National Novel Writing Month - Daily Q&A

Today's Guest: Antwon and Ealasaid, dynamic duo

Lindsey Grant — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:35:17 +0000

Q: Antwon and Ealasaid, you've both won NaNoWriMo for the past
eight years, and you still found time to fall in love and get married! Is it true that your first date was a NaNoWriMo event? What role did writing novels together play in your courtship?
A: Well, we tend to say that our "zeroth" date was a NaNo event, because we went to the 2002 TGIO party in the same car but were carpooling with a third person (shout out to Gallifreyan!). Our first real "we should do something! together! sans other people around!" date was the following weekend. But it's easier to remember December 1st than whatever the date of the other outing was, so December 1st is our dating-anniversary.

Although we first met at the South Bay Webloggers' Meet up, the NaNoWriMo forums are where we really got to know each other over the following couple of months. Since Antwon is something of a shut-in (or, at least, a social butterfly he is NOT) I was the only person on the forums who had actually met him and could testify to the fact that
he was, in fact, a real person and not a Perl script on some remote Korean server doing a smashing job at passing the Turing Test. We both spent a lot of time posting on the forums that year, and had a blast.

The fact that we both do NaNoWriMo was definitely a part of our initial bonding. We don't generally write together: I like writing in groups, while Antwon is much more a solitary writer. We do share in the NaNoWriMo experience, though: bantering about our stories-in-progress, teasing each other about our respective weird writing habits, providing each other with a sounding board for figuring out tricky plotting issues, and so on. Plus, having this sort of intense experience gave us something in common from the get-go, which is always a help in a developing relationship.

Last year, we took things a step further and swapped plots: each of us took the plot of a book we'd written in a previous NaNo year and handed it over to the other, to see what their treatment of the same story line might look like. It was really fun, seeing how we took the same general outlines and handled them very differently. (When dork lit meets fantasy, you end up with a medieval tale where the narrator
references Soundgarden and aluminum siding. You'll have to talk to Antwon about that one.)

Every year as we start NaNoWriMo, we mutter about how maybe this will be the last year, because holy cow, it's been so many years running now; burn-out seems inevitable at some point. But then, every year, we have so much fun that before the end of the month we're already talking about what we'll write about next year.

Antwon and Ealasaid are eight-time winners and combined their awesome NaNo power when they married in may of 2007. You can learn more about Ealasaid at www.ealasaid.com, or Antwon at www.antwon.com, or both of them at www.youhass.com!

Today's Guest: Sandra Jensen, moderator of the Diving Deeper writing group

Lindsey Grant — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:49:08 +0000

Q: Sandra, you moderate the Diving Deeper writing group, which had three winners by November 17, and 13 winners by today! What did you put in the water?
A:Our first winner was Leigh-Anne, who crossed the 50, 000 mark on November 10, followed by twelve others as of today. A total of 23 people from the group signed up, but some had to bow out early. I'd say we have a core group of 15 people writing. One of the writers had done NaNoWriMo before, but for the rest it was a totally new adventure. Some had never written fiction, and 99% had never before attempted anything close to 50,000 words.

Everyone pretty much felt that the ongoing support of the group was crucial to the process. I'd say if I "put anything in the water" this was it: turning up the volume on what was already a supportive writing space. Given we connect virtually, this requires an ongoing commitment to communicating with each other in a way that encourages, inspires and supports not just the writing, but the writer too.

We had a special NaNoWriMo board for everyone to gather and talk about their process. Everyone got really close and shared all the nitty gritty of their journey. There was a new thread for each day, and a 'tips' thread. The DD NaNoWriMo board now has over 1,500 posts—most of them 'shares' and support from each other. I think we wrote a few extra novels with our shares!

Diving Deeper is an online writing workshop, one of the 'Groups' of the online community, Gaia. Diving Deeper has been going since the spring of 2007. It is based on the 'real-life' workshops I lead. Members can post any genre of work up in the group for feedback, but the core of the work is based around short writing assignments. Myself and a handful of moderators provide support and feedback, but everyone is expected to comment on other people's work so it's an ongoing flow. There are over 300 members from all over the world, although there are only about 30 active members at any given time.

The Diving Deeper approach to writing is fairly specific—mostly encouraging the writer to write without planning or editing or 'thinking' too much about what is being written (perfect for NaNoWriMo!). One of the assignments I give is to write "truly badly"—strangely, this seems to produce some of the very best work! It's a 'no holds barred' approach. All in all, I think the writers who signed up for NaNoWriMo were well prepared for the adventure, but I am still amazed at how many have completed. One of the writers had never written anything more than short poems!

Sandra Jensen was born in South Africa and has lived in England, Germany, Canada and Greece. She is presently based in Ireland. She's written for the theatre; her short stories have been published in, VerbSap, The Dublin Quarterly, r.kv.ry Quarterly, Versal, Common Ties, Santa Fe Writers Project, Word Riot and Sou'wester. She is a finalist in the 2007 SFWP Literary Awards Program, in the Writers at Work 2008 Fellowship Competition, in Southwest Review's 2008 David Nathan Meyerson Fiction Prize and in Glimmer Train Press's Family Matters, Very Short Fiction and Open Fiction competitions.

Today's Guest: Jen Oldham, NaNo heroine

Lindsey Grant — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:23:07 +0000

Q: Jen, on November 20 your computer crashed and you lost your 2008 NaNoNovel. That night, you started on a new story. How is it going? Will you be a winner in spite of it all?
A: First off, I feel like I've severely neglected my ML duties. I spend all of November, and portions of the other autumnal months spewing out helpful hints and encouragement to my fellow writers such as: "No idea is stupid!", "Turn off your spellchecker!", "Make sure you wear pants to my write-ins!"... and of course, the mother of all helpful NaNo hints... "Back up your files!" So the day that I closed my laptop (after logging 65k words) and heard a mechanical whirring the equivalent of the four horsemen coming to get me, I knew I needed to hang my head in shame.

I went through the normal stages of grief. Especially anger. I yelled at my husband, my cats, the Californian at Apple Support. Of course that didn't make me feel any better. It made me feel worse, and reminded me yet again that I needed to take control and responsibility of the situation. It was then that I decided that the disaster (yes, I'm going to say it) was a blessing in disguise. The story that I had lost turned out not to be inspiring or fun for me to write, and believe me, if my dear laptop hadn't destroyed it, I would have destroyed it next month during editing. This was a good thing.

I started to work right away (with my new, shiny flash drive.) A brand new story that I had no idea where the plot was heading. I had never written anything without a substantial outline (we're talking pages in the twenties and thirties here, people.) I didn't feel like I could write a novel without one. But suddenly I was flying through the words without the training wheels. I never thought that was possible! To find out that I had a whole new story in me that didn't exist hours... or even minutes... ago, told me that I had been severely underestimating my abilities. On November 20, I found out how strong I really was.

I'm happy to say that here on the 25th of November I am at 35k and still going strong! My current story is fresh and exciting to me, and is something I would have never dreamed up if this disaster hadn't occurred. I really think it took something this horrible for me to realize my true potential. I've discovered that I'm a true Writer (yes, with a capital "W") who can withstand all sorts of pressure, deadlines, and yes even four horsemen-worthy feats of computer crashing.

So congratulations all those purple bars out there! I shall be joining you very, very soon!

(Oh, and back up your files. Please. Apple Support really doesn't need to get any more calls from people like me. And wear pants.)

Jen Oldham is the midcoast Maine ML. She currently spends her time writing fervently and is just hoping that it all makes sense. She is very happy with her 2008 NaNo novel (take 2), and is thrilled that her husband (Nate) and three cat children (Bossa Nova, Bilbo, and Rosco) are talking to her again.

Today's Guest: John Morton, late-night novelist

Lindsey Grant — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:01:53 +0000

Q: John, you organize a 2 AM write-in at the Steak and Shake in DeKalb, IL. Why so late? Is writing in the middle of the night any different or better than daytime write-ins?
A: My motivation for starting the late night write-in is due to the fact that I work third shift. My typical work day runs from 11 pm to 7:30 am and I'm usually in bed and asleep before noon. Consequently, I am unable to make the official write-ins in DeKalb on Sunday afternoons, so it is an opportunity for me to participate in the Wrimo community during my regular hours.

Writing at night provides a different perspective. The phone isn't ringing, there are fewer e-mails streaming in, and the world is just quieter because there are fewer distractions in general. For my part I try to write at this time of the day because it is when I am most alert and just starting the day. I think others may choose to try out a late write-in to have a different experience than they are used to and maybe hope to find inspiration in the special kind of dementia that sets in after you've been up for twenty hours and are running exclusively on caffeine. I wouldn't say that writing at night is any better, but it is nice to be counting your words as the sun rises.

John is a trained artist, a hobbyist musician, and currently works in the steel industry. This is his first NaNoWriMo, which has been chronicled along with his other creative endeavors at www.ThreeChordMe.com

Today's Guest: Anastasia Drummond, ML for Isle of Skye, Scotland

Lindsey Grant — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:00:03 +0000

Q: Anastasia, you are ML for one of the more remote NaNoWriMo regions. How does where you live affect how you write? What is most challenging about the location?
A: My daughter says I'm living "on the edge of the middle of nowhere." But it doesn't seem that remote to me. I've been here for over five years. Living on the Isle of Skye is interesting for a lot of reasons. It is a beautiful, and restful kind of place with lots of interesting things around to get your curiosity going.

There ruins of a Viking village somewhere up in the hills. Several castles in various states of repair. An Iron Age Broch and even fossils just up the beach. There is an interesting mix of language, as many of the older folks and not a few of the young ones speak Scots Gaelic. I've not managed to get the hang of that, but it is interesting to listen to. The sheep outnumber the people and will eat your garden flat if you forget to shut the gate, but the people are great.

I find it to be a really good place to write. Especially in November. The weather isn't nice enough for kayaking. It gets dark by 4 PM, so there is lots of time to write. In many ways I think it is easier because I don't have the same kinds of the distractions that folks have in cities. We only get one movie a weekend in Portree, the nearest town. It is three hours drive to the nearest mall in Inverness and since the antenna blew away in a gale a couple years ago, I don't get a TV signal.

Aside from the lights going off in a storm, the biggest challenge is being far away from most of the folks I ML for. I'm also taking care of folks in the Scotland Elsewhere region. Most of them are a good distance away. I've managed to meet up with a few from the Inverness area a few times. I'd love to be able to get to more places, but doing a lot of driving tends to cut badly into writing time.

Last year was my first time at being an ML. I was one of two people for the entire country. That was hard, because I couldn't organize meet ups with folks, because I was too far away to know the local areas. I did do a very long weekend trip meeting a bunch of folks at self-organized TGIO parties all across the country. It was great fun and my first real chance to get together with other Wrimos.

I think getting together with other people doing the same thing not only makes the whole challenge easier, but lots more fun. This year we had more folks volunteer to ML for different regions and people have much better local support. All the other MLs in Scotland are brilliant and dedicated folks that care a great deal about doing NaNoWriMo. I'm proud to be a small part of such a group.

I worked really hard this year to get people on Skye interested. I even was on the local radio station one evening for a couple of hours. That was an interesting new experience. Folks out here seem a bit more reluctant to meet up for this. But I'm hoping that, given a little more time, I'll get them convinced. The young people seem to be the most amazing group out here willing to give this a go. It is great to inspire folks to try something new.

Anastasia is the ML for the Isle of Skye region, as well as Scotland :: Elsewhere. She is an avid kayaker, a professional costumer, and a formidable word warrior.

Today's Guest: Jesi Ferguson, figurative sculptor

Lindsey Grant — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:15:31 +0000

Q: Jesi, you not only bring NaNo characters to life in your novels, but you also make sculptures based on your characters. Which comes first: the sculpture or the written characters? What effect has it had on your writing?

A: My writing and my doll making go hand in hand; they feed off each other. Sometimes my writing inspires a character for me to sculpt and other times my sculptures/dolls will begin to whisper their stories to me. Either way, I’m creating, so I’m happy.

My first doll was a product of a biography project that I was working on with a friend. I made a portrait doll of her grandmother. In that instance, the story produced the doll. From that point on I was hooked. Characters from my writing started to come to life on my sculpting bench.

Sculpting my characters has helped me actually see the characters. I get to know them better as I sculpt them. They become more "alive" and easier to write about.

Jesi is a writer and figurative sculptor. She is trying to break away from her sculpting long enough to get her NaNo word count to the 50K mark so her home region of Buffalo, NY won’t kill her! You can check out her art work at http://www.onceuponamoon.net

Today's Guest: Marrije Schaake, user number 5

Lindsey Grant — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:07:08 +0000

Q:Marrije, you have the highest user number of any participant or staff
member at NaNoWriMo. How has this high-profile position affected your noveling? Does the status go to your head? Does it make you nervous?
A:Wow, I knew I had the highest user number of any Mere Mortal, but mine is even higher than those of Staff Members? That is a bit intimidating, yes.

So far, my beautiful and much-loved number hasn't given me too many airs or diva-esque demands. However, it does make me feel a grave responsibility to turn up each year and to finish in time with enough words, particularly so Chris Baty will not note my absence and be sad. So far, I haven't let him down: I'm seven-for-seven, and well on track for my eighth win.

I think my user number actually means the most to my dad, who is so happy to see me as the very first result whenever he visits the NaNoWriMo website.

Marrije is a business person by day and a writer by night. She is currently testing whether her true writerly calling is to be a horror novelist, not the Literature person she used to think she was.

Today's Guest: Anna Scott Graham

Lindsey Grant — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:25:02 +0000

Q: Anna, last year you wrote three novels simultaneously during NaNoWriMo! Were you successful? Did the ambition of yesteryear change your approach to NaNo '08 at all?
A: I was triumphant, reaching over 50 K on each, and realizing what’s possible during those thirty days. For my first NaNo in 2006, I hit over 100K, and the next year had a feeling another strong November could be on the horizon. No ideas for 2007 hit until August, then they came fast and furious. By the end of October, I had a trio of stories, and couldn’t say "No" to any of them. Completing the hat trick was really satisfying, but a lot of work. I wrote in blocks; morning, after lunch, then in the evening, each tale getting its own time slot. Not much else was accomplished during that time, but I actually finished two of the three novels in November, for a total word count of just over 183,000. (The last wrapped up in early December 2007, when I became reacquainted with my stove, dishwasher, and mounds of laundry.)

For 2008, I had been planning on again writing multiple stories, but am only working on one. Moving house, renovations, and proofreading my 2006 NaNo manuscript for publication have usurped some of my time. Knowing it’s possible makes me wistful that perhaps in 2009, I might again go for more than one story. (I did ponder it for about half a minute, but wrapping teapots and hauling furniture quickly snapped me back into reality.)

Some of the benefits of writing more than one NaNoNovel? When writer’s block hit, it was great to consider another project. I didn’t have to cook much last November, with Thanksgiving taking place at my sister’s house. Having just moved back to California, I went to write-ins and met some lovely folks (the South Bay NaNo community was a great support, as they are once again this year).

Even though 2008 has been full of other projects, I’ve been able to spread the NaNo-word to the chaps sorting our electrical and kitchen repair. (Not to mention gathering future novel fodder about the home remodeling business!)
NaNoWriMo has been such fun. Maybe three in one month sounds crazy, but with a patient spouse and kids, fantastic MLs, and more than a few cups of Yorkshire Tea, the words do emerge! If you’re feeling like 50 K needs an extra kick, let your imagination take over. You never know what’s in the back of your brain, waiting to escape.

Anna Scott Graham is a California native and NaNo enthusiast, having participated since 2006. With two of her three children off to college, writing has kept her somewhat busy and fairly sane. She loves a strong cup of English tea and her first novel, NaNo 2006’s Drop the Gauntlet, will be published by FEP International around Christmas.

Today's Guest: Charlotte Ripken, collaborative novelist

Lindsey Grant — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:17:34 +0000

Q: Charlotte, last year you created a write-in game that turned into a 25,000-word story! What exactly was this writing exercise, and what ever became of the story?
A: I can’t really remember how it started, but some of us decided to write something collectively, each one in turn adding a thousand words or so. We called it an “exquisite cadaver” after the surrealist game where each player in turn draws a part of the human anatomy, not really knowing what part of the body he is transplanting it to because the paper is folded.

In reality we cheated a little on the original exquisite corpse premise because we were allowed to read what had been written before. Otherwise our story would just have turned out an even sadder pile of mush than it actually is!

Anyway, it was all organic growth, since we had absolutely no outline to start with. We just had a bible we tried to update as we were going, adding in new characters so that we could keep track of the story's progress. We also used it to set stupid challenges to each other. It was huge fun and in the end, we even saw a real story developing there. The characters really did spring to life.

We had a main character we called Michou, because we didn’t know what else to call him. Michou is a rather weak guy, he isn’t exactly your typical action hero, but boy do things happen to him. He is a writer of fiction in a parallel universe where writers get enrolled into big teams churning out debilitating TV scripts by the kilometer, under the surveillance of big bad thugs and vicious fiction-cops. In this cruel world, Michou is desperately looking for Mary-Sue, the woman of his dreams, while trying to escape a whole selection of bad guys that includes his own hell-raising, bike-riding, bounty-hunting grandmother. He is crushed (but also aroused) when he suddenly discovers that beautiful Mary-Sue has been cloned. There are thousands and thousands of her, but which one is his real true love?

Also, I should add that Chris Baty stars in Michou’s adventures...

Sadly, Michou did not win the ’07 NaNoWriMo edition. We only got about 25, 000 words out of him, and after a while, we all had to switch back to our original NaNo stories, which probably was the sane thing to do. But we still think fondly about Michou and we talk about him sometimes. We really do miss him.

Cadavre Exquis, the NaNoWriMo user we created to register our word count, scared a couple of people on the forums. He is not playing this year, but some day (maybe next year?) he’ll wake up and start haunting the Wrimos again. And when he does, don’t look at Anaël, Jo Ann, Maikie, Denis, Sarra or Eva for help. We’re innocent. None of us can remember the account password.

Today's Guest: Jenn Christianson, teacher

Lindsey Grant — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:56:55 +0000

Q: Jenn, you are a middle school writing teacher at the Washington School for the Deaf, where NaNoWriMo is a school-wide event. How does this work? What is the best part about doing NaNoWriMo as a school, as opposed to just classroom by classroom?
A: At the end of October the teachers plan a kick-off event for the entire school. This year we performed a skit, pretending to be at a pajama party on October 31st, trying to stay awake until November 1st so we could begin writing our novels! The kick-off promotes enthusiasm for NaNoWriMo and it gets the kids thinking about the book they will write in November. Plus it's just plain fun for us as a staff! Teachers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels facilitate NaNoWriMo in their classrooms, designating at least 30 minutes of class time everyday for this project, which doesn't seem to be enough time for the kids. They protest all month, begging to have the full class period to write! Students decide on a word count goal, sign contracts and make commitments. What's nice about doing this school-wide is that it gets kids talking about writing. They ask each other, "What's your word count so far?" or "What's your book about?" and "Will you read mine and tell me what you think?"

It gives us all the same project to talk about, common goals to strive for, and a shared celebration to look forward to when we finish! The school is absolutely buzzing with excitement. December 1st we begin the process of editing, revising, and publishing. Teachers read over students' finished work and prepare for the big celebration
in our school library. All students who wrote a book and achieved their word count goal receive a certificate of participation. We also give out awards for best fiction, highest word count, and most creative story. NaNoWriMo continues to be the most successful writing project at our school. It's a time for all of our students to shine!

Jenn teach writing to middle schoolers at the Washingto School for the Deaf in Vancouver, Washington.