Pictures and Words

From time to time, I get compelled to write a novel. I’ve whole-heartedly entered into Nanowrimo three times now*; 2005, 2006 and 2007, but I’ve been attempting to write the Great Australian Novel since I was 12 years old. I’m yet to actually complete anything more than about 35000 words.

*and failed each time

• 2000: The Superpersons (7000 words) – An odd group of superheroes travel around space, having adventures.  

   

  This was my first attempt at a novel, and I’m surprised at how far I got. It’s about as good as you’d expect it to be, considering it was started when I was 12. The Superpersons are characters I originally conceived when I was five or six years old. I don’t believe I had any kind of plot other than “Supersmart has some kind of plan which Superdum ruins”. Yes, those are the character’s names.

• 2005: Trevor Jameson: Space Actor (9000 words) – Trevor Jameson is a wanna-be actor, but he can only get roles in Alien Pornography. Will he ever get a chance to become a big-time star – a star at Planet Hollywood?  

   

  Trevor Jameson was my 2005 Nano attempt. The earliest incarnation of the Banty Ages of All-That-Is. I didn’t have a plot in mind for this one, which is why it starts to ramble a bit incoherently – when I got to the point where I was writing “Space Pirates attack…again!” I decided that I should pack it in.

• 2006: Writing a Novel (35000 words) – Richard, a young man living in Brisbane, is writing a novel about Louise, an elderly lady. His novel starts to get out of his control, and Louise starts writing a novel about Detective Vance, Space Detective – things start to really get weird when Detective Vance starts his own novel, about a young man living in Brisbane, who is writing a novel about….  

   

  Writing a Novel was my 2006 Nano attempt. This is one of my favourite and most detailed plots that I’ve ever come up with, and I plan to finish this story one day. I only stopped writing it because I moved house. Inconvenient! Two-thirds of this story is set in All-That-Is; the Banty Ages and the Time of Machines respectively. (if I ever finish it, I’ll redraft it so that the Richard storyline is set in the Computer Ages.)

• 2007: Town in a Teapot (3000 words) – Joan Mousechapel is a little girl. Pa Mousechapel is her grandpa, who loves telling her stories. Joan’s mother left her a teapot, which she can’t seem to open. What could be inside?  

   

  Town in a Teapot was a kid’s story I came up with after seeing the film Stardust. Some of my favourite writing – this will probably be finished some day, but don’t hold your breath. I have a rough plot outline for the rest of the novel.

• 2007: Basil Turret and the Prisoner of Algebra (8000 words) – Everyone in the world can do magic, it’s something taught from the age of five onwards. Mathematics, however, is a rare skill, that most claim doesn’t even exist. This is the tale of a little boy called Basil Turret, and his discovery of a hidden world of numbers… 

   

   Basil Turret and the Prisoner of Algebra was my 2007 Nano attempt, this one is a Harry Potter parody that I’m quite fond of. Not the content particularly, but the idea. Set in All-That-Is, in the Past Ages. Partially inspired by Mike Smith’s reviews of the Harry Potter books.

• 2008: Life on the Wall (18000 words) – Stu Wart is an information man. He lives on the Wall – a huge, abandoned fortification which has turned into a city of its own. His life is going swimmingly until one day, ninjas attack. 

   

   Life on the Wall is the second most-likely-to-be-finished novel that I’ve ever written. Set in All-That-Is, this story sprang from the location and the character of Stu Wart. I have a whole plot worked out for this one and everything. I wrote this one instead of writing Nano in 2008.

Enjoy!

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