This November, in
honour of National Novel Writing Month, we'll be interviewing some NaNoWriMo
chick-lit writers from around the globe. This week, we're talking to
22-year-old Rea, who's working on a fabulous novel called Unmatched.
Are you taking part in NaNoWriMo? Leave a comment and let us know.
Tell us a little bit about yourself
Well, my name is Rea, soon I turn 22 and I'm from Hungary. I'm a student at the Budapest College of Communication and Business and beside this I work as a contributor at Nana.hu which is a pretty well known women's web site, something like iVillage.com. In my free time I love reading - especially chick lit - and I'm a huge fan of pop music.
Have you participated in NaNoWriMo before?
Yes, I've participated last year, too. But it was so rushed, I only registered like 10 days before Nanowrimo started and I had nothing but an idea in my head. Actually, I didn't win, but right now I'm working much harder and it goes really well.
Can you tell us more about the project you're working on?
My story is called Unmatched. It's a chick-lit novel and I'm so glad I came up with it, cause the whole storyline just makes it so easy to show my comic side. It's about a team that kind of playing Cupid. They are doing all sorts of crazy things to get the perfect matches together and one day they hire a new assistant, her name's Mia. She's been lonely for years and her boss tries to find someone for her but when they think they found the perfect guy a new client comes along who happens to be Mia's first love, the womanizer Tom. He left her years ago without a word. It's awkward and makes it hard for them to work together, but Mia tries it, because she thinks it will help her to move on from the past. And what will happen to them in the end? Well, that's something I don't even know right now.
How do you (or how are you planning to) find the time to write? Are you organised?
Well, it seems like the only way is sleeping less and drinking more coffee. No, I'm just joking. It's actually, hard to find the right time to write. I'm pretty horrible when it comes to being organised. I try to work on this at times, but somehow whenever I plan my day, something comes up and it just destroys everything. But I usually have some free time in the evenings, so that's when I mostly write. And if I have some lines in my mind throughout the day, I just write it down in my notebook and then type it when I start writing.
Do you outline, or just go where the story takes you?
When I started planning my story I had a chapter by chapter outline but now I only use it to see the beginning and the end of the chapter and I just go along with the characters. I don't like strict planning, cause it totally kills the fun of writing. Robert Frost said that No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader. And it's so true.
Where do you do most of your writing?
I just love sitting on my couch with my MacBook and a big cup of coffee. I know, it's sounds like a cliché, but it's just so warm and cozy, I feel much comfortable writing there than just sitting at a table.
Do you hope to become a published author, or do you do NaNo for fun?
Becoming a published author would be like a dream come true to me.
I had some short stories published in anthologies and it's just the best
feeling ever when you hold your own story in your hands. There are times when I
go into a bookstore and I just think how amazing it would be to see my book here.
Of course, I know, it's not easy to get published these days, but I do believe
in this story I'm working on and I hope one day it will see the light of day.
Do you have any tips for other NaNoers?
I know, it sounds strange, but don't get too frustrated when it comes to wordcount. If you do your best, you'll get to the finish line at the end of the month, so don't get too nervous if you can't write 1,667 words at times. The next time you'll write more and you back on track again. Just have fun!
Thanks, Rea!
