NaNoWriMo and Inspiration from other books
November sees the biggest writing event of the year - National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo. Professional writers, amateur writers, anyone can join. The goal? To finish a 50,000 word novel within the 30 days of November, not worrying too much at this stage about quality - just write all the words down in November and stress about editing and whipping it into shape another time.
I've always sort of wanted to take part, it sounds like such fun. Isn't it on most people's bucket lists? To write a novel? It's been on mine for ages. And for anyone on the fence about taking part or a bit reluctant, I'd say go for it.
And while I thought of the theme for today's post long before I remembered that it is near the start of NaNoWriMo, it does still sort of tie in. In a cheeky way, I think. Look at the list of books below? All are retellings of other famous stories or characters. So, while it is always IDEAL to have an original idea for your story, it isn't always essential. Is that wrong of me to suggest? I don't know.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - What? You're surprised that I am talking about The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman AGAIN?! :) It is October's Blurbing Book Club selection and there's just a few days left to read it. Neil Gaiman took inspiration from The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling and instead of a boy being raised in the jungle with animals, Bod, the hero of The Graveyard Book is raised in a cemetary with ghosts. It is a wonderful little book to read, please join the discussion and blurb it. Thank you.
Wicked by Gregory Maguire - I think must be Gregory Maguire's most famous fairy tale retelling. It isn't the only one, however. Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister, Mirror, Mirror. He's taken these stories back to a place of darkness and has been wildly popular with them. I much prefer the happier musical that has been released, but I can see Maguire's appeal.
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor - This is a really fun series of books retelling Alice in Wonderland. It's dark and reimagines Alice's experiences in a very different way to the story that we've all heard and loved. I haven't read the sequels, Seeing Redd and ArchEnemy but I had a really great time reading the first book. It's packed with adventure.
Ash by Malinda Lo - Ash comes with a real twist and I'm glad that I didn't know of it beforehand. It's a retelling of Cinderella, only with a new love interest and the addition of fairies. I'm not the biggest fan of books involving fairies, but this one I enjoyed very much. Malinda Lo has a new book The Huntress out soon.
Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve - I could have chosen any number of retellings of the Arthurian legend, but this one by Philip Reeve I've read most recently and I found it to be sufficiently different that it didn't feel like a retelling at all. What I loved most about the book, other than Reeve's masterful writing, was the importance placed on stories and story-telling. It's an excellent message.
Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding - Jane Austen has been retold is so many different ways. One of which is Bridget Jones' Diary, a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Despite the retelling, Fielding gives it a more personal touch, telling it in diary format and gives Bridget a lot of the same insecurities about their weight and body image that is very relateable.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - This book takes its inspirations by on the mythology of Greek gods and their adventures. It's a fun series that gives a younger audience to some very classic, old tales. I think Greek mythology is absolutely fascinating to read about and I think you shouldn't miss this series.
Others include works by Alex Flinn such as Beastly (modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast which will soon be made into a film) or A Kiss in Time (retelling of Snow White). Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce which gives Little Red Riding Hood a twist. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen, setting Snow White in a concentration camp during WWII.
The Canongate Myths series, which is a series of books in which popular authors retell their favourite myths, including Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, The Odyssey retold from the point of view of Penelope or Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith which is a retelling of Iphis, is an excellent source of material which uses its inspiration from elsewhere.
There's always a huge spate of classics being retold in a paranormal way: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for instance. Or Jane Slayre, My Darcy, Vampyre. I'm not sure how I feel about these types of books as yet. What are you thoughts and opinions?
The point of this post isn't to copy your favourite book out. The point is that originality within novel writing doesn't have to be an obstacle to putting fingers to keys. I'm not a writer myself (blog posts such as these aside), but I find that it would be very difficult not to take inspiration from so many different sources. Each of these authors and books have been INSPIRED by something else. If you have a passion for a particular story, then try to look at it from a different perspective, tell it in a different, possibly more modern way. Write it in your voice and no one else's. But write. I'd love to see more of a younger generation inspired to write the book that needs to be read, the book that has been missing from the shelves at your local book store.
If you need support or advice, there's already an active NaNoWriMo group that I'm sure would love to help in any way.
The October Blurbing Book Club discussion of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman finishes on the 31st. You still have time to get your comments and blurbs in. The November book club selection will run between the 1st and 30th of November and we will be discussing Before I Fall by Lauren OIiver, which was recently mentioned in Katia's blog post about bullying. From the 15th to 19th November, it is Anti-Bullying Week, and I'd love for you all to read this book and join in on our discussion.
As always, if you have questions, comments or thoughts on what should appear in these books posts please feel free to leave me a comment on message me. I'd love to hear what you have to say. So now I leave it to you...
Will you be taking part in NaNoWriMo this year? Have you read any of the books I've mentioned? Which is your favourite retelling?
I've always sort of wanted to take part, it sounds like such fun. Isn't it on most people's bucket lists? To write a novel? It's been on mine for ages. And for anyone on the fence about taking part or a bit reluctant, I'd say go for it.
And while I thought of the theme for today's post long before I remembered that it is near the start of NaNoWriMo, it does still sort of tie in. In a cheeky way, I think. Look at the list of books below? All are retellings of other famous stories or characters. So, while it is always IDEAL to have an original idea for your story, it isn't always essential. Is that wrong of me to suggest? I don't know.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - What? You're surprised that I am talking about The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman AGAIN?! :) It is October's Blurbing Book Club selection and there's just a few days left to read it. Neil Gaiman took inspiration from The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling and instead of a boy being raised in the jungle with animals, Bod, the hero of The Graveyard Book is raised in a cemetary with ghosts. It is a wonderful little book to read, please join the discussion and blurb it. Thank you. Wicked by Gregory Maguire - I think must be Gregory Maguire's most famous fairy tale retelling. It isn't the only one, however. Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister, Mirror, Mirror. He's taken these stories back to a place of darkness and has been wildly popular with them. I much prefer the happier musical that has been released, but I can see Maguire's appeal. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor - This is a really fun series of books retelling Alice in Wonderland. It's dark and reimagines Alice's experiences in a very different way to the story that we've all heard and loved. I haven't read the sequels, Seeing Redd and ArchEnemy but I had a really great time reading the first book. It's packed with adventure. Ash by Malinda Lo - Ash comes with a real twist and I'm glad that I didn't know of it beforehand. It's a retelling of Cinderella, only with a new love interest and the addition of fairies. I'm not the biggest fan of books involving fairies, but this one I enjoyed very much. Malinda Lo has a new book The Huntress out soon. Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve - I could have chosen any number of retellings of the Arthurian legend, but this one by Philip Reeve I've read most recently and I found it to be sufficiently different that it didn't feel like a retelling at all. What I loved most about the book, other than Reeve's masterful writing, was the importance placed on stories and story-telling. It's an excellent message. Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding - Jane Austen has been retold is so many different ways. One of which is Bridget Jones' Diary, a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Despite the retelling, Fielding gives it a more personal touch, telling it in diary format and gives Bridget a lot of the same insecurities about their weight and body image that is very relateable.Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - This book takes its inspirations by on the mythology of Greek gods and their adventures. It's a fun series that gives a younger audience to some very classic, old tales. I think Greek mythology is absolutely fascinating to read about and I think you shouldn't miss this series.Others include works by Alex Flinn such as Beastly (modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast which will soon be made into a film) or A Kiss in Time (retelling of Snow White). Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce which gives Little Red Riding Hood a twist. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen, setting Snow White in a concentration camp during WWII.
The Canongate Myths series, which is a series of books in which popular authors retell their favourite myths, including Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, The Odyssey retold from the point of view of Penelope or Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith which is a retelling of Iphis, is an excellent source of material which uses its inspiration from elsewhere.
There's always a huge spate of classics being retold in a paranormal way: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for instance. Or Jane Slayre, My Darcy, Vampyre. I'm not sure how I feel about these types of books as yet. What are you thoughts and opinions?
The point of this post isn't to copy your favourite book out. The point is that originality within novel writing doesn't have to be an obstacle to putting fingers to keys. I'm not a writer myself (blog posts such as these aside), but I find that it would be very difficult not to take inspiration from so many different sources. Each of these authors and books have been INSPIRED by something else. If you have a passion for a particular story, then try to look at it from a different perspective, tell it in a different, possibly more modern way. Write it in your voice and no one else's. But write. I'd love to see more of a younger generation inspired to write the book that needs to be read, the book that has been missing from the shelves at your local book store.
If you need support or advice, there's already an active NaNoWriMo group that I'm sure would love to help in any way.
The October Blurbing Book Club discussion of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman finishes on the 31st. You still have time to get your comments and blurbs in. The November book club selection will run between the 1st and 30th of November and we will be discussing Before I Fall by Lauren OIiver, which was recently mentioned in Katia's blog post about bullying. From the 15th to 19th November, it is Anti-Bullying Week, and I'd love for you all to read this book and join in on our discussion.
As always, if you have questions, comments or thoughts on what should appear in these books posts please feel free to leave me a comment on message me. I'd love to hear what you have to say. So now I leave it to you...
Will you be taking part in NaNoWriMo this year? Have you read any of the books I've mentioned? Which is your favourite retelling?
Comment
-
Comment by Michael (Steven Hyde) on October 27, 2010 at 1:59pm -
hmm... november is a very busy month for me, i have my first year end of year uni exams and im going on a mission trip late november/early december... but something about this has grabbed me. I've never been very good at writing long novels, so 50k will be interesting... but if i can get a 1700 word chapter out every day it sounds more possible :) I'm not sure how well I'll go, but I can at least try :D so i think im gonna go for it...
-
Comment by Jayde on October 27, 2010 at 9:18am -
I'm doing it! I'm glad I have several friends doing it so we can support each other. I am also glad that I have several friends not doing it who can support me while they don't have their crazy on quite the same way. It's nice to have balance.
I love re-tellings, I've read most of the ones you mention at the top with the exception of Here Lies Arthur. What else is interesting, I think is that there are also several versions of most fairy tales without the modern re-tellings. So this is something that has been going on from the beginning. It's part of the creative wheel that is story telling.
-
Comment by tim caston on October 26, 2010 at 7:44pm -
IM DOING IT, and im so excited cause i got two of my friends to do it with me. wish us luck :)
-
Comment by Tsukiko Currier on October 26, 2010 at 5:02pm -
Katia- it does not count as cheating
read a few of the books, will read the rest.
I'M DOING NANO! wish us luck!!!
-
Comment by Katia (Blogs Ningmaster) on October 26, 2010 at 4:56pm -
Does it count as cheating if I outlined my NaNoWriMo novel before the month started??
Other than that, excellent post! I wrote down a few book titles as I'm off to the city's public library tomorrow!
-
Comment by Clive-φ-Davidson ImagesNM on October 26, 2010 at 3:16pm -
If only I had the time for NANOWRIMO. Maybe I could get Chippies done... Not likely. Hah.
Great book suggestions!
-
Comment by Ajayrious on October 26, 2010 at 3:10pm -
I'm going to try and take part in Nanowrimo this year.
Last year was my first year and i managed to overcome a broken computer to win with time to spare.
But this year will be my greatest challenge: Having a job taking up most of my time that would otherwise be spent procrastinating.
-
Comment by Katie on October 26, 2010 at 2:12pm -
This looks like fun! I've had a story in my head for a while now, but I never had a lot of motivation to get it down on paper (or in this case, in MS Word). I'll totally give it a shot, and I'll tell my other story-writing buds the heads up about this whole thing!
© 2013 Created by Hank Green.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Nerdfighters to add comments!
Join Nerdfighters