Captain Darling - NaNoWriMo Project of 2018

October is here! It's finally fall! And that means it's finally time for me to officially announce my 2018 NaNoWriMo project.

*cue air horns, bells, whistles, and any other obnoxious sound you can think of*

In years past, I've had glimmers of an idea, maybe a title, and a half-finished Pinterest board going into November. That's not to say that's how it was every year, but that's certainly how it's been the past few years. This time, I actually have a completed outline (albeit a rough one), a title, a cover, and a very aesthetically-pleasing Pinterest board. I'm feeling pretty good about this novel.

Blogging world, meet Captain Darling.

My hook (see what I did there?) isn't pretty at all and needs some serious polishing, but it does a decent job summing up what the book is about:

When Mrs. Darling goes to tuck her children in for the night, she’s shocked to find they’ve flown from their beds and into the night sky with a sinister boy named Peter Pan. Determined to rescue them from their kidnapper, Mrs. Darling ventures into Neverland, where she’s returned to her youth, and meets up with a ragtag pirate crew. The crew has lost their captain to Pan’s murderous ways, and after she proves her bravery to them, they agree to help Mrs. Darling in her mission. They’ll both profit from their partnership: she regains her children and the pirates get revenge on Pan.

But Pan has already poisoned the Darling children against their mother, insisting they stay with him and the Lost Boys, who cater to Pan’s every need lest he banish them from Neverland like he has with so many others. If Mrs. Darling is going to save her children, she has to fight for them. The longer the war between pirates and Lost Boys rages on, the deeper Mrs. Darling sinks into darkness and despair. And when Mrs. Darling loses her right hand in battle against Peter, she becomes as sharp as the hook she now wears.

Proud and insolent youth, prepare to meet thy doom . . .

This idea came about because of a couple different reasons. The first spark of inspiration came from me performing as Captain Hook in a production of "Peter Pan Jr.," and because I wasn't ready to let that role or story go, I decided to write a Peter Pan retelling from a female Captain Hook's POV.

But the second part of the novel came from me doing research about the origins of Peter Pan. I still can't confirm if this story is completely true or not because the story itself is a little hazy on the details, but I read a couple different articles that said when he was writing his play, J.M. Barrie's first instinct was to have Hook played by a woman. He originally cast the actress playing Mrs. Darling as Captain Hook, thinking it would be a nice touch for Peter Pan, "The Boy Who Hated Mothers" (which was an early title option for the play), to have a mother as his arch-enemy. However, the actor playing Mr. Darling was a bit of a diva and wanted more stage time, so he convinced Barrie to let him play Hook instead. The tradition to have Mr. Darling double as Hook has stuck ever since because of that.

Whether or not that legend is completely true, I still thought it was fascinating to have Mrs. Darling and Hook be connected in some way. And here we are!

Now for the reason you're all really here . . .

Pinterest aesthetics.

 

I love how it's the perfect touch of mystical and creepy, which is the balance I'm trying to strike with the book itself. I want it to retain the nostalgic sense of magic and wonder that's in Peter Pan, but with everything slightly twisted and not as it seems.

If you want to check out more, head over to my Pinterest board.

The characters

Most years, I've cast my characters using either famous actors or random pictures of people I found on Pinterest. This year, though, I've had trouble coming up with anyone to represent my characters, other than Mrs. Darling/Hook and Smee.

Karen Gillan would be the PERFECT choice for Mrs. Darling once she's in Neverland. She's feisty, intimidating, but still sweet and motherly, when she needs to be. Watching her portray a descent into darkness would be all kinds of fun.

You might think Mark Sheppard is an odd choice for Smee, but hear me out. It's easy to picture him as the put-together, suit-wearing king of Hell from "Supernatural," but I think he has enough comedic timing to become the loyal sidekick to his captain. He's equal parts hilarious and villainous.

Soundtrack

Other than putting together my Pinterest board, making a soundtrack for my novel is my favorite part about the early planning stages of writing a book. Here are some of the songs I've put on my playlist so far.

"Lost Boy" - Ruth B.
"Enter Sandman" - SHEL
"Never Never Land" - Peter Pan (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
"Pirate Song" - Peter Pan (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
"Hook's Tango" - Peter Pan (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
"Tarantella" - Peter Pan (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
"Captain Hook's Waltz" - Peter Pan (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
"Monster" - Imagine Dragons
"Bleeding Out" - Imagine Dragons
"Glory and Gore" - Lorde
"The Ruler and the Killer" - Kid Cudi
"Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
"Stay With Me" - Into the Woods (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
"Witch's Lament" - Into the Woods (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
"Here Comes the Reign" - Les Friction
"Save Your Life" - Les Friction
"Come Back to Me" - Les Friction

"Monster" by Imagine Dragons is pretty much Captain Darling's theme song. It sets a good tone for the whole book.



"If I told you what I was
Would you turn your back on me?
And if I seem dangerous
Would you be scared?
I get the feeling just because
Everything I touch isn't dark enough
If this problem lies in me

I'm only a man with a candle to guide me
I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me
A monster, a monster
I've turned into a monster
A monster, a monster
And it keeps getting stronger"

All in all . . .

What I'm most excited for with this book is the chance to write a novel from a morally gray character's point of view. I love it when I'm able to empathize with a villain in any story. It's the mark of an exceptionally good writer whenever that happens. It's easy to make a reader fall in love with a hero, but when they fall in love with someone a little flawed and twisted, it means you have a well-developed character on your hands. It's going to be interesting writing this unusual good vs. evil story, because it's not so clear who's good and who's bad.

If you're participating in NaNoWriMo, add me as a buddy! My username is sportakate.

What's your NaNoWriMo book about this year? What are you most excited for? Leave a comment!