The Omnivorous Geek

Help!

My novel so far is basically a bunch of short stories, all set in the same world, which will eventually connect. But right now I had a group of people meet for the first time, and they're about to be given a small quest as an assignment. But I can't come up with a good one! I'm open to any sort of suggestions, as long as it's not the usual "find a magic object and bring it back" thing. My story is more comical than serious, and it's an amalgam of every non-realistic story ever written, so there could be zombies, space travel, magical gnomes, cities, forests, caves, fish-people, anything.

Ideas?

Here's the introduction of the group, to give some idea of what they're like:

Staging Area 3 had been empty while Jaqe was arguing with Grandy, but once she got over there, wending her way through the lines, there were already two other people waiting. Both of them looked just as unhappy to be there as she was: a sullen adolescent elf with a posture problem and a portable music player, headphones in his ears, eyelids lowered disdainfully, and a limp-haired little mouse-woman with huge black eyes and various astrological signs in her clothing, jewelry, and bodyart. So, what, a psychic and a punk? What kind of team was this? What kind of mission were they supposed to accomplish?

Here came the fourth member of their team, a short little wizard with white whiskers and a big staff, blinking bemusedly at them from behind his enormous spectacles. At least his robe wasn’t glittery or embroidered with stars or anything, just a sedate light blue. “Hello,” he said, waving his staff in wizardly greeting. He could have been speaking to any of them, or all three, or just the general vicinity. Seemed rather vague, that one.

Fantastic. Looked like it would be up to Jaqe to keep them all alive. She could handle that. As long as she didn’t have to speak to any of them.

Current word count: 3666
Should be: 6668

Only need to write 3000 words today! Unfortunately, I burned my left palm and right middle finger in a failed attempt at lunch, and they hurt quite badly. I'll soldier on despite it, that's what I'll do.

( Murphy's World Chapter 2 )

Dear Work,

Please don't give me anymore giant proofing projects for the rest of November, okay? Especially huge ones that need to be done the next day. Is not fair.

Love, Laura


Dear NaNo Book,

Okay, Muffin and Limey wanted to speak in slang. That was fun and okay. But, oh, Malonki Rube, why must you insist on being ENTIRELY alien with your very own way of looking at things and describing them in twice-removed language in your head? You make things difficult. On the other hand, is very pretty language and me likes.

Love, Laura


Dear Weather,

WHY YOU SO COLD TO ME???

Love, Laura


Dear Tortilla Chips and Cheese,

You were not a satisfactory dinner.

Love, Laura


Dear Bluff Cheque,

I'm coming!!!

Love, Laura

Well, I think I have decided to become insane and participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, for those of you who are not writers. Or live under a rock.). Jill talked me into it. So I've been thinking about what sort of story I would want to write, and be willing to spend a month and 50,000 words on. I want to start over in a world I've never written in before, though, as always, it will be fantasy. I want it to be just a fun, joyful book, easy to read and adventurous, and relatively free of angst. So that will automatically be different than ninety percent of anything I've ever written.

So yeah, I've spent the last two days thinking about it and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm gonna do. And I'll post it here because that will give me incentive. So forgive me if in November my blog is even less worth reading than usual. This is going to delay my posting of our D&D campaign. Sorry. Though I'm not sure if anyone is even interested.

Need to pick an icon, now, I think. Also need to buy another cheapo flash drive, as I think I've lost or broken all of mine. Fortunately I have money right now. This is not always the case. (Also need to get some shoes and makeup for my Halloween outfit.)

Anybody else participating? I'll read yours if you'll read mine. We'll be awful together. It'll be fun!