NaNoWriMo post-mortem
Well, I didn't succeed with NaNoWriMo. I didn't progress to putting any more words to paper than the original 194.
Am I disappointed? No. I had no clear ideas, I had a cold early on, and I indulged in other activities. Take them as you want, either they are reasons or excuses (the glass is half full or half empty).
I was thinking of doing a time travelling / unrequited love story. Basically, the protagonist falls in love with someone. The girl, while pleasant and polite, already has a beau she is crazy about, so cannot accept his advances. She dies. He is consumed with the anguish of regret that circumstances had not been different. Becomes a quantum physicist specializing in quantum entanglement. Realizes that quantum imprints are left behind (a fictitious specialization of entanglement which he pioneers), uses this to build at first a time viewer which allows him to voyeuristically view his love's life - including the point at which she died. He misleads those around him, giving only drips of information on his work - so he can continue his work without revealing its true scope - a time machine or time scoop to pull things out of time. Eventually, everything starts to crumble, his work is not yet finished, but he takes the chance to go ahead. His attempt to save her life goes disastrously and he winds up a chronically severe burn victim in the hospital.
I was considering beginning with small flashbacks - one or two sentences - followed by a longer narrative. The flashbacks would be repeated, with each repetition adding more detail. Narrative would intersperse the flashbacks - until we came to the conclusion, which would be the story opening.
So that is something I had been mulling about in my head. Not necessarily exactly that, since I gave it no form.
I also found picking names to be difficult, as well as descriptions of people. I did not want to appear to be basing fictional characters on real people I know (or imagine I know ;-)
I selected the appearance of the woman based on my own innate preferences (long, curly, red hair – in that order) – since I don’t know anyone who looks like that. The closest to my ideal is Sorsha (played Joanne Whalley) in the movie Willow. Maybe "ideal" is maybe a bit strong of a word. I have no real preference, but I do know that hair is what I notice about women (and definitely in the order of long, curly and red).
Image was grabbed from here.
Am I disappointed? No. I had no clear ideas, I had a cold early on, and I indulged in other activities. Take them as you want, either they are reasons or excuses (the glass is half full or half empty).
I was thinking of doing a time travelling / unrequited love story. Basically, the protagonist falls in love with someone. The girl, while pleasant and polite, already has a beau she is crazy about, so cannot accept his advances. She dies. He is consumed with the anguish of regret that circumstances had not been different. Becomes a quantum physicist specializing in quantum entanglement. Realizes that quantum imprints are left behind (a fictitious specialization of entanglement which he pioneers), uses this to build at first a time viewer which allows him to voyeuristically view his love's life - including the point at which she died. He misleads those around him, giving only drips of information on his work - so he can continue his work without revealing its true scope - a time machine or time scoop to pull things out of time. Eventually, everything starts to crumble, his work is not yet finished, but he takes the chance to go ahead. His attempt to save her life goes disastrously and he winds up a chronically severe burn victim in the hospital.
I was considering beginning with small flashbacks - one or two sentences - followed by a longer narrative. The flashbacks would be repeated, with each repetition adding more detail. Narrative would intersperse the flashbacks - until we came to the conclusion, which would be the story opening.
[September 23, 2005, 10:07] He lay on his back in this hidden grove, staring up at the sky and filling himself with the tranquil blueness.
[September 19, 1995, 14:38] Beautiful copper curls flowed from her head framing her symmetrical and finely proportioned features.
[February 3, 2010, 22:37] "MICHAEL!" Roger repeatedly screamed as he attempted to pummel down the door.
[September 19, 1995, 14:38] She stood coldly, he would say arrogantly apart from the group. Beautiful copper curls flowed from her head framing her symmetrical and finely proportioned features.
[November 27, 2002, 08:23] "Quantum imprints..."
[November 27, 2002, 08:23] "Quantum imprints..."
[November 27, 2002, 08:23] "Quantum imprints result from every interaction."
[August 1, 1980, 07:13] The familiar and reassuring smell of pancakes wafted into his room. The gentle stimulation of the olfactory senses roused him more surely from his sleep than the morning sunlight which streamed through his window, or the noisily bedlam which pervaded the house in the morning. He glided into the kitchen, a contented smile on his face chasing away the Sandman's cobwebs. "Morning Mom", he announced with a cheery voice. ...So that is something I had been mulling about in my head. Not necessarily exactly that, since I gave it no form.
I also found picking names to be difficult, as well as descriptions of people. I did not want to appear to be basing fictional characters on real people I know (or imagine I know ;-)
I selected the appearance of the woman based on my own innate preferences (long, curly, red hair – in that order) – since I don’t know anyone who looks like that. The closest to my ideal is Sorsha (played Joanne Whalley) in the movie Willow. Maybe "ideal" is maybe a bit strong of a word. I have no real preference, but I do know that hair is what I notice about women (and definitely in the order of long, curly and red).Image was grabbed from here.
[29-December-2005: fixed broken hyperlinks]
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