cybermathwitch | (no subject)

So... I should be planning for NaNo.

Instead I'm reading the NaNo forums and Doctor Who/NCIS crossover fic.

Because *that's* useful.

I'm trying to write my Magna Cartas, and have realized that while i'm pretty clear on what I *don't* like in a book ... narrowing down what I *do* like is much, much harder for me.

What are my favorite books?

Incubus Dreams by Laurell K Hamiltion (and many of the Anita books since that one - prior to that it's hit or miss)
The Merry Gentry series by Laurell K Hamilton
the "Death" novels by JD Robb
Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn
the Harper Hall trilogy by Anne McCaffrey
the Arrows of the Queen (book, not trilogy) and By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey
the Diana Tregarde novels by Mercedes Lackey
Christine Feehan's "Ghostwalker" series (though they're starting to get a bit repetitive)
JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series (I suffer the names/language conventions for the characters)
the Harry Potter series, of course.
The Changeover by Margaret Mahy
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Novels of Tiger and Del (though I haven't read the final one and DON'T WANT SPOILERS) by Jennifer Roberson - also her Cheysuli series
Several books by Elizabeth Lowell, Linda Howard, and Nora Roberts - though all three also have books I *don't* like.

Ok. Obviously, I like romances with strong alpha males. Duh. I like investigation and being shown the characters' interpersonal dynamics. I have a fondness in some cases for "school" stories - where a character is uprooted and goes off to a school somewhere shiny and new (though that isn't as much the appeal of the HP books, but that may be where it started for me.)
I like the political manuevering and manipulation in the Dragon Prince.
I like the exploration of duality as well as the characters in the Novels of Tiger and Del.
But things like the interpersonal dynamics thing?  I'm having trouble pinning down, in words, what kinds I like and how I like them to be portrayed. Important distinctions when you're trying to decide what to write.

All of the above aside, there's the questions like:
Original, or fanfiction?

if Original, what sort of story?  What sort of characters? Something I've already started dabbling in and playing with, or something *completely* new? (and there's the fuzziness of the NaNo rules on that one as well). Genre, setting, conflict, time period, etc.

If fanfiction, what fandom?  There are many that I could write vignettes for - but for 50000?  Have to be sure that the characters won't just up and abandon me on day 2.   That's trickier.

SO.... Help!  Please! What would *you* like to see/read at the end of 30 days of craziness?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So for Nano I'd say go for original, something you've already started dabbling in because completely new would be impossible to create and write in 30 days IMO with all the world building that's necessary esp if you're going to go the fantasy route (which given your preferences seems to be standing out as the strongest binding tie) however of course to meet the rules of NaNo none of the words you write prior to Nov 1st should count towards your word count at the end of Nov. Or at least that doesn't sound like cheating to me.

Given what you do like it sounds like you should write a political mystery where the main character is taken away from his or her normal world and deposited somewhere shiny and new with romance and lots of character interaction where someone may or may not be what they seem (to incorporate the duality thing *G*)

If you want to bounce ideas off me I'm usually on aim user name serendipitymxxi :)

This is pretty good advice!

Hmm... definitely thoughts to ponder. By duality, I was actually referring to the ideas of male/female fire/ice etc etc that Jennifer Roberson explores in the Tiger and Del books - I actually don't like characters turning out to be something radically different very much. But the rest of it is a possibility. Thankees!

Ahhh I haven't read either of them so... :)

Also... any thoughts on how one would go about *writing* political maneuvering, etc? I love reading about it, but I don't have the first clue how to go about structuring it from the ground up.

This is totally just me talking out of my here bc I've never written anything involving political maneuvering either but I imagine if you treat it as A has something B and C want and keep it as simple as "What would B do to get A to give him it" or "How far would C bend her morals to steal it" and work like that you could pull it off. Politics are just interactions between people after all. Now you just have to figure out what A has, how it's powerful and who A,B and C are *L*

It's not impossible to come up with a brand new idea in the remaining days until November. If you can see the world beginning, the rest will unfold before your eyes.

It's good to see that someone else loves the Dragon Prince series! Did you read all six? I think the last three are called Dragon Star.

No... no, I loved the first one, managed the second one, and about half way through the third book of the first trilogy (and yes, I believe the second trilogy is called the Dragon Star) I got sick of everything going badly *and* realized that the following books didn't even follow the characters I liked anymore, so I gave up. I *own* them all, but haven't ever bothered to read the rest. The rest just didn't seem to have the same characteristics or types of story points that I liked so much in book one and (to some degree) book two. I *do* appreciate and like how much detail and pre-planning that Melanie Rawn puts into her books though.

No useful advice here, but I just wanted to say how awesome it is you like The Changeover - I don't think it's particularly well-known outside NZ, but it's a great book, and deals very well with issues around sexuality and power and coming-of-age. Since moving to Christchurch, I've also come to realise how well Mahy describes the feel of the city. In conclusion: yay, The Changeover.

(also, re: the Dragon Prince trilogy; I had much the same thing you did, I just got totally sick of crap happening to characters who had already been through enough crap.)

I will preface this with "I love you, dear. You are part of my family."

Doctor Who/NCIS? Sweetheart, this is when it's time to put down the remote and walk away.

I am always for original worlds and characters. My novel started as a glorified fan fic. I kept expanding on the idea and filtering out what did not belong or read like fanfic until it was the clean work I have now. You have a vast and beautiful imagination. I know that you can write something fresh and original.

Thank you for the lovely complitment. :)

As for the crossover... actually, since the idea is based around Abby being a companion briefly of the eighth doctor (who has a woeful lack of material about him) quite prior to the events of the show, it works pretty well. It doesn't hurt that the author has a beautiful grasp of all the character voices of both fandoms. ::hugs::

Um... er... Okay? Since I watch neither series, I have no idea. I think half of it was in Esperanto. However, since you seem to know what you're talking about, woo!

To be honest and frank, years and years ago, I joined a Pern rp-fic group when I was new to writing. I took that experience, used it, and pursued my own writing career, creating my own characters. I'm sure you can do well.