What sort of character profiles? I didn't know you could download profiles online. Is it an idea generator, or more like a quiz to fill out?

More like a quiz to fill out. This page has several different character questionnaires, some of which can be downloaded: http://cameronchapman.com/nanowrimo-countdown-t-9-days-its-all-about-character.htm

Both are important to me. What's more, so many people are self-publishing, I'm afraid that if I did go that route, no one would ever even find my book.

That's a legitimate concern, but I suppose that all you really need is fifty or so people to read it, love it and tell all of their friends about it. You'd have to do a lot of self-promotion, definitely. And then, if it's already been proven to be successful electronically, "real" publishers may pick it up later on, though you'd have to be careful about the legality and rights and whatnot from the get-go.

But hey, if you want to self-publish, one of the NaNo prizes if you win is that you get a CreateSpace coupon. And if you don't win, someone who has won might give you theirs if they don't want it. I think that's allowed. That's allowed, right?

Isn't CreateSpace more for creating physical books and not publishing electronically?

Anyway, back on topic.

No. Can't do it this year. Nope, not happening. Absolutely not.... Darn it, I just can't help myself. Okay, I'm in again for my third year, despite my busiest schedule ever!

YAY ANNE! So glad you are joining us! Your story sounds awesome, and I read the poem you wrote for it; it's great. Very curious about these Embrin people!

Well, as it turns out, I may try for NaNo this year after all. I have not only a plot, but a plot that I think I can finish in 50K words if I manage my words well.

Awesome! Looks like you've got a terrific plan for doing NaNo, and your story plot sounds really intriguing, too.

Ditto to stargazer on the motivation—I keep waffling back and forth on that. I think the excitement will pick up a lot as the end of the month draws near; it always does.

What do you guys do to find inspiration??

Ditto to what Ithilwen said about music, pictures, media, et cetera.

Another piece of advice I can give, though, is to always write about something that you are interested in or passionate about, whether it be location, theme, moral of the story—whatever, as long as it's something that keeps you engaged. For instance, I've always loved spooky ghost stories and nature, so writing a supernatural mystery set at a lake lodge is something I'm definitely interested in doing, and that really helps keep the inspiration flowing for me.

Thanks, Ithilwen! I was admiring yours as well.

Ditto stargazer on feeling more excited and ready on some days than others. I can't decide if I ought to stick with my original plan or if I ought to switch the main character roles to a couple of minor characters who currently feel more fleshed out and interesting. I keep asking myself what my MC wants and not coming up with a driving passion. However, as a pantser, I think I'll just find out what happens while writing. Or I'll check out those character profiles Dot linked to and see if that sparks any breakthroughs...

More like a quiz to fill out. This page has several different character questionnaires, some of which can be downloaded: http://cameronchapman.com/nanowrimo-countdown-t-9-days-its-all-about-character.htm

Ah! Cool. Thanks for the link.

Isn't CreateSpace more for creating physical books and not publishing electronically?

I think it's both. I mean, I haven't looked into it too much, but I know one year the prize had something to do with self-publishing your book, and I'm pretty sure they did it through CreateSpace. Most people I know who have self-published told me they did it through CreateSpace. And multiple people have told me that if I just want a physical copy of my book, and don't want to self-publish, to definitely not use CreateSpace; because Create Space gives your book an ISBN number, and it is therefore considered a "published work". If you're considering self-publishing, I would find out more about it, since you'll get a coupon for it.

Anyway, back on topic.

I think it still counts as on-topic since the subject we're discussing is NaNo prizes. We discussed that on all the previous NaNo threads. Although, if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me, Mods. (Not that you need my permission to correct me, but... You know what I mean. )

I've always loved spooky ghost stories and nature, so writing a supernatural mystery set at a lake lodge is something I'm definitely interested in doing, and that really helps keep the inspiration flowing for me.

I think that's a really cool idea, and I look forward to reading it/seeing what you do with it. No pressure or anything, but I'm sure it'll end up being the best book in the entire world.

I was admiring yours as well.

Thanks.

In other news, I got inspiration for a new plot tonight. I'm still planning on writing "The Elf-Gift" for NaNo this year, and I won't be incorporating this new plot into it or anything. BUT. I had an idea that, should "The Elf-Gift" prove too short to reach 50K (it is based on a dream, after all; and dreams aren't terribly long), then once I finish writing that, I can spend the remainder of the month writing this new plot idea. It's a sort of secret agent story that I find thematically intriguing.

My only question now is which of my WiPs I'm going to incorporate it into. I have a huge list of WiPs that have fully-developed characters, but loosely-developed/non-existent plots. So if I take my already-developed characters and stick them into this new plot idea, I'll be good to go. All I have to do now is pick which WiP to incorporate the plot into. So far, I've narrowed it down to two: my futuristic dystopian fantasy, or my modern-day superhero novel. This may be harder than I thought.

I hope all of that made sense.

~Riella

WILD!!!! It's good to see you, too! Your story idea sounds very awesome.

thank you so much

Plotting and preparing for NaNo has been rather slow for me as of late because of Real Life busyness. I'm still hoping to participate, but I really have no idea at this point.

I REALLY hope you will be able to participate I'd love to word war with you

No. Can't do it this year. Nope, not happening. Absolutely not.... Darn it, I just can't help myself. Okay, I'm in again for my third year, despite my busiest schedule ever!

Anne!!!! my goodness, I haven't seen so many of you folks in ages, I am so glad that you will be participating
Your story sounds so exciting

Ryadian, glad you will be participating too, your story sounds most interesting

What do you guys do to find inspiration??

Reading! Most of my inspiration comes from reading novels, story or just articles that are similar or remind me of my story. And listening to music that reminds me of my novel, but for me personally, nothing beats reading (or watching movies that remind me of my novel)
This year, because originally, my story was suposed to be a rock opera, listing to rock music really boosts my inspiration, I guess I'll be listening to rock all of November

daughter of the king, those links are really cool, I checked a couple of them out and they have really help me thanks for posting them

I'd mention you all individually if I could. But since that might make this post ginormous

I'm not the only person who uses that word (ginormous). *dances around* now just let my sister try and get on my case next time I use that word

*returns back the topic*

Is anyone completely ready for NaNo yet? Or is everyone still thinking and prepping?

I'm still preparing, I'm almost afraid I won't be all ready by November. The story is coming out to be a little more epic than I expected, but I'm loving it more and more I've got several characters that still don't have names, and a whole host of loopholes and plot holes that need to be worked out

I finally got around to making my cover
http://nanowrimo.org/participants/apye/novels/a-higher-duty
(a big thanks to my sister Narnian_Archer who took the time to critisize it and tell me how to make it better )
I've got some subplots that just seemed to appear out of nowhere, which is a little unexpected, but so far they make sense and don't clash with history so I'm allowing them to remain. I think that's one of the only things that sometimes annoys me about historical fiction, is that sometimes a great idea just won't work because history doesn't agree with it

How do you guys name your characters, do you browes sites to find the right name, or come up with your own, or just sort of let the characters 'name themselves'

I'd mention you all individually if I could. But since that might make this post ginormous

I'm not the only person who uses that word (ginormous). *dances around* now just let my sister try and get on my case next time I use that word

*uses it too

I am contemplating trying again this year... I don't know how well I'll do as I haven't planned a thing and I have 4 labs this semester, but I've been in a serious writing mood recently so I may at least try to meet the daily word counts and just write whatever comes to my head...

but 50,000 words in a month doesn't sound as bad when you constantly end up writing 5-10 pg papers in a night (procrastination, anyone? ) And at least this doesn't get graded... an I ca take more creative freedom

That list of questionnaires looks really helpful. My characters can never make up their minds about who they are.

I think it's both. I mean, I haven't looked into it too much, but I know one year the prize had something to do with self-publishing your book, and I'm pretty sure they did it through CreateSpace. Most people I know who have self-published told me they did it through CreateSpace.

I think I'm making this confusing.

While you would have complete creative control over your book if you self-publish no matter what particular method you use, the specific kind of self-publishing I'm interested in is epublishing (also known as electronic or digital publishing) because of the very low costs and easy dissemination of ebooks. (Also, no dryads are lost in the manufacturing process as with traditional paper books. )

You can definitely use CreateSpace for self-publishing, but (as far as I know) it's not a platform for publishing ebooks at this time.

I think it still counts as on-topic since the subject we're discussing is NaNo prizes. We discussed that on all the previous NaNo threads.

I was actually referring to my babblings about publishing methods which might be better suited to Writer's World. Not a mod, but I definitely think you're right about CreateSpace being on-topic.

I think that's a really cool idea, and I look forward to reading it/seeing what you do with it. No pressure or anything, but I'm sure it'll end up being the best book in the entire world.

No pressure. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

So far, I've narrowed it down to two: my futuristic dystopian fantasy, or my modern-day superhero novel. This may be harder than I thought.

I can't pick between futuristic dystopian fantasy and modern-day superhero. It's just not happening. They both sound great with a secret agent theme. That's not helpful, is it? Maybe flip a coin?

I REALLY hope you will be able to participate I'd love to word war with you

Ditto! At this point, I'm think I'm definitely planning on participating, barring Real Life unexpectedly chucking a monkeywrench at my head.

This year, because originally, my story was suposed to be a rock opera, listing to rock music really boosts my inspiration, I guess I'll be listening to rock all of November

Rock operas are awesome. (This forum needs a heart emote. ) It's really cool that your story was initially planned as one, Wild! If I ever read your book, I'm definitely gonna make a point to listen to rock music at the time.

Your cover is beautiful! Great job. I like the title, too!

How do you guys name your characters, do you browes sites to find the right name, or come up with your own, or just sort of let the characters 'name themselves'

It varies a lot. Sometimes characters literally seem to pick their own names and refuse to be called anything else, and occasionally I'll just know what I want to call them from the get-go regardless of meaning, but oftentimes I'll look for a name that reflects an aspect of their personality, character arc, occupation, history, et cetera. Something about the name meaning that makes me think it belongs to them.

It's not so much that I must have a name that has the perfect meaning for every character, but it helps me narrow the field down because I really love names and I find myself with too many possibilities. Honestly, sometimes I think I spend more time on etymology websites, searching for names, than I do actually plotting books. (I'm trying really hard not to get hung up on all the glorious potential names for this NaNo and just pick some instead, because I really don't have time to find the "perfect" ones for every character. )

I'll also sometimes name characters after historical figures, or people I know, although I'll often go with a variant of their real name. If you like a name for a character but can't quite make it work for whatever reason, definitely look up the name's variants, other language forms, and nicknames.

Behind the Name (as well as its sister site for surnames) is usually my website of choice for name searching, but there's great information all over the web.

. . . I love names too much.

I am contemplating trying again this year... I don't know how well I'll do as I haven't planned a thing and I have 4 labs this semester, but I've been in a serious writing mood recently so I may at least try to meet the daily word counts and just write whatever comes to my head...

I really hope you join us, Wolfy!! I know what you mean about 50k not seeming so gargantuan when you're accustomed to churning out a mess of words in just one day. I'm going to have a busy November, too, but I'm hoping that doing NaNo will actually be a little therapeutic and relaxing for me; a mental escape of sorts. Go for it! You can do it!

What do you guys do to find inspiration??

Wow, you guys/girls are all so talented! I love your musings because that's what I use for inspiration - rereading this thread.

Also, I confess, I'm a hyper-detail plotter. I actually have a list of made-up animals that I'll be using and brief bios for them. And a language parameter scheme. And a map. And a culture chart. Then I wrote the background of the world in (long) poetry form, with a rhyming scheme I created. Yeah, there's not much wasted time there. On the other hand, I got a cool poem out of it. And if I can't make 50k, I have no one to blame but me.

. . . I love names too much.

Thanks for your links! I like making amalgamations of names for my other-world characters, and these lists are so useful!

Anne!!!! my goodness, I haven't seen so many of you folks in ages, I am so glad that you will be participating
Your story sounds so exciting

EDIT: Wrose, I went and read your story synopsis. I. Love. It. Oh, my gosh! You pick a brilliant time and place to write about!

Wild! I missed you too!

I'd mention you all individually if I could. But since that might make this post ginormous

Yeah, seriously. Just know I love ya all. (Not y'all. I'm from the northeast.)

How do you guys name your characters, do you browes sites to find the right name, or come up with your own, or just sort of let the characters 'name themselves'

The characters name themselves. For example, when I was first setting up my modern-day superhero WiP, I only had to take one look at my MC's face to know her name was Jessica. She couldn't be named anything but Jessica.

Having a name with a meaning that fits their personality is cool. But to me, the sound of the name is what's most important, since that's what the reader is going to experience the most. And I rarely see times where both the name's meaning and sound matches the character's personality.

I mean, say you have a character who's a super popular athlete at school, and who all the female characters are falling in love with. And say you find a name with a meaning that matches his personality exactly. Sounds great. But what if the name is something like Poindexter? The meaning might match him; but the sad truth of it is, there is no way those swooning highschool girls are drawing little hearts around the name Poindexter. Whereas, they might draw little hearts around the name Chad. So regardless of what the name "Chad" means, I would be much more likely to go with that.

I can't pick between futuristic dystopian fantasy and modern-day superhero. It's just not happening. They both sound great with a secret agent theme. That's not helpful, is it? Maybe flip a coin?

Well, after thinking about it, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to put it in the futuristic dystopia. That book has enough themes going in it already. So either I'll put it in the modern-day superhero novel, or I'll put it in some future book I haven't planned yet.

~Riella

My main characters also told me their names - and so did their first daughter, when she arrived. But I use behindthename.com and similar sites for ideas for other characters or to check out the meanings of names.

One other suggestion comes to mind, especially after I finished reading a book this morning. If you have a complex story with lots of characters, or are writing a series of stories set in the same universe, consider keeping a list of character names for handy reference. I do this, and it's helpful so I don't end up with a bunch of incidental characters who happened to be named Melissa or Mark.

The story I read this morning - a real, honest-to-goodness published ink-and-paper book - had issues with this. The main character adopts a puppy, which she names Buttons. Literally 2 pages later, the little female puppy is now a male named Fred - but again becomes the female Buttons later on. I enjoyed the story but as a writer, this little glitch - which a proofreader or editor should have caught - jumped out at me. I think a list of names, or some other handy reference, might have prevented such a thing as well.

Well, I've decided to give NaNo a go this year, despite how busy I'll be. I'm limiting computer/writing time to the weekends though, so I'm definitely going to have to make huge word goals and stick to them.

I'm not writing my dystopian because of several plot issues that came up, and am instead writing a new novel featuring Maine in the summer, Selkies, mermaids, and a delightful cast of characters. It's going to be more fluffy than the dystopian, and hopefully easier to meet goals with as a result.

I'm not writing my dystopian because of several plot issues that came up, and am instead writing a new novel featuring Maine in the summer, Selkies, mermaids, and a delightful cast of characters. It's going to be more fluffy than the dystopian, and hopefully easier to meet goals with as a result.

This new story sounds delightful, Melian_Maia. I would love to read some of it once you finish.

Interestingly, my NaNo book also features a few merfolk, and one or two half-mer teens. They are a side plot, but I'm really looking forward to fleshing out that aspect of the world.

I'm alive! My presence on this forum always seems to resurrect around this time of year...

Of course, I'm doing NaNoWriMo again. Here's what I have for my story synopsis:

Hospitality House

The country of Jolysi was once a grand and prosperous kingdom, where the three races of humans, elves, and faeries lived in harmony. However, several centuries ago, a great civil war broke out, and the country of Jolysi was destroyed. The people of the country split into twelve tribes that formed countries in the surrounding land, and for hundreds of years they continued fighting, with the wasteland that was once Jolysi in the middle of all those countries.

Years after the end of the war, the country of Jolysi was rebuilt, and now, it is a friendly land visited by many travelers going between the twelve surrounding countries. To provide these travelers a place to rest during their long journeys, the Hospitality House was established right in the middle of the land, taking in travelers to give them a good meal and a comfortable place to sleep. The friendly staff of the Hospitality House not only serves these travelers, but also provides them companionship to help them feel that they have a home away from home.

For the staff themselves, though, the Hospitality House truly is their home. Coming from various countries and having all been estranged or disowned from their original families, they have been adopted by the owner of the House, the mysterious Father, and consider each other brothers and sisters. And now, twelve more people of various races and ages and coming from different countries make their way to the Hospitality House, hoping to find there the home they could not find before.

What they don’t know yet is that they will not only get to discover the many mysteries of the ancient land of Jolysi, but they will also help restore a world that is still recovering from a centuries-long war…

So yeah, it's a fantasy story this time around. I've mainly been doing worldbuilding so far, crafting the thirteen countries and their various cultures, so I've yet to actually create any characters yet...

That sounds really awesome, stardf29. The house sounds a bit like a mixture of Rivendell and Dumbledore, since Rivendell was a place of rest - "the last homely house" for travelers - and Dumbledore often took people in to Hogwarts because they had troubled or disadvantaged pasts, in order to give them a chance. So it's a mixture of two great things.

~Riella

Also, I confess, I'm a hyper-detail plotter. I actually have a list of made-up animals that I'll be using and brief bios for them. And a language parameter scheme. And a map. And a culture chart. Then I wrote the background of the world in (long) poetry form, with a rhyming scheme I created.

Oh wow. You sound like a mini-Tolkien. I feel so inferior.

I have not written even one lonely note for my novel yet, because for some reason I think this is going to help me achieve my goals. (?)

That'll change between now and next Friday, though. I have a very loose overall story outline that I'll try to sketch out, and I also plan on specifically plotting the first several chapters next week, and then plot the subsequent handful of chapters the following "business week break" after the first writing weekend in November. This is supposed to help me keep from "getting ahead of myself."

...

Basically, I'm insane and I have no idea what I'm doing.

I mean, say you have a character who's a super popular athlete at school, and who all the female characters are falling in love with. And say you find a name with a meaning that matches his personality exactly. Sounds great. But what if the name is something like Poindexter?

With my fondness for all things quirky, I actually love the idea of the popular boy at school being named Poindexter, but I see your point.

One other suggestion comes to mind, especially after I finished reading a book this morning. If you have a complex story with lots of characters, or are writing a series of stories set in the same universe, consider keeping a list of character names for handy reference.

That sounds like a really good idea and I definitely think I'll use it myself. My storyline isn't extremely complex (yet ), but I anticipate having a lot of nameless people crop up since I am stubbornly refusing to plot in detail.

I'm not writing my dystopian because of several plot issues that came up, and am instead writing a new novel featuring Maine in the summer, Selkies, mermaids, and a delightful cast of characters. It's going to be more fluffy than the dystopian, and hopefully easier to meet goals with as a result.

*squee* I'm really looking forward to seeing how this story idea evolves.

Interestingly, my NaNo book also features a few merfolk, and one or two half-mer teens. They are a side plot, but I'm really looking forward to fleshing out that aspect of the world.

I can't remember if I've said this before or not, but your book series sounds really cool and definitely something I'd be interested in reading.

So yeah, it's a fantasy story this time around. I've mainly been doing worldbuilding so far, crafting the thirteen countries and their various cultures, so I've yet to actually create any characters yet...

Nice to see you on NarniaWeb again! Your novel sounds so neat. It seems like it has the potential to be a very character-driven story while also having a really intriguing and enchanting setting.