NaNo Prep 2

BMFM: Wars Are Won: Turbo

Progress Bar from Writertopia

Have to seriously wonder what I have gotten myself into when I got my first email from my home region’s ML—I think it means motivational leader. I’m just not into lording over another group with who gets the better word count. I loved the idea of a write-in on November 2nd, spending time and insanity with actual people and not just virtual ones, until I remembered I have no laptop.

Onward regardless. I have three things to do to consider myself prepped for NaNo: fill out the marathon template file for Turbo, create the Master Story Summary, and create the fanmix album.

I don’t remember where I got the marathon template, but it’s a great little Excel file with nifty tracking features built for NaNo tracking purposes. It can be used any time you want to give yourself a deadline to reach a word count goal, which is what I have been using it for. This is actually the first time I will be using it for its purpose.

Master Story Summary took three days to complete due to me not waking up with the extra hour to write. I hope the time change works in my favor as far as that goes. But yes, I have outlined the entire story to find I’m planning on thirty-three scenes, worked out the time line for the narrative, and the POVs to use and when to use them.

So now that I’ve tried the Master Story Summary three times (twice now before the story was written); used the standard topic and sub-topic outline method taught in schools; gone over scenes in my head while driving the commute; taken notes of upcoming stories in emails, IMs, blog posts; I am an outliner is rather plain. Even when I’m winging the narrative, my brain accelerates and asks questions about what is ahead.

Of all the methods, I like the Master Story Summery best. It can be detailed or not as you need. It is telling the story without any embellishments, unless you need to take notes. With Turbo, I found myself taking a lot of notes on how conversations at the end are going to go.

Enough about that. Third thing I wanted to accomplish before go time was the fanmix soundtrack for the story. If you’ve read any of the other BMFM: Wars Are Won By Those Who Dare stories, you probably noticed I include songs. Technically, it does make them songfics since I quote lyrics, but I like to think they’re done right. Songs add flavor to the story but you can do what one reader did “I skipped right over them without noticing they were songs.”

But only recently was I introduced to the idea of packaging the mp3s into a zip file, make a cover and turn it into a soundtrack. I was just a few songs short and even that wasn’t true, since I had music in the inspiration folder that probably wouldn’t see lyrics quoted in a story. I decided to grab the music so I could put it on the mp3 player and tune out distractions while writing. My goal was at least ten songs, some of which will be quoted in the narrative and some that wouldn’t be.

BMFM: Wars Are Won: Turbo Fanmix

1. ”Biker Mice From Mars” by Will Anderson and Rick Ungar, sung by Jeff Scott Soto – theme of the cartoon that I’m building the series from.
2. ”Remember the Heroes” by Sammy Hagar – theme for this series and source of the series title.
3. ”Leader of Men” by Nickleback – this is one of Throttle’s theme songs. One of the first songs I picked for BMFM inspiration too.
4. ”Wayward Son” by Kansas – another theme from Throttle. The first series was so influenced by 70s and 80s classic rock songs, you are required to go to that era for influence music.
5. ”Leather and Lace” by Stevie Nicks and Don Henley – Throttle and Charley’s love theme for this story and I knew it would be quoted in Turbo the first time I heard it.
6. Children of the Sun by Billy Thorpe – intrigued by the title, I downloaded and it went to BMFM inspirations.
7. ”Obsession is Such an Ugly Word” by Alesana – this band makes some of the strangest punk rock I have ever heard (not that I’m very knowledgeable in that genre), but the lyrics and the angry guitar chords make this Turbo’s theme.
8. ”This is Usually the Part Where People Scream” by Alesana – also Turbo’s theme and the lyrics make it a perfect taunt for him to throw at Throttle.
9. ”No More Tears” by Ozzy Osborne – Turbo is not a happy character and he is not up to happy things. Ozzy channels that.
10. ”War Pigs” by Black Sabbath – fighting music!
11. ”Children of the Grave” by Black Sabbath – more fighting music. And I had just bought their Greatest Hits album to get a copy of “Iron Man.”
12. ”Nothing Can Come Between Us” by Sade – Charley’s theme in this story. Character’s theme songs do change, namely because I keep finding new songs that apply to them. There will probably be more songs from Sade in the future, cause DAMN she has great love songs!

Twelve songs, not too bad. And this order may or may not be the final order the album is put together in.

Well, it’s time for me to get to bed. I have a busy day tomorrow, getting 1700 words written before I do anything else. I’m ready for it though.