I decided to featurea few chick-lit NaNoers, and interview them about their lives, goals, and the NaNo experience. This week, I'm speaking to Jessica from Canada.
Hi, Jessica! Tell us a little bit about yourself.Well, I grew up in a small town, about an hour and a bit north-west of Toronto. Last year, a couple months after I turned 18, I moved to the city of Waterloo (about an hour south-west of Toronto) for school. I'm currently a second year Sociology student at Wilfrid Laurier University, and still somehow manage to have time to write! Most of my free time is spent volunteering with various campus clubs (animal rights being the most prominent of them), going online (mainly Facebook), and watching television (I have far too many favourite shows!)
What made you decide to sign up to NaNoWriMo?
I've always thought it would be amazing to write a novel, but I always shoved that idea on the back burner. Never really had time or self confidence for it. In February 2007 though, I ended up getting an essay published in a book, and seeing my name in print alleviated most of the self doubt. But even still, I didn't think I'd have the time or the perseverance to finish a whole novel. A couple weeks ago, though, I had several friends tell me about NaNoWriMo, and after hearing the sixth one mention it, I decided to atleast check out the site. I loved the idea of just writing, without being self-critical and deleting words as you go. It's just about the word count. And once you have the word count, you have the story (or atleast I hope you would, after 50,000 words!) December is for revision. November is JUST for writing.
Have you taken part before, and if so did you finish?
No, I haven't! This is my first year trying it, but I'm confident I'll finish. I have quite a lot of support for this!
What is your book about? (If you want to tell us, of course.)
My novel currently has a working title of Step by Step, and it's about a 19 year old girl named Alexis Cooper. Lexi tends to not be the nicest girl, with the exception of the people she knows and likes. She also has a fairly promiscuous side, which is evident when she turns up pregnant, not knowing who the father is. She's never gotten along with her parents, mainly because they were never around to form any sort of meaningful relationship with her. They're very well off (her father is a chief of surgery, and her mother is a fashion designer), and both of them always put their work before their family. Due to the lack of family bonds, when they learned Lexi was pregnant, they kicked her out. Her best friend, Mia, happily takes her in, but Lexi is still suddenly forced to work, cook, clean, etc. for herself for the first time in her life, all while adjusting to the news that she's pregnant. Meanwhile, Jason, the one guy who- for a few years now- has actually wanted to know Lexi for more than just one night, sticks by her through all this, hoping she'd change her opinion on relationships. She never does, though, until she meets Noah. He changes her whole outlook on life and on her situation, helping her become more independent and actually believe in her capabilities for the first time.
How are you feeling about NaNo right now?
Really excited! It starts tonight, and I'm actually not going out for Halloween, mainly so I can start writing at midnight. I've also been working on a pretty detailed outline for the past week, so that's been awakening the author in me! It's been taking a lot of self control to not start early!
Where do you like to write?
I've always loved writing in bed, since it's so warm and comfortable, but I find that whenever I write in bed, I end up on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or just sleeping! I'm far more productive when I write in public, so I think I'm going to try to get out to some coffee shops to write this month.
Have you been inspired by any other writers?
For me, this answer is practically the same as "What is your favourite chick-lit book?", so I'm just going to answer both of these questions in one. My favourite chick-lit book is Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown. The story ended up hitting it quite big! There was a reality show based on the musical which was based on the movie which was based on the book! Most people actually aren't aware it was originally a book, but it will forever be my favourite chick lit, chick flick, and chick... musical (that one doesn't flow as well!) I find the book so inspiring though, and it's given me a couple ideas for my own novel. I just love the fact that, in the book, Elle Woods starts out as a "ditzy blonde", but throughout the novel we see her transform and change, and become- not necessarily a better person, but a well-rounded, smart, independent woman who knows exactly who she is and what she wants. I love the idea of metamorphesis and self-descovery, and that's definitely the basis of my novel.
How are you hoping to manage your time during the month-long word-fest? Do you have any tips?
When I consider how much time is spent each day just randomly surfing the internet and doing other non-productive things, I know that I can finish in a month by just cutting back on those! It's not like I don't have the time to finish, since I spend so much time doing practically nothing! Another tip I read on the NaNoWriMo website is to get a lot done in the first couple days. As soon as you develop a really good word-cushion, as they referred to it as, the rest of the month is so much easier. Starting out and getting the novel on track is likely to be the most difficult part, so I'm aiming at a goal of atleast 5000 words on the first day (hopefully more), to build an adequate word-cushion.
Do you think you will reach the finish line?
I'm a procrastinator by nature, so I've wrote several thousand words in a day for various school assignments. It's just a matter of making sure I don't skip a few days. It's an average of 1667 words a day, which really isn't much when you think about it. As long as I don't miss a few days, I'll definitely finish in time. I'm actually aiming at 100,000 words, rather than just 50,000. The goal NaNoWriMo sets is just a novella, not a full-fledged novel. This being my first year attempting it, who knows if I'll reach my personal goal within one month, but once I'm actually completely done my novel, according to my outline, it should be around 100,000. As long as I reach the 50,000 mark in one month through, I'll be satisfied!
Do you have a blog?
No, unfortunately I don't at the moment, but you can follow me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/JessicaChivers
Thanks, Jessica!
