NaNoWriMo 2010 - The build up

So while perusing Mike's Ramblings I found his entry regarding NaNoWriMo and the fact that it is only a few short months away!!! NaNoWriMo is a yearly contest held in November where you try to write a 50k novel in the month of November.

Last year was so easy for me, I flew through my story and it was probably the easiest typed story I have ever written. I make the distinction here of typed because back in the 90s when I preferred pen and paper I would write stories in a matter of days. They sucked but they were finished :D

I haven't really edited my story from last year, although I did get the printed proof copy. I keep intending to edit it and then get distracted by shiny objects a few minutes later. So the proof copy in it's miserable glory lies under a table in the bedroom unloved and feeling unwanted. I try to reassure it that it was not a cheap November thrill but I doubt it believes me.

So this year I face an interesting choice. It will be my third NaNoWriMo and the story from the first year was never intended to be completed. It was a therapeutic exercise and now I feel no need to finish the story. Last years story has well over 50k more words in it, but the catch of NaNoWriMo where you cannot edit, only add new words means that I would be stuck writing new scenes into badly setup structure. I just don't think I can tolerate that.

Logician prefers the method of starting cold turkey on November 1st and writing what comes. His story last year was an interesting read and a large part of me is sad I a) haven't read all of what he wrote and b) it was never finished. He plans to do the same thing this year for his second NaNo.

So here I sit, July is half over and August is on the horizon. 3 months to go and no really clear direction to go in on November 1st. I have at least 15 stories in my head that are unfinished, haven't made it to computer land from old lost pen and paper versions, or haven't even been fully created yet! But I have no idea which one to pick.

Do I want to write the Vampire story? Or a scifi Firefly meets Star Wars mix up? What about these two new ideas that recently popped in my head; a Greek demigoddess/muse or a story about magic and technology.

All of these stories are insanely cliche and over done. So I suppose I will just see what falls loose in the next few weeks. After all August is 'Select a story' month, September is 'Outline your life away' and October is 'Oh god it's almost here but I can't write yet.'

Stories are strange word beasts, that they are.