November’s over, and I achieved my NaNoWriMo goal of 30 novels in 30 days. I posted about my first 17 novels earlier, here are the remaining 13:
Running Ragged — A street urchin witnesses a crime in an illegal drug lab, and goes on the run from the perpetrators.
Can’t Eat This — A prototype android responds to a zombie outbreak in an overcrowded metropolis. I was originally going to title this story “Defend All Humans”, but Saint MC Hammer appeared to me in a vision.
One Flew Over the Kuiper Belt — An escaped mental patient on a doomed space fleet fights crime as a vigilante.
The Donut Files — A cop who is past retirement age discovers that aliens are among the population of a city under siege.
Long Shot — A spy makes and loses a fortune on humanity’s first extra-solar colony.
Mr. Roboto’s Neighborhood — A human posing as an android fights an alien invasion in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
The Weaponized Jungle — Deep in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, an organized crime group hires a mad scientist. There were many title suggestions for this one, including “Die for Me, Argentina” and “Where the Rain Falls”.
The Art of the Deimos — A billionaire Martian real-estate mogul is the target of an assassin.
And Sow It Goes — A loveable smuggler hiding out at an automated farm travels back in time. My original working title was “Age of Dung“.
A Game You Can’t Refuse — The child of an organized crime boss coaches a sports team in the capital of a galactic empire.
A Very Bon Voyage — A couple and their six children are trapped on a cruise ship during a viral outbreak.
Matter of Integrity — The chosen one uncovers a government conspiracy in an underwater dome city.
The Beard — A hipster computer hacker living in a small midwestern town is recruited into a secret government program.
Thanks to David Donaldson, Demented Butterfly, Marc Dalesandro, Chaos Nova Writing, Alfred Genesson, Michael Boik, Joe MacKinnon, Nora Jean Stone, Cyn Sinna, John Taylor, Three Helmets Books, and Edward McGlynn for title suggestions.
—
You may have written off my NaNoWriMo posts as typical PDC, or you may be wondering what I was doing. Here’s the story behind the stories:
I did this partially as a brainstorming exercise, and partially to be silly on my Twitter account. (Yes, I know, Twitter is a place for serious, deliberate discussion, and I’ve put my blue checkmark in danger by using my account for frivolous purposes.)
I made three lists: 30 characters who might appear in a sci-fi story, 30 sci-fi settings, and 30 sci-fi plots. I then had my computer randomly throw them together to produce my 30 NaNoWriMo stories.
I might do the same thing again next November. I could even use the same lists, as they can be combined into 27,000 different stories, and I’ve only used 30 so far.
Author Misha Burnett has taken an interest in one of these stories (a buddhist monk moves into an abandoned missile silo for a life of quiet contemplation, only to discover a war criminal is hiding out there). Does one of them inspire you to write something?
Planetary Defense Command 
Some of those plots are kind of interesting, so I’d say it was a useful exercise. Kind of reminds me of something a pulp writer would do. I like “One Flew Over the Kuiper Belt” and “Matter of Integrity” (because we always need more stories with domed underwater cities).
But, no, I’m not going to try to write any of those stories.
I like the integrity title, because it has a potential double meaning: integrity of the government, and integrity of the dome.
I’m not planning to write any of these at the moment, as I already have a half-dozen other short stories I’d like to flesh out.
Congrtaulations! I was wondering if you completed your goal. 🙂
-Luna
Whew!
Congratulations!
The key to achieving your goals is setting your expectations low!
Massive congrats on completing your goals!!
Thanks! Now, I just need to get on some of my actual writing projects.
You’re welcome! And good luck 🙂
Back in high school, I had to spend way too much time reading and rereading and analyzing and over-analyzing “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, so I laughed out loud at “One Flew Over the Kuiper Belt.”
I don’t think I read that one in high school. I also don’t remember doing so much detailed analysis of any book, but since it doesn’t sound interesting, it may not have stuck in my memory.
The Kuiper Belt title was a suggestion from twitter.
It’s really not a bad book, but I think my English teacher ruined it for me.