Just in case you've been living under a rock (or, you know, you don't run in the same writerly circles I do), it's NaNo time again. In honor of this annual event, I've changed my blog theme again. Isn't it nice? Much less shocking than the fall foliage.
So, we're over 24 hours into the grand event. How many words have I written? Nothing, nada, el zippo. Despite spending the last two months in Lani's writing classes, preparing for this moment, there is nothing in my head. (Totally not Lani's fault. The lack of firing synopses in my brain is my problem alone.) It's echoing in there like the inside of an empty 55 gallon drum.
But I did get an idea a few minutes ago. In fact, I shamelessly stole it from Deanna Raybourn and her blog. Every post starts with, "In Which". Examples from the last week are: "In which we were just talking about Nora", "In which this is just BIZARRE", "In which I am out and about", and "In which I'm leaving on the proverbial jet plane".
So, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to start every section with an "In Which". The first one will be, "In Which Our Two Heroes Meet". I have not the slightest idea who these fellows are or what they're going to do. But I like this "In Which" idea, so I'm going to run with it. Or, more realistically, waddle with it.
Next challenge: come up with enough "In Which" statements to keep me moving for the rest of the month. I have a few more off the top of my head:
In Which a Good Time Is Had By All
In Which Our Heroes Encounter a Problem
In Which Our Heroes Are In For a Bit of a Surprise
But I need a bunch more than that. If you've got any ideas for "In Which" statements, please share them in the comments. I'm hoping to have one for every day of writing, and that they'll help steer the story along, because right now I don't have a flipping clue.
Lip Balm of the Day: Shamrock Shake
In which our heroes have to make a decision
ReplyDeletein which a dilemma is born
in which a new character is introduced
in which a character undergoes a transformation
in which it is all about the dog
in which an alternate mode of transportation is sought
in which our heroes wish for a good night's sleep
oh this is fun! I'll have to come back and try some more. Good luck with Nano. The very thought of trying to write boggles my brain - I'm useless with fiction writing although I excel at fiction reading - so even 50 words a day is an epic accomplishment to me.
Well, Karen, you came up with 57 words worth of In Whiches in that comment alone. I bet with the right spark of an idea and a sense of fun, you could do it if you ever wanted to.
ReplyDeleteLast night I went to bed with two characters in my head (although I know nothing about them yet). This morning I woke up with a few paragraphs of an opening scene with a guy named Mark. No clue who Mark is, or how he fits in with my other two guys.
And I've got another In Which that I'm looking forward to using at some point this month. In Which a Good Time is Had By All.
Oh man this is still kinda red looking, but I like it way better than the orange! Love the wee letters hiding along the sides. And how fun that you can change it at will like this.
ReplyDeleteThe "In Which" idea is really old, I remember it from Winnie The Pooh titles or chapter beginnings. You maybe should go look at those for some more inspirations. Although Karen did a great job!
In which we meet the dog...
(She said in hers that there was dog! Does Mark have a dog?)
Julie