Sunday, November 28, 2010

Just about a month late

Ideas are funny things.

I have been doing PiBoIdMo (a month's worth of picture book idea generating) in part because of my lack of an idea for NaNoWriMo (a month's worth of writing a 50,000-word novel). I said that I would not to do NaNoWriMo this year because I didn't want to overload my life, though if I had had an idea that I was excited about, I probably would have gone for it.

Sometimes ideas find you when you aren't even thinking about looking for them. For me, this is the rule, not the exception. The ideas that excite me the most are usually the ones that come to me without any effort on my part, in the form of a sudden Aha! or lightbulb moment.

The other night while I was lying in bed I had one of those moments. Born from the random musings in my trying-to-go-to-sleep brain, a concept for a YA fantasy/dystopian novel popped in for a visit. I know that some ideas will leave if you don't give them immediate attention, so I mustered up the nerve to risk waking my husband with sudden midnight scramblings, and soon I had jotted down a two-sentence pitch and info about my main character.

Throughout the past couple of days, other characters have presented themselves to me, as if auditioning for a part in this story. It's been interesting to see who has popped up to say hello.

I'm excited about this story! Had this idea come to me about a month ago, it might be mostly drafted by now. But this way there is no pressure. Just me and my new WIP taking our time getting to know each other.


4 comments:

  1. This month a few unexpected characters showed up in my story and played some pretty strong roles. I love it when that happens! Congratulations on your book idea.

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  2. Ooh good luck with your new idea! My ideas usually hit during my shower time. I need some bathtubs crayons!

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  3. I can relate to the need for bathtub crayons! But usually what hits me in the shower is a solution to some problem in a story I'm stuck on. Happens while vacuuming too!

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  4. I'm doing both nano and pibi this month. Came up with 32 pb ideas and am only 3k away from 50. The best part of being a writer is coming up with a new idea that excites you. Good luck with your new story idea!

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