National Novel Writing Month idea

National Novel Writing Month is the month of November, and the goal is to write a novel at least 50,000 words long between November 1st and November 30th. I’ve attempted this feat several times, but this is the first time I’ve had a good, solid premise, and I believe I may actually finish this time. The story calls for research to be done, and because I have no idea how much it will take at the moment, the novel will be a general first draft.

Novel Idea - 2013.

My idea involves an ancient civilization (the first on Earth) whose technological advancement revolves around the improving of their domesticated animals, which were originally used to help humans do various work that needs to be done for a stationary survival standpoint. Instead of heading down the path that leads to humans create nonliving vehicles, humans spend their technological resource time on improving the animals that were already of use to them. This leads to an earlier appearance of the sciences of bioengineering, genetics, and biotechnology, as well as the creation of energy as animals produce it (no need for oil, uses metabolism system), discovered through scientific research, resulting in an almost entirely different planet.

With this different beginning to the technology of civilizations, the modern world would be very different; culturally, technologically, and sociologically. This book takes an alien’s/outsider’s perspective, describing the human race from an almost pure observational standpoint, relying on little communication. This leads to interesting conclusions, although they may be flawed, reached by an alien, or aliens, from another world as they observe us.

On my small project: "Kids these days."

As I socialized, many "rants" about all kinds of things started to become my trademark. Rants have been specifically asked for by others, stroking my ego as I learned I attracted an audience. Since they have been asked for specifically, I intend to write out copies of my rants, so that they can be better developed and created specifically before hand so that I do not miss parts of it. I have many ideas for rants, and each is a commentary on current society, using examples from the past and concerns about the path that leads to the future. Many of them are filled with hard criticism and reflects the feeling of the current time we are living in.

The first rant I intend to write is one I call "Kids These Days." This rant goes in to detail about the problems with the youth of our society, how these issues manifested themselves, and it ends with the concern over this generation of children and their future. I talk about society, politics, history, psychology, and many other issues in our environment that produces illusions that end up shaping our youth. I offer short-term and long-term ideas on how to deal with these things, knowing that the attempts I suggest are likely futile.

Since this, and other rants, are relatively short projects, I will be working on them as I take mental breaks from my book about my personal experiences with schizophrenia. Expect me to post complete rants here and there. If you would like to know about the rant ideas I intend to pursue, you can check out the small projects list.

"Schizophrenia as I see it" outline of chapters

I have just finished putting my ideas for chapters in the book in the order I feel most appropriate, although this is subject to change as new chapters are added, or some taken away. Anyway, here is the current order and brief descriptions of each chapter.

1. Introduction
2. Description(s) of schizophrenia - specific symptoms, multiple historical sources, famous psychologist/psychiatrist description, tests to determine diagnosis
3. History of schizophrenia - History from around the world, United States specifically, ancient texts, the development of the psychiatric system.
4. Descriptions of personal symptoms - How schizophrenia manifests in me and how it affects me.
5. Account of first hospitalization - An account of the first time I was hospitalized,
6. Other hospitalizations - A description of the circumstances of and experience of other hospitalizations.
7. Hypochondria - Another mental illness that I have been sorely affected by.
8. Managing personal relationships - How I maintain a marriage, friends, and family despite the difficulty incurred on someone with schizophrenia.
9. The lost years - An account of the blur of life I experienced between the ages of 16 and 19.
10. My educational journey - Describes the impact of, and journey of schooling.
11. Interaction anecdotes - Describes what I have determined on the subject of relating to people based on key conversations and observations.
12. Philosophical changes - Personal crisis on a philosophical level as I make my way through a confusing world.
13. The evolution of delusions - How my paranoia and accompanying symptoms have changed over the years.
14. I am not my brain - My struggle with an idea of a separation between me and brain, with the brain being overly controlling and unstoppable as a single entity.
15. Using logic and mental discipline to quell symptoms - The systems I have developed to assist with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
16. Sacrifices made to manage symptoms - The list of things I must sacrifice, including a little bit of humanity, in order to successfully manage symptoms.
17. Schizophrenia as an advantage - How it is possible to use certain aspects of schizophrenia in a positive, and beneficial, way.
18. Understanding mental illness (schizophrenia specifically) using computer analogies - How I see the way schizophrenia affects those afflicted using analogies to computers, specifically programs.

As I have said, these are subject to change over time as the ideas get more and more refined. If you have any specific questions about schizophrenia that would not fit into any chapter I have currently considered, I welcome such things and may be inspired to add a chapter.

On my first projects

For the beginning of my writing endeavor, I have chosen a few projects from a large list to tackle first. There are one of each of a fiction, a non-fiction, a small project, and a few drawing and design projects. As I work through these projects, updates will be posted at the end of each day. I will also mention vaguely what I have worked on that day and the progress I have made. My current projects, including detailed descriptions of said projects, are as follows:

Writing projects
Schizophrenia as I see it
"Kids these days" rant

Drawing/design projects
Personal propaganda
Suicide bomber Bigfoot
Göbbels/self portrait