NaNoWriMo Challenge

I just had a sudden realization that NaNoWriMo begins in just a couple weeks and I am nowhere near ready. Wasn't it 2 months away just yesterday? Well, shit. Anyway, I thought I would do the NaNoWriMo 30 Day Challenge in preparation for the big day. I'm going to be doing it all at once though because God knows I'll never actually finish it if I spread it out over the remaining days. I found this when searching NaNoWriMo stuff on the Internet and thought it'd be interesting even though I don't have answers to all the questions yet.

1. Have you participated in NaNoWriMo before? If so, which years and what was the end result?
I sort of participated last year. I quit about a week or so into it because it was coming up on finals for my sophomore year of college and it was just too much stress and way too time consuming. I'm sure NaNoWriMo is possible in college, but not for me! Luckily I'm taking this semester off so I don't have that as an excuse this year.

2. What's the title of your story? Why did you choose the name you did?
I haven't picked out a title. I'm don't really think you should pick a title before you even begin writing it. Things can change. I don't know where my story will go yet so I don't want to jump the gun and give it a name that may not properly represent it.

3. Pick one of your female characters. Introduce your readers to her from here point of view and her words only.
"Hi, I am an as-of-yet unnamed character because my author is a lazy piece of shit who hasn't really planned enough shit out yet."

4. What genre is your novel? Why did you pick it?
I would say it's a bit futuristic, a bit sci-fi, a bit romance...It's a lot of things. I don't know why I picked it. It's kind of everything I never thought I'd ever write about.

5. Name two songs that you feel are connected with your novel, and, if you like, explain how they are.
I honestly don't really listen to or get inspired by music while writing, so...

6. What is your one biggest stressor related to forcing yourself to write at least 50,000 words in a span of 30 days?
I'm lazy. I mean, that's just the honest truth. There are a million things I'd rather do than the things I have to do. If I have to do something, something else always seems a lot more interesting.

7. Where's your favorite place to hunker down and write?
My bedroom.

8. List your current, most up-to-date word count.
Clearly this is meant for after NaNo has started....

9. Have you told anyone else you're doing NaNo this year? Who? What was their reaction?
Just online people. And considering they're pretty much all doing it too, I guess it wasn't much of a reaction at all.

10. How does your love of writing manifest in non-NaNo months?
It doesn't really. I'm trying to rekindle my love with writing.

11. Ever tried collaborative writing?
No.

12. Imagine you're behind in your word count goals and are going to pull an all-nighter to catch up. Screencap a playlist of inspirational music you would use to get you up to speed.
LOL no.

13. Name a male character from your novel.
Well, I haven't officially landed on a name for him, but I'm thinking about Valik. Like I said, it's futuristic so I'm kind of going for weird names. The name means "choice" and that's the main theme of the book.

14. Is the sexuality of your characters a large part of your novel's story? If so, are there characters who deviate from the heterosexual "norm"? In what way?
It's basically the central theme. There are characters, but I'm not going to say who or how as it will give away a large part of the story :)

15. Do any of your characters have a disability or mental illness?
Not as of yet, no, and I don't believe they will.

16. What else do you have going on in your life, and just how much are you shafting it to win NaNo?
Mostly just work and not nearly enough of it, so I'm pretty much all set.

17. In what time period is your novel set? Is it in this world or another?
It's sometime, many, many years in the future, although I haven't actually decided on a specific year. It's semi-irrelevant to the story. It's in this world.

18. Who is the antagonist in your novel? What drives their actions?
I would say that at least the main antagonist is not a person at all. You could say it's the main female character, but that's pushing it a little. I would say the antagonist is the issue they're dealing with, which I can't really explain more without giving way too much, but, I swear, it makes sense!

19. Which authors or books have inspired your own writing the most, and why?
I would say probably John Green. He just writes so honestly and connects with you on such a deep level, it leaves the story and characters inside of you. It's wonderful.

20. If you could meet one fictional character from any book you've ever read, who would it be, and why?
Dexter from This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. He was the very first character I ever fell in love with and that book is the reason I love reading so much now.

21. What are your plans and goals for your novel?
Well, I'm not sure. I really just want to finish it.

22. If you've participated in or won NaNo before, what happened to your other novel efforts?
Saved somewhere on a flash drive. I don't even remember what it was about anymore!

23. Do animals play any part in your story? If so, how do they add to it?
No.

24. Is religion featured in your novel at all? If so, which ones? If it's/they're your own creations, describe it/them and how it/they play(s) a part in your characters' lives.
I haven't decided. It will either play a HUGE role in the story or none at all. I can't decide which way I want it to go. I know, I know, I should really decide.

25. What are the names of at least two of your main characters? How did you choose their names?
Well, I think one of the main characters will be named Valik. I'm not 100% on board with it yet, but I do like it. The other main character... I really haven't decided yet. She might not get named til the end, haha.

26. Was any research involved (historical or otherwise) in your NaNo prep?
Well, I'm sure some will be but I haven't done it yet. OOPS.

27. What's your would count now?
Shut up.

28. Irrelevant so I'm skipping.

29. Irrelevant.

30. Share a link to either your NaNo profile or a location on the Internet where your story can be found.
Well the NaNo website appears to be different and I haven't quite figured it out yet, so....