I have only just discovered Dystopian August (on 31 Aug unfortunately but at least that means there is plenty of reading to do!) and it has sent me into a flurry of creativity.
I have had a novel concept brewing in my head and on paper since last year’s NaNoWriMo however it hasn’t progressed much further than a few thousand words, stuck somewhat due to a motivational lull and creative brick wall.
In recent times I have become curious in the Young Adult fiction genre (having never read it myself as a kid - I went straight from Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High to Brave New World).
Given the recent hype around The Hunger Games series and those which have popped up around Tankborn by Karen Sandler recently I realised dystopian YA fiction was quite popular. I have spend the last few days researching and was inspired by recent posts on Dystopian August such as Presenting Lenore’s wrap-up and Robison Wells’ series on Writing Dystopia (which I found particularly informative and practical).
That’s when it hit me. My work-in-progress which I was always envisioning as a dystopian-slash-post-apocalyptic piece could easily work in YA dystopia.
The ideas were coming faster than I could organise them so it was off to the ideas room (the shower of course!) to have a good ponder and return to write it all down.
With a half-dozen reimagined concepts, a multitude of scenes and a collection of sentences ending in arrows pointing off in all directions with labels ‘how would this work?’ and ‘where to from here?’ I’m ready to start planning.
I don’t really know how to plan a plot or story but I’m willing to get out some blank sheets of paper and give it a shot!
