We’re ten days in to NaNoWriMo 2017 and the words are, well, they’re coming (I guess). I’m just under 17,000 words which is technically on par the the date, but let’s be real here…I’m not writing every day, and the days I do write I can struggle to reach 1,000 words.
BUT I CAN DO THIS!
This is my sixth year doing NaNoWriMo, and I’ve reached 50K words every time. Given, I’ve had a lot more time in previous years, but I’m making due with what I have. In other years I’ve always written novels (it is National NOVEL Writing Month, after all), but this year I’m trying something a bit different. This year, I’m working on a short story compilation.
Well, more like short story/novelette compilation. (My first two “short stories” are technically novelette length.)
I have taken an interest in writing short stories (and novelettes, apparently) based on thematic board games, and I want to take it to the next level by creating fun and exciting standalone stories with those themes that anyone can read and enjoy, not just board gamers.
To do this, I have to examine the game. What makes the theme stand out? What game mechanics translate well to paper as part of a story? And perhaps most importantly, how do I stay true to the feel of the game within the story while at the same time keeping it interesting (because let’s be honest, too much board game would come off really dull as a story)?
My website here has a few board game stories posted, including my very first one called Turf War based on the capture the flag-themed game titled Flag Dash, in case you were interested in seeing how those board games translate into stories.
So far this month I’ve finished two novelettes, one based on the game Tiny Epic Kingdoms, and the other based on the game’s sequel, Tiny Epic Defenders. What excited me most about writing these stories is that they are both standalone, and yet the Defenders story acts as a sequel to the Kingdoms story. Those are the only stories I’m writing (this month, at least) that play off each other, but I’m interested in doing more eventually.
I’ll be doing a few other stories this month, one another fantasy-based dungeon crawler story, as well as one focusing on a dog sled race, and another on a train robbery in the wild west. If all goes according to plan (lol), those should be done by the end of next week, and then I’m on to more!
I’m really excited about this project I’ve undertaken, and if you’re interested in reading these stories, check out the ones posted here!