Prepping for EsNoWriMo 2012

I can't believe novel-writing month starts in just a few days. I have been thinking about my novel for almost a year, and planning for August as a writing month for months, and yet it's surprised me with how quickly it's arrived.
This year, I decided to join the NaNoWriMo official site, just to see if I like it. It turns out that they have a 'Camp NaNoWriMo' running for August, so I signed up for that as well. We'll see how that goes - I made this website part of my profile there so there may be new people checking in on the blog.
If any new readers are reading this, you should know that every summer, my sisters and I each write a 50,000 word novel. We all blog about it, and post excerpts of our books. We also shamelessly steal and make fun of one another's characters and plot twists. Some characters (like Gordon the Vampyre, a graduate student and postmodern theorist with questionable hygiene and fashion choices) show up in all of our novels, and there are some predictable plot devices (like Martha Stewart crafts).

For my sisters and writers who have been on this journey with me before, welcome back! I'm so excited about this novel. I have decided not to go through all of the prep work that I usually do. According to No Plot? No Problem!, that should just make for a better novel, right? Right? RIGHT? Instead, I'll repost some of my old prep work (the Magna Cartas) and let you know a little bit about what to expect from this new novel.

Here is a slightly edited version of my MC 1 and 2, mostly taken from a post written on May 5, 2009. 

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MC 1 - what I like in novels
- complex characters, especially when you are not entirely sure of their motivation
- learning more about characters as you go along
- plot twists
- happy endings - in a satisfying way
- mysteries where you have enough information to figure it out
- feisty women
- queer people who aren't completely miserable
- people who have intelligent conversations about things but don't bog down the plot
- characters who are imperfect but you love them anyway, or at least like them
- either interesting and fun wordplay, or writing that fades into the background and isn't noticed too much
- triumph over adversity
- funny - but not mean
- observant details about the way people live
- one of my favorite novel heroines ever: Frances from Fall On Your Knees

MC 2 - what I don't like
- feeling like I'm being led on when there is some really heavy-handed foreshadowing at the beginning, and that is the only thing that keeps you reading, because you know that something exciting is eventually going to happen (Kathy Reichs does this a lot)
- using the supernatural or magic to avoid having to make any sense. like, just making up your own nonsensical customs or rules for magic (or, for example, vampires)
- casual injustice - like people occasionally making racist comments but it's not really a part of the plot
- protagonists who are middle-aged men with nothing going for them at all, who are really self-important, and we have no reason to care about their pathetic lives
- too wacky
- feeling like nothing is happening for the first 100 pages
- main characters who are young girls with no self esteem

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Back to the present, I have been doing some thinking about what this novel will include. Last year, shortly after EsNoWriMo finished, I had a dream that was a perfect romantic comedy. It had the same kind of pacing, overall story arc, and the usual plot twists (complete with breakup and then last minute reunion of the two members of the couple). I was the main character, and at the beginning of the novel I was dating three people: Hagrid, Jude Law, and someone who I never could remember. It may not be surprising to you that Jude Law was the one I ended up with. The dream left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling for days, and I've always had a soft spot for Jude Law. So, I decided this would be the perfect novel for me.
I haven't tackled the romantic comedy genre (and yes, I am aware that this is a film genre and not a novel genre), partly because I always feel that I have to write something serious and important. That may sound ridiculous, given that I stated above that I have a penchant for detailed descriptions of Martha Stewart crafts and poking fun at postmodernism. Despite the fact that I've written four ridiculous novels with silly plots, subplots, and distractions from the plot, I've always felt guilty that I wasn't doing something more meaningful. Writing a romantic comedy would help free me from that guilt and I'm excited about writing a light-hearted novel.
I was surprised, once I started thinking through this romantic comedy, at how many interesting issues I would have the chance to tackle. Although the novel will be unapologetic fluff, I'll have the chance to write up: fish-out-of-water story as two very different people try to make a relationship work; culture clash between straight and queer communities, especially as it comes to dating and commitment; image (Hollywood) vs reality, and the limits we all set about how much to give in to societal pressure; negotiating polyamorous relationships. Sounds pretty exciting to me!
 So far, I've thought through a little bit about my main characters: Seth, the androgynous queer non-profit worker gets called in to consult on a Hollywood film, thus coming into contact with Hagrid and Simon (my Jude Law). Si is a pretty Hollywood actor, originally British, who is used to playing the Hollywood game and has not had great success with real relationships. I have a sense of the kinds of trouble, and the kinds of romantic delirium, this couple might find themselves in, and when in need of inspiration, I can watch any romantic comedy or Jude Law movie ever made!