Get YOUR requests into MY novel!
October 30th, 2009 | 
Author: So, it's official: I'm doing NaNo this year (my profile), and it happens I have next week booked off from work (having had a lot of leave days to use up) to get a good head start.
My outline is shaping up but there are huge blank areas, and I'm no good at changing plots on the fly; in order to write easily, I have to have a rough outline nailed down. By tomorrow night. This is where you can help – and all you have to do is fill in the blank:
Well, Herm, knowing that you're going to write a very silly novel about pirates and ninjas (and dinosaurs and robots), I would be very disappointed if _____________ doesn't happen at some point!
When I finalise the outline, I'll make an honest attempt at working in all of your ideas that don't clash with what I've already decided. If they don't fit in the first book of the duology, they still might get into the second (particularly if they're ideas related to the dinosaur-men and the robots).
This is your chance to weasel your silly ideas into the Sankmarray Duology! You'll be doing us all a favour: me, by helping with the plot and giving me a challenge, and yourself and the rest of the world, by making it more fun to read.
Your ideas that I've managed to work in so far
- a running battle between pirates and ninjas while pursued by dino-men (from Vespers)
- mind control (from Narc) – actually a gimme, considering the plotline…
- robot bees (from Narc) (specified shamanism, which depends on what I've worldbuilt already – need to check)
- mistaken identity or disguise (from Howard)
- a main character bottling out of a course of action because of peer ridicule (Howard) – I think I can see where this might happen
- group of dissident ninjas kidnapping a pirate during a storm of some kind (from Doug) – splitting Doug's heroically detailed suggestion into two parts here, I reckon I can work most of it in…
- ninja developing an ill-placed crush on a pirate (from Doug)
- a bird in a floppy hat (from Anke) – although chickens as requested aren't really possible in this setting
Ideas snaffled for Book Two of the duology
- Character with a tiny sidekick/advisor/"voice of conscience" (from Howard)
- Robot garden gnome (from Fiona)
Requests I've sadly not been able to find a place for
- Zombie ninja – apologies to Binh, but tragically our setting contains no zombies as such. Although as far as ninjas coming back from the dead, well, it's a possibility…
Posted in 
I'd like to see you include a pocket-sized sidekick/advisor; something akin to a angel/demon on the shoulder "voice of conscience" character. I'm sure you know the kind of thing I mean.
Intriguing! I'll have to think about that. It might fit better in the second of the duology, "Sankmarray: Poisoned Waters"…
(yes, is plotting both at once. Is massive dork.)
As for plot occurrences – how about a mistaken-identity plot (either intentional – ie "disguise" or accidental.)
Oho, now that will definitely happen. If cross-dressing stowaways count! ;)
Just one other thought. Have some characters that do some 'taunting' and inspire shame or guilt in one of the major characters, causing them to chicken-out of the 'wise' course of action…
Pirates get lost in freak snowstorm. Pirate leader ventures out and gets captured by a group of ninja outcasts. Outcasts seek to get redemption by turning ninja leader in, but one of outcasts develops crush on pirate leader. Hilarity and probably some violence ensues when love-stricken ninja and pirate leader escape back to ship.
Howard: I like it! You're a veritable fount of cool ideas.
Doug: Some of that would go against current plot, but I can definitely get elements in! Cheers. I wonder what snowstorms will be like on a 95% water-covered world…
Your story must have a hockey player appear who is from a parallel dimension. He has intimite knowledge of giant robots and garden gnomes, he spends the majority of the story building what he has always dreamed off – A giant garden gnome mech with a little wooden fishing rod gun.
Tell you what, Fiona, I'll… give it some thought… XD
You know, I love the garden gnome robot – I'll have to try to work that into one or other book. (If pirates can have robot parrots, why can't gardeners have robot gnomes?)