Choosing NaNoWriMo

2014-Oct-13 -> from the it's-that-time-of-year-again department Tags: nanowrimo writing

Hey all! It's been a while since I've posted anything here, and that's a shame. I'm sorry about that. I'll try to be more regular about it in the future. Life has been crazy, and hasn't allowed a lot of time to do writerly things. Even my writing has suffered.

This leads me to the purpose of this post, and something different that I've never tried before. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is right around the corner, but I have a problem. My latest book, The Spell Breaker, isn't finished yet. Normally, I would start the next book in the series during NaNoWriMo, but I can't very well do that, now can I? This means I have to come up with another idea.

Well, my brain has been on overdrive, and now I have two ideas, both of which I am keen on trying out. I like them equally, and have been unable to decide which to take on. Luckily, I have a fantastic group of friends and fans who are always willing to give me feedback, so now here's your chance.

Over the next week, I'll collect votes from you all on the ideas posted below, and then decide based on that feedback which one I want to write. All feedback will be considered, but there will be an informal poll at the end of this post where you can simply vote for one idea or the other. At the end of the day, it will still be my decision as to which one I will write, but your feedback could shape my next novel, and I may decide (based on the feedback received here) to give you additional opportunities to decide how the plot unfolds.

So... without further ado, here are my ideas:

1) A break away from my usual fantasy into a more drama/thriller type story. This idea revolves around a character named Jack Craze, who is the CEO of Craze Pharmaceuticals. He worked his way up from nothing after his mother died of a rare and aggressive form of lung cancer. Not only is he the CEO of the company, he's also a genius who has developed some of the world's biggest breakthroughs in cancer treatments, even going as far as eradicating some kinds with new drugs he helped develop.

Now he has a wife, a son, a great job, and everything he ever dreamed of. Until of course his son develops the same aggressive lung cancer his mother died of. This is a cancer his company hasn't been able to come up with a treatment for yet. It doesn't respond to any known treatments, and his son is fading fast.

Mr, Sharp is a mystery. He appeared one day on Jack's doorstep with a proposition: Give up everything, including his name, fame, fortune and family, and Mr. Sharp will provide the cure for Jackie Jr.'s cancer. Jack can save his son's life, but in the process, he must lose everything he's worked his entire life for.

2) This idea continues a side story that began in my first trilogy, The Time Weaver Chronicles, and is more of an urban fantasy. Earth has never known magic, until Seth regained his powers and learned how to open his father's book. Trouble is, before he learned what the book was for, his friend Dave copied a few pages of it and posted them on the Internet for his crypto friends to look at. Now random people around the world are dying of accidents, or gaining strange powers that range from flight to throwing fireballs, to the ability to heal people with just a touch. Magic is alive and well, and now it's spreading.

The US Military doesn't like this, and is fighting to contain it. With Dave's help, they will develop something new that will merge magic and technology. Something that will help them fight the new crop of criminals that will eventually come out of the woodwork with powers they can't hope to control.

The real danger comes when an old friend of Dave's discovers how to use magic, and begins to build an army of his own. With them on one side, and Dave and the military on the other, the resulting war could change Earth forever.

There you have it. My two possibilities for this year's NaNoWriMo. I look forward to reading your feedback and seeing how the votes go. One idea will challenge my skills and push my limits as a writer, the other will advance the series I'm already writing!

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Thanks for reading!

I'm always interested in hearing what you have to say. Contact Me, I'd love to hear from you.

Don't forget to join in on the conversation in the comments section below.

12 Comments:

By Hart Johnson on Mon 13 Oct 2014 02:26:39 pm [ Reply ] I think both sound good, but I always like to shake things up a bit when I'm writing a WriMo. Funny... whenever I have Pharma in my stories, it is always the villain. ALWAYS. Such is my opinion of the industry. That said, I like your premise.

By Thomas A. Knight on Mon 13 Oct 2014 03:37:52 pm [ Reply ] Thanks, Hart. If the vote goes the other way, this idea will get shelved and continue to stew in my head. Rest assured, whether it be this NaNo, or another in the future, both ideas will be written. It's just a matter of time. :)

By Skip on Mon 13 Oct 2014 04:09:33 pm [ Reply ] #1 option sounds like an ol' Twilight Zone episode... go with #2.

By Thomas A. Knight on Mon 13 Oct 2014 04:15:35 pm [ Reply ] Thanks, Skip. I hadn't actually thought of it that way. My wife said #1 sounded too cliche.

By Jennifer Skutelsky on Mon 13 Oct 2014 07:51:52 pm [ Reply ] Both sound good, but I'd vote for the first, which could turn out to be a fabulous commercial thriller with high stakes. And since you'd be extending yourself as a writer, having NaNo push you forward will be helpful. Good luck, whatever you choose.

By Thomas A. Knight on Mon 13 Oct 2014 07:58:56 pm [ Reply ] Thanks, Jen. I've been mulling over this idea for quite a while, but there was always something else to write. :)

By Rob H on Tue 14 Oct 2014 02:07:18 am [ Reply ] I'll put in a vote for #2, the spin-off from The Time Weaver Chronicles. I enjoyed the world you created in the series and would happily hear more stories from there!

By Thomas A. Knight on Tue 14 Oct 2014 02:17:00 am [ Reply ] Thanks, Rob. I'm so glad you're enjoying my world. :)

By Ryan Smith on Wed 15 Oct 2014 01:16:30 am [ Reply ] They are both pretty good ideas. I like 1 because it sounds more like a book I would read- and it reminds me of an old Twilight Zone episode.

By Thomas A. Knight on Wed 15 Oct 2014 01:19:26 am [ Reply ] Hey Ryan! Thanks for dropping by and lending me your thoughts. You're the second person to make the twilight zone parallelism. I'm not yet sure if that's good or bad. :)

By KABuchanan on Fri 17 Oct 2014 01:21:07 am [ Reply ] I would rather read #2, but I voted for #1 because I believe NaNoWriMo is about pushing a writer's limits. Whatever you choose, I am excited to read the finished product! :)

By Thomas A. Knight on Fri 17 Oct 2014 01:38:20 am [ Reply ] KABuchanan: I like the idea of pushing my limits... That's what The Spell Breaker has done for me. Judging by the way the vote is going, I may end up setting #1 aside though, and I'm good with that. I could use a break from pushing my limits for a little bit. :)

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