This Is the Road to Ruin and We’re Starting at the End

Well, if you missed the last post, I've moved on from the space story for now because I didn't like where it was headed. I might come back to it later, when I figure out how to make it not suck.

So for the moment, I'm left with trying to figure out what to write for NaNo. I have a few random ideas floating around, but nothing I can expand into 50,000 words. I'd like to actually create an outline for this one, so know more or less how the story goes, and what needs to happen when.

Half the time, I start a story and then can’t figure out how it's supposed to end. So right now I'm toying with the idea of figuring out the ending first, and working my way backwards. That might be interesting. First figure out where the characters end up, then work out how they got there.

Sometimes I make doomed characters, then start filling in their backstory, and everything becomes so much more tragic. You know, I think it's easier to kill off a character and then make them likable then doing it the other way around. If you make them too likable, it's hard to go through with killing them. But if it was predetermined…

Why do I need to kill off anyone? Why can't I just write a nice little story where everyone lives and there's a happy ending? I don’t know, maybe there's something wrong with me.

I'd like to do some kind of adventure story. Maybe an epic journey or something. The nice thing about journeys is that there's lots of room for things. Diversions. Side quests. Random characters that join in for  a chapter or two. It's great for word count. And it's been a while since I've written one.

Also, if I'm starting with the ending, the end of a journey is probably the point of it. As in, where were they going and why? From there, I'd have to figure out things like, do they succeed and reach their goal, and what sort of state are they in when they get there?

I have a vague idea about a zombie apocalypse based on a dream I had at least twice, but I don't know. Aren't zombies kind of overdone these days? And then there's this thing about a weird mirror town that seems familiar but isn't. I have no idea what to do with that.

There's all these pieces floating around in my head and eventually one is going to rise to the top like the proverbial cream (or pond scum, whatever). But will it happen by Friday?

Stay tuned.

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Title Source: Fall Out Boy - Alone Together (provided with zero context)