NaNoWriMo Approaches!

NaNoWriMo is coming faster than you think!

*Snerk* Ha, that's what she said. But anyway, here are some ways to come up with great ideas (besides trolling the NaNo forums, which ALL OF YOU SHOULD BE DOING).


1. Write about what scares you.

I'm serious. Write about what scares you, haunts you, or fascinates you. At the risk of sounding like a vampire Harlequin, find the dark desires inside of you and bring them out, even if you think you can't do it. Too embarrassed to write about sex or romance? Write erotica for NaNo. Think you could never tackle fantasy? Write a fantasy novel. Drool over stories with a love triangle, betrayal, or character death? Get angsty. Do what you think you can't and you will probably find that you can.


2. Get out a pen and paper.

Again, I'm serious. I know most of us writers are glued to our computers, but there's just something about the feel of a pen in your hand as it marks up a crisp white sheet of notebook paper that cannot be replicated by the tapping of keys. You can always type up your thoughts later.


3. Grab a friend.

Discuss plot with a friend. Role play with a friend. Goof off with a friend after drinking way too many Red Bulls (or maybe something stronger if you are old enough). Save the conversations if they take place online. If they take place in real life, carry a notebook with you and do your best to remember what was said. For online writers to talk to, go to the NaNo forums! There are tons of people there.


4. Write some stream of consciousness warm-ups

You can write anything you want ahead of NaNo except the actual novel, so do a few pages of stream-of-consciousness type writing for your favorite characters. It's a great way to find out what motivates them, how they speak, how they act, and who they are. Besides, you might come up with an excellent plot that way.


5. Break out the spreadsheet

Use Excel, Word, or a plain old piece of paper to graph, chart, or just plain list the scenes in your novel in any way you like. I still prefer pen and paper or just a plain old Word document, but some people have tons of cool word processing software that can organize it all pretty-like.


6. Play around on BabyNameGenerator. Or any other generator.

There are so many writing generators and prompts on the internet that it's not even funny. For some help getting started, visit www.languageisavirus.com It has all kinds of cool writing games to play.

Sorry if this post is slightly crazy, it's really early in the morning and I'm hyper for no reason.



And just for me, here's my To-Do List:


Original Fiction:

The Witch's Daughter (2000 more words to go!!!)

All The Pretty Things (NaNoWriMo)

Mirror, Mirror (seq. to TSS, WE, and TWD)

Lilith's Redemption

Sonata Form (seq. to Chopin)



Fanfiction:

What Happens In Provincetown (L&O/R&I)

It Happened One Night (L&O)

Sequel to Magnetic Resistance (L&O)

By Courier (L&O/DWP)

Twi-hate: The Descent Into Madness (L&O/Legally Blonde/Twilight)

Desperation (R&I, seq. to Denial)



Random Pairings I want to write at some point...

Something Kim/Shego (Kim Possible anyone?)
Something Mirandy (Devil Wears Prada)
Something Harley/Ivy (Batman)


.... yes, I am a pervert and a dork. I don't care. I'm also sure I've forgotten some projects on the lists...