NaNoWriMo Thoughts.

[swestrup]

Since I've been thinking about what I'll write for the next NaNoWriMo, I've been doing a bit of research into Archaic Medical Terminology, as I may need some archaic-sounding futuristic diseases. I've not conclusively decided yet, but I'm seriously thinking of writing a novel based in my "Second Golden Age of Sail" campaign setting. The novel would be sort-of a Horatio Hornblower in the 23-and-one-halfth Century.

The hard part would be to get the narrative structure right. It would be written from the POV of a nigh-omniscient narrator from the 25th century or so, writing a fictionalized historical document for his contemporary readers. As such, it would talk about advanced post-singularity nanotechnological starships with the same sort of horrified fascination that we might hold for Earth's early explorers in their flimsy wooden ships, beset with problems of navigation, scurvy and the weather. It would be a delicate balance to get right.

It would also help if I had a plot and some characters, rather than just a setting.

The other ideas I've been toying with are to

1. Finish my Erotic S.F. Novel from last year, which has languished virtually untouched at just over 50,000 words (and less than 1/3 done) since last December 1st, or
2. Try to piece together a novel from some disparate elements that have been bouncing around in my head for a while, and which have recently indicated that they may be related. Again it would be a post-singularity SF novel, although one major narative thread would take place in a simulation of England during the height of the Pepper Trade (about which I know virtually nothing, so much research would needs be done); or
   
3. Write a book of short stories called "Rescendant Tales" about a group of individuals, each of whom chose to give up post-singularity transcendence for their own reasons, told in the form of fairy tales. I currently have about a dozen short story treatments written up from when I was first inspired by the idea in the year 2000 or so, and I would like to make some actual progress on it. It also has the advantage that even if I'm not done when I hit 50,000 words, I'll have finished some number of actual stories rather than ending up with yet another 1/3 finished novel. On the other hand, its an Old idea in my head and doesn't inspire me as much now as once it did.

So, I dunno, but at least I'm thinking about it. How do most of the NaNoWriMo-ists on my F-list decide what they'll write come November?

Comments

[baronscartop.livejournal.com]

I think about it, over the course of the year, whenever the thought strikes me that Hey This Could Be It.

Usually it winds up that whichever idea I most feel like writing - the one that excites me the most - in October, wins.

(Ideally mid-October, so I get 2 weeks of notes writing.)

t!

[thothmeister.livejournal.com]

First I'd say this: don't put too much thought into it yet! Many NaNos over the years have blocked themselves by over-thinking their books.

All I've so far done is to jot down a few brief notes in my personal Tiddly Wiki... but I haven't even looked at those notes again in nearly a month. I'll likely just revisit them in October, after Con*Cept, to see if anything grabs my interest again.