With a little over two weeks left, I'm officially tossing my writing hat through the NaNoWriMo ring. I'm attempting a Rural Fantasy novel this year. It makes more sense to me that nasty creatures would be lurking on the fringes of society rather than in booming metropolises. Here's the teaser:
Jonah Steelgrave has been running from his eldritch destiny for almost a decade, fleeing his former country life for the big city. When an ex-girlfriend asks him for help locating her missing sister and tells him his mother hasn't been seen in town for over a month, destiny finally wraps its bony fingers around his throat...
Things to do:
- come up with character names other than Jonah and his mother.
- make the emergency list
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo. Show all posts
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Monday, October 29, 2012
Two
Two days and some change left until NaNoWriMo kicks off.
Remember last Wednesday when I mentioned not knowing a whole lot about the plot? I know only slightly more now. I was off the last five days but spent most of that time hanging with my lovely girlfriend. Time well spent but not all that useful for novelling purposes. I did figure out how I'm going to work the time travel a bit more, if that counts for anything.
One concept I know I'm going to use is that frequent time travelers adopt aliases so that their enemies can't easily travel back in time and stop them from being born. In a way, it's similar to how wizards don't reveal their true names in fantasy stories. I wish I could claim full credit for the concept but I nicked it from the DC comics character Rip Hunter, Timemaster.
I'm a little uneasy about the particulars of the plot but I'm pretty sure I'll find the way once I start writing.
Remember last Wednesday when I mentioned not knowing a whole lot about the plot? I know only slightly more now. I was off the last five days but spent most of that time hanging with my lovely girlfriend. Time well spent but not all that useful for novelling purposes. I did figure out how I'm going to work the time travel a bit more, if that counts for anything.
One concept I know I'm going to use is that frequent time travelers adopt aliases so that their enemies can't easily travel back in time and stop them from being born. In a way, it's similar to how wizards don't reveal their true names in fantasy stories. I wish I could claim full credit for the concept but I nicked it from the DC comics character Rip Hunter, Timemaster.
I'm a little uneasy about the particulars of the plot but I'm pretty sure I'll find the way once I start writing.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Seven More Days
Seven more days until NaNoWriMo. How prepared am I? Not as prepared as I would like to be. It seems I've focused more on my main character's back story than the actual plot. I've got the plot broadly figure out but the devil is in the details, as they say.
Since the main characters travel to five or six points in time, I'm thinking about structuring the plot like it's five or six Doctor Who episodes, complete with titles and different menaces in each.
It's always amazing how things evolve in the planning process. Tommy Anomaly was conceived as a Doctor Who knockoff and has grown into a combination of Doctor Who, Captain Jack Harkness, and Han Solo. I'm a lot more excited about the character than when I started planning and think I have a pretty good handle on him.
In non-writing news, the tidal wave of free books I was hoping for after the Forbes article about Goodreads has yet to reach the land.
Since the main characters travel to five or six points in time, I'm thinking about structuring the plot like it's five or six Doctor Who episodes, complete with titles and different menaces in each.
It's always amazing how things evolve in the planning process. Tommy Anomaly was conceived as a Doctor Who knockoff and has grown into a combination of Doctor Who, Captain Jack Harkness, and Han Solo. I'm a lot more excited about the character than when I started planning and think I have a pretty good handle on him.
In non-writing news, the tidal wave of free books I was hoping for after the Forbes article about Goodreads has yet to reach the land.
Monday, October 15, 2012
16 Days Left
Wow. Before you know it, we'll be down to single digits. After that, we'll be counting words. After that comes Thanksgiving, Christmas, death, etc.
Concepts are coming together in what I'm still calling Chronomaly. I've got a much better handle on my lead character's look and personality, due in part to me watching quite a few episodes of Doctor Who and Torchwood over the weekend. The plot and supporting cast still needs work but that's what the next two weeks are for. I've spent a fair bit of time thinking about the steampunky 1920's timeline where Tommy originates from so I figure I'll have to have my characters visit it for some reason.
One notion I'm going to play with in the story is that events in one timeline have echoes in the others. For instance, the invasion from H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds really happened in Tommy's timeline and contributed to his world's advancement, something the Wells in our reality subconsciously sensed and wrote about.
Another concept I'm going to explore is the Doctor Who/Peter Pan connection I mentioned a few weeks ago. I think Tommy's ruined more than a few people's lives by taking them adventuring in the timestream, not to mention some things he did he's not too proud of when he first got access to time travel technology.
Concepts are coming together in what I'm still calling Chronomaly. I've got a much better handle on my lead character's look and personality, due in part to me watching quite a few episodes of Doctor Who and Torchwood over the weekend. The plot and supporting cast still needs work but that's what the next two weeks are for. I've spent a fair bit of time thinking about the steampunky 1920's timeline where Tommy originates from so I figure I'll have to have my characters visit it for some reason.
One notion I'm going to play with in the story is that events in one timeline have echoes in the others. For instance, the invasion from H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds really happened in Tommy's timeline and contributed to his world's advancement, something the Wells in our reality subconsciously sensed and wrote about.
Another concept I'm going to explore is the Doctor Who/Peter Pan connection I mentioned a few weeks ago. I think Tommy's ruined more than a few people's lives by taking them adventuring in the timestream, not to mention some things he did he's not too proud of when he first got access to time travel technology.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
The tweaked teaser
So now I'm currently calling my NaNoWriMo book Chronomaly. Here's the revised teaser:
Chronal explorer Tommy Anomaly travels to the 21st century to investigate a temporal disturbance, only to have a man steal his time gauntlet and go back in time to prevent his own marriage. With help from the man's perturbed wife, Tommy gets a replacement gauntlet and goes into the timestream to find him. But their temporal journeys have made sinister beings aware of Earth. Can Tommy get his time gauntlet back, defeat invaders from other realities, and save a marriage?
Chronal explorer Tommy Anomaly travels to the 21st century to investigate a temporal disturbance, only to have a man steal his time gauntlet and go back in time to prevent his own marriage. With help from the man's perturbed wife, Tommy gets a replacement gauntlet and goes into the timestream to find him. But their temporal journeys have made sinister beings aware of Earth. Can Tommy get his time gauntlet back, defeat invaders from other realities, and save a marriage?
Twenty-Two Days Left
Twenty-Two Days Left. Here's my NaNoWriMo To-Do List:
- Pick jobs for my married couple and a plausible reason for them to fight on their anniversary. I decided I wanted them to be one of those nauseating couples with names that go together so they are Wesley and Jessica, aka Wes and Jess. I'm excited about making bad things to happen to them.
- Come up with names for other time travelers for Tommy Anomaly to throw around. "That Ross Uroborus is such a pompous ass!"
- Figure out what the hell is actually going to happen. I know Tommy and Jess will initially be tracking Wes down using some photographs from key events in their lives that they've spotted him in the background in and that the Gruul will be a thorn in their side the entire way.
- I want to throw a third group of characters in the mix but I'm not sure yet. I already know Tommy is part of the Uroborus League, a group of "non-interfering" time travelers. Maybe I'll come up with some kind of steampunky robots that police the time stream.
- If I enjoy the experience of writing Stolen Time (still not crazy about the title), future adventures will involve dinosaurs being set loose in a sleepy midwestern town and time traveling robots from an alternate past.
- The first series of Doctor Who was the deal of the day on the WB website yesterday. I'm never going to be finished watching Doctor Who.
- Read Shada over the last couple days. It's a novel based on some unfilmed Doctor Who scripts by Douglas Adams. It was awesome so I'll be watching the Tom Baker Doctor Who's after I watch all the modern ones and Torchwood
- I really like Torchwood. I'm alternating Torchwood seasons with David Tennant Doctor Who seasons.
Friday, October 5, 2012
27 more days
Here's the teaser for what is still being called Stolen Time:
Chrononaut Tommy Anomaly travels to the 21st century to investigate a temporal disturbance, only to have a man steal his time gauntlet and go back in time to prevent his own marriage. With help from the man's perturbed wife, Tommy gets a replacement gauntlet and goes into the timestream to find him. But their temporal journeys have made something sinister aware of Earth. Can Tommy get his time gauntlet back, defeat some owl creatures from several universes over, and save a marriage?
Chrononaut Tommy Anomaly travels to the 21st century to investigate a temporal disturbance, only to have a man steal his time gauntlet and go back in time to prevent his own marriage. With help from the man's perturbed wife, Tommy gets a replacement gauntlet and goes into the timestream to find him. But their temporal journeys have made something sinister aware of Earth. Can Tommy get his time gauntlet back, defeat some owl creatures from several universes over, and save a marriage?
Thursday, October 4, 2012
28 more days
Twenty-Eight more days until the insanity starts and I become a hermit. More of a hermit, I mean.
Things are slowly coming together for me. I'm watching a ton of Doctor Who and Torchwood to get into the mood and keep me there. I'm also reading all humorous SF and fantasy books this month. By the time November 1 hits, I should be much more prepared than I am now.
As I've mentioned before, it's a time travel story. I'm going for a Doctor Who written by P.G. Wodehouse feel. Right now, I'm calling it Stolen Time but I'm not thrilled with the title. I need to come up with better names and occupations for the married couple and flesh out the aliens' motives. I'll also be coming up with a lot of throwaway references to my main character's past adventures. I've got a lot of sf and fantasy fragments I plan on mining for material.
Things are slowly coming together for me. I'm watching a ton of Doctor Who and Torchwood to get into the mood and keep me there. I'm also reading all humorous SF and fantasy books this month. By the time November 1 hits, I should be much more prepared than I am now.
As I've mentioned before, it's a time travel story. I'm going for a Doctor Who written by P.G. Wodehouse feel. Right now, I'm calling it Stolen Time but I'm not thrilled with the title. I need to come up with better names and occupations for the married couple and flesh out the aliens' motives. I'll also be coming up with a lot of throwaway references to my main character's past adventures. I've got a lot of sf and fantasy fragments I plan on mining for material.
Friday, September 14, 2012
NaNoWriMo 2012 - Less than 7 weeks
It's that magical time of year, when the November Warriors begin planning their attack.
Am I ready? Not at all. Do I have an idea? I have many ideas. I have a setting I've been toying with for a couple years but still don't have a story I'm crazy about telling in it. I also have a time travel story I'd like to do. I guess my project for the next six weeks will be to develop both ideas a bit and then pick one. I've been on a sf/fantasy kick lately so that's probably what I'll attempt, although it will probably still unfold more like a crime book.
Am I ready? Not at all. Do I have an idea? I have many ideas. I have a setting I've been toying with for a couple years but still don't have a story I'm crazy about telling in it. I also have a time travel story I'd like to do. I guess my project for the next six weeks will be to develop both ideas a bit and then pick one. I've been on a sf/fantasy kick lately so that's probably what I'll attempt, although it will probably still unfold more like a crime book.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
August Camp - Day 1
So here we are again. Camp NaNoWriMo. Seems like we were just here.
The Banker's Bride is going smoothly. I'm already 2700 words in. The Banker and his bride to be have already been introduced, as have the bag of antique diamond jewelry that will serve as the MacGuffin.
As I do nearly every time, I'm wondering if this plot has the legs to go the distance. Since chapter 1 went long and I still didn't cover everything, I'm thinking it has a good chance. I made the right decision in going with The Banker's Bride.
The Banker's Bride is going smoothly. I'm already 2700 words in. The Banker and his bride to be have already been introduced, as have the bag of antique diamond jewelry that will serve as the MacGuffin.
As I do nearly every time, I'm wondering if this plot has the legs to go the distance. Since chapter 1 went long and I still didn't cover everything, I'm thinking it has a good chance. I made the right decision in going with The Banker's Bride.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Camp NaNoWriMo - Day 30
Here I am, squeezing in some writing before most of the world wakes up before I start packing to leave Camp NaNoWriMo.
Hard to believe June is almost over. Things changed quite a bit for me since the month started but I think they've all been good changes in the long run.
The writing is going well. I got up at 4:30 and started writing while listening to Jimi Hendrix almost immediately. I know I've got at least 10 chapters to go, possibly more. Jack's visiting his mom for the first time in months. I'm not sure where he's going when he leaves.
Here's an excerpt that I like even though it's not hard boiled like the last one:
Hard to believe June is almost over. Things changed quite a bit for me since the month started but I think they've all been good changes in the long run.
The writing is going well. I got up at 4:30 and started writing while listening to Jimi Hendrix almost immediately. I know I've got at least 10 chapters to go, possibly more. Jack's visiting his mom for the first time in months. I'm not sure where he's going when he leaves.
Here's an excerpt that I like even though it's not hard boiled like the last one:
I looked at my mom and smiled. Her
hair was almost white. She'd given up on dying it after my dad died.
Still, she looked closer to fifty than seventy. Every little boy
thought his mother was the most beautiful woman in the world at some
point. I was sure mine actually was, though.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Dear Camp NaNoWriMo,
I'm just writing to say that we don't have anything left to say to each other. I'm somewhere around 52,000 words and am leaving camp tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you over the next couple weeks as I finish Between Hell and a Hard Place but our time together is finished. It's not you, it's me.
But don't despair. We'll see each other again in August. I'm sure things will be different between us but we'll always have June 2012 and July 2011.
Sincerely,
Dan
P.S. If anyone finds an iPod Nano in the hellish quagmire beneath the outhouse, I'd very much appreciate getting it back.
But don't despair. We'll see each other again in August. I'm sure things will be different between us but we'll always have June 2012 and July 2011.
Sincerely,
Dan
P.S. If anyone finds an iPod Nano in the hellish quagmire beneath the outhouse, I'd very much appreciate getting it back.
Camp NaNoWriMo - Day 29
The finish line is up ahead. I'm at 49,256, leaving me 744 words until victory. Not bad for a guy who didn't write a whole hell of a lot until day 10 or 11.
Whitlock's on his way back to St. Louis, driving back from Tulsa in the same day because of what he learned. Just in time, too, since a shitstorm is coming.
I'd be more excited about closing in on 50k if I didn't know there was still 20-30k left to go.
Whitlock's on his way back to St. Louis, driving back from Tulsa in the same day because of what he learned. Just in time, too, since a shitstorm is coming.
I'd be more excited about closing in on 50k if I didn't know there was still 20-30k left to go.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Camp NaNoWriMo - Later on Day 28
Just hit 47k. I'm hoping to make the big push and hit 50k sometime tomorrow.
Really, that's all I have to report. Once 50k comes and goes, I'll start tying up loose ends and kicking things into high gear. I left Whitlock on the road to Tulsa after finally doing the BBQ at his brother's house. I set things up so he'll have to visit his mother when he gets back into town.
That's it for me. I'm going to get read for bed and do some reading.
Really, that's all I have to report. Once 50k comes and goes, I'll start tying up loose ends and kicking things into high gear. I left Whitlock on the road to Tulsa after finally doing the BBQ at his brother's house. I set things up so he'll have to visit his mother when he gets back into town.
That's it for me. I'm going to get read for bed and do some reading.
Camp NaNoWriMo - Day 28
So, only three writing days left. How is everyone doing?
I'm at nearly 44k, meaning I'll pass the finish line sometime tomorrow night if I keep writing at my current pace. Beyond that, I estimate 20-30k left to write. Today's writing will likely be the BBQ at Jerry's house and a sizeable argument with Natalie afterwords. I thought I was going to write the BBQ last night but the visit with Gregory Brissette went long.
It occurs to me that this book is going to need a bit more tweaking when I'm finished than the last one. Since the story has morphed to be more about families and secrets, I'll have to iron out some wrinkles in the earlier chapters.
Things are really going to start picking up in the coming days. Monday, Jack's finally driving to Tulsa to talk to Marie Valentine and driving back the following day. Devon Baxter is finally off painkillers enough to talk, Mantis is back in town, and Miriam Brissette is going to want to have another chat with Jack. Jack's going to finally meet the mysterious Ariel, have a heart to heart with his mother, and some people are going to get the wrong idea about his investigation and come gunning for him. Yeah, I think it has enough legs to get to 80k.
As for August's Camp, I don't have any definite ideas yet, only that I want to write something lighter and with more action.
I'm at nearly 44k, meaning I'll pass the finish line sometime tomorrow night if I keep writing at my current pace. Beyond that, I estimate 20-30k left to write. Today's writing will likely be the BBQ at Jerry's house and a sizeable argument with Natalie afterwords. I thought I was going to write the BBQ last night but the visit with Gregory Brissette went long.
It occurs to me that this book is going to need a bit more tweaking when I'm finished than the last one. Since the story has morphed to be more about families and secrets, I'll have to iron out some wrinkles in the earlier chapters.
Things are really going to start picking up in the coming days. Monday, Jack's finally driving to Tulsa to talk to Marie Valentine and driving back the following day. Devon Baxter is finally off painkillers enough to talk, Mantis is back in town, and Miriam Brissette is going to want to have another chat with Jack. Jack's going to finally meet the mysterious Ariel, have a heart to heart with his mother, and some people are going to get the wrong idea about his investigation and come gunning for him. Yeah, I think it has enough legs to get to 80k.
As for August's Camp, I don't have any definite ideas yet, only that I want to write something lighter and with more action.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Camp NaNoWriMo - Day 27
Top of the mornin'!
I wrote over 2600 words last night and am feeling pretty good about things. My first set of eyes is nagging me for more chapters so I guess that means she likes it.
Between Hell and a Hard Place has really morphed since I originally concieved it. I guess that's what happens when you start with a post-it full of notes. Whitlock's interactions with his girlfriend and family are my favorite parts of the book. Once Whitlock gets back from Tulsa, that might change, since that's when all the action is going to start.
Today's writing will likely consist of Whitlock's second trip to the strip club to find the mysterious Mariel and then a BBQ at his brother's house. Along with the road trip to Tulsa to talk to Marie Valentine, this will likely be the calm before the storm. I feel slightly bad about what's going to happen but it can't be helped.
Oh, and a question for everyone else doing Camp NaNoWriMo: Is anyone else the only one in his or her cabin still writing?
I wrote over 2600 words last night and am feeling pretty good about things. My first set of eyes is nagging me for more chapters so I guess that means she likes it.
Between Hell and a Hard Place has really morphed since I originally concieved it. I guess that's what happens when you start with a post-it full of notes. Whitlock's interactions with his girlfriend and family are my favorite parts of the book. Once Whitlock gets back from Tulsa, that might change, since that's when all the action is going to start.
Today's writing will likely consist of Whitlock's second trip to the strip club to find the mysterious Mariel and then a BBQ at his brother's house. Along with the road trip to Tulsa to talk to Marie Valentine, this will likely be the calm before the storm. I feel slightly bad about what's going to happen but it can't be helped.
Oh, and a question for everyone else doing Camp NaNoWriMo: Is anyone else the only one in his or her cabin still writing?
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Camp NaNoWriMo - Day 26
I wrote a little later than I wanted to last night but managed close to 2700 words. I'm hoping to bang out another 2500 tonight. When Saturday comes, it's going to be down to the wire.
Tonight's writing will be all Friday's activities after the strip club visit and how Whitlock spends the following day. Tomorrow's writing is shaping up to be the Whitlock family BBQ and probably a confrontation with Gregory and/or Miriam Brissette. I'm thinking Whitlock won't catch up to Ariel before he drives to Tulsa.
In other news, I woke up around 2:30 with a horrendous spasm in my calf muscle. I couldn't manage to fall back asleep after that. I should have gotten up and written something.
Tonight's writing will be all Friday's activities after the strip club visit and how Whitlock spends the following day. Tomorrow's writing is shaping up to be the Whitlock family BBQ and probably a confrontation with Gregory and/or Miriam Brissette. I'm thinking Whitlock won't catch up to Ariel before he drives to Tulsa.
In other news, I woke up around 2:30 with a horrendous spasm in my calf muscle. I couldn't manage to fall back asleep after that. I should have gotten up and written something.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Camp NaNoWriMo - Day 25
Somebody has a case of the Mondays and it is me.
I thought I slept okay but I've felt tired all day. 3 o'clock can't get here fast enough. It's not all bad, though. I'm chipping away at chapter 15 one sentence at a time in between assignments. One thing slowing me down is figuring out how dirty to make the strip club visit.
Have I mentioned the reading funk I've been in for the past week and a half? I can't seem to get excited about reading any of the 40-ish unread books in my house. I made some headway in The Broken Universe by Paul Melko at lunch. It's good enough to hold my interest but I wish I remembered more of the ending of the book it's a sequel to, Walls of the Universe.
I thought I slept okay but I've felt tired all day. 3 o'clock can't get here fast enough. It's not all bad, though. I'm chipping away at chapter 15 one sentence at a time in between assignments. One thing slowing me down is figuring out how dirty to make the strip club visit.
Have I mentioned the reading funk I've been in for the past week and a half? I can't seem to get excited about reading any of the 40-ish unread books in my house. I made some headway in The Broken Universe by Paul Melko at lunch. It's good enough to hold my interest but I wish I remembered more of the ending of the book it's a sequel to, Walls of the Universe.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Camp NaNoWriMo - Day 24 Status Report
I've written over 5500 words today. I was gunning for 7500 but I'm not sure it's going to happen. Whitlock and Natalie are at a strip club looking to meet up with one of Amber's old room mates. I'm getting into the tricky section of the plot. If I have Roberta reveal too much, I'll have to reason for Whitlock to drive to Tulsa to look for Marie Brydon. On the other hand, if she doesn't reveal enough, it will be pointless to include her. Decisions, decisions.
I had a couple other ideas on the way to Walmart and I'm a little too pleased with my own cleverness.
When tomorrow rolls around, I'll have six days in which to hit 50k. Since I'm at 36k, I'll have to keep up my 2.5k per day pace to hit 50 by the deadline. I'm not worried in the least. Not only that, if I continue my usual pace, I'll be finished by my self-imposed July 15th deadline, giving me two weeks to figure out what I'm writing in August.
In other news, I saw a teen mother at Wal-Mart giving her baby a capful of Mountain Dew. I have to work that into something I write somehow.
I had a couple other ideas on the way to Walmart and I'm a little too pleased with my own cleverness.
When tomorrow rolls around, I'll have six days in which to hit 50k. Since I'm at 36k, I'll have to keep up my 2.5k per day pace to hit 50 by the deadline. I'm not worried in the least. Not only that, if I continue my usual pace, I'll be finished by my self-imposed July 15th deadline, giving me two weeks to figure out what I'm writing in August.
In other news, I saw a teen mother at Wal-Mart giving her baby a capful of Mountain Dew. I have to work that into something I write somehow.
Camp NaNoWriMo - Day 24
Yeah, I didn't post anything yesterday because I didn't write a word. I spent time with my parents and my brother and his family instead.
However, I have already written 2500 words today and am going to get back in the saddle as soon as I wolf down some lunch. The story is progressing nicely, although Whitlock's relationship with his ex-girlfriend is taking up more of the story than I thought it would. Today, I've got a piece of them walking around the Botanical Gardens and then a trip to a strip club to talk to one of Amber Brissette's former room mates. It's getting more difficult what to reveal when but I think I'm doing a good job doling out the information so far. Finding something for Whitlock to do after he visits his brother and until Mantis gets back to town might be trouble, though.
However, I have already written 2500 words today and am going to get back in the saddle as soon as I wolf down some lunch. The story is progressing nicely, although Whitlock's relationship with his ex-girlfriend is taking up more of the story than I thought it would. Today, I've got a piece of them walking around the Botanical Gardens and then a trip to a strip club to talk to one of Amber Brissette's former room mates. It's getting more difficult what to reveal when but I think I'm doing a good job doling out the information so far. Finding something for Whitlock to do after he visits his brother and until Mantis gets back to town might be trouble, though.
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