I'm feeling better about my NaNoWriMo novel. After coming within a whisker of giving up on it, I'm making good forward progress now. The trick was to get past what I thought the characters were supposed to be doing and just let them go.
When I was stuck, I had no idea what to do next. There were things I wanted to do with the plot, but couldn't see how to get from here to there. What did I do to break out of it? I started a fight.
I like writing fight scenes, so I had my hero chase down a bunch of bad guys and engage them. Then, in a twist so old it probably gets its own social security check each month, I had my hero get knocked ass over teakettle. Battered and stunned, he was about to get cut in half when, at the nick of time, another hero arrived to save him. However, he ALSO was blasted down and they were BOTH going to be cut in half when, at the nick of time, they were both saved by a mysterious stranger who turns out to be the hero's love interest in disguise.
How corny is THAT?
Still, it got me going again, and the complications around the relationship of the hero, his lady friend and the villain are enough to pull me forward. I need to write this so I can find out what happens.
How about you? How's NaNo going? Exciting and engaging? A deathmarch? Feel free to comment and whine, complain, brag, etc. I don't judge.
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Hey, as corny as it sounds, I like it.
ReplyDeleteKind of funny, wholly related:
ReplyDeleteFamous Authors' NaNoWriMo Tips (as found on twitter)
http://inkwellbookstore.blogspot.com/2009/11/famous-authors-nanowrimo-tips-as-found.html
As you know I wanted to quit my NaNo, but then I had an epiphany. I cut the plot where it was and then decided to stretch what I had and add many more scenes. The idea is to have everyone fight for his/hers own agenda and backstab all around. Simple, but thrilling.
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