Plans of Pants
I feel like after every nano event I sort of cease to exist for a little while. At least a month, though it's been two months this time around. I still have my June camp calendar as my desktop. -_-' Anyway, I'm writing a second draft of Thick as Blood and it's so hard. It's going soo slowly, but I'm trying to get more organized which includes creating a writing plan and sticking to it. I'm hoping to devote at least thirty minutes a day to writing.
I've also been seeing a lot of post about nanowrimo and I don't usually plan this early, but last year I didn't remember until like two weeks before November. Plus, I feel like I haven't had any new ideas in a year. I had been planning on writing the next in my blood brother series, but that's almost definitely not going to happen. Bound by Blood needs to be completely rewritten. I feel like very little of it is useable. Blah. The plot derailed and I don't know where it went to make the characters come out where I want them. Anyway, so I won't be continuing that right now.
In 2008, I had this system to help me decide what to write because at literally midnight, Nov. 1 I threw out my original idea. What I did was get about ten opening sentences, wrote about 100 words for each, ranked them, wrote a little more for the top half, ranked them again, rinse and repeat until happy with decision. I'm going to try that again, using interesting story prompts I found here.
I'm thinking about pantsing it for realz this year. Usually, I try to at least figure out the characters first, but then nothing I figure out seems to be of any help. The first half is always just a mess, even when I do character sheets ahead of time. However, in Bound by Blood there was a team of characters who I made up on the spot and I love loved them. Sometimes more than my main characters. So, pantsing the characters most definite.
And if anyone is interested, here are the top five choices. It's just stream of consciousness on each prompt. It's ranked 1-10 on these criteria 1. how original it was compared to my other ideas; 2. how well I felt about writing more on the topic; 3. how much fun I had writing the idea.
[Vampires, Thieves, Demon Hunter, Witches, or Multiple Lives]
1. Vampires: Literal ancestral guardians in the form of a vampire. “You move too quickly for me to care,” said the vampire apologetically. “I blink and your life goes by, two blinks and it’s your daughter’s daughter that’s come to curry favor. Generations of you have shown up at my door and I grow weary of the game.” Research vampire lore? Descendant comes to curry favor and is persistent enough to intrigue the vampire. The vampire seems less like other vampires, but perhaps he just doesn't care. Could end sadly with the reminder that the descendant will die. Not interested in turning the descendant. Not sure what the plot is. What favor does the descendant want? (9 9 8 = 8.6)
2. Thieves: A pair of thieves is moving a really hot item for the magical black market: a flying carpet. I feel like a genie at this point would be too obvious, but I like the idea of the trouble they run into being an all-powerful genie hell bent on revenge (a la Jaffar). “Since the whole point was not to call attention to your dignity, let’s have less griping and more fleeing.” Thissle chided from under the other corner. The corner belonging to the carpet. If not a genie, then a number of other thieves, mercenaries, and authority figures try to get back this carpet. Why did they take it? (8 9 7 = 8)
3. Demon Hunter: This could be another episodic adventure of a exorcist/exterminator. It might let me explore other religions of my world or going more in depth with it. Banishing ducks wasn’t really part of her repertoire; when people summoned her it was normally for demons not waterfowl. This a female exorcist. Is this normal or do they call her for special jobs? What does she encounter that makes these episodes out of ordinary enough to be remarked on. Or will it just be to show what she does? Does she travel alone? Will she meet someone? Has she taken a vow of celibacy? (7 8 8 = 7.6)
4. Witches: This gives me an idea of a charlatan for some reason. Perhaps it is a traveling witch who can do real magic, but finds it easier and cheaper to make fakes. Every now and then she throws in a real one just so word of mouth brings her more costumers. Perhaps her deception is brought to the attention of the local authorities and they enact a punishment. I'm not really sure what it is or if I should incorporate the weight loss into the story. If I did then magic might not be widely accepted. Scandin? Losing weight really was magic and Sammi did brisk business on charmed jewelry that helped to melt the pounds away. (7 9 6 = 7.3)
Multiple Lives: MC has to deal with living and dying over and over again. He doesn't enjoy it and finds it tedious at best. Perhaps he was cursed to continuously live. The living's not bad though. Dying isn't something you learn to deal with, like catching colds or sitting in traffic, it's just as new, just as horrible every time it happens. MC believes he has to do it right: life. Sort of like groundhog day. Groundhog life. Or perhaps, he is searching for death to see what the heck. Need stakes since we know the MC can't die; that's not a threat. Maybe death has been looking for him, wondering how he kept slipping through the cracks. Needs to become a reaper? (7 8 7 = 7.3)
I've also been seeing a lot of post about nanowrimo and I don't usually plan this early, but last year I didn't remember until like two weeks before November. Plus, I feel like I haven't had any new ideas in a year. I had been planning on writing the next in my blood brother series, but that's almost definitely not going to happen. Bound by Blood needs to be completely rewritten. I feel like very little of it is useable. Blah. The plot derailed and I don't know where it went to make the characters come out where I want them. Anyway, so I won't be continuing that right now.
In 2008, I had this system to help me decide what to write because at literally midnight, Nov. 1 I threw out my original idea. What I did was get about ten opening sentences, wrote about 100 words for each, ranked them, wrote a little more for the top half, ranked them again, rinse and repeat until happy with decision. I'm going to try that again, using interesting story prompts I found here.
I'm thinking about pantsing it for realz this year. Usually, I try to at least figure out the characters first, but then nothing I figure out seems to be of any help. The first half is always just a mess, even when I do character sheets ahead of time. However, in Bound by Blood there was a team of characters who I made up on the spot and I love loved them. Sometimes more than my main characters. So, pantsing the characters most definite.
And if anyone is interested, here are the top five choices. It's just stream of consciousness on each prompt. It's ranked 1-10 on these criteria 1. how original it was compared to my other ideas; 2. how well I felt about writing more on the topic; 3. how much fun I had writing the idea.
[Vampires, Thieves, Demon Hunter, Witches, or Multiple Lives]
1. Vampires: Literal ancestral guardians in the form of a vampire. “You move too quickly for me to care,” said the vampire apologetically. “I blink and your life goes by, two blinks and it’s your daughter’s daughter that’s come to curry favor. Generations of you have shown up at my door and I grow weary of the game.” Research vampire lore? Descendant comes to curry favor and is persistent enough to intrigue the vampire. The vampire seems less like other vampires, but perhaps he just doesn't care. Could end sadly with the reminder that the descendant will die. Not interested in turning the descendant. Not sure what the plot is. What favor does the descendant want? (9 9 8 = 8.6)
2. Thieves: A pair of thieves is moving a really hot item for the magical black market: a flying carpet. I feel like a genie at this point would be too obvious, but I like the idea of the trouble they run into being an all-powerful genie hell bent on revenge (a la Jaffar). “Since the whole point was not to call attention to your dignity, let’s have less griping and more fleeing.” Thissle chided from under the other corner. The corner belonging to the carpet. If not a genie, then a number of other thieves, mercenaries, and authority figures try to get back this carpet. Why did they take it? (8 9 7 = 8)
3. Demon Hunter: This could be another episodic adventure of a exorcist/exterminator. It might let me explore other religions of my world or going more in depth with it. Banishing ducks wasn’t really part of her repertoire; when people summoned her it was normally for demons not waterfowl. This a female exorcist. Is this normal or do they call her for special jobs? What does she encounter that makes these episodes out of ordinary enough to be remarked on. Or will it just be to show what she does? Does she travel alone? Will she meet someone? Has she taken a vow of celibacy? (7 8 8 = 7.6)
4. Witches: This gives me an idea of a charlatan for some reason. Perhaps it is a traveling witch who can do real magic, but finds it easier and cheaper to make fakes. Every now and then she throws in a real one just so word of mouth brings her more costumers. Perhaps her deception is brought to the attention of the local authorities and they enact a punishment. I'm not really sure what it is or if I should incorporate the weight loss into the story. If I did then magic might not be widely accepted. Scandin? Losing weight really was magic and Sammi did brisk business on charmed jewelry that helped to melt the pounds away. (7 9 6 = 7.3)
Multiple Lives: MC has to deal with living and dying over and over again. He doesn't enjoy it and finds it tedious at best. Perhaps he was cursed to continuously live. The living's not bad though. Dying isn't something you learn to deal with, like catching colds or sitting in traffic, it's just as new, just as horrible every time it happens. MC believes he has to do it right: life. Sort of like groundhog day. Groundhog life. Or perhaps, he is searching for death to see what the heck. Need stakes since we know the MC can't die; that's not a threat. Maybe death has been looking for him, wondering how he kept slipping through the cracks. Needs to become a reaper? (7 8 7 = 7.3)