Well, Nanowrimo has started, so I should start writing a bit about it here. Last year, I wrote a 50,000 word horror novel (actually it was slightly over 50,000 words, but I can't remember by how much.) It was fun, difficult, agonizing and wonderful. After I was done, I had a very bad 50,000 word novel on my hands and a great feeling of accomplishment. I knew I could do it, I could write a whole plot, I could stick with something to the end, and there were even parts that weren't awful.
This year, I'm going to be more ambitious. I'm going to write a fantasy novel. I've loved fantasy since I was a kid reading "Wrinkle in Time," "Lord of the Rings" and all the Conan stories (plus movies like "Dark Crystal," "Krull" and "Conan.") As I've grown up, fantasy has remained a major force in my reading habits. My favorite current writers are all fantasy: Jeffrey Ford, Jeff Vandermeer, China Mieville. And even my favorite horror writers tend toward fantasy and the supernatural.
But I've never been able to really finish a fantasy story. I always stall. I love coming up with worlds and strange visions, but putting them to use has been tougher.
But that's what is great about National Novel Writing Month. You're free to experiment without feeling like something good or relevant has to come out of it. So this is the year I'll write a fantasy story. (Unless I change my mind by Nov. 1.)
My inspiration came from a dream I had a few days ago. It was about a guy (in the dream it was me, in the story it won't be) who lives on a secluded mountainous island. He has 20 wives, all of whom are trained assassins. In the dream, a giant monster attacked the island and the wives fought it back.
I don't think that exact scene will be in my story, but this character and his 20 assassin wives will be. I don't think they will be major characters, but they'll be important to the story.
So does that sound goofy enough? I'm hoping I can make it sound more serious in the narrative. The dream was a lot of fun though.