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My past NaNoWriMo stories have involved sci-fi or fantasy premises where almost anything goes, making them both fun to write and easy to pad with details. The next novel I plan to write, while still involving the impossible, doesn't concentrate on world building; in fact, it's a bit of a deconstruction, which calls for hackneyed elements. Even so, I expect it won't feel very fantastic most of the time, what with a strong focus on discussion. It borders on magic realism, for what good that term does (I hear ya, darthhowie). Now that I say all this, I realize it's like "Downscale" in a sense.

Why this tamer, more challenging approach? Because frankly, I felt too much like a disciple of George Lucas before. I'll be less embarrassed to pour my imagination into a narrower channel. The point I have in mind may or may not have been made by other novelists, but I think it bears repeating, and I don't want intoxicating premises to distract readers from the serious side.

Another thing I may do differently is begin before November. That's against NaNoWriMo rules, but so what? Founder Chris Baty balked at the idea of rules for it until too many people asked. Even if the Office of Letters and Light somehow divined that I jumped the gun, the only prize they could deny me is a virtual victory banner, of which I've already had two. This isn't a mere game for me anymore. I want to write meaningfully, for as long as it takes to reach a satisfying conclusion. The strict framework has its benefits, but when I think of my longer stories as a November phenomenon, I ignore them for at least 11 months. High time I progressed. Maybe I'll make an outline for the first time since college.

This is not to say I'll start right away. Some things I want to get done before I begin. But neither will I torment myself trying to keep all my ideas fresh in my memory for the duration of October without writing any.