Last Wednesday, I talked about my fear and shame surrounding the NaNO idea. This week, I thought the only good way to follow that up is to feature an author that seems to have being an excellent NaNO writer down pat. Thus, the below is an interview with my friend Tia Bach, co-author of the award-winning novel
Depression Cookies and author of the paranormal YA novel
Chasing Memories.
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Was Chasing
Memories your first NANO project?
Yes. I let fear keep me from doing NaNo in years past. Now, I need
to commit to not only November but June’s CampNaNo. June terrifies me on a
whole other level because my three kids would be home. Talk about a challenge.
What did you
start with (i.e. a detailed outline, an idea, etc.)?
I had the idea for almost a year before committing to it last
November. A month before NaNo, I filled a small notebook with a bunch of
scribbles. Story ideas and character traits bombarded me, and I tried to
capture all of them—to the point that I slept with a notebook and pen by my
bed. But once November 1 came around, I just wrote as the story came to me.
What was your
attack plan for getting it written? Did you write for X hours every morning, or
grab a few minutes when you could? How many words did you average?
For me, the key is to write first. I get distracted so easily. I’m
the mom who walks into a room, spins around a few times, and says (out loud
even if I’m alone), “Why did I come in here?” So, my goal each day was to write
before looking at anything else. Of course, life doesn’t always work that way,
so there were many nights I was up until the wee hours of the morning. But some
days the words flowed better than others. When they did, I thanked my muse and
allowed myself some breathing room to not push as hard the next day.
What did the
"immersion approach" to novel writing mean for the rest of your life?
When I was done, I was on a writer’s high. I knew I could write
50,000 words in a month. But I’m so motivated by the public declaration of
committing to a challenge. Book two has been in my head since Chasing Memories was published, and I’m
writing it in NaNo again. I am determined to stay on that high this time and
finish book three shortly after book two. Wish me luck!
Once you
finished, how much editing, writing, and rework did you have to do?
Before I sent it to my editor in early March, I did several rounds
of self-edits. I was scared to read it at first, because I truly did shut down
my inner editor while I was writing—something that is very hard for me. But I
was thrilled that I liked most of it on my first read-through.
Now that it’s
November again and you're writing the sequel, is this the first project you've
tackled since the book launched? Or have you written other things non-NANO
style?
*hangs head in shame* I don’t even know what happened between
NaNos. Were there really 11 months in between? I had every intention of writing
book two right after publishing book one, but marketing and other commitments
sidelined me. I’m stoked to finally be focusing on it.
Clearly, as the
mom of three, you do not have the luxury of just writing whenever and as long
as you want. What is your advice for people like me that fear the NANO and
think they could never make the time to do this?
There’s nothing to fear! I truly believe that armed with a good
idea anyone can write 50,000 words in a month. Once you do it, you’ll know you
can. And that’s half the battle. It’s all about making the time. I’d read
anything you wrote, my friend!
Thanks so much for hosting me today. I would love to have you
visit my blog once my NaNo brain clears.
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