NNWM, inspiration, and gaaaahhhdeadline!
Oct. 27th, 2011 11:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missroseroseLast year, I participated in National Novel Writing Month, taking very much the "seat of your pants" approach - I had a vague idea for a concept, so I basically just started writing. Unsurprisingly, I ended up with a teratoma* of a manuscript, but the fact that I actually made the 50K word count (albeit barely) and ended up with a few usable/potentially good bits was nice.
Therefore, my goal this year was (and is) to go in with more organization; a bit of research, an outline, that sort of thing. I'd even gotten a concept outline written for a story idea I was planning on running with, even though it didn't really excite me a whole lot.
So of course, today I happen across the "submissions wishlist" page of a friend's agent, and she happens to have a couple of wishes that struck a chord. Now I'm toying with the idea of writing a YA-oriented epic fantasy, possibly the kickoff to a series. I'm thinking in particular about one of those family-oriented political stories, something along the lines of Rome except taking place in a matriarchal society, involving several teenage girls and their inevitable conflicts with the larger culture. What do they think of the subordinate role of men? Is lesbianism frowned upon but gay sex thought arousing and therefore more accepted? Which of them are happy to take on the roles they're being groomed for, and which resent them?
Thing is, I'm also kind of wondering if I'm crazy. I didn't much like being a teenager - I hated the sense of having so little control over my own life, and I was desperately afraid of people not taking me seriously. As a result, I've had little contact with teenagers (or children) over the past decade or so, and am not sure if I'm really qualified to write something aimed at them. Additionally, "epic fantasy" is something I've gone on the record stating as not being to my taste, largely because the surfeit of players often means interesting/identifiable characterization falls by the wayside, and I far prefer interpersonal conflicts to generic "good vs. evil" plots. And that's not even getting into the kind of research/planning/outlining this would take, with all of five days until November (and two of those days currently taken up by plans...!)
All that said...something about this idea really tickles me. Maybe it's the whole "trying to get back my sense of wonder and joy in the world" personal project - I think much of the reason I lost it in the first place was that I associated strong emotions with teenage naivete, and (as part of the wanting-people-to-take-me-seriously neurosis) I tried to get rid of that as quickly as possible. I've never really even considered writing YA before, but some of my favorite authors do YA, and God knows teen girls in our world can use more stories about strong female characters (I'm watching you, Ms. Meyer). And then there's all the nifty worldbuilding stuff I could do with it - what kinds of fantastical creatures live in this world? What sort of climate does this civilization inhabit? Who are their neighbors, and what are their relationships to each other?
Maybe I am crazy. But I'm told that passion over practicality is an important part of the NNWM ethos. So I guess I'd better get outlining.
*Teratoma: A tumor that often contains recognizably human structures, anything from teeth and hair to fully-formed limbs, but lacks the genetic code to become an independent organism. Probably not safe to Google if you're about to have/having/have just had lunch.
Therefore, my goal this year was (and is) to go in with more organization; a bit of research, an outline, that sort of thing. I'd even gotten a concept outline written for a story idea I was planning on running with, even though it didn't really excite me a whole lot.
So of course, today I happen across the "submissions wishlist" page of a friend's agent, and she happens to have a couple of wishes that struck a chord. Now I'm toying with the idea of writing a YA-oriented epic fantasy, possibly the kickoff to a series. I'm thinking in particular about one of those family-oriented political stories, something along the lines of Rome except taking place in a matriarchal society, involving several teenage girls and their inevitable conflicts with the larger culture. What do they think of the subordinate role of men? Is lesbianism frowned upon but gay sex thought arousing and therefore more accepted? Which of them are happy to take on the roles they're being groomed for, and which resent them?
Thing is, I'm also kind of wondering if I'm crazy. I didn't much like being a teenager - I hated the sense of having so little control over my own life, and I was desperately afraid of people not taking me seriously. As a result, I've had little contact with teenagers (or children) over the past decade or so, and am not sure if I'm really qualified to write something aimed at them. Additionally, "epic fantasy" is something I've gone on the record stating as not being to my taste, largely because the surfeit of players often means interesting/identifiable characterization falls by the wayside, and I far prefer interpersonal conflicts to generic "good vs. evil" plots. And that's not even getting into the kind of research/planning/outlining this would take, with all of five days until November (and two of those days currently taken up by plans...!)
All that said...something about this idea really tickles me. Maybe it's the whole "trying to get back my sense of wonder and joy in the world" personal project - I think much of the reason I lost it in the first place was that I associated strong emotions with teenage naivete, and (as part of the wanting-people-to-take-me-seriously neurosis) I tried to get rid of that as quickly as possible. I've never really even considered writing YA before, but some of my favorite authors do YA, and God knows teen girls in our world can use more stories about strong female characters (I'm watching you, Ms. Meyer). And then there's all the nifty worldbuilding stuff I could do with it - what kinds of fantastical creatures live in this world? What sort of climate does this civilization inhabit? Who are their neighbors, and what are their relationships to each other?
Maybe I am crazy. But I'm told that passion over practicality is an important part of the NNWM ethos. So I guess I'd better get outlining.
*Teratoma: A tumor that often contains recognizably human structures, anything from teeth and hair to fully-formed limbs, but lacks the genetic code to become an independent organism. Probably not safe to Google if you're about to have/having/have just had lunch.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-10-28 12:00 am (UTC)I left you a cobbled together article on the thread at the NaNoWriMo forum.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-28 12:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-28 12:37 am (UTC)Fantasy Worlds and YA
Date: 2011-10-28 05:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-31 07:58 pm (UTC)I STILL haven't decided what I want to do for mine. Urban fantasy and erotica tend to be my genres, but I don't have something really speaking to me at the moment...
no subject
Date: 2011-10-31 10:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-01 05:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-01 07:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-01 04:14 pm (UTC)