Plot-In

Robin Hood (partly from the sheriff's POV)

My 2013 NaNovel is a satire from the POV of someone who erroneously believes he's working for a corrupt politician.

(The Robin Hood idea has been germinating since 1995, I want to get it down finally; I might not wait until November for the other one.)

BarkingPup said:

I don't have school this NanWriMo (or at least, not as much) so I would like to participate. I'm debating between my mostly plotted SciFi:

Zik is a worker in the hive, content with her lot in life, until she swallows a sacred grain meant only for the Queen's palate. Fearing for her life, Zik hides the crippling headaches and sudden intelligence. A silly mistake (or murder) brings Zik to Queen Rekakis' attention and, amused, the Queen decides to keep Zik by her side. It is only later, when the Hive has united and taken to space, when Rekakis has warped her own race through genetic technology and her plans for universal control are disrupted by a diminutive, drug addicted drama queen with a vengeful twinkle in her faceted eye... only then does Rekakis think;

Perhaps that was a bad idea.

Hm, bad summary is bad.

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Aw, I wanna read that now. I hope you do write it, at some point if not for this year's NaNo.

KateSmash said:

First, the podcast Writing Excuses breaks down a Seven Point Story Structure - it's honestly the only way I've found to outline that works for me. It's just enough info to satisfy most pantsers. Plus it's short and entertaining. I'd watch the videos in the notes too, since he puts up some super clear examples using Harry Potter and the Matrix.

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I just listened to that podcast on Friday, and started watching the videos this (Monday) morning.

bdwilson said:

Saw this and had to go snoop on your profile I love that song!

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My husband got me into them. The chorus of that song is perfect to base some creepy novel on.

By the way: I added you back.

TNK said:

My husband got me into them. The chorus of that song is perfect to base some creepy novel on.

By the way: I added you back.

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I came across them through a combination of a friend talking about them, and a "What Song Are You?" meme (My answer was #41, which I can't believe I remember.)

Thank you for adding me back!

calieber said:

Aw, I wanna read that now. I hope you do write it, at some point if not for this year's NaNo.

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Aha, That's the longer-simplified version. It's more of a "Zik starts a petty revenge by creating the rebellion as she slowly goes insane from drug use" kind of plot.

I do intend to write it. It's been fully plotted and everything. The problem is starting at the veeeery beginning (where the race is still without technology and Zik eats the Queen's grain) or starting somewhere in the middle (Rekakis' plans for universal conquer are underway and Zik is feeling miffed). The first one has some integral plot points that I can't figure out how to integrate into the second-start. But the first-start is also kind of boring right now :/

Finally started planning this morning - result of not being able to sleep.

Got my basic character mindmaps (finally have names!) and my seven plot points.

Yay me!

Hrm. I was going to all-out pants this one, but I'm considering doing an outline. It might be nice to have something to go to on days when I'm struggling.

/ponders

The project I will be working on is coming along great. I have a slew of events and some really interesting characters. My big issue is I am having trouble figuring out two of my major events. One event hardens my FMC to make a selfish decision. The other event is the final confrontation/conflict. It is starting to stress me out because I keep getting ideas for everything but those two moments.

I have my Nano novel completely outlined! 22 chapters in total, most likely, and one or two possible sequels in the works. I'm so ready to begin. The anticipation is killing me.

The next few days, I'll be making up some playlists in advance to stop myself fussing over what to listen to in November.

And because I know November will be very busy and time will be limited, I find ways to maximise my time. For instance, if I want to say watch TV/play video games but I need to excerise, I'll do both by sitting on an excerise bike. I love my mind.

Actually looking forward to getting going as well. Just need to try and finish my current WIP, which I can then edit in the new year.

Welp. I was going to work on an urban sci-fi thingy tha's been on the backburner for years. But, I think I'm gonna be a classified cheater. I have been revising the novel that I've been obsessing over for 10 years and realized just how much fracking work I need to do. So, I'm basically re-writing the first half of that.

I have the plot, the characters, the sub-plot, senes....yadda yadda. I'm working on the new outline/brainstorm to fix what I broke.

Not cheater - Rebel. They have a forum for that and everything.

I'm planning to finish the NaNo Thing I started in last year's NaNo. Yes, actually FINISH during NaNo. So far I've used NaNo for new stories, to rewrite old stories, and to continue onward, but I've never actually finished a story during NaNo. Here's to reaching THE END!

That said, I need to figure out how to pick up where I left off. "Taunting the Phoenix" is my way of working out the history of my fantasy world. The thousand-year-old spirit of my main MC's ancestor is telling my MC stories of the founding of the kingdom. The real stories, mind you, not the glossy tales that the bards tell everyone else. I know some of the events that need to occur, but I think I'll discover the rest when I sit down to write it. That's what happened last year.

Good luck, everyone!

Playlists = Done

A little over a week to go. Still deciding if I want to expand my plan further though.

IAMWRITER said:

Playlists = Done

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Oh, damn, I only have one playlist. It's for an early part, though, so I still have time.

Thought of something for my story yesterday while at the gym that nearly made me fall off the treadmill in my glee. It follows up on something from the start of the story, so makes that more than a throwaway thing. I have to slip in another couple of incidents in scenes in the middle of the book to establish it some more, and a conversation about it (so it's giving me more wordcount too. Yay!) And it will make such a cool scene where one of my leads gets to do something insanely dangerous and heroic.

I love these plot flashes. They usually come to me when I can't instantly write notes about them, so I get frantic to get myself somewhere I can do so in case the idea mysteriously vanishes as quickly as it showed up.

I'm reusing a couple of characters I've had for about three years. I killed one of them off in an attempt to be done with them but go figure...my novel involves reincarnation.

I have the first chapter done and now I have to figure out if I'm going to do a back and forth thing or if I'm going to go into the past and tell that part of the story in full and then come back to the present and finish it off from there.

I'm thinking my best bet right now is to consider the first chapter a prologue and write the story lines separately and then I'll decide if I want to to intercut between the two or just keep it linear. But I'm forever changing my mind about these things from one minute to the next.

Not going to expand my plan any more. Just going to go where it takes me and hope I like it.

Also decided that I'll aim for 3k a day, so hopefully if I have an off-day or two, I won't fall off track. Maybe throw in an all-nighter too. Maybe.

Only 3 days away though...

I have written an extensive outline (which is a first for me), and I've done character bios, setting descriptions, etc. It is all in a binder and ready for anything.

Eastern Seaboard/Maritimes NaNo-ers: be sure any background materials, research, etc. you need is available in non-electronic form. Or be prepared for the possibility of getting a late start.

I have a moderately interesting MG plot idea about children starting a revolution. I wrote a few pages experimentally. I have a tendency to fail to finish anything during NaNo, but hope springs eternal. I just suck at fleshing out characters until I start actually writing, and I also suck at figuring out how things end. I suppose I still have a few days to rig up an ending of some sort to aim for!

IAMWRITER said:

Not going to expand my plan any more. Just going to go where it takes me and hope I like it.

Also decided that I'll aim for 3k a day, so hopefully if I have an off-day or two, I won't fall off track. Maybe throw in an all-nighter too. Maybe.

Only 3 days away though...

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Good plan to write more than the daily minimum. I always assume I'll lose a couple of days here and there dure to unforseen circumstances, so plan accordingly.

Bwaaaargh! Trying to finish plotting my new book in time for Nano...but for every logistics question I answer, another two pop up. Damn this plotting! I'm so confused by the technology of the world I've created that I've just been staring at the screen going "Wurble wurble blort".

I'm really jealous of those of you who have everything planned out!

I've been trying to plan, but everything is so foggy. I'm not sure which genre would fit the story I am developing... perhaps urban fantasy, perhaps not. Even though the story may sound overdone, I want to write it anyway to practise and hone my skills.

I'll just tell you a little bit about it:

An unseen war between heaven and earth rages on completely unbeknownst to the majority of humanity, but those who possess the Sight are thrown right into the thick of it. Those with the Sight can see, hear, and interact with the dead and the evil - demons from the pit of hell. Many with the Sight go mad; many die young. Those who make it through become members of an elite group of underground assassins dedicated to fighting back the darkness and protecting humanity against the raging storm.

In the West, the Catholic Church maintains a disciplined, skilled set of demonhunters for this express purpose. Karen is the first female demonhunter to be inducted in over 200 years, and she faces a great deal of opposition as she attempts to accomplish what she is called to accomplish. While on duty in a small, backwater town, she gets wind of a couple gruesome occult-related murders that may be linked to a wider ring of human sacrifices, which seem to be happening all over the world. She soon finds herself assigned to a case that is bigger than anything she or her superiors could have imagined, and they have to race against the clock to stave off what could become the apocalypse that would bring about the end of the world.

Cliche, perhaps. But I'm having trouble developing a set progression of events. I have plans for a few scenes and important events, but I'm still unsure of where they would lie on the story timeline, and what might happen in between to string them together. I'm also uncertain of how the story will end (I have two possibilities in mind right now).

There will be a romance storyline - the assassins make a promise of celibacy for the duration of their service, and Karen is assigned to work with a fellow hunter with whom she falls in love. I have no idea how this whole thing will progress!

How can I show them gradually falling in love?
How can I portray the pain they feel when they struggle against what is expected of them and what they truly want?
How can I make their passion and their frustration entirely believable?
and...
How in the world will this storyline fit in with the larger plot of sacrifices and murders?

If I think about it too much, it gets exhausting.

I haven't gotten very far with this, but here is what I came up with.

When a young freelance photographer takes a photo of a crime she wasn’t meant to see, the criminal pursues her to take back the evidence.

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I just have this feeling I have heard that plot line before. I just can't for the life of me remember where or when or if I even have.

Anyway, thoughts?

***EDIT***

So I am toying around with log-lines. Here is another one I have come up with.

• After a naïve freelance photographer snaps a picture of a crime she wasn’t meant to see, she must run for her life while being hunted by the criminal trying to destroy the evidence.

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Attempt #3:

• After a freelance photographer mistakenly captures a murder on film, she must run for her life while being hunted by the criminal trying to destroy the evidence.

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