As you may already know, it's NaNovember and novelists taking part in National Novel Writing month are a week into their 50k challenge. As part of the event, Trashionista will be speaking to NaNo chick-lit authors, both new and experienced, to find out more about the project and their work!
Our first interview is with Grace Wen, who is soon to be releasing an e-book called The Imperfect Wife.
Are you taking part in NaNowrimo? Let us know!
Hi Grace! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I'm 41 years old and I write women's fiction and romance when I'm not playing lawyer at my day job. On my Twitter profile, it says I'm an occasional domestic goddess and wannabe drum diva, which about sums it up.
Shameless self-promotion: I have a novella called AN IMPERFECT WIFE available for pre-order from Musa Publishing (release day is November 25), so please check it out!
What made you decide to sign up for NaNoWriMo?
I'm contracted to write more two novellas for Musa, the first of which is due January 1. I figured NaNoWriMo would be a fun way to push toward those deadlines. I also like attending the local NaNo write-ins to meet other writers. Writing is normally a lonely endeavor, so I love the camaraderie NaNoWriMo fosters. For one crazy month, everyone's a writer. The energy is contagious.
Have you taken part before, and if so did you finish?
I participated in 2001, 2008, and 2009. My 2001 NaNo project was 50K words of unsalvageable dreck, but it was a great way to learn how to write something longer than a short story. I had much better luck with my 2008 NaNo project: I finished it, revised it, and sold it. Unfortunately, I didn't hit the 50K-word mark in 2009, but I pushed forward and eventually finished that story too. It's now 95K words long and sitting on my hard drive waiting to be revised.
What is your book about?
It's about a woman who stalks her ex-boyfriend. I used to write for pulp confession magazines, so I'm a sucker for stories involving personal train wrecks.
How are you feeling about NaNo right now?
Nervous. Very, very nervous. I freak out every time I start a new project, NaNo or not.
How are you hoping to manage your time during the month-long word-fest? Do you have any tips?
I don't really have a plan except for brute force, awkwardness, and a great deal of chocolate. I expect to get most of my writing done on the evenings and weekends. Since I write my first drafts on an Alphasmart Neo, I also hope to cram extra paragraphs into whatever slivers of time I can find (in the doctor's waiting room, in the grocery check out line, in the kitchen while waiting for my pasta water to boil, etc.).
The only tip I have: remove barriers between you and the writing. Don't get precious about the writing process. If you need a special pen/drink/notebook/song/ritual before you start writing, you won't get much work done. Not to sound like a total shill for Alphasmart, but I love my Neo because it turns on instantly (no boot up time) and it's light enough to carry everywhere. I can write whenever and wherever I want. Easy accessibility equals more writing.
Have you been inspired by any other writers?
I'm inspired by too many writers to count! I learn something from every author I read. I enjoy Emily Giffin for her unflinching look at troubled relationships and Jennifer Weiner for her humor. Anthony Bourdain shows me the power of a distinctive writing voice. JK Rowling and Suzanne Collins blow me away with their imaginative worldbuilding. Richard Yates and Jhumpa Lahiri inspire me to look for the deep meanings behind everyday moments. And those are only a few examples.
My friends on the Absolute Write website, especially Marguerite Butler, Celina Summers, Kimberly Nee, Beth Bernobich, and Andy Dunn, also inspire me because I see how they juggle writing with everything else in their lives. They write wonderful, compulsively readable stories at speeds that make my head spin. They show me there's no magic to getting the pages done: all it takes is hard work. I find that very inspiring.
Do you think you will reach the finish line?
I hope so! Between the NaNoWrimo deadline and my contracted deadlines, I'm too scared not to finish.
Thanks, Grace!
You can check out Grace's blog here, or follow her on Twitter.