[NaNoWriMo] Day 14: Barely Holding the Front

REVISION: Crimson Cacophony
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
STATS: Chapter 4 [1,509 words]
TOTAL: 6,519
PROGRESS: Slow as hell. I had to drop everything and focus on my university life for a moment, because I had a test, an essay and a presentation to complete. The edits were the first of the long list of casualties this week. The chapter today was incredibly easy to edit. It's still one of the highly polished ones and thankfully, one that did not demand a better presentation of worldbuilding elements. I did tweak one or two sentences that better represent Samantha as the truly wicked person that she is [in all senses].

NANO: V is for Voltage
GENRE: Science Fiction / Super Hero
STATS: Finished scene 12 [1, 718 words]
TOTAL: 17,061
PROGRESS: I know my characters. I know why they are monsters... but somehow the whole SF futuristic vibe has left me struggling as to how to portray them. I seem to flourish more, where the dark, old fantasy settings are. Heh. I guess I will struggle with that. Basically I get to the point, where all four narratives are online, but I'm not satisfied with how monstrous my characters are. I've decided to sit down re-plot and start expanding on the beginning. I need some battles. After all this is a super hero [villain] novel with monstrous characters and monsters do monstrous deeds. So far I have been doing a lot of exposition.

[NaNoWriMo] Day 7: Week Gone-By

REVISION: Crimson Cacophony
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
STATS: Chapter 3 [824words]
TOTAL: 5,010
PROGRESS: I have neglected work on the revisions, because time ran short and I had to slot in the new words. I had a hard time with chapter two. From the present I jump back with three days and my immediate critique partner says that it's puzzling to a point. I'm brainstorming ways to show that change and make it understandable. Now, had this been a TV series, perhaps LOST, the viewers would have get that, but in writing it has to be better cemented. I do use the header where I point at the change of date and setting, but it's not enough. Thankfully, I managed to get the worldbuilding elements fitted in without creating confusion. Chapter three has been bliss to edit. I may need to revise how a Goth would express herself, but so far I can't complain.

NANO: V is for Voltage
GENRE: Science Fiction / Super Hero
STATS: Finished scene 5 + scene 6 [2,674 words]
TOTAL: 10,437
PROGRESS: The ride has been bumpy. I missed two days, because my brain went haywire with a lot of real world things vying for attention. I missed two days, which results into 2K loss. Because I also have no clear idea how to move the novel and establish the characters with individual voices, I have been slacking in writing, because it takes a lot longer to get it done. So far, I have an idea to focus their attention on the thing that the parents seriously messed up in their kids and use that. But that is going slow and still have no general outline, which took 2K more from my goal. Anyway. I'm not entirely lost. It's still early on. Worldbuilding is going fine. The society of the future is my problem. I just know that religion is the biggest no-no and that there are no last names or any gender/age/racial discrimination. The goal is efficiency. BUT how the heck is a modern man/woman to dress, talk and walk... Eh, that is giving me issues.

[NaNoWriMo] Day 1: Setting the Pace

It's been day one of the madness I have planned for the month [writing and editing]. Although I spent the most of the day doing research and writing my paper in Comparable Economic Systems [my topic: The effects of non-economic factors on the US economy], I started on the edits and the actual words. Here is the run-down.

REVISION: Crimson Cacophony
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
STATS: Chapter 1 [1,489 words]
PROGRESS: I have worked on the first nine chapter meticulously, because I wanted a perfect beginning at the time, so the work here was relatively light. I had to fix some small grammar mishaps, change the setting [because interrogation rooms have changed from the 80s]. I'm not sure if I like the dialog, but my protagonist has established her voice [my beta loves her already], so it's good for now.

NANO: V is for Voltage
GENRE: Science Fiction/Super Hero
STATS: Chapter 1 [2,035] < I planned for 3K, but that can be easily caught up with
PROGRESS: I introduce one of the protagonists, Adrian, who will be know as Voltage or Mr. V. He will be the center of this book, so his messed up childhood is important. I'm excited to write him, because he's a married homosexual, drug smuggler, emotional and not beautiful or at least bland, he's physically on the freakish side [a departure for me, since I idelyze the human physique]. I enjoyed writing the death bed scene of his mother and the fight with his father, which results in using super powers for a brief moment. What bothers me is that I started writing in 1st person POV, when this is a multiple character novel. I need to convert...

How did you start NaNo? DO tell.

The Day before NaNoWriMo: Last Words and Plans

Tomorrow is the beginning of the end [of my social life for at least a month]. November will be here and NaNo will be unforgiving. I admit that I have been an intensely bad boy for not doing necessary prep work. I know [vaguely] where my story will go. I've got me a beginning and I've got me an end, but the In-between is very hazy.

I know my cast on codename basis, which is a bit bad. I know of their pasts, but I have yet to flesh out their parents with their super powers, names, codenames and appearances. Thankfully, this is an introduction into the world and the characters, so I don't need to stuff that much into this one novel.

I also have a title:

'V is for Voltage'

Voltage is the codename of the most corrupt villains of the Syndicate. The one who was a villain before seeking vendetta in the first place. The idea is that unlike the Enforcers, who go around calling each other with their full codenames, the Syndicate will use the letters of theirs. Like a weird mix between 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'V is for Vendetta'.

Anyway, my deal schedule would be:

Monday: 3,000
Tuesday: 1,000
Wednesday: 1,000
Thursday: 1,000
Friday: 3,000
Saturday: 3,000
Sunday: 3,000

That makes a total [ideal] wordcount of 60,000 words, which gives me an opportunity to screw up with 10,000 words. I'm a lazy bastard, so it's essential that I aim high in order to at least cover the minimum.

PS: You can find me on NaNo by the handle of Harry Markov

#NaNoWriMo novel Idea: The Synopsis

I might have mentioned my ill-planed decision to dive into this year's NaNoWriMo, just because... I am insane [considering that I harbor serious plans to maintain a steady pace at revision]. But the decision has been made, I have promised that I will devote time to a lot of shorter projects, but November has a siren call I cannot resist. It will be a rush.

I've mentioned that I'm attempting to write a super hero type of story, but you know not with the tights, the spandex, the colorful get-up. It will be futuristic and the focus will be on the deconstruction of superheros and the ambiguous morality. For comic book fans, who speak Marvel: The Ultimate Avengers as mood, themes and characterization, but in a futuristic setting and superpowers not being a rare thing. I don't think my concept fits in the superhero niche, but a lot of the elements stay: the need for codenames, secrecy, costumes [although not as flamboyant] and major showdowns.

Here's the synopsis for the very first novel in the SYNDICATE series [no idea for a title apart from the obvious: Genesis or Coalition, though I'm not feeling those much]:

Life for a life

Such is the law a thousand years into the future. It's also a hard law to maintain, when roughly half the population has genetic mutations. Enter the Enforcers: Black Ops of mutants trained to maintain peace, agents of justice, rock stars for the public.

However, when the masks are off and the criminals caught, the Enforces are people. People who have children and make horrifying mistakes as parents.

Life for a life

Such is the law in the future. But what is the punishment for the Enforcers, when their offspring joins the crime fighting scene looking for personal vendetta?

YES, it's clunky and it sounds a bit ridiculous in the Daddy-Issues category, but believe me when I say that the Enforcers screw up big time. Big enough for their children to become super villains.