.

I've been excited about taking part in my first NaNo for a while, but only in the last few weeks have settled on an idea and over the last couple of days I've done a bit of an outline. Well, more of a synopsis, really. It takes me so far before I step off the edge of a cliff... and I know people recommend plotting for NaNo, but I find it really hard to work a lot of stuff out until I'm in the midst of something. We shall see what happens!

What I've gleaned about this event is that it seems to be largely about trusting your gut. There simply isn't time to hum and hah about where to go next: you just have to get on with it. I think this is where I veer towards pantsing because I will only get to know my characters better, and the course they would take, once I've spent a good amount of time with them. But there's no right or wrong way to go about it.

Regarding blogging, I'll still be around, posting weekly updates starting on Thursday, November 8th.

I hope all who are taking part have a blast! If you'd like to "buddy up", my username is Nick Wilford. I've just posted my synopsis on the site - it's not my normal modus operandi to talk about a story before I've written a word (and I even have a working title - unheard of!), but I'll go with it. As I'm curious to know what you will think of my idea, I thought I'd be brave and go ahead and post it here as well. So it goes a little something like this...

Working Title: Black & White

Genre: YA Dystopian


Wellesbury has lived all his fourteen years in a gleamingly white city. No dirt or disease exists here, neither does physical pain. But corruption runs under the surface. When people die after a long life, their bodies vapourise instantly. Wellesbury and his fellow citizens know nothing else.
One day, a young boy of the same age named Mallinger appears in the midst of the city. He is black with dirt, his clothes are ragged, and he tells people he is dying and needs help. They are not repulsed, but mystified. Not knowing what else to do with him, they put him in the city jail. Although they don't know what dirt is, they don't like the grimy stuff that rubs off whenever they touch him.
On hearing about the story, Wellesbury is intensely curious and goes to meet the boy. The outsider is relieved to find someone who will actually listen to him, and tells Wellesbury about his own home city, riddled with disease and the streets full of sewage.
Mallinger implores his counterpart to help him, causing Wellesbury to embark on a quest that will shake his "perfect" society to its foundations and alter his entire perception of both life, and himself.

It's basically my outline as it stands, slightly edited down. Like I said, so far and no further. Yikes!
Are you taking part? Plotting, pantsing or in between? Up to any frightening fun tonight? I'm just hoping I don't have nightmares about NaNo!

45 comments:

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Good luck, Nick! It sounds like you've got a good start re the outline and it sounds like you know how you work best so...go for it! :)

JeffO said...

That's an interesting story you've got there, Nick. Good luck with NaNo. As for me, I'll know tomorrow. Or the next day. My own Next Project doesn't feel firm enough in my head to be written yet, so I will likely sit this one out.

Kyra Lennon said...

Interesting premise! I wish you the best of luck - I am about to go and write my own NaNo post! :D

Louise said...

Sounds fantastic! Maybe one of these days I'll have a chance to do NaNoWriMo - these days, November is my busiest month.

Sally said...

Good luck, Nick. It seems as though you've made a great stuff with a great idea.

Luanne G. Smith said...

Good luck with NaNo. Glad to hear you'll still be checking in on your blog. It will be a little quiet around the blogosphere for the month of November. :)

Tara Tyler said...

still cant believe how many are participating!

sounds like the beginning of a great story! good luck! your characters will guide you, or you just torture them!

michelle said...

Good Luck, Nick! Sounds like this could be an excellent story.
November is a busy month for me, so NaNo is a no-no at this point in time. I think I write far too slowly anyway...

Stina said...

I have a feeling it's going to be quiet next month in the blogosphere with NaNo going on.

I'm not doing it. I'm a plotter and I'm still plotting my next project. Okay, technically I'm still brainstorming my idea.

Good luck with yours, Nick. :D

Carol Kilgore said...

I'm not doing NaNo, but I wish you all the best! Have fun with this story. I see all kinds of great possibilities :)

Donna K. Weaver said...

That's a great way to get your basic outline down. I need to do that myself.

And NaNo is also about turning off your internal editor. It can be great those people who incorrectly think they have to have perfection on the first draft. I love it because, for me, I've found that my true writing happens in the edits--but I have to have something written in order to edit it.

Jeff Hargett said...

Best wishes on your NaNo efforts. :::Cheering from the sidelines:::

Ellie Garratt said...

I'm officially intrigued. The title is perfect.

Nothing frightening for me tonight. Early night in preparation for NaNo Day One!

Suze said...

'you just have to get on with it'

That's it, Nick. That is the crux of it, right there.

I am wishing you the absolute best with 'Black & White,' cheering you with all my heart from the sidelines!

S.P. Bowers said...

I'm not participating this year but hope you have a blast!

ilima said...

Super cool concept, my type of book. I'm Nano-ing a YA sci-fi and I'm so excited!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

No time to reflect - just write like a madman!
Not taking part this year as I'm busy editing.

Mel said...

Greetings fellow NaNoWriMo writer! This will be my second year participating (hoping it goes better than last year) and I approach it the same way you do...no real plans. Your synopsis sounds great; you're further than I am! My NaNo name is MHinzman. I'll look you up :)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Nick .. good luck and have fun - I'm not doing it! Catch you anon - cheers Hilary

Elise Fallson said...

Good luck with NaNo Nick. looks like you've got a great outline, very intriguing. It'll be interesting how it evolves through out the month. I'm not participating in NaNo but maybe I'll have the courage next year. (:

Kelley Lynn said...

I got goosebumps reading this! It sounds so good!

And I buddied you :) So we can get through NaNo together.

Since both of mine are collabs, there is more plotting then I normally would. But we've still left quite a bit open.

Good luck!

Krista McLaughlin said...

That sounds very interesting! Good luck with NaNo! I rarely plot out what I'm gonna write. In fact, I've got no clue where my NaNo novel is going so it should be funny! I added you as a buddy!

Hope you had a great Halloween!

Lisa Regan said...

Your story sounds really intriguing! I'd totally read it based on that. I'm not participating cause I'm trying to finish the stuff I already started. LOL. But good luck!!!

Nicole said...

Cool sounding story! Good luck with NaNo.

EM Castellan said...

Good luck with NaNoWriMo Nick! Your story sounds interesting...

Nick Wilford said...

Madeline - Thanks! Done 2000 words on Day 1, so pleased with the progress so far!

Jeff - Thanks. Good luck if you go for it!

Kyra - Thanks! I know you'll do great and I look forward to swapping. :)

Louise - Thanks! It's just as well it's not October, because we've got four birthdays then. Actually, we usually go away in Nov, but not this year!

Sally - Thanks! Just need to see how the idea pans out.

L.G. - Thanks! Well, these days, I find it hard to write without offloading about it occasionally, lol.

Tara - Thanks! Ha, I'll try not to torture the main ones too much since they're just kids, lol!

Michelle - Thank you! I make an effort to write a bit faster these days, because I got a bit fed up with things taking ages.

Stina - Thanks. We all work at our own pace - but I wouldn't write this much all the time!

Carol - Thanks! I hope I'll see the possibilities too. Lol. :D

Donna - Thanks. I don't expect perfection even after several edits! So, I'm just planning to have fun and see where it goes.

Jeff - Thanks!

Ellie - Glad you're intrigued! Good luck with yours. :)

Nick Wilford said...

Suze - It's all about forward progress! Thanks for the cheers!

Sara - Thanks!

Ilima - Thanks for the kind words! Good luck, I'd love to write a sci-fi one day.

Alex - Good luck editing!

Mel - Thanks for buddying me. I'll be cheering, I'm sure you'll do great!

Hilary - Thanks! Maybe next year? :)

Elise - Thanks very much! Hopefully I'll have some good progress to update on. :)

Kelley Lynn - Wow! Thanks for the generous comment. :) Good luck to both of you, for both of yours!!

Krista - Thanks! I'm sure you'll figure it out. :) Halloween was fun!

Lisa - Thanks, I'm awed by these comments... I'll try to deliver!! Good luck with finishing your stuff, you must be busy enough already!

Nicole - Thank you! :)

EM - Thanks! :)

Matthew MacNish said...

I don't NaNo, but your story sounds very intriguing! Well done, Nick.

Valentina Hepburn said...

I love your concept, Nick. It's intriguing. Good luck with it. I tried NaNo last year and it's not for me. I spend too much time 'faffing'. By the time the 'faff' was over, it was December. Happy writing.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I don't have enough time to do NaNo this year, but I know what you mean about how it's great that you don't get enough time to hum and har. You just have to trust your gut and write.

I love what you have so far. It sounds like an intriguing tale.

Anonymous said...

Good luck! This sounds like an awesome project to start on. I hope you had a great first day.

Sarah Allen said...

Gah, the thought of NaNo just makes me panic. Maybe I'll do it one of these days. But best of luck to you! Can't wait to see how it turns out :)

Sarah Allen
From Sarah, With Joy

Unknown said...

Good luck. Sounds like you're going to have a good time. As for me, I'm a no go on Nano.

Trisha said...

From your outline, this sounds amazing! I'd definitely read it. And I have added you as a NaNo friend :) My username is yoghurtelf :)

Rachna Chhabria said...

Good luck, Nick with your NaNo goals.

C.B. Wentworth said...

Good luck on NaNo! :-) I'm playing along in spirit by creating my own challenge with word count goals for revision. May we both reach that magic number by the end of the month.

Anonymous said...

Your NaNo piece sounds awesome! Good luck with it!

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Your book sounds like it has a really interesting premise. Good luck with getting it all out this month.

I'm participating in NaNoWriMo for the very first time, writing book two of an MG mystery series set in Victorian London. I'm more or less a panster too, although sometimes that become "dawdler", so I'm hoping this is a good way to get that first draft done.

kjmckendry said...

Wow sounds like you've got a great start! Good luck!

Unknown said...

An outline is where it all starts. And a good start it seems to be. Well done! I've written 10K of the book I'm working on for NaNo. I hope to finish it at 60K by month end. Mine is a Dysopian too. I love that genre soooo very much.

Well, good luck and have fun writing. :)

Unknown said...

I meant Dystopian. My fingers got a bit ahead of me. haha

cleemckenzie said...

I'm rooting from the sidelines! You can't see me, but I'm the one with pom poms!

Good luck.

p.s. I sent my book to the woman in England. Glad she contributed to your auction.

cleemckenzie said...

I'm rooting from the sidelines! You can't see me, but I'm the one with pom poms!

Good luck.

p.s. I sent my book to the woman in England. Glad she contributed to your auction.

Jennifer Joyce said...

Good luck with NaNo :-)

J.L. Campbell said...

Keep your nose to the grindstone! Have fun.