One of my friends over at the Spork site (NaNoers and PubYe's will understand) is doing a Senior Thesis on Nano. He asked for some input on several questions. Here are his questions, and my responses. Enjoy! (Thanks, KandyBar, for the help with gender identification! *gulp*)
How many years have you done NaNo?2004, 2005, and 2006.
How did you first hear about NaNo?At the time, I was a professional over-the-road truck driver. I had just had a major clutz attack, and had "accidentally" broken my foot. Suddenly, I had 6 weeks to do one thing: keep my foot higher than my heart. In about two days, I was goin' nuts! I was gripin' to a fellow writer friend, who dared a hillbilly, and the rest, as they say....
What about NaNo attracted you to it? Why?I've written a lot in my life, but writing a published novel was an item on my "Things To Do In My Life" list that had not been checked off. Now it is. The people at NaNoWriMo, NaNoEdMo, and NaNoPubYe consistently showed themselves to be friendly, accepting, affirming, and available. I like very much being around uplifting, laughing, and life-loving people. I'm hooked.
Do you participate on the Forums? Why?Yes, I participate in as many different ways as possible. My life-work has always related around being of service to others. It's something I just cannot help. It is how I (and my Muse-thingeys) am built. Regional Boards, Affiliation Boards, Genre Boards, etc. are favorites for me. When I get writer's block, or the Plot Bunnies escape into my writing, visiting the Forum Boards (for instance) can be a productive diversion. NaNoers are, universally, supportive it seems. It's a good example to emulate.
Do you go to regional NaNo meetings? Why?So far, I have not. I am not very comfortable being among a group of strangers, and what's stranger than a room full of nanoers? Plus, the times for my regional and local meetings haven't fit into my 3 career schedule very well.
Do you participate in instant messaging NaNo chatrooms? Why?Yes! Actually, many of the lasting online friends that I have developed were created in the NaNoWriMo IRQ Chatroom in 2004. It really helped me, especially in the last week of the event. I learned about Word Wars, the recipe for fresh-baked chocolate chip nanocookies, and Christopher Bean's coffee! What a gift. What a joy. What a headache!
Do you participate in word wars? Why?Usually when I am not writing during my scheduled writing time, it is because either my characters are not talking to me, or I can't find them. It is most often the case that this is also when my Muse flits off to some unknown Universe! (Yeah, I ain't much on flittin'--OR titterin'. They do both!) Once it sinks in, I go runnin' to a Word War. The only difference is I really try hard not to type the last Chapter of The Book of The Revelation, or Homer's "Odyssey". I can type really fast when I am on a roll, but I want words that move my story forward. So, I 'll do a Word War (especially a topical one) to give random pieces of my story a hearing. I usually use them later in the book. I highly recommend this. Word Wars are where Ferrets on Steroids learn how to type!
Do you have a strategy for writing during NaNo? What is it?Writers write--every day! Or, they should. Sometimes, we do not. Life and reality sometimes do get in the way. When the first moment of NaNoWriMo 2004 struck on my clock, I had a blank page in front of me, with absolutely no idea what would appear on it. As the month passed, I was most often the most surprised reader. My characters basically dictated (with one notable exception--but that's a bus wreck best left for a future telling) the entire story, and I just typed what they wrote. That "strategy" yielded 50,000 words in just over 17 days. So far, it has worked well for me each year. 2 hours before this Fall Warm Up began, I had no idea what would appear. I now have two complete novels in my head. I want them both on paper by the end of NaNo 2006. We shall see.
Do you have certain habits when writing during NaNo? What are they?Yes, and they are all bad. It is something that many people who DO NaNo understand, but no one else does. Your characters are with you all the time. They are in your mind, chattering away while you are doing the nuclear research that is your real job. They talk to you in your dreams. They show up in front of you at the Grocery. They send you emails. They use your friends mouths to speak to you.My first habit (which has created some "unique" personal moments in my life) is to ALWAYS listen, and respond to my Muse, and my characters whenever and wherever they appear. (Yes, this includes asking the Judge for a continuance!)My writing time inevitably occurs between 0200 and 0800 daily. I begin when I wake up, and write, B.I.C. (Butt In Chair) until 2,500 words are on paper (saved into a file on my computer--which I tenaciously require for all my writing). If the characters and/or Muse thingeys are on hiatus (or, more often, strike!), then I go to the Boards, to the Chatroom, etc. and commit heresy against them and write ANYWAY. Writing is not only a habit, but it is a visciously strenuous habit. I never miss this appointment, no matter what. (Just ask the Judge!)
Do you participate in other writing groups? (NaNoPubMo, NaNoEdMo, NaNoFinMo, etc.)All of the above. I also admin a novel writing Critique Group Forum, and moderate the same group on our site home on Yahoo. I have seven Forum Boards that require much writing. I am also a member of many writing Boards, such as FMWriters, AbsoluteWrite, and the LBF Publishing Homesite. (Do the nine Blogs count?)
How do you cope with the stress of writing 50k words in 30 days?Umm, simple. Write 'em in 17 days. Or less.
Do you have any NaNo related experiences you’d like to share? What are they?The friend dared me. There was a substantial financial remuneration involved. He withdrew it, and I deposited it. He also, on his own accord, helped me get hooked up with the Publisher that wants to publish the Novel "The Notre Dame Concert", and who also wants a series "The Grand Organ Mysteries". He also runs my website at
http://www.kybudman.com/, which we are setting up. What began as a ridiculous dare has begun to become a success story. I'm proud of that, and very grateful to a real friend who not only understood my frustration, but "gently" provided an escape from it. Although, I never really saw the functional purpose of "Crisis Management" (just create a bigger crisis!) before.
Do you feel that participating in NaNo has made you a better writer/person? Why?I have no idea as to whether or not I, or anyone else, would say my writing has made me a better person. I leave that to the subjective reflections of those who know me best. I have a personal life philosophy which says "What you think of me is none of my business!" I would definitely say that NaNo has made me a much better writer. Not only has it crystallized a writing philosophy for me personally (and thousands of others), but it has given me a writing environment, a writing community, and a writing purpose larger than myself. It has taught me that I am not the only one who laughs outrageously while "doing in" a character! It makes writing more fun, in a very fun community. I'm grateful for NaNo, and all the nanoers.
I hope he can use the information I gave him. It's interesting to discover myself just what I think about NaNoWriMo and its associated activities. I hope you think so, too.
Writing like a Ferret on Steroids,
Bud
