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 Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 2:20 pm
I've never written anything before in my life... and I'm going to attempt to do NaNoWriMo this year.
The story I'm planning is going to be a fantasy set in a world like the real world, about a girl who was abducted and wakes up two years later in an abandoned lab in a world completely different from the one she remembers, with some kind of magic relating to her sword (she was into sword fighting before all this happened). She and the other three people who were in the lab (another girl and two boys, one of whom has powers relating to his guitar). I'm thinking of using third-person limited, from the girl's point of view. I have no names for the characters yet...
Any tips?
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 2:44 pm
I don't quite believe you when you say you've never written before. You've had to write school papers before, and at one point or another you've surely had to type out an email or two. ^_^ Sorry, had to mess with you first.
My advice is to first give your chracters names. They don't even have to be permanent ones- just something to call them so they feel human. GirlA and BoyB just don't seem like real people, ya know? As for POV, just remember that third person limited is slightly different than first person in that the third person limited view limits your chances to get into any character's heads.
Get involved with both this guild and the NaNo site. There are many many writers on these sites that know what they're doing (or at least claim to), and many opinions and advice to receive. Writing isn't hard if you let it come to you. Everything your English teachers taught you about writing is wrong. There is no right way to write, no special style you must have, and no themes you have to have to make your story good. I recommend Uncle Orson's Writing Class (http://www.hatrack.com/writingclass/index.shtml) for detailed info. Good luck, and remember that you're not alone!
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 12:07 am
Tip of the Day: Have fun! If you're not enjoying it, what's the point? Don't stress over NaNo, plan a story you'd like to read, with characters you'd like to know, make some friends on the forums and welcome to the craziest month on Earth (or any planet, for that matter, lol). Good luck!
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 12:23 pm
Next tip reguarding NaNo specifically.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT QUALITY! JUST QUANTITY!!
Your goal is 50,000 words in 30 days, so fluff is great for now. Don't worry about how good it is or if something doesn't make sense. No story survives the first draft. Save the editing for December.
Once you're editing for the free vanity copy of your book from Lulu then you can trim stuff down. I recommend the book The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr and E.B. White.
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