Here’s my idea and this idea will sound boring and stale if you’ve spoken with me at all in the past few months: A wiki. Now, hear me out. Last NaNo I thought that making the story into a wiki would be interesting, but I had the idea a little late and had no experience with wiki software or syntax at all. This year, I’ve already installed the wiki and using wikis is no longer a mystery to me. In fact, there are many cool features of MediaWiki (the software I’m using; the same as Wikipedia) that will make writing a novel more awesome. It’s not just about letting anyone edit the story. It’s about adding categories to pages for automatically generated indexes. Or the discussion pages so that I can have kind of a virtual scrap sheet of paper for each unit I’m working on. Or, and get this ’cause this is really cool: I don’t have to finalize things like character names. I could put something like this into my wiki:
Then, {{:Main character}} jumped out of the bushes.
Then, whatever I put on the “Main character” page will be inserted wherever I put {{:Main character}}. I could start writing with the name “Hubert Fartington” but then change it to “Rosalie Lovegood” by just editing one spot.
Wikis, though, are only half the story. The other is Firefox 2. Specifically, the spell checker in Firefox 2. Now I don’t have write entries in word then paste them into the browser if I want nice, clean spelling. There’s a spell checker built right into this motherfucker! And it recognizes the word “motherfucker!”
Visit: My NaNoWriMo 2006 Wiki
I like how there is now an ad for “Low Cost ED treatment” on your blog. heh heh heh. I prefer vaginal tightness to ED, as would most i presume.
About the novel-writing with ((main character)) name feature- there is already writing software (specifically screen-writing software that I’ve personally used) that lets you do that. Not to pee pee on the parade.
Did you see how Google just acquired some wiki start up here in Cali? Its on CNN.com under the Tech section i think. Tellin ya man, yer on the wrong coast.
Sounds interesting. I don’t know whether MW is the perfect tool for the job. I don’t know that it isn’t.
penis
As for the spell checking, isn’t Google Toolbar available for Macs?
So, how about the Mad Libs novel?
It was a {{:Repeating adjective 1}} and {{:Repeating adjective 2}} {{:Period of day}}.
For instance, you could go with:
dark / stormy / night
vaginal / penile / dusk
steamy / suffocating / afternoon
Personally, I like the second one.
{{:Main character}} always got like this when his {{:Body part}} {{:Something a body part does}}
For instance:
Dirk Diggler / … ah, nevermind, this blog is corrupt enough as it is without further corrupting
I feel sorry for Hubert Fartington.
I mean, when they chant his name — “HUUUGH” — it sounds like they’re booing him. That must suck.
As for ED and vaginal tightness, is it out of line to note that a cure for one could go a long way in science toward a cure for the other? What? What did I say? Fine, I know when I’m not wanted.