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| Fake book cover I designed for my NaNoWriMo novel |
I don't know how all of this happened to come together at the same time, but it did. And now NaNoWriMo is only two days away (!!!), Hurricane Sandy is sending some rain and high winds our way, it's almost Halloween, and I have a lot to be scared about. Here are my biggest fears about NaNoWriMo 2012:
5. My gothic novel will turn into a sappy romance.
I'm not a sappy romance kind of person. I like chick flicks and Pride and Prejudice as much as the next girl, but will not deal with stuff like Christian historical romance or Nicholas Sparks novels. And yet somehow, the last couple of novels I've started outlining have turned into romances. I don't know why. One was about a female programmer who worked making video games and didn't realize the cute guy she grew up with was in love with her. Another was about a woman with such low self-esteem that she took to dating sad guys from dating sites to make herself feel better and fell for the guy she thought was a jerk for seeing through her ruse. An even earlier draft featured a young woman who wrote young adult mystery novels and tried not to love the annoying guy she worked with at the local newspaper. Maybe I should start writing chick flick screenplays or something.
4. My characters will evolve into stereotypes of famous characters.
I try very hard to create original characters with flaws and frustrations and all the rest. I give them hairstyles and back stories and favorite colors and name heir childhood pets. As I write them, though, I always have this fear that they are going to turn stereotypical. Like my heroine will become the "plucky female lead character who thinks she's unlovable" and my hero will turn into Heathcliff with a different name. We don't need another Heathcliff.
3. I won't be able to come up with a good ending.
I love the prep-work of writing a novel: the character profiling, researching the setting, getting the clothes and decor and season thought out. I love the noting and the listing and the outlining. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at the finishing. Those other stories I mentioned above? I have the first two-thirds of their plots completely fleshed out: chapter-by-chapter outlines, story arcs, even chapters written. But I couldn't figure out how to finish any of them. How does the programmer learn the guy loves her? How does the low-self-esteem girl get her self-esteem back? Does the writer get her novels published? I don't know! I have a great start on an idea for my 2012 book but have no idea what is causing the mysterious things to happen. If it ends up being a lighthouse keeper in a mask with a projector, you'll know I hit a brick wall.
2. The power will go out and I'll have to write (and count) all 50,000 words by hand.
I don't live on the east coast, but Columbus is still on the edge of the warning area for the effects of Hurricane Sandy (aka the "Frankenstorm") and we're bracing for the worst. People are buying up canned soup and batteries like it's Y2K. I'm just worried that if the power does happen to go out for a few days like when the derecho went through a few months ago, my laptop battery will soon die and I will be stuck doing things longhand. But if it does come to that, I have two new notebooks, a jar of peanut butter, and a whole bottle of wine in the fridge.
1. I'll give up after about 300 words and my novel will never see the light of day.
This is my biggest fear because it's happened before. I've been trying to participate in NaNoWriMo for a couple of years now and it hasn't worked out. Last year I wasn't home much in November. The year before that I tried to write the dating site story and all I got was one scene and didn't know what else to write. This year is going to be different. I live alone. I don't have cable. I have told multiple people about my story idea and they are excited to read it. I'm going to do everything in my power to write all 50,000 words, despite Dune and Donald Miller and my birthday party. This book is going to happen!
Anyone participating in NaNoWriMo this year? What's your book about?
First I would like to say Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteSecond I love your profile picture!
Third on writing a novel, I think you have some really good ideas...the ones you don't like :) Some of them sound really good. Who knows, maybe you will write something that is not the great opus you had envisioned but it will get your name out in the publishing world?
And later you can craft a novel that meets your standards?
I think you are set as far as storm outage goes :) Peanut butter will always do in a pinch. I lived on it when I was in Haiti, due to the fact i did not like soybeans and goat meat. I lived on peanut butter and fresh bread for the couple weeks i was there.
Oh and a bottle of wine to wash it down! Whoo hoo
Who knows , the candle light, wine and pbj might be a great inspiration for the coming novel??:)
Love ya,
B
I don't know whether to share my fears with you re: NaNoWriMo (and writing in general) or lovingly pick on you for your fears. :) I think lovingly picking on you is actually probably kinder that wrapping you in my own paranoia.
ReplyDeleteYour online dating story SHOULD be a sappy romance... online dating is at the center story. How could you NOT go there? (Duh!?) As for the gothic novel - I'm confident you'll stay true to your theme. I may have to yell at you if you don't - I'm very much looking forward to reading it!
The power will go out... really? REALLY? Don't what-if yourself to death.
Now please kindly remember to mock me and talk me off the ledge when all my phobias start rearing their ugly heads.
Peace out,
Nikkia