So friends of the blog will probably be aware 2015 will be my 4th year entering the Nanowrimo challenge. This is a world-wide challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. I am a very fast writer so typically it hasn’t that big of a challenge; however, I have usually had a clear idea of what I am writing about well in advance of November. This year it has kind of creeped up on me. And now I am sitting with under a month to start date with no idea what to write about….Yikes!
I am also a little nervous because with two blogs and a youtube channel it is going to be tough to fit it all in (not too mention a job and other responsibilities!). I’ve got to finish my animated Oscars series over on my channel before the challenge starts. I have gotten a little bit behind but should post 2012 this week. That leaves only 10 films to watch (only…). Plus, there are new films like Bridge of Spies, Suffragette, Macbeth and Good Dinosaur to see and review in the next 2 months. How am I going to fit writing a novel into all of this? Much less a novel I have no idea what to write about?
To my fellow Nanowrimo friends has it caught you by surprise before or do you always have a plan on what you are writing about? The two best ideas I have come up with so far is to basically take another stab at writing my first book. It’s been a while and I’m not working in accounting any more so I’m not as personally close to the story as I was when I wrote it in 2012. It would be entirely new prose but just the same core plot of me quitting my job (it’s kind of a Devil Wears Prada type story).
That sounds kind of boring though writing the same plot and characters over again so I’d like to come up with some fresh take on it. Unfortunately my mind is just blank on what to do.
The other idea I have is to use all 54 Disney films and have a character go through each of the worlds of the films. It would be kind of like Once Upon a Time but I would cover movies they don’t like Treasure Planet and Atlantis. It would basically be fan fiction but who cares if it is fun to write!
This is kind of new territory for me as I have always been so focused in the past. Do you have any suggestions for getting the brainstorming creative juices flowing? I just read The Martian by Andrew Weir and loved it (and the movie) so that’s always inspiring and I am currently reading Dracula by Bram Stoker which is something totally new and different. I wish I could write a book like Finding Audrey- my other favorite book of the year.
Anyway, I would love any feedback on those ideas or anything I could do to help me think of something else to write about. Thanks so much!
Are any of you doing the Nanowrimo challenge? I would love to know and follow you on the Nanowrimo website. That way we can support one another. Take care!
Rachel's Musings 
The more fun idea is probably the one you should go with. The month does get hard after a certain period of time – if writing a story were easy, everyone would do it – and you’re not going to be motivated unless it’s something you want to write and something you’re enjoying. Make it as fun as possible! Keep asking yourself, “What do I WANT to write?”
I always plan things out before hand – I’ve learned from experience that I can’t do it any other way. I keep a notebook of story ideas, which come from a range of places. Sometimes I just think of a subject I’m interested in and figure out how to make a story out of it – the classic ‘write what you know’. Sometimes I get inspired by an element of another story and try my own approach to it: my novel this year is partly meant to be a dark version of a Disney princess story.
I plan using the Snowflake Method (http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/), where you start with a single sentence that sums up your story idea, and gradually build the story from there: this is a good way to come up with ideas and think about how the whole thing will flow. You could also try freewriting exercises, either starting with your own idea or getting something from a plot generator website, and then just typing out whatever comes to mind about it for five or ten minutes.
Thank you so much for this advice. I am going to go with my Disney idea because you are right I might as well have fun!
Your dark version of a Disney film sounds very interesting. I will be excited to see your progress!
I am going to write up my plan as you suggest and we will see how it goes. I normally have it all planned out well before now but for some reason this year it just caught me off guard.