Midterms are drawing closer, which unfortunately means I am putting off thinking about NaNoWriMo more than usual. With exams so close, I doubt many people have the time to respond to prompts or plan out novels, but I will attempt to do so anyway — no time like the present, right?
Lex Miller | Argonaut
Prompt series No. 2
- Give your character an unlikely fear. Write a scene in which someone they are close to discovers this fear.
- Write a detailed description of your character’s most common hangout.
- What is your character most likely to order at a fancy restaurant? Why would they be at a fancy restaurant? Write a small scene about this.
- Your character finds an odd object. What is it? Could it be an important new plot point?
- Describe your character’s favorite piece of clothing in excruciating detail.
- Does your character read? Make up an author that you believe would be their favorite and write a short biography for that author.
- What kind of utensil does your character use to eat?
Inspiration and updates from an aspiring author
I’ll be honest, I have made almost no progress towards preparing for NaNoWriMo. The most I’ve done is write articles for The Argonaut and participate in a prompt-a-thon with The Looking Glass. I wish I could say something more inspiring, but you deserve honesty, not false hope.
No matter how dedicated you are to something, sometimes life can happen and get in the way. Since I don’t have substantial updates to give you, I will instead tell you what my plan is for the coming week. Hopefully by publishing this plan, I will actually find the energy and time to hold myself to it.
This week I want to flesh out my main character. It’s a bit difficult to start a story when the only thing you know about your narrator is the fact that they’re a girl, they get lost in the woods, and the end up becoming a witch.
I know I want my story to take place in modern day, but I have no idea what location I would like to focus my story in. I want to research some countries I feel connections to I think would be interesting to write this story in.
When I think about this story, I think about deep forests, mountains, and gurgling streams that transition into busy, modern cities. I want to show a strong division between the city setting and the forest setting. I think the easiest way to do this would be to switch narrators, but maybe I should just switch narrative structure.
I could show character development and growth by adjusting my narrator’s speech style and narrative structure as she continues her journey from city to forest and back again. I am unsure if I want this story to focus more heavily on returning to a familiar place after a life changing event or if I want it to focus on magic and personal transformation.
If any of you would like to send me your own personal updates or story ideas, I would be happy to feature one or two each week! Feel free to reach out to me. I am always willing to talk about NaNoWriMo.