NaNoWriMo Discussion Thread

[Consistent Spontaneity]

Hi! So...I was thinking that this could be a thread to talk about the upcoming (OMG only 1.5 months left!) National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) event.

Absolutely casual here. Post your ideas, concerns, questions, rants, quandaries, inspirations, un-inspirations or anything mildly NaNo-related biggrin  

[Consistent Spontaneity]

Links! unorganized, unfortunately

Official NaNoWriMo Site Homepage: The Homepage for the Official NaNo Site

What is NaNoWriMo? : The official overview of what exactly NaNoWriMo is.

FAQ: FAQ for WriMos.

Snowflake Method: Novelist Randy Ingermason on his method of novel- writing. (I don't think he is or was a WriMo, but it looks interesting.)

Mary-Sue Litmus Test: A quizzie for original characters, fanfiction characters and roleplay characters to test for Sue-ness  

[Consistent Spontaneity]

Reserved.  

[ePhyllis]

Duuuude, my posting bonus is only 15 gold now sad

But yea, I'm totally doing NaNoWriMo biggrin I'm so excited for it! Though I'm really not sure... 50k...

That's why I'm trying to finish a story in this week or the next at 10k ^-^;  

[Lyrica Pie]

I voted totally but I doubt I actually will >.< I haven't actually finished anything to be honest. sweatdrop Castele was joking around and saying that it'd be amazing if I could actually finish my college essays. >.<

Do you guys have any idea what you'll be writing about? I was thinking about using that other rp idea I had (the Eveline one; I think I sent it to both of you before) as a story since it's been removed from the RP-idea-consideration scene. But I'm not sure.

Don't you hate how it's in NOVEMBER? That's...college apps, school, etc. Of course, the site says that 2K a day is possible for anyone with school or a full-time job. Hm....

I think my brother is taking bets with my friend as to how many words I'll be able to string together for NaNoWriMo. I think the highest is around 2 or 3K stressed

~Tris  

[ePhyllis]

yesss biggrin 2 other people! (Silver and Lyrica?)

Well, that's not very nice of Castele, is it. >.>

I was going to write about a prison break, but the details are very general, and barely any of my characters have been fully planned out yet (When I can't think of anything to write about them, I start wanting to draw them, and even then my scrawling skills won't suffice...)

It's all right; I really think the person who has the least probability of even hitting 1k is me =.=  

[Lyrica Pie]

I think Castele's just joking. He takes bets with his friends all the time, and none of them actually have the money to pay anything off, nor do they plan on paying it off anyway-- if they did I'd be able to pay for college for everyone in my family and have enough leftovers to buy a house--then again, with Castele's debt, maybe not.

A prison break sounds very interesting...I'm guessing it focuses on the escapees and the people catching them?

It's great to draw characters, I think--especially during writer's block or something. I find it helps the thinking process, even though my art isn't very good. And your drawings are wonderful! Don't feel bad about it!

I'm sure you'll do fine! It's just for fun anyway. Think about it this way: November is just break-neck writing. It doesn't even have to be coherent, as the NaNo site says. =)

~Lyra  

[Consistent Spontaneity]

I have nothing definite on my story, really. >.< I've been tossing a few ideas back and forth and can't really decide on one that doesn't have a billion plotholes.

I like drawing my characters too smile

@Lyrica-- You three are so close! I don't know what else to say >.<
@Castele--LOL. It's ok, you can't possibly bet worse than I do. wink  

[Lyrica Pie]

@Silver--haha. It's ok smile

I have a few concerns about my characters?

Quote:

Name--age--power--weapon

Collin Gray--19--invisibility--glove claws
Holly Verbena--17--elemental earth--longbow
Jay Hazun--16--woodworking--jian
Nevin Yves--14--material morph--fan
Zhe Xue Xing--15--ambient water--staff

Evangeline Suis--14--witch--9-part chain
Illiya Hazun--15--threadwork--long dagger
Margaret Allene Garrett--19--energy transfer--double sabre
Synthia Bluebell--16--elemental light--twisted spear
Yarrow Teasel--17--mist healing--short bow

Concerns:

Powers
1. Yarrow's power, by nature of being a healing-type, seems really Mary Sue ( I jest remembered the term >.<) to me. I was talking to ePhyllis about this a little, and she doesn't think it sounds that bad. But is there something else that might fit more?

2. Margaret's power involves transferring energy, health, whatever to or from others. It also allows her to feel/ see invisible or intangible things by seeing the auras in her "alternate vision", a "dimension" which she can see the auras and control the energy levels. At greater proficiencies she can use tangible energy attacks as well. At even greater proficiency, it can allow for mind-reading or other psychic techniques.

Originally I thought that the limitations would come into play well enough to avoid Sue-ness: she must be in the "alternate vision" to do or see or feel anything, and she can't physically move when in the alternate vision--only a mental self-figure moves. Furthermore, although she can buff or debuff individuals, it isn't just "bam," and it's done; the buff/ debuffs are complex and she has to work around the mental and physical shields.

However, it still strikes me that this entitles: healing, direct draining of energy, endless source of energy, buffing, debuffing, shields, energy attacks, mind-reading and possibly other. And that's just her power. Any ideas on how to balance her out? I like the idea of a path of development, but it seems very sue-ish.

3. Evangeline's power, witch, allows for basically all the things covered by Harry Potter wand magic, only channelled without a wand. I want to restrict or limit this somehow, but I can't be sure how to do it without hamstringing her or making her a Sue. Ideas?

4. Collin's power allows for complete invisibility, as in even the ability to mask his aura (so someone like Margaret can't see it, even in the alternate vision). But it feels Stu-ish, in that he can technically be anywhere then.

5. Nevin's power allows him to take the material of anything he touches and become a different sized- creature with it. I'm fine with the power itself, but his personality is supposed to be a very nice and tame, religious-oriented kinda figure. Is that too ironic?

6. Holly, Xue and Synthia have elemental powers...while others don't...does this clash too much and or give them too much power? Is it...just odd?

Weapons

1. I think the weapons on either side are pretty balanced, though not perfectly sweatdrop :
glove claws----------dagger
jian----------------double sabre
staff---------------spear
longbow------------9-part chain
fan----------------short bow

Though it's rather obvious that the boys have an obvious range advantage with the longbow.

My problem is, is it really really weird the choice of weapons? The girls are the ones with the dagger, sabre, chain, spear...and the boys have a fan and longbow...which is kinda....girlish?

ok. Anyways, Thank you for reading this. Any and all ideas welcome! Thanks in advance!

~Trisana.  

[Your_Last_Wish_For_Death]

Hey, question. What is NaNoWriMo? And what's all this talk about money and words and stories? If it's about sories i'd love to enter. I have a few I have typed up and ready to go.  

[Lyrica Pie]

There's a link to the official description in the second post (second link). I think it's pretty clear, but to make a quick summary for you:

It's a challenge to write a 50K word novel in the month of November. That is, no writing until 00:01 on November 1st, and writing stops earlier than 23:59 on November 30. WriMos (authors) can do general planning for plot, characters, setting, etc before November, but no actual writing can take place.

(Like, I can write, "They go into the strange house and fight," but I can't write the actual part of the story before the event officially starts. No old work is allowed either, so sad )

I think that covers words and stories... money referred to my brother's betting that I couldn't get more than 2-3K words dished out for this event.

Hope that clarifies a few things?

~Tris  

[ePhyllis]

I wish I could think up many different types of criminals. Of course, some of the worst are murder and theft (and there are tons of different official names for specific ones under that category), but it's hard to make over 3 characters and not start resorting to saying "They all just killed a lot of people to get thrown in here."

One of my characters has a mutation that allows them to shapeshift for identity theft + a crueler method of killing, but that's it... LOL and one is a cannibal, which is creepy in itself. Maybe another one can be a crack surgeon who murders his patients. All in same, it's all just killing...

I still don't even have a plot planned out. For example, what are all these sick and twisted people going to do when they get out? I immediately jumped to the conclusion that they should team up (I need to make 10+ individual "prisoners" for that) against each other, and try to destroy each other in the worst way? Try to shake up the world by obliterating the smaller governments (their home towns, countries?) and then attempt a siege on the world govt?

Sorry, this rant is really something that should go on my googledocs diary ;P  

[ePhyllis]

@Lyrica, I think that giving the boys the range weapons implies that they're support fighters, if you know what I mean... If the boys got attacked in close range, they'd have a difficult time, and girls would have to help them fight enemies off.

NOT that that's supposed to be a problem (maybe that was your intention all along?)  

[Your_Last_Wish_For_Death]

Oh ok I get it now. Thanks. I had an idea the other day for a story. I can post the girls charachter profile on here right?