The Introvert's Party

Oh my God, NaNoWriMo Countdown: 3 DAYS!




Amidst several national weather disasters, a fog of baseball, and an influx of friends in costumes, this weekend seems to have disappeared.  Time flies.

If you don't have a story yet, fret not!  You can still participate!

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3 Quick NaNoWriMo Ideas

1) Semi- Autobiography:  Many famous novelists wrote for years before turning to materials from their own lives.  Little House in the Big Woods, The Bell Jar, A Farewell to Arms, Charlotte Bronte, Little Women.  My own novel this year is terrifyingly autobiographical.  I'm living my Jo March, Professor Bhaerr moment (from the movie): " Jo, there is more to you than this. If you have the courage to write it." Here's a round-up by Flavorwire.
2) Fan Fiction: I cannot, in good conscience, promote Fifty Shades of Grey.  All I can say is that it's a "successful" example of fan fiction.  And how many borrow from the world of Austen?  Bridget Jones? Bollywood's Bride and Prejudice (saw in the theater, what?!).  Tread gently in this territory; some authors don't take well to copyright infringement.  Salinger filed a lawsuit over a novel about a geriatric Holden Caufield, whereas Orson Scott Card encourages the extension of the Ender-verse.  Again, more at The Wall Street Journal.
3) Mash-Ups (sometimes called Crossovers): Who doesn't love a good mash up, am I right?  It takes just as much brains and creativity to smartly riff on someone else's work and it can be incredibly lucrative as well.   Pride and Prejudice and Zombies comes to mind.  It's like the Dali version of fan fiction.  This crossover spec script called Sopranos in the City (Sopranos meets Sex in the City) written by Shintaro Shimosawa and James Morris got them hired on other projects.  Download it here and enjoy!

As time winds down, I feel the need to play cheerleader for a sec. 

Don't be scared.  At the end of the day, it's just a thing, win or lose.  Have fun!  Maybe it's just some piece of crap you end up giving a viking funeral come December.  If you're feeling some pressure, follow the tried and true advice:  Keep It Simple, Stupid.  Don't world build.  Stick to topics you know.  Write from the wealth of inner nonsense that you spend mental energy trying to subdue.  Work with your strengths. 

Still stuck?  Play around!  Take a sledge hammer to the regular narrative structure.  This is the time to do it!  Pull a Memento, write in epistolary form, add pictures!  Like to blog?  Maybe it's a blog formatted novel. 

I can't emphasize this enough:  Have fun!