The greatest plans of mice and men

[naomi_jay]

They often go awry, apparently? I don't remember the rest of the quote, I just remember being forced to read the book and hating it (except for Slim, who was six kinds of awesome). Anyway, the point is, my "let's Superman this weekend and write like Cthulhu is watching" plan has taken a backstep. My parents made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Food, a comfortable mattress, new clothes, and a hot bath,

So I'm at my parents, having enjoyed all of the above and having done no writing yesterday. I am planning to do some today, but Holly is currently trying to climb onto my head, which hampers the process somewhat. I'm a bit torn on what to work on though... The Scarlett novel is moving along nicely, although I can already tell the opening the chapters will need some serious revision somewhere down the line. But Wonderland is also calling, and so is that random futuristic-ish werewolf novel with the illiterate assassin as the main character idea too (Lone Wolf). I had a dream the other night that really got me thinking more about that idea. I don't want to start yet because there's a lot of world-building to be done first.

For example, my original idea was that my main character, Aisling, would one of the last werewolves in her world thanks to a war between humans and wolves. The wolves would have been wiped out with some kind of engineered disease, or something. A bit vague on that still. Then I thought I'd prefer a nuclear winter scenario, but I don't know how that could work so that werewolves were worse affected than humans. Then I did some research in Agent Orange because I liked the idea of a ruined world with very few green spaces left, but had the same issue as the nuclear winter scenario. Then I just gave up for a while because I started Wonderland, and one novel set in the aftermath of a war between humanity and a supernatural race of your choice is probably enough.

But now? I really want to start on Lone Wolf. Aisling is starting to come alive in my head, as are the secondary characters. If I can just get the world set up right, I'll be there. So what's better? Nuclear winter, Agent Orange, or a laboratory-created disease of an unknown nature?

Comments

[i-am-toast.livejournal.com]

As a random point, Aisling is a very cool name.

I really like the Agent Orange idea - it's not occuring to me as something that's been done previously. The werewolves could have been relocated to containment parks at some point in the past until the military decided they were too much of a threat and razed the containment forests with Agent Orange?

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, I really like that idea! Thanks :)

[tezmilleroz.livejournal.com]

Futuristic-ish + illiterate assassin = PURE AWESOMENESS! Thus is the story I want you to concentrate on. Because I'm selfish ;-)

I say to make up a lab-create disease. Essentially, doesn't fiction = making shit up? ;-) Only I'd want you to know the unknown nature, come up with a pseudo-scientific explanation. Because it's annoying when writers don't even bother to FAKE believability ;-)

[etaknosnhoj.livejournal.com]

Biological warfare--ie create-your-own-disease. That'll explain why werewolves are worse-affected than humans.

Ruined-world scenarios are fun--I'm writing a drowned-world at the moment--but it's sometimes hard remembering what your redrawn world maps look like!

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

I love the drowned world scenario. I do hate trying to reconfigure the entire planet to accommodate my plots though.

[sanguinepen.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just have an idea and stick with it? I mean seriously it's like we write 5 different novels worth of plots...to make one in the end.

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

Lol, I've already cannibalised so many other "OMFG,THIS is the ONE!" ideas to make up other novels. It's an insane process.

[summersdream.livejournal.com]

Maybe... a combo? The disease was engineered as part of the war, but survivors on both sides pushed the nuclear buttons as well or dropped the agent orange or whatever it was that destroyed the environment as well?

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

That could be cool. I can just throw everything into the pot and come out with total world chaos, lol.