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!