Camp NaNo '22: The Players

The Players

So I started this earlier last year during NaNo, but I got stuck at one point after January. I have a few chapters outlined, and I am hoping that Camp NaNo will finally motivate me enough to finish at least the next five chapters.

A brief outline of the plot:

A group of strangers wake up on a deserted island in the middle of an airplane wreckage with no memory of ever getting on the plane. All they remember are their entire lives, but with certain clots of memory missing, like who sent them there and why.
We follow Sara Williams as she stumbles out of the jungle and recognizes exactly where she is - the island from a TV show she used to be obsessed about as a kid. She knows exactly what is going to happen and exactly when it is going to happen, and that makes her the most dangerous person on the island. How long will she be able to conceal her knowledge? How long will she be able to protect herself?

But most importantly, why are they there? And how do they get out?

(Oh, and did I mention that the plot is heavily inspired by Lost? It is set in a dystopian world and while the setting is similar, the plot and the characters are very much my own.)

Current Word Count: 77.147k

Goal: I want to take it to 100k this time, so my goal for Camp NaNo is -

(a) 22.853k words
(b) outline at least the next five chapters

Here is my NaNo thread for further reference!

As I was reading the summary I was like is this inspired by LOST and I was right!! Cool concept! Good luck with hitting 100k during camp! <3

This sounds so cool! I'd definitely be interested in reading this. 👀

Sounds like a fascinating premise! Good luck reaching that goal, RandomTalks!

This sounds so interesting! Good luck with 100k! <3

Thanks for the encouragements! @Carlito @Magebird @Liminality @IcyFlame

PLANMO JOURNAL

MAIN CHARACTERS MOTIVATION:

All characters are important in this story, but the main POV will be switching between Will and Sara.

Sara: Sara is a young woman with a difficult childhood. She comes from a complicated family, where arguments are daily happenings and sometimes they turn violent. Her sole confidante in the world always has been her little brother, whom she has always seen as her responsibility. When something tragic tears them both apart, she turns her back on her family to never return again.

On the beach, she sees this new twist in her life as a fresh chance. Here nobody knows who she is, and yet she knows who everybody is. That puts her at a tragic and yet important advantage. On one hand, she can help them out of there with the help of her knowledge. However, she knows very well that her knowledge about this place will never let her become just another person on the beach, she will never be one of them. Her chance at a fresh start gets snatched right away the moment her secret gets out, and she accepts all the accusing stares and insults and doubtful glances. She tells herself that this isn't anything she hasn't dealt with before, and she doesn't let the loneliness move her. However, we see the sadness she hides inside herself. She has been alone for so long, that the basics of human conversation escape her at times. She is generally untrusting of everybody and carries herself in an almost defensive stance, ready to prove her innocence or take flight at a moment's notice. She often feels the need to stand up in order to make a point and she separates herself more than anyone else on the beach. A similar soul notices this in her and they strike an unlikely friendship.

In the story we mostly see her learning to live with a group once again. We see her regain the warmth and hope she had lost so long ago, but mostly we see her learn to love herself and feel some semblance of the happiness that had always been so far out of her reach in life.

Will: The main motivation behind Will is taken from the series itself - his need to prove himself to his father. I always thought it was interesting backstory for a character and I decided to keep the basics of it in the novel. Will has spent most of his life trying to compete with his father, trying to be better and bigger than the person his father thought him capable of being. He fills his life with everything he believes he should have, a career, a beautiful fiancee, fame and family. But its only on the island, he realizes how empty his life had been. He had just gone through the motions all his life, setting his target on the next goal he thought he was the reasonable choice in his path. But now, removed from everything he knows and believed in, he realizes he does not know who he is.

Burdened with everybody's dependence on him, he just wants to shed all his responsibilities. However, it becomes very clear from the very first day, that he will not be able to escape responsibility so easily as from the moment of their arrival people start looking to him for answers. Will's entire journey focuses on learning to navigate all these responsibilities and unreasonable expectations laid upon him. He realizes that he is more than his father's son and he sets out to figure out an identity that works for him.

Outline A Difficult Plot Point

So I am terrible at planning beforehand. I sketch my chapters in mind and fill out the details as I go with the flow. But since this is a sci-fi fantasy fiction, and I have never traversed into this genre before I am fairly uncertain about the more technical parts of the story.

I know how I want it to end, but there is this scene in the middle, when I will eventually have to bring everyone on the island on the main beach together. They cannot hope to escape otherwise, but since many of the parties (the others) are scattered around the beach, brainwashed into believing other realities about their lives, it is going to be a very complicated process. For the people who were 'supposed' to be on the plane, I have their stories straightened out according to my plot. But those who are supposed to have been 'living' on the island for the last three years bring forth a certain complication. Its going to be extremely difficult to explain all this to them especially because they do not realize that they are the victims in this game as well. Also, I am not sure what I am going to do about the damages in these people due to the mental abuse they received. There is a very high chance, that their brains might refuse to reconcile to reality after all the manipulation they have already suffered. Or I can just let the memory gap be there, and leave the decision up to the respective characters. Its a little complicated, to say the least.

But I cannot exactly ditch that entire plot point, as some of the characters are immensely important to the story and they are the ones unknowingly controlling everything on behalf of the 'authorities'.

So I will have to figure out a way to mix these plotlines and unite them on the beach in a way that does not result in the demise of any more of my characters. That is a difficult promise not to break.

OUTLINE A DIFFICULT SCENE

The confrontation with the woman who believes she has been living on the island for the past decade. Its the first scene where I have to delve deep into the mental manipulation suffered by these people, and a lot hangs on this. If I can make a single person believe, well, if my character can make a single person believe the truth or even create some seed of doubt in their mind, then it goes a long way in making the others on the beach more compliant to what she has to say.

The scene has to be believable, the confusion and rage needs to be genuine. On one hand, her acceptance of Sara's words needs to come about reluctantly, but it needs to be strong enough so that we can count on some other person who has their back. Also at the same time, she needs to remain in a shadow of obscurity so that they cannot guess which side she is on, and what game she is playing.

Day 1

Total Wordcount: 678

Novel Word count: 77.825

NaNo Word count: 678

This was a much slower start to the month than I had anticipated. In my defense, I had an extremely busy day, and it was not possible for me to get much written. Still, it was fun to get back in the story. I have been plotting the scenes for so long, that it was a relief to finally get them out of my head.

Anyways, so we see Sara and Daniel confronting each other about her betrayal and secrets. It was a particularly interesting scene to write as their mutual friendship had been one of the starting points of the story. Daniel accepted Sara before Will did and we finally get a look into his head and hear his honest opinions on whatever has been going on.

Favorite line of the day:

She looked at him curiously, "Am I sure that I am not crazy?" She pondered about it for a second and then shrugged, "Probably not. But you certainly are if you think that's the right question to ask a crazy person."

Favorite excerpt:

Spoiler

"I am sorry, for what its worth," she said quietly. "I wanted to tell you both, but I didn't know how. It was just so much easier to keep quiet and pretend that I was one of you all, that I wasn't alone in my confusion and knowledge. There were so many times when I got this close to telling you the truth, but I just couldn't do it. I am very sorry."
She looked at him intensely, hoping he would understand her need for his forgiveness through it, but his face was an unreadable mask of indifference. She watched it crack though, slowly and steadily, as he let out a sigh and looked up at the sky, "There is something about you, you know? Maybe its everything you know about us, or maybe its something else entirely? But I have seen the way you have planted yourself into each of our lives. The way you are the only person James speaks to. The way Will is still drawn to you despite all of your lies and your secrets. The way people have fought over you and for you even though they have no idea why. You just have all of us in your grasp, don't you? That's how you knew I would forgive you before you even asked me to. That's how you knew these people would support you even if they do not trust you. And that's how you are so sure that the French woman is going to believe you, even though she has no reason to."

Total Word count: 3266

Novel Word count: 80.413

NaNo Word Count: 3944

I don't know how I managed to get so much written today. Somehow, I found myself in that intense conversation with Ethel (the woman who has been living on the island), and now I am not very sure if I did it realistically enough. I wanted to capture a desperation in the woman, a kind of broken intensity that is a result of all the mental manipulation and the loneliness she has experienced. However, I also have to make sure the process of her acceptance of their words is believable. I need to get them on their side, but in a way that is genuine.

So what happens is, Will finds himself in another unwanted confrontation with James about the relocation of their camps. Sara and Daniel wake up in a dark, shack as captives of the woman they had been looking for. They play a dangerous game of truth as they try to save their lives and the beach as well.

Favorite line of the day:

What was her plan again? Oh, yes, it did not exist. And why had she thought it would be a good idea to bring Daniel along with her? Simple, because she was an idiot.

Favorite excerpt:

Spoiler

She saw a mirage of emotions play across her face and watched as she set her aim on the one emotion she could control - anger. "Are you trying to play games with me? What's the point of all this?"
Sara released a deep breath. A lot hanged on whether or not she could make her believe in her. "I am just saying that you are like us, a pawn in a game started by someone else. You have been manipulated as well, you have been plucked out of the life you knew and dropped here with the rest of us to play the role they have set for you. Its just that - a game. And we are the players."

Total Word count: 3503

NaNo Word count: 7446

Novel Word count: 83.915

Well, today went better than I expected. I was not really satisfied at first because the conversation was not exactly going the way I wanted it to. I was not being able to create the right emotions and it was frustrating because it is the most important part in this chapter and a lot is going to be determined by the conclusion of this conversation. the second half, Will's POV was much easier. I struggled a bit in the beginning, but it was familiar territory, so once I caught the flow, the rest of it went easily enough.

In the story, we hold our breaths to see what Ethel decides. Sara and Daniel head out into the jungle wondering if they made a new ally or a new enemy. Back on the beach, an unprecedented even forces Will to lead the party into the caves. Not everyone is happy about this decision, and with Sara's warning still ringing in his ears, he finds himself in a dilemma. A surprising person makes his options clear, and Will heads back to the beach wondering if he was making a terrible mistake.

Favorite quote of the day:

However he did know, that no matter how much you tweak a picture, it still fits in the same frame it was always meant for.

Favorite excerpt:

Spoiler

Sara raised an eyebrow at Daniel but did not address him when she spoke, "So you believe us then?"
Ethel released a deep breath, "I don't know what to believe. But I know you mean no harm. You are more scared than I am and you should be. The island isn't kind to those who fear. It manipulates it, twists it around until fear is all you feel. And when that happens, there won't be anything left for you to be scared about anymore."
Sara stood unmoving for a moment, staring at the woman who stared back at her with the same burning intensity. Her words felt like warning to her ears and for some reason, she felt it was directed towards her and her alone.
But before she could ask what she meant, Ethel pointed towards the opening in the shack, "The door is right there."
And then she turned around without a second glance.

Total Word count: 1644

NaNo Word count: 9090

Novel Word count: 85.559

Today was not necessarily bad. I did not write as much, but I think the quality was better than last time. Now, that the big conversation is over, I can once again focus on the characters and their stories. This is familiar turf for me and I think that's why I feel more confident about what I got written down today.

In the story: Daniel is agitated after the meeting, but Sara cannot understand why. A confrontation on their way back to the beach makes her remember once again, that for all she knows about the island, she does not have the first idea about who these people actually are. After a moment of comfort between the two friends, they realize the urgency to get back to the beach as Sara's wound worsens.

Favorite quote of the day:

Her delusional brain argued that home did not exist anymore, and the sudden shock of that thought disbalanced her, so much so, that she suddenly became aware of the realities of the world around her.

Favorite excerpt:

Spoiler

"I just cannot understand how she can live like that."
"Live alone, you mean?"
Daniel shook his head. "Live without hope, I mean. We have been stuck here for almost a week now. We are scared and confused and terrified, but in no moment between these seven days were we completely alone or without any hope. Even when there was nothing, we had each other, and we had the hope that we would come out of this situation. And even when that hope turned more impossible and unattainable by the moment, we could always turn around, see the same fear reflected on someone else's face and not feel so alone or broken any more. But she...has nothing and no one and its not just seven days for her either. Its sixteen years. Whether she actually lived them or not, its still nearly two entire decades, and it should not be possible to survive like that. It just should not!"

Total Word count: 2130

NaNo Word count: 11.220

Novel Word count: 87.689

We are moving along quite nicely. I just realized that I have already accomplished quite a lot in just five days, considering that my goal for this month was somewhere around 22k. It is really satisfying as well, because I have crossed half of the way already. But I think I am going to stick to this even after I reach my goal. NaNo is always the greatest time to get things written and I want to make use of that.

In the story, we basically follow Will as he tries to catch up with whatever happened during Sara and Daniel's expedition. He heals an unconscious Sara and we get a look into her character through his eyes.

Favorite quote of the day:

She looked like a completely different person then and Will wondered if anybody in the world had ever been allowed entry past her barriers.

Favorite excerpt:

Spoiler

Outside, Daniel and Theodore were already waiting for them by the beach. They had started a fire and Will could hear the crackling of the wood even from this distance. With a sudden uneasiness, he realized how quiet and empty the beach was without the sounds of the others going about their nightly routines. The beach seemed too large for just three people and the ocean seemed like a vast expanse of black, the waves taking their shape only after breaking on the surface of the sand. For a moment his heart froze in his chest, as he wondered what would happen if he stepped into this black nothingness. Would it carry him away towards dark oblivion or would it drown him in its inky blackness?
Coincidentally, his mind wandered back to another time, the night he had first found out about Sara. It seemed like such a long time ago, and yet he could still remember the frustration, the anger and confusion and the pang of hurt he experienced every time he thought of all the lies, and the secrets she had kept. He had been angry that night, and bitter at her for the havoc she had suddenly wreaked inside his mind by upsetting everything he knew and believed in. She had lied to him and he had believed her.
But most of all, he had been angry at himself for feeling disappointed on learning that she was not who he thought her to be. Thinking about it now, he realized he had been a fool then and he would be a fool now if he thought he was ever going to know who Sara Matthews actually is.

You're over here CRUSHING IT like this is regular NaNo and writing over 10k in less than a week!!! Amazing <3