Possible breakthrough

Gave myself some time away from "Icarus" to think clearly. It was to the point that I was nearly obsessing on how to make a part of the plot work (my MC has a set plot, but there is a much larger plot that she'll be involved with that needs to be figured out).
And sure enough, a possible plot came to me. I'm still getting out all the kinks, but I may just have my solution.

As for my upcoming Nano story, it should be a lot of fun. Let's just say it all revolves around a steampunk pick up line that goes terribly wrong (random example courtesy of the forums of Brassgoggles: "I've got an enormous zeppelin, want to see it?" Or "I've got a zeppelin, you have nothing to lose, wanna see the world?"). And the hilarity ensues. It'll definitely be more silly and mature in the adult humor category. And Nano dares will only make it more ridiculous.

Now true to what I said before, there will be minimal planning. Character elements and a few antagonists with goals, but no plots. Aside from the set up, it's all up in the air.

I can't wait!

The state of things

So you'd think I'd have more done, but somehow when I'm less busy I find myself getting less done. Not to say that I haven't been thinking about the novel--actually I think I've been thinking about it a little too much.

I've dissected, come up with alternate options, gone down bizarre paths, which has basically taken me further away from a finished outline/layout and back into the realm of theories and ideas.

But as November draws closer, I hope that will change. I have been buckling down quite a bit and should have an idea of where the story is heading before NaNoWrimo rears it's ugly head.

As for Nano itself, I will definitely be taking a hiatus or at least putting this novel on the backburner so I can work on something else. Something less serious, a bit more adult (as far as the MCs are concerned) and far more by the seat of my pants. In short, I plan to come up with characters, motivations, the main conflict and a basic idea of the world they live in--nothing more. No set plots or outlines. I will use dares to hopefully lead the way.

All in all, it should be a very eventful November.

In over my head.

I'm making progress. Managed to outline the plot for the first novel, but the complexities of the whole damn thing has made me feel at a loss. Of course that's what rough drafts, editors and such are for.

Still...I can't help feeling as though I'm lost in my crazy world of planning with so many things to think about. All of the characters, the country, outside the country and the story's whole world.

It's all so damn epic that I can say without a doubt, I will probably write something flippant and/or short for next Nano to give my poor brain a rest.

Perhaps I need help or a fresh pair of eyes. Or to just write the whole story of this world and events down so that I can sort through it objectively--instead of letting in mill around abstractly in my head. July is ending soon, so I better get cracking.

A shift in villainy

After a lot of thought, I've figured out the grand scheme of my main "villains" in the series. Since the story will probably span three stories, these characters will make it into the limelight and then step back for the next one to take their place.

Tier 1: The Orvilles
The main antagonists of the original draft of the story, but with the story expanding their roles will change later on. So while they might be antagonists for the first book, they will also be the protagonist's link to her past and surrogate father figures in the future. In fact, it will turn out that their villainy is a misconception that comes from lies and secrets they must keep. With them appearances are definitely not what they seem.

Tier 2: "Magnus Edison"
Technically a new character, but I believe him to be an essential one. He steps into the role that the Orvilles once had of mentor and leader of a company/organization. He is responsible for a lot of the issues, but not the main cause. He is generally good intentioned and despite his best attempts they have backfired. He has become what he is out of desperation and a desire to preserve what he wants most in life: control.

Tier 3: "Cromwell"
As far as the overall story and world goes, she's the main antagonist, the top villain, the lady to beat. It is because of her actions and choices that everyone is in this mess. And so she will affect and alter the lives of everyone involved, even if she does not directly interact with them. This is similar to the original story, but the history, character traits (he is now a she) and role overall have changed drastically.

I have figured out a great deal about this intriguing lady and plan to make a much longer post later. But here are the key facts:
a. She is a woman with a plan and will see that plan to the bitter end.
b. She is the living representation of Minotaur, a person who has unleashed a lot of death and suffering--whether she intended it that way or not. And she is something both Magnus (based on Minos) and Vincent (based on Daedalus) feel responsible for and wish to deal with.
c. While she has dealt with similar issues to my protagonist, she has made the wrong choices and not learned from them--because of that, her end is inevitable.
d. She believes that her actions are in the best interest of her people.


So far...a good start.

Next time, a bit more about "Cromwell".

JulNoWriMo

So this month begins another NaNoWriMo spin-off, for July of course.
I know a few folks who will be participating, including Penny. As for me, I'm not sure if I will be able to participate at all.

Technically I could start writing the first couple of chapters of the novel, as the current planning doesn't directly affect it. However, I really want to figure out the key plot elements before starting.

So if anything, I will use JulNoWriMo to create a chronicle of the historical facts, characters backgrounds, maps, etc. It technically counts as writing after all.

Either way, I don't think I'll start writing until next Monday. Sure I'll fall behind, but it's still possible to catch up and surpass if you try hard enough [something I've done quite a few Nanos.

We'll see how it goes.

Update!

So my rough [very rough] timeline is drafted.
I've mostly figured out the overall conflict--although it still needs some tweaking.
Most of the world/country history and technology is falling into place.

Now I just need to breakdown the plot across the three stories and do a bit of character work before I can start writing.

So much still to do!

Dates, dates and more dates...

So although I've hashed out a lot of my historical timeline, it's more of a flow of ideas than a set timeline--ie no dates.

Part of the problem is that I'm not sure when to place my story.

Aesthetically it will be similar to the Victorian era at mid-point of Industrialization. But it is set in a fictional world [at least that's the current plan] with the main country having similarities to America [melting pot of cultures, land of prosperity, etc], but with Victorian/English manners and politics. There will be other influences as well, but that's the basics.

The issue is that 1895 in this world might not be anything like 1895 is in our own or at least the dates no longer have the same relevance assuming this world is more than just a slight alteration to the time-line.

For now I think I might use placeholder dates and then either omit the dates in the story [I've seen it done before with a very simple "5 years ago"..or "It was a new decade"] or pick dates I'll be happy with.

In fact, the only time I've seen dates used in some steampunk novels is to reference something that really happened in our own history or a variation of that event. Or to state factual dates for the reader to understand the world.


After all, if the date has no real significance to the reader, do they really need a number?