NaNoWriMo Feedback
X-posted to nanowrimo
It's almost September! You know what that means! It's officially NaNo pre-plotting time!
Who's doing National Novel Writing Month this November? I think I probably will for the rest of my life. Even if this computer doesn't last and I'm forced to do it long-hand, though that would be sad since the site wouldn't verify my inevitable win.
Anyway, being the NaNo-fiend that I am, I've already been thinking about this for a few months. I just don't know what to focus on this year! I have three separate novels that are all fighting for my attention. So I'd like input, because I could easily do either of these.
My Ultimate Writing Goal at the moment is to start bringing in some money and legitimately move from the realm of hobby to profession. Ideally, I would like to be able to buy a new, working computer &/or four new (sorely needed) tires with my writing. I'm not trying to go all King or Rowling with it. Yet.
Please allow me to briefly explain my ideas, and then vote on which is the book you'd most be inclined to want to read/purchase/publish/encourage any editor friends to look at/etc.!
NaNo WonderSaga (working title) Fantasy/Science Fiction
I've worked on the WonderSaga for 4/6 NaNo attempts. (There's a reason it's the 'WonderSaga', lol.) I've won with it once (out of two wins total), but I've gotten farther & farther each year. Sadly, I fear that the WonderSaga is my least salable idea at the moment, but it's also the project that I know best, am farthest on, and have several new ideas for revision & moving forward with.
Description:
This novel follows the inhabitants of the world's first generation ship, Akupara, as it leaves Earth in search for a new planet to colonize. Fifty years after leaving Earth, they experience an 'anomaly' that causes everyone who is dreaming at that time to wake and find that their dream has come true in some way.
Notes:
This is my personal epic fun-land, where I wanted to merge both science fiction & fantasy. Magic becomes real, sending everything into chaos in a very technical environment. It's the next evolution of humankind, in a way. I initially wanted to create a world where I could write any genre I wanted. If I did sell an actual novel from this project, it would probably be many, many generations in the future once magic is well-established and few are left who remember Earth (two people become 'immortal', kind of, so they'll always be there right up until a planet is found). Honestly, I think if I flesh out this world more, I'd likely get way more short stories from it than I'd ever find a place to publish novel(s), but it's my baby, I love it, and the wild-and-free environment is one that works very well for NaNo.
The Dragon Alliance Fantasy
Description:
Prince Ravi, the youngest son of the Judran Queen, has always been enraptured by stories of magic. Unfortunately, his mother, like most of the world's leaders, insists on maintaining the antiquated ban on its practice. When Ravi comes of age, and despite his mother's threats, he gathers his most trusted friends and sets off to establish his own kingdom, promising that anyone would have the freedom to practice magic if they so desire.
It's a dangerous promise. Magic was banned for good reason. Fearing for their lives, the priesthood and world leaders attempt to stop him by any means possible. In order to win the freedom he so desires, Ravi seeks out The Last Dragon - the very being who banned magic in the first place. He wishes to form an alliance and gain her blessing. The dragon, to everyone's surprise, agrees. But is it worth the cost?
Notes:
This was last year's project (which was my second win). Sadly, while I crossed 50k words, I barely got to the meaty portion of my plot. Lots of wandering as I figured out a new world. I did, however, get a better sense of said world and my main characters. I could easily redo this and do a better job sticking to the plot this time. Maybe even write the full novel! I have a rough outline in my head, and it's rare that I actually know how something will end, so that's promising.
Neon Giraffe (working title) Apocalyptic/Alternate-present/very near future tale (would that be sci fi?)
I've started the first chapter of Neon Giraffe twice, as the only work I've done on it is an outline (which needs redoing) and a brief excerpt written from both 1st & 3rd POV. Sadly, those excerpts are lost on the broken computer. I'm still not 100% sure which POV I want. I was going to ask for feedback from some betas, but I never finished one of them, so I don't think anyone's seen it. It's been rattling around in my head all year though, and I think I have some solid ideas that would be very timely right now, so maybe there's a good market for it.
Description:
An off-grid “prepper” goes on a supply run to town and finds everyone dead. After preparing for an apocalyptic-type event for over 20 years, it finally happened, and he missed it. After his wife dies from the outbreak, he leaves his comfortable homestead and heads out across the country to see if his daughter and granddaughter have survived.
Notes:
Prepping is a big thing right now, and I'm unaware of a lot of fiction that addresses it. I think there's a decent untapped market for this. I think this will mostly be a very interesting character study. My MC is supposedly in one of the best positions to handle a scenario like this, yet he's really not prepared for the realities. He's forced into difficult positions and into making hard decisions that would otherwise be out of character for him. Yes, he's fighting this horrible environment, but he's also having a whole lot of inner struggle along the way. I have the basic outline/plot arc in my head, and I'm really eager to write it. But, all of my first drafts, and especially NaNo drafts, tend to be very 'wandery'. I usually flop around, getting a feel for the world & characters, writing/shooting from the hip. Second attempts are always much tighter and actually show some semblance of a plot arc. So, even though I'm SUPER excited about it and itching to go, I'm realistic about how it would probably end up. Which is: likely not very good or even close to being ready for submission anywhere.
Poll What to Write for NaNo 2012
It's almost September! You know what that means! It's officially NaNo pre-plotting time!
Who's doing National Novel Writing Month this November? I think I probably will for the rest of my life. Even if this computer doesn't last and I'm forced to do it long-hand, though that would be sad since the site wouldn't verify my inevitable win.
Anyway, being the NaNo-fiend that I am, I've already been thinking about this for a few months. I just don't know what to focus on this year! I have three separate novels that are all fighting for my attention. So I'd like input, because I could easily do either of these.
My Ultimate Writing Goal at the moment is to start bringing in some money and legitimately move from the realm of hobby to profession. Ideally, I would like to be able to buy a new, working computer &/or four new (sorely needed) tires with my writing. I'm not trying to go all King or Rowling with it. Yet.
Please allow me to briefly explain my ideas, and then vote on which is the book you'd most be inclined to want to read/purchase/publish/encourage any editor friends to look at/etc.!
NaNo WonderSaga (working title) Fantasy/Science Fiction
I've worked on the WonderSaga for 4/6 NaNo attempts. (There's a reason it's the 'WonderSaga', lol.) I've won with it once (out of two wins total), but I've gotten farther & farther each year. Sadly, I fear that the WonderSaga is my least salable idea at the moment, but it's also the project that I know best, am farthest on, and have several new ideas for revision & moving forward with.
Description:
This novel follows the inhabitants of the world's first generation ship, Akupara, as it leaves Earth in search for a new planet to colonize. Fifty years after leaving Earth, they experience an 'anomaly' that causes everyone who is dreaming at that time to wake and find that their dream has come true in some way.
Notes:
This is my personal epic fun-land, where I wanted to merge both science fiction & fantasy. Magic becomes real, sending everything into chaos in a very technical environment. It's the next evolution of humankind, in a way. I initially wanted to create a world where I could write any genre I wanted. If I did sell an actual novel from this project, it would probably be many, many generations in the future once magic is well-established and few are left who remember Earth (two people become 'immortal', kind of, so they'll always be there right up until a planet is found). Honestly, I think if I flesh out this world more, I'd likely get way more short stories from it than I'd ever find a place to publish novel(s), but it's my baby, I love it, and the wild-and-free environment is one that works very well for NaNo.
The Dragon Alliance Fantasy
Description:
Prince Ravi, the youngest son of the Judran Queen, has always been enraptured by stories of magic. Unfortunately, his mother, like most of the world's leaders, insists on maintaining the antiquated ban on its practice. When Ravi comes of age, and despite his mother's threats, he gathers his most trusted friends and sets off to establish his own kingdom, promising that anyone would have the freedom to practice magic if they so desire.
It's a dangerous promise. Magic was banned for good reason. Fearing for their lives, the priesthood and world leaders attempt to stop him by any means possible. In order to win the freedom he so desires, Ravi seeks out The Last Dragon - the very being who banned magic in the first place. He wishes to form an alliance and gain her blessing. The dragon, to everyone's surprise, agrees. But is it worth the cost?
Notes:
This was last year's project (which was my second win). Sadly, while I crossed 50k words, I barely got to the meaty portion of my plot. Lots of wandering as I figured out a new world. I did, however, get a better sense of said world and my main characters. I could easily redo this and do a better job sticking to the plot this time. Maybe even write the full novel! I have a rough outline in my head, and it's rare that I actually know how something will end, so that's promising.
Neon Giraffe (working title) Apocalyptic/Alternate-present/very near future tale (would that be sci fi?)
I've started the first chapter of Neon Giraffe twice, as the only work I've done on it is an outline (which needs redoing) and a brief excerpt written from both 1st & 3rd POV. Sadly, those excerpts are lost on the broken computer. I'm still not 100% sure which POV I want. I was going to ask for feedback from some betas, but I never finished one of them, so I don't think anyone's seen it. It's been rattling around in my head all year though, and I think I have some solid ideas that would be very timely right now, so maybe there's a good market for it.
Description:
An off-grid “prepper” goes on a supply run to town and finds everyone dead. After preparing for an apocalyptic-type event for over 20 years, it finally happened, and he missed it. After his wife dies from the outbreak, he leaves his comfortable homestead and heads out across the country to see if his daughter and granddaughter have survived.
Notes:
Prepping is a big thing right now, and I'm unaware of a lot of fiction that addresses it. I think there's a decent untapped market for this. I think this will mostly be a very interesting character study. My MC is supposedly in one of the best positions to handle a scenario like this, yet he's really not prepared for the realities. He's forced into difficult positions and into making hard decisions that would otherwise be out of character for him. Yes, he's fighting this horrible environment, but he's also having a whole lot of inner struggle along the way. I have the basic outline/plot arc in my head, and I'm really eager to write it. But, all of my first drafts, and especially NaNo drafts, tend to be very 'wandery'. I usually flop around, getting a feel for the world & characters, writing/shooting from the hip. Second attempts are always much tighter and actually show some semblance of a plot arc. So, even though I'm SUPER excited about it and itching to go, I'm realistic about how it would probably end up. Which is: likely not very good or even close to being ready for submission anywhere.
Poll What to Write for NaNo 2012