A Novel Idea

The month of November is used by many to engage in NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month.  During this time, participants commit to writing a 50,000 word novel by the end of the month.  While I’m not participating, I do have a science fiction novel in mind to write.

I’ve actually had this idea for over 15 years now.  During that time, I’ve fleshed out the story’s world in my head.  The groups involved have gone from flat stereotypes to having actual motivations.  Until recently, though, I didn’t have a satisfying story to take place in that world.  I knew that one was there, but I just didn’t know what it was.

I did write the story out for a college project but, I was never fully satisfied with that version of the story.  I pledged to rewrite it, but never could come up with a satisfying story.

Meanwhile, the science fiction portions of my story began seeming like science fact.  Concepts that I figured would be fifty years away when I first came up with the story idea, now seem a mere ten years away.  More and more I worry that, if I don’t write the story soon, it will go from a science fiction tale to a historical fiction story.

Slowly but surely, I’ve been taking notes.  I’ve mapped out a few characters, groups, and even devised a “future history” to detail how the tale’s world morphed from one like our own to the world of my story.  I’m not going to commit to getting it all on paper (or digital file) in the next 27 days, but I will try to make significant progress on it over the next year.  Who knows, by next year’s NaNoWriMo, maybe I’ll have a finished novel to present!

Have you ever written a novel?

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