I'm currently going through Holly Lisle's 'How to Think Sideways' course, and this is one of the ways that she gets some of her ideas on a deadline. While I won't be explaining her methods since that's her work and I fully recommend that you buy it if you're interested I will be giving you some of my results.
This post will be updated as things go along.
Young adult/ Fantasy
Something different. Something that will start a series.
Word count- 85,000 words (50,000 words in November)
Deadline- January 1, 2013 (First Draft)
---edited 10.5
Okay, my first thought going into this was about a girl who could leave her body behind. Immediately after that i got an image of a sickly thin boy cowering on the dirt floor of a cell.
So i have Spirit walking girl (that's what I'll call it for now) and Beaten Boy.
I haven't quite worked out how they will work together, but the muse is working on it. I seriously didn't plan anything that felt this dark. I was hoping for something light this time but my muse wants what she wants.
---edited 10.6
Characters:
Spirit walking girl-- My first thoughts of her, were that she is a warrior. She's not one of those girls that need to be saved, she does the rescuing. She is brave, because she has to be.
-Her mother recently had a heart attack and has suffered brain damage because of lack of oxygen when they were trying to resuscitate her. She's had to grow up quickly and take care of herself and her mother.
-Her father is forced to move back to where they live to help, but they don't get along very well. He somewhat resents the fact that he has to relocate his whole life to take care of them. (I really like that conflict, between doing what you're supposed to do but hating every moment of it.)
Beaten Boy who will now be known as Captive Male-- I changed his working name because at this point I'm not really sure if i want him to be human (actually I'm pretty sure i don't want him to be human) and also because I'm not sure how old he is.
--edited 10.7
I've been thinking today about my opposition, or the BBT as Kristen Lamb describes it. I think i have finally figured out who i want it to be. I have always loved the juxtaposition of both doing something wrong for the right reason. I'm not sure if that makes sense. Having noble intentions but hurting people for those intentions.
--edited 10.8
Okay, so yea. Pretty much everything that I wrote yesterday about my BBT, was incorrect. For this novel at least. I've decided I want the MFC to have her going against herself, in that she needs to relinquish the tight reign she holds on every part of her and her mother's lives in order to complete her goal. I have also nailed down what that specific goal is. I think I've had a pretty productive day, even though I had to take some meds for my allergies ( Damn Tennessee pollen and weather) which promptly put me to sleep for five hours after I got home from work.
I was also able to nail down some other facts about my MFC. Here is a conversation I had with my muse:
Who is he?
-He is very tribal.
What does that mean?
-He has never lived in the modern, or real world at all.
Okay, what else?
-He has tan/cinnamon skin. but more grey and sickly than sunkissed.
Does he speak English?
-He speaks whatever she speaks. He is evertthing that she is.
Does that mean he's just a male copy of her?
-No.
Okay, what else?
-He has dark eyes, long hair. Black.
What is he called?
-He was never named. She will name him.
What does she name him?
-I don't know.
Okay, what is he doing?
-Waiting. For her. He's waited a long time. two hundred years.
Anything else?
-Not right now.
--edited 10.9
So last night I was getting pretty frustrated with my plot. It was still in that muddy, foggy phase where nothing is clear and your squinting and straining your eyes trying to make out the tiny light through the fray. So i was looking through some writer's blogs, as I have taken to doing these days and saw that someone was recommending Holly's Create a Plot Clinic and of course I could have and probably should have slapped myself. Of course my first thought should have been Holly's course! But it wasn't. Which is how my brain works (or doesn't work).
I paid for and downloaded the pdf, and the worksheets, got everything printed out and made sure I had enough paper and let the book just chill on my ipad for the night. When i got to work this morning i could hardly contain my excitement and began to read. Since I'd already read most of the beginning in the How to Think Sideways Course i knew the basics. But as i began to read the Tools and do the exercises my plot just began to unfold like an accordion. It was pretty awesome, so If you're having problems with your plot i would suggest the Create a Plot Clinic. It's only 9.95. If that's too much for you you can try the Professional Plot Outline Mini Course for .99.
From now on I am just going to make seperate posts about all my further planning for Nano, since I've been adding to this one every day it won't take very long before this is massive.
----------Now playing: Come On by Will Young
No comments:
Post a Comment