Choosing what to write for NaNoWriMo is a challenge. It has been a challenge every month this year for me, and sometimes I lose a few days at the beginning of the month to just trying to find that thread of plot I feel has the energy to carry me through.
There are a lot of options to try. This NaNo novel is supposed to suck and be all over the place and need tons of fixing. We are supposed to stumble and trip and wonder where the fuck we are and why munchkins are singing to us. It's all part of the fun.
This is a great time to try out a new genre. Write fantasy if we are historic fiction writers, try our hand at erotica (and henceforth discover a new world of paranoia about leaving the word processor open when we got to bed), tackle some slip of an idea that wanders though our minds from time to time, or see if we really do have a talent for writing hard core science fiction. Anything can happen in November.
Magical robots that can only perform spells while wearing blue lipstick made in the gama quadrant! Why not? This is NaNo!
It's suppose to be a romp, a fun time of exploring our deeper selves and writing tons of words in delirious, caffeine-induced hazes at three in the morning. It's a time to watch ourselves write despite anxiety and perfectionism clawing at our ratty minds and finally, for just a month, not caring what they say.
The universe isn't even the limit. We can throw every writing rule we ever learned out the door for the sake of word count, word count, word count. No one ever needs to see what we did. (And most of mine, no one ever will. Never.)
But even with all this freedom, let me tell you: a month is short, but 50,000 words is a long ass time. Especially if we are stuck with a story we don't like, or a character we wouldn't be paid to spend time with, let alone try and live in their heads.
When choosing what to write next month, make it wild, amazing, free of restrictions or tight and controlled by some silly outline you'll probably throw out later (I know you did one). Make it wild, change directions and narrators and point of view just because its NaNo and we can for once.
No matter what you make it though, choose a story you would want to read. No one will judge, no one will care. This is for you and you alone; you're becoming a writing superhero, who cares if all you feel like spending time with is a story about five breasted whores? Or that same old star crossed lovers stuff everyone keeps writing about? Or snakes attacking people with swords made by elves? Or anything at all.
Write something you would want to read, and no matter what happens, it will be all the more fun along the way.
Now go throw out that damn outline and have some fun already.
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The official blog of Michelle Tuckett, word ninja. 
I plan to do this without a strict outline. I work as a technical writer and every day I must edit as I write…it is going to be a huge challenge for me not to edit or try and keep structure, but I need to just dive in…great post! Tack så mycket! (thank you very much in Swedish)
Oh my goodness, what a relief it will be to break through the habit of editing as you go. After the screaming stops, at least.
I do recommend diving in as much as possible, at least for NaNo. If you have any problems breaking free though, feel free to drop me a line.
I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to write about this year, which scares me!
Haha that is the best way to go! The more scared you are, the more right you are doing it! I usually don’t know what I’m really writing until at least 2,000 words, so don’t sweat it.
Hmm, maybe! Haha! Yeah that’s what I did last year, but I had a glimpse of an idea though..
Giving oneself permission is an interesting thought -lespecially in a purely mental space. Thought giving itself permission to travel through more thought.