Preparation

I've been wondering if anyone has started research etc for 07 NaNO?
I haven't started yet but would love to.
My issue is last year I started prep work right away and that was the begining of october (when Id been told about NaNO). I spend all of Oct, jigging around like the energizer bunny waiting for the thing to start.
I just can feel it start up soon as I think about my story idea. I have a few idea's for this years AND *sighs* I am going to try and do two novels. Yes I am totally insane, plus I might only have 3 weeks to do it in as I need to visit my family in australia some time before december.
Yeah a nice long plane trip would just tickle my fancy during november but the rest of the week I was in Koala land I would get no writing done.
ANYWAY! My question is, should I just give in and do prep work for the three story ideas I have now and just deal with the hyperactivity that will happen. Or just write the storys and fact check after Novemeber?
For those that wish to know, one story is fantasy (yay talking animals), one story is a mystery and the other a paranormal romance. yeah yeah I know thats been done to death BUT it was meant to be my last years NaNO that never got written.

My idea of hell is being trapped in a room with no books!

I'll be doing my prep for Nano during October, but then... I only have one thing to write lol and I have 4 assignments to finish before I can get started on the prep stuff.
We had a series of prep exercises before SoCNoC and I imagine there will be something similar in October as well to help everyone get their ideas flowing and all ready for Nov 1st. It's really not that far away now which is exciting!!!
I have exams on the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th and 12th of November so probably won't actually get to start writing until the 7th, and then not full into it until after my final exam. Mind you, I said that last year (and with SoCNoC) and managed to get quite a few words out between exams.
If you think you need more time then by all means start researching now! lol but if it's going to be too hard to hold off the writing until november maybe wait it out a couple more weeks?

http://vyanae.blogspot.com/

I'm prepping like a preppy thing! One of my main story lines hinged on someone's blood type disqualifying them from organ donation (it made sense at the time, honest!) During basic research, it seemed like that wasn't the case in some instances, so I swapped to bone marrow donation instead and asked some questions on other sites - medicine has advanced beyond needing matched bloodtypes. Nice for the sick people, buggeration for the story.

The whole thing has had to be ditched. I'd hate to have written it all out first.

Can you just check the basic facts and leave the rest of the prepping to chaos?

maggenpye -
"He's not my dad, he's just my father - big difference."

Some topics will need to be researched but for the life of me I cannot work out how I am going to get the information. The topic I need information on is hellstrom the art of muscle reading. I can find listing for books, but sadly I am out of cash. I have tried to get ones from other libraries but no luck on that either. Ive tried books on street magic BUT it doesnt cover what I need to know or is very vague.
About my only recourse is to contact someone that knows it. Which would prove to be very hard and I am sure would take forever to hear back.

The other things just need basic research or character set up and if just left would sort themselves out.
I really want to write the mystery, seems to be the genre I am pulled towards at the moment. SocNoC was a mystery/thiller/romance type deal and I enjoyed the research gathering exercise on that. Make me wonder if I am still flagged by the FBI for my looking into ricin..ROLF!
My dad has made me promise that any book related death will be by blue ringed octopus posion. Hrmmm he knows I cant resist a challenge.
I guess I will be spending the weekend doing research and begging my coworker to see if she can get some more books for me. I just love interlibrary loans YAY!

My idea of hell is being trapped in a room with no books!

My experience from prepping for last year's NaNo which was a fantasy novel went something like this...

I started at the beginning of October and within the first week I had got through a lot of preparation and just wanted to start writing it. I dropped it and picked it up again just before November. The problem was I had forgotten a lot of it and the idea wasn't as exciting as it had been at first. I began writing it during November and half way through week two I had to stop and do more research. I quite liked it and I think I had to write so much before I knew what I didn't know.

This year I came up with a story idea months ago that I did a little bit of prep work for, enough to estimate it to be around 50,000 words. I decided then that it would be perfect for NaNo since I could both start and finish the story within the month (a first for me). I plan to pick it up again during the last week of October and continue prepping. I also want to change the setting from historical England to today NZ, though I'm not sure how I'm going to do that. Part of the reasoning is so that I don't have to do as much research but also because it will be new for me.

Cassie: I'll have to get my brain thinking about those prepping exercises. :)

No Excuses. Just Write.
SoCNoC - Untitled Chick Lit
Freeing the Flame - 30,065/40,000 words rewritten for May

Is this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_reading -any use to you?

It has another couple of links at the bottom.

It sounds very interesting.

maggenpye -
"He's not my dad, he's just my father - big difference."

maggenpye: yeah I've read the wiki before and followed the links. It explains what it is but not how to do it.
I have found a few books via contacting other librarians for search lines. google is only so good at finding things and changing a few words in a search sentence helps alot.
Plus I was able to snuffle out a book that is aimed at kids to learn mind magic at the library I used to work at.
So my research shall begin.

Oh and yes I am already excited about it, didnt help that the Monterey ML emailed me and asked if I was doing NaNO this year..LOL

My idea of hell is being trapped in a room with no books!

Monterey ML? Sorry, you've lost me with that one.

How much detail do you really need, though? I've managed to get around my own ignorance of farming methods by having the character who knows nothing about farming narrate those scenes.

If your MC is the magician, and narrating the story, they could refuse to discuss details (magician's code) or if its 3rd person, could you gloss over the details?
He saw the twitch, the faintest flutter of muscle under skin. Only one person in a thousand would have seen it - but it was there. "Your first dog was... a spaniel!" he announced to applause.
I'm pushing because I'm interested and I want to know how you develop this.

maggenpye -
"He's not my dad, he's just my father - big difference."

I'm prepping by writing out briefs. Basically, for me, this means a brief description of what happens in each section of the book.

I'm also, since mine's a fantasy, doing some worldbuilding, character sheets and preliminary short stories.

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[a href="http://www.stornowaystories.blogspot.com"]One Girl's Quest to Kill Trees[/a]

Premilinary short stories? I guess it's writing out the back story in short story form. Can you tell us more about it?

It sure would be a good way to write before NaNo, about your NaNo but not be breaking the rules. :)

No Excuses. Just Write.
SoCNoC - Untitled Chick Lit
Freeing the Flame - 30,065/40,000 words rewritten for May

Maggenpye- Monterey ML is the leader of the write in group during NaNO. ML= Municipal Liaisons or munchkin leader as I call em.
And yes I am going to have to gloss over things and its from a cats perspective. Just got the idea because of the way my kitty xena watches my face when I talk, and I know animals go by our body language so they could do the Hellstromism-muscle reading very well indeed. Once idea lead to another and a cat detective that solves cases using that skill was born. I chose vegas coz it has the highest number of magicians in a small area. Plus the setting is cool, cat in the luxor just so fits. :)
But like anything I do, if not sure I just either fake it or make it fit me.
Snafu'ed is a word used at my work all the time now. If you Snafu alot then you're a snafu-ist. So why couldnt I just make up my own version of Hellstromism to keep the big secret..LOL
Can you imagine having to send off the email,
"Im writing a book about.. dective cats in las vegas.. and need to know some details about Hellstromism"
I might have to do it but I cant seriously see anyone replying to it as well it does sound weird. HEHE!
Are we going to have a NaNO section on the forum?

My idea of hell is being trapped in a room with no books!

The cat version would have to be different as they can't ask the questions to provoke responses (which seems to be a big part of the human version.)
Scent could play a role too, the smell of lies? Hearing too - that quick gasp of air, the undercurrent of stress in the replies.
I love this idea (can't ya tell?)
Of course you can fake it, how many cats will complain if you get the details wrong???

maggenpye -
"He's not my dad, he's just my father - big difference."

Mine would! Don't forget about their sixth sense, that could be useful, oh and their nine lives.

Don't know what to dream up for NaNo.
Is it another 30 days, and 50k's.
Hey that rhymes!

Got a plot and Title for Socnoc 2008.
"To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Question."

Books are Humanity in Print!

If you win NaNo, Gaye, that will be 150,000 words in 3 months (albeit not all consecutive)!!!

No Excuses. Just Write.
SoCNoC - Untitled Chick Lit
Freeing the Flame - 30,065/40,000 words rewritten for May

Then there was zing thing 2,000
AugWrimo/End is Nigh, 5,000
Survival of the Human Race. 5,000.
To come.
No wonder I feel tired.

Do you aim to have Seeking Queen Praedar finished beforehand?
Only 45k and a bit to go. :)

Got a plot and Title for Socnoc 2008.
"To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Question."

Books are Humanity in Print!

ooh yes, scent could be a big factor. And they can hear a lie a mile off.
My muse Xena is a cat so getting details right shouldnt be an issue.
Plus my other kitty can speak, somehow we taught her to say Mum, OH NO! and WOOAH!(in a car is really funny to hear). She says other things but not regularly.
But the story idea is coming along nicely. The cat's family (owners) has been worked out in my head so far.
Hrmm both stories I should say since chatting with my friend lastnight got more done on my fantasy planning.
Just need to write the ideas down sometime soon.
Thanks for the idea's I will sure be using them.

My idea of hell is being trapped in a room with no books!

That's fantasitc, Gaye! So many, many words. I think my total for the year is around 120,000 (I can't remember exactly).

I do plan to keep writing 1000 words a day which will set me in good stead for reaching 100,000 words on Seeking Queen Praedar before NaNoWriMo. Whether I will have finished the story by then I'm not sure.

No Excuses. Just Write.
SoCNoC - Untitled Chick Lit
Freeing the Flame - 30,065/40,000 words rewritten for May

Cats do talk xengab, if I ask one in particular, "where have you been?" I am answered, "Bin ooooouuuutt." One we had used to say "Peruuuuu," when asked what is the capital of Chile?
I have a Vienna boys choir with the four boys at breakfast time. They all sing individually, then together. They all have different pitches. I know each one's voice when they appear.
Sound is good, opening the fridge door, the cupboard containing their food, rattling the biscuit packet, opening a window, gathering the kindling to start the fire, making a bed means fun.
But you would know all this being a cat owner.

kerryn, 1,000 a day is good progress, and aren't you getting married in the middle of it all?

Got a plot and Title for Socnoc 2008.
"To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Question."

Books are Humanity in Print!

Gaye, the wedding is next year thank goodness! I haven't done anything that I was planning to in the last four months.

No Excuses. Just Write.
SoCNoC - Untitled Chick Lit
Freeing the Flame - 30,065/40,000 words rewritten for May

The prelim short stories thing is exactly that - short stories of a few thousand words each which involve a character, a back-story to a character, even just a particular geographical area. All just to help me get my head around my worldbuilding in a way that's more fun than lists.

[a href="http://www.freewebs.com/semaphoremagazine"]Semaphore Magazine[/a]
[a href="http://www.stornowaystories.blogspot.com"]One Girl's Quest to Kill Trees[/a]