Answering questions about this writing thing for week 2 of National Novel Writing Month, A. K. A. NaNoWriMo.

Dear Sister,

I hit day thirteen of November and reached 50% of my goal. That’s right, 25,000 words in my new project!

I thought it would be neat to answer some questions ask and respond to some comments people usually make about my writing.

What is This NaNoWriMo thing?

I just heard that someone who follows my social media didn’t know what I was talking about in my posts. She asked someone else about it.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. The challenge is to write the first draft of a new novel in the month of November. The word count goal is 50,000 words.

Do you think you can actually win NaNoWriMo?

Yes! I did a few years ago. But last year not so much. But I only wrote on day 1 and said, “this is not my year.” I was in the midst of a new job, had just moved, etc. You have to be in a good place mentally to tackle it. Fortunately, I’m on track and actually a little ahead of where I need to be.

“That sounds awful. I could never write.”

I get it. It’s not for everyone. That’s okay. And I don’t mind people making these comments. You can cheer me on from the sidelines and promise to read my book when it’s published. [Insert non-creepy, winky face emoji]

How serious are you about this writing thing?

I am very serious. I invested a large sum into earning an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. It was an amazing and transformative experience.

I hope to see my words in print soon!

What is your book about?

This is always a tough question for any author to answer while writing. I’ll tell you this. It’s a dystopian novel, set in a future where women are born 1 to every 10 males or so. Women are expected to be surrogates. My main character finds herself on a new path.

I don’t have a title yet. Right now my placeholder title is Risa. I usually just name my books after the main character until I can think of something else.

Are you a planner or pantser?

Planner = a writer who plans out all or most plot points before they begin writing.

Pantser = a writer who makes it up as they go.

Usually, I would call myself a planner, but there has been a lot of pantsing for this story and it seems to be going pretty well. So I guess you could call me a plantser.

Thank you for following along on my writing journey. It helps to know I have support

Your sister,

Mallary

XOXO