The desire for a slushie--or at least a plot
Sunday night was the Austin NaNoWriMo kick-off meeting. I'd wanted to go but hadn't intended to, because I haven't been feeling well all week, I was nervous about driving at night to a place pretty far away with very limited parking, and I knew our car was on the fritz. But, since our car died completely earlier in the day, I found myself with a reliable rental car, and when I also learned another business had offered their parking lot, I decided to brave it. I'm glad I went. 47 people showed up! We got fun goodie bags containing things like candy, a NaNo writer tattoo, an "Austin Penguins" pen and an "Ask Me About My Novel" pin, a "Warning: Crazed Novelist Working" sticker, a little notebook, a pen, etc. They also had nice door prizes, none of which I won, and snacks. Part of it was informal, but much was listening to information & announcements, introducing ourselves to the group, etc. I talked to a few people one-on-one, and found them enjoyable company (though I'm not sure they didn't think I was crazy! I think I was nervous & rambling. Or maybe I am just crazy...but writers are not exactly known for their normality, so, so be it!).
Meanwhile, as I keep blogging about, I've been debating all month between two serious YA novel ideas. Then Saturday night, I had this crazy, non-serious idea, which might be easier or more fun to write. Often in my writing, it isn't really clear what my characters want, and they sit around thinking or talking much more than they take action. My husband also mentioned at IHOP on Friday night, where I ordered a soda I didn't really want or drink, that most people don't share my fear of ever being without a soda.... And I'd also started reading E. Lockhart's YA novel The Boy Book on Friday, and had the narrator's fun, fairly fast-paced voice in mind. All of that helped me think of an idea about a girl who wants nothing more than a drink. A particular drink that isn't available just everywhere--I was thinking it would probably be a slushie. What she wants would be silly but very clear, and the whole novel would be about her trying her best to get the slushie but being distracted at every turn by wacky adventures involving friends, her crush, & who knows what or who else. I thought it might be fun to do something like that for NaNo, and it might not get bogged down as easily as something serious. But the other 2 ideas are for novels I've really wanted to write for a long time, so I don't know if it makes sense to put them both off again, and just end up with something that might feel like fluff.
So I've got to think about it some more, but meanwhile, I looked up slushies online and found this: http://www.tv.com/megas-xlr/all-i-wanted-was-a-slushie/episode/328901/summary.html . Someone has already made a TV show about the pursuit of a slushie and the wackiness that might ensue! Ack. I knew it wasn't an original starting point (and I'm also familiar with the Suicidal Tendencies song that inspired the title of that TV episode, except with a Pepsi), but still...I didn't know it had been done with a slushie, of all things. It was something I could relate to myself. After all, I drove all over town this summer looking for a Coke Slurpee, and in July my van was totaled while I was turning into a 7-11 parking lot, in pursuit of a Slurpee it turned out they didn't even have. But I have also driven 90 miles for a burrito, and often daydreamed about going all the way from Florida to Texas for a burrito, so I've considered making it a burrito, but I thought making it a food item might seem derivative of the movie Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (which I haven't seen, because the specifics I read about it sounded stupid, but I obviously liked the idea suggested by the title). I've also considered making it some kind of offbeat soda (like Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray celery soda). But now I think the whole idea may be too unoriginal to pursue. Not to mention goofy!
So what'll I write? We'll see. I fear I'll end up writing 500+ words on all 3 stories before I can decide which one to pursue. Though my husband says that if I do that, I should leave in the parts from the other stories, as stories my characters are telling or writing! I doubt I really need to pad my word count, though, since I'm clearly wordy enough as it is.
Meanwhile, as I keep blogging about, I've been debating all month between two serious YA novel ideas. Then Saturday night, I had this crazy, non-serious idea, which might be easier or more fun to write. Often in my writing, it isn't really clear what my characters want, and they sit around thinking or talking much more than they take action. My husband also mentioned at IHOP on Friday night, where I ordered a soda I didn't really want or drink, that most people don't share my fear of ever being without a soda.... And I'd also started reading E. Lockhart's YA novel The Boy Book on Friday, and had the narrator's fun, fairly fast-paced voice in mind. All of that helped me think of an idea about a girl who wants nothing more than a drink. A particular drink that isn't available just everywhere--I was thinking it would probably be a slushie. What she wants would be silly but very clear, and the whole novel would be about her trying her best to get the slushie but being distracted at every turn by wacky adventures involving friends, her crush, & who knows what or who else. I thought it might be fun to do something like that for NaNo, and it might not get bogged down as easily as something serious. But the other 2 ideas are for novels I've really wanted to write for a long time, so I don't know if it makes sense to put them both off again, and just end up with something that might feel like fluff.
So I've got to think about it some more, but meanwhile, I looked up slushies online and found this: http://www.tv.com/megas-xlr/all-i-wanted-was-a-slushie/episode/328901/summary.html . Someone has already made a TV show about the pursuit of a slushie and the wackiness that might ensue! Ack. I knew it wasn't an original starting point (and I'm also familiar with the Suicidal Tendencies song that inspired the title of that TV episode, except with a Pepsi), but still...I didn't know it had been done with a slushie, of all things. It was something I could relate to myself. After all, I drove all over town this summer looking for a Coke Slurpee, and in July my van was totaled while I was turning into a 7-11 parking lot, in pursuit of a Slurpee it turned out they didn't even have. But I have also driven 90 miles for a burrito, and often daydreamed about going all the way from Florida to Texas for a burrito, so I've considered making it a burrito, but I thought making it a food item might seem derivative of the movie Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (which I haven't seen, because the specifics I read about it sounded stupid, but I obviously liked the idea suggested by the title). I've also considered making it some kind of offbeat soda (like Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray celery soda). But now I think the whole idea may be too unoriginal to pursue. Not to mention goofy!
So what'll I write? We'll see. I fear I'll end up writing 500+ words on all 3 stories before I can decide which one to pursue. Though my husband says that if I do that, I should leave in the parts from the other stories, as stories my characters are telling or writing! I doubt I really need to pad my word count, though, since I'm clearly wordy enough as it is.
posted by Alison at
1:37 AM
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