Magna Carta 1

The inventor of National Novel Writers Month suggests that participants start by composing a personal Magna Carta of things they don't want to read about in books, and a Magna Carta 2 (an evil twin of the first Magna Carta) about things they don't want to hear about in a novel. When your story starts dragging around week 2, you can make sure to steer it in the right direction

Magna Carta 1 is pretty straightforward (clever dialog, interesting characters...duh.) Enjoy.

Things I can’t get enough of in a novel:

The angel of don’t strangle your husband.

Dessert

The Reptilian space pope

The “oh my god, what the fuck barbeque”

Unusual names

Chicago

Weird symbolism

I’m eating what?

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

Magic Realism

Parents who leave children behind to fend for themselves

Outcasts

Comedy

Tragedy

Parody

Paradox

Bumblers

The Yakuza

Intoxicants

All the ______ you can ______. And it’s free, too!

Art

Clever, witty dialog

Portals to hell

Transit systems

Death

Religion

Ritual

Things that happen in the workplace

Animals and insects

Libraries and bookstores

Punk rock

Unusual finery

Time travel

Intricate tonsorial artistry

Space - Black holes

Architecture

School

Vampires

Witches

Computer, did we bring batteries? Computer?*

*written by Eileen Gunn