Nano Planning

So, what happens when your writers' group includes at least one person with lots of project management experience?  You get together with a list like the below to plan for Nano.  Memorializing it here, so I can refer back to it.

1)      Talk about what we might want to do

a.       Genre?

Spec fic

b.      Conflict type? (Man vs Self/Man/Nature)

Man vs Self and Man

c.       Character based? Location based? Thematic?

Character based, with some theme (superhero/villain)

d.      Specific details, scenes, locations, or characters?

Eliza Jimenez - main character, admin at Serrano Transportation, new-ish (moving up from the mail room, doesn't realize that the company is a front for the Company of Miscreants

Colin Serrano - CEO, 3rd generation of Serrano Transportation, AKA [VILLAINOUS NAME]

e.      Goal for nano? (finish an old story, write a new one, just hit 50k, etc)

New story, aiming for 50K

2)      What’s blocking us from doing that?

a.       Non-writing blockers

                                                               i.      Work?

Not much, though there's always more to do

                                                             ii.      Home stuff?

Always - mostly trying to keep up with the cleaning, keep up to date with gaming, actually spend time with my husband

                                                            iii.      Mental health?

Again, always - new meds for pain are increasing anxiety and some depression, which doesn't help

                                                           iv.      Possible solutions

Specify time to write, block internet access, make self-care a priority

b.      Writing blockers

                                                               i.      What motivates you to write?

1.       Do you know your ending?

AHAHAHAHA

2.       Do you know events in the story that you want to write?

A few, though I'm hoping to get more of an outline together between now and Nov. 1

3.       Is there a particular character or location that you want to write?

I'm looking forward to writing how the villains and the heroes come together

                                                             ii.      How can you build off of your answer in 2.b.i?

1.       What kind of ending do you want? Epic, inconclusive, depressing, uplifting?

An ending would be great.  I definitely want to have an ending.

a.       What sorts of events would result in that type of ending?

Monkeys.  In the end, it all comes back to monkeys.

2.       What sort of story would the events you want to write make sense in?

a.       Ie, woman screaming in horror – there’s gonna be a traumatic event of some sort for that character. Even if it’s just someone mixing hair dye into their shampoo.

The villains will have to try to do something, well, villainous, or the heroes will decide it's time to cleanse the city of its villains once and for all.

3.       What sorts of events or conflicts would that character be in?

a.       Are they dumb/unlucky enough for the events to be their own doing?

It'll definitely be something the villains and/or heroes planned, though probably not the exact confrontation

b.      Would they be trying to help someone else?

Heroes would be helping, villains would be helping themselves (probably)

c.       Is it part of their lifestyle? (Ie, hunters in a hunting disaster)

Seeing as their lifestyle is being a hero or villain, yes

4.       What sorts of events or conflicts could happen at that location?

There will be property damage, oh yes.

a.       If your story was a movie, what would make the awesomest still frame?

I'm not sure yet

5.       What types of events are typical/tropes for your genre?

a.       Natural disasters?

b.      Psychopaths?

c.       Hormones and social pressure?

d.      Beach episode?

e.      Minorities die first?

f.        “I can explain!”?

Definitely "I can explain!", with some 'natural' disasters resulting from the confrontations

c.       Put it all together, as best you can.

                                                               i.      How do your answers work together?

Generally pretty well

                                                             ii.      What sort of story can you make?

I'm thinking a mash-up of the standard four-color superhero comic and a telenovela

                                                            iii.      What part of that do you NOT want to write?

So far, none of it strikes me as particularly onerous.  I'm sure that will change.

1.       How can you write around it?

2.       What’s the goal of that scene/character/whatever?

3.       What else can achieve that goal?

3)      Nano schedules

a.       Weekend food prep?

That sounds great, and like something I probably won't do, because I know me.

b.      Lower weekday word counts?

I tend to write more during the week, actually - particularly if I can get some good writing in on the commute.

c.       Other strategies

Writing on the train has worked reasonably well in the past; forcing myself to stick to a schedule would be a good step, too.