Unsure whether to join NaNoWriMo

[yahikochan]

Hey, everyone, sorry I've been gone for so long. Life has given me a swift kick in the you-know-where lately, and I haven't been able to keep up with anything.

Anywho, I've had an idea for a novel dancing around in my head for awhile, and my sister told me I should try NaNoWriMo, but I'm really not sure. I'm worried that my busy schedule won't let up and I won't finish it, but mostly I'm concerned over whether the idea is any good or not.

Okay, so the idea is basically this. Tell me if it sounds any good. Basically, it starts out with Casey, a six year old boy who is moving with his family from NJ to Mississippi. He doesn't really want to go, but he makes friends with his new next door neighbor, Aaron, who is the same age as him. They become best friends and spend all their time together, grow up together, practically inseparable.

At 16, Aaron is popular and charismatic and handsome. Casey is the awkward, kind of nerdy type who is only known for being Aaron's best friend. They're still as close as always, but Casey begins to realize that his feelings for his friend aren't the same as they always were.

Blah, blah, blah, what basically happens is that Casey has a sexual attraction to his best friend and discovers that Aaron is into him too. The problem is that Aaron's dad is a preacher, and they live in the Bible belt where homosexuality is despised, so they start up a relationship behind the backs of everyone they know.

I know right now it sounds kind of romance novelly, but I don't intend for it to sound that way in actual print. I just wanted you guys to tell me if you think it would be any good.

[moonmomma]

The only way to know is to try ;D You've got a good setup, now throw as many challenges and complications their way as you can think of. Who sees them when they try to keep their relationship secret? because of course someone will. what happens then? jealous would-be girlfriend? jealous would-be boyfriend? blackmail? maybe they could get blamed for a crime that happens while they're together and they can't tell anyone their alibi? crisis that forces the dad to choose between public opinion and his son? (as a character note for the dad, it is possible to disapprove of homosexuality for religious reasons without judging or hating gay people, or even still loving your gay family member or friend, so maybe this can be a personal discovery issue for both the boy and his dad)

brainstorm, make notes or an outline, explore as many different possibilities as you can before NaNo starts so you don't waste time during NaNo trying to figure out what happens next. Really get to know your characters - maybe take some of the personality quizzes for them that i've linked to on this board. This will give you ideas for things they might do and decisions they might make.

as far as time to write during NaNo: to make 50,000 words in 30 days you need to write 1,667 words a day. Round it up to 2,000 words a day to cover days when you fall short or can't write. When I know what I want to write and I'm not stopping to edit, I can write 2,000 words in less than 2 hours. (actually I think I've made a note somewhere around here of how long it takes me.) cram a couple of extra hours of writing in on the weekends (and don't forget thanksgiving weekend!), stay up an extra hour, give up TV, find 15 minutes here and there - it adds up. Oh, and don't spend all your writing time on the NaNo forums. i speak from experience.

i'd love to see you try it! it's a ton of fun, and you get a real sense of accomplishment, plus it's good practice in shutting off the internal editor that holds you back from just writing.


ETA: okay, i found it. 5-6 15-minute chunks of writing gets me 2000-2500 words total. this is with having an idea of what i want to write and not stopping to edit (or even correct typos ;D ) your results may vary, but it's quite doable, even with a busy schedule.

[yahikochan]

Thanks.

I'll think about it some more, and if I've planned enough by November I may give it a shot.