Chris Baty's Blog, page 213

HQ Introductions

Hello there! I’m Emily and I am the newest intern here in the coffee-filled paradise that is the Office of Letters and Light. I was born and raised here in Berkeley, California and will be a junior in high school this fall. I’ve written six magical realism novels, which is more than I can count on one hand, so I may just have to stop now. (I kid!  Once you starting writing, I don’t think you can ever stop.  It’s like Star Wars or a really good concept album.)

As you can imagine, I love everything magical, so if you happen upon a portal to another world in the form of a wardrobe or something like that, do write me. I can neither confirm nor deny the rumors that such a portal exists in OLL.

I consider my greatest accomplishment to be that I once made cupcakes from scratch in just under thirteen minutes, but I have also blogged about baseball for three years and worked a variety of odd jobs. Odd jobs are good for things like teaching you what nachos are and how to make them. I don’t think I was made for snack bar work.

I’m terribly excited to be working here for the summer and can’t wait to see what sort of things I’ll be doing. Hopefully nothing to do with nachos? What’s the strangest thing you’ve learned on the job?

— Emily

"If It's There, Use It": Pushing Through Writer's Block

During NaNoWriMo’s “In Your Pocket” Summer Drive, we’ll be posting “ My First NaNo ” stories from you, our amazing participants, and the writing tips you learned from your maiden voyage. Today, valiant intern Michael Adamson, finds himself grappling with severe writer’s block two-thirds of the way through his story: 

There was a dark moment for me around day 21 of my first NaNoWriMo experience. I was faced with a word-count debt fast approaching 12,000 words, and any realistic chance of winning was evaporating.

I had only myself to blame. Doubt and lack of motivation had impeded my progress during the first three weeks; sometimes I would go five days without writing so much as a single word.

It got to the point where I was compromising with myself and preparing to claim a moral victory in the absence of a word-count victory. I explained my poor discipline with lame excuses like an inability to write during my ideal creative hours, that I was spread thin working two jobs (I work less than 30 hours a week), and a lack of sleep (because I was staying up late procrastinating).

Finally, after an honest moment in front of the mirror, or what I’ve heard referred to as “the dark moment of the soul,” I realized I was perched on the edge of a precipice. Since I wrote my first NaNo-novel during Camp NaNoWriMo, perhaps a wilderness analogy is appropriate. You come to a lake after a long day’s hike and the crisp, clean water promises total refreshment. The only problem is that you know that it will be cold. You will gasp and shiver and suffer before you earn your promised refreshment.

So it was with my first NaNo-novel. I wanted that refreshment, but I had spent the first twenty-one days doing the equivalent of dipping my toes into the shallows and making uncomfortable faces. If I kept it up I’d eventually chicken out.

The only solution was to cease thinking and jump in. In the eleventh hour of day thirty I wrote my 52,146th word, hit Ctrl-S, and shut my laptop. 

While I was basically grasping at straws while writing, in retrospect I discovered a few things that did work for me and should hopefully work for others, especially when faced with serious word deficits:

If it’s there, use it.

Don’t feel like you have to dig too deep for inspiration. I based a scene on a song that was stuck in my head, one I didn’t even like, really. Similarly, don’t wait around for your “writing” mood. Instead, write about your mood.

Pass the torch to your characters.

Eventually, my characters took control of the story. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but towards the end they said “we’ll take it from here.” It was great, because rather than grope for plot points, it was all I could do to keep up with what they wanted me to do.

In this wood, there are no roads.

There is no one true path when it comes to novel writing. The woods of your novel are an unexplored wilderness, and you are the sole navigator. In other words, there is no “right way” to write a novel. Don’t be afraid to experiment, to abandon bad ideas, or, especially, take some crazy risks to hit your word count.

My novel’s plot did not pan out the way I had envisioned. The characters did things I didn’t expect. And, the novel was not yet a work of art. But it was there. It was real, and it had a life of its own beyond that of an amorphous thought that I would one day forget. That’s the real reward.

— Mike

Photo by Flickr user Drew Coffman.

"We Are All Authors": Finding Inspiration In the People Around You

NaNoWriMo’s “In Your Pocket” Summer Drive officially launches today! We need your help to make our sites mobile-friendly; in return, we promise to get you 100% ready for July and November’s noveling madness, with exclusive donor goodies marking you as a NaNo-pro.

We’ll also be hosting a series called “ My First NaNo ”, where we ask you, our amazing participants, about your very first NaNoWriMo adventure, and the writing tips you gleaned from your maiden voyage. First up? Denise Krebs, who took on her first NaNoWriMo with her crew of eighth-grade students: 

My first NaNoWriMo was in 2008: My sister had written a novel the year before, and I was so impressed. “I want to write a novel too,” I mused in her presence. She remembered my proclamation and sent me an invitation to join her in October. I remember feeling tentative and scared as the calendar days ticked by.

Well, on the morning of November 1, I woke up early and started writing. I had no idea what to write, so I turned to my senses and memories. My six-year-old self jumped in as a major character. Her name was Tilda, and just like me, she sucked on her upper arm giving herself hickies, to the chagrin of her teenaged sister, Jo.

Everything I saw or experienced, past and present, had equal opportunity to creep its way into my novel. I wrote other mini-me experiences like playing a random game of avoiding grease spots while running across the street, subsequently tripping, falling and almost getting hit by a car. No thought was too random or disjointed for my first novel.

In addition, the novel that came from my first NaNoWriMo experience, Turn Loose the Angels, is replete with shameless word padding and dares taken from the Dare Machine at NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program. My students (also writing novels) and I loved the Dare Machine! When we got stuck, it came to our rescue. Just a few of the dares I took: I added lime Jell-O, had my main character write a novel about me writing a novel, and more. Each helped me get to my 50,000-word goal.

And, you know what? After some polishing up, I’m rather proud of my first attempt. It’s rewarding to finish an outrageous activity like writing a novel. And there are moments of genius. Every once in awhile I wept at the turning of a beautiful phrase or a realistic conversation. I smiled at a sweet poem or what I considered strong character development. Through it all, I even wrote a story with a beginning, middle, and end. 

I am proud of my classroom library. It holds well over a thousand titles, many bestselling and award-winning children and young adult books. You know what else sits on my class bookshelf? Yes, my first novel, Turn Loose the Angels, along with several other NaNoWriMo novels written by my eighth graders over the years and published with CreateSpace through its sponsorship of NaNoWriMo. 

NaNoWriMo has been an amazing catalyst to blur the lines between professional and amateur authors. We are all authors. We write novels. This year, one of my students wrote this sweet last page in his novel, which was proudly published on CreateSpace:

“This is the best story I have ever written and it is written in 6000 words, 23084 letters, and 5997 spaces, all written in this story.”

So, how do you get started? 

Just do it, like I did the first time. If you’re a teacher and you ask your students to write a novel, you definitely need to write one too.
Be inspired by each other. I don’t think I would ever finish, if it weren’t for my eighth graders working furiously to finish their own novels. And students love this crazy adventure that has become a highlight of English class for five years now!
Use that Dare Machine!

You can read more about the nuts and bolts of how Denise led her students to tell their stories on her blog here.

Denise Krebs is a junior high teacher in rural Northwest Iowa. She is the chief learner in her classroom; in novel writing, and many other ways, her students teach her more than the other way around. She looks forward to writing her sixth novel in 2013, inspired by her student authors.

"We Are All Authors": How One Teacher Was Dared to Write by Her Students

NaNoWriMo’s “In Your Pocket” Summer Drive officially launches today! We need your help to make our sites mobile-friendly; in return, we promise to get you 100% ready for July and November’s noveling madness, with exclusive donor goodies marking you as a NaNo-pro.

We’ll also be hosting a series called “ My First NaNo ”, where we ask you, our amazing participants, about your very first NaNoWriMo adventure, and the writing tips you gleaned from your maiden voyage. First up? Denise Krebs, who took on her first NaNoWriMo with her crew of eighth-grade students: 

My first NaNoWriMo was in 2008: My sister had written a novel the year before, and I was so impressed. “I want to write a novel too,” I mused in her presence. She remembered my proclamation and sent me an invitation to join her in October. I remember feeling tentative and scared as the calendar days ticked by.

Well, on the morning of November 1, I woke up early and started writing. I had no idea what to write, so I turned to my senses and memories. My six-year-old self jumped in as a major character. Her name was Tilda, and just like me, she sucked on her upper arm giving herself hickies, to the chagrin of her teenaged sister, Jo.

Everything I saw or experienced, past and present, had equal opportunity to creep its way into my novel. I wrote other mini-me experiences like playing a random game of avoiding grease spots while running across the street, subsequently tripping, falling and almost getting hit by a car. No thought was too random or disjointed for my first novel.

In addition, the novel that came from my first NaNoWriMo experience, Turn Loose the Angels, is replete with shameless word padding and dares taken from the Dare Machine at NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program. My students (also writing novels) and I loved the Dare Machine! When we got stuck, it came to our rescue. Just a few of the dares I took: I added lime Jell-O, had my main character write a novel about me writing a novel, and more. Each helped me get to my 50,000-word goal.

And, you know what? After some polishing up, I’m rather proud of my first attempt. It’s rewarding to finish an outrageous activity like writing a novel. And there are moments of genius. Every once in awhile I wept at the turning of a beautiful phrase or a realistic conversation. I smiled at a sweet poem or what I considered strong character development. Through it all, I even wrote a story with a beginning, middle, and end. 

I am proud of my classroom library. It holds well over a thousand titles, many bestselling and award-winning children and young adult books. You know what else sits on my class bookshelf? Yes, my first novel, Turn Loose the Angels, along with several other NaNoWriMo novels written by my eighth graders over the years and published with CreateSpace through its sponsorship of NaNoWriMo. 

NaNoWriMo has been an amazing catalyst to blur the lines between professional and amateur authors. We are all authors. We write novels. This year, one of my students wrote this sweet last page in his novel, which was proudly published on CreateSpace:

“This is the best story I have ever written and it is written in 6000 words, 23084 letters, and 5997 spaces, all written in this story.”

So, how do you get started? 

Just do it, like I did the first time. If you’re a teacher and you ask your students to write a novel, you definitely need to write one too.
Be inspired by each other. I don’t think I would ever finish, if it weren’t for my eighth graders working furiously to finish their own novels. And students love this crazy adventure that has become a highlight of English class for five years now!
Use that Dare Machine!

You can read more about the nuts and bolts of how Denise led her students to tell their stories on her blog here.

Denise Krebs is a junior high teacher in rural Northwest Iowa. She is the chief learner in her classroom; in novel writing, and many other ways, her students teach her more than the other way around. She looks forward to writing her sixth novel in 2013, inspired by her student authors.

I Published My NaNo-Novel! Susan Dennard on Plotting Trilogies, Word Wars, and Publishing

Camp NaNoWriMo is gearing up for July, and many of you are already hard at work storming up ideas. Are you ambitiously planning on writing a trilogy, perhaps? Well, Susan Dennard published her debut young adult novel Something Strange and Deadly, the first in an intriguing trilogy blending historical fiction, horror, romance, and mystery, and on July 23, the sequel, A Darkness Strange and Lovely, will hit shelves. Read on to learn how Susan used three years of NaNoWriMo to master her trilogy:

How did NaNoWriMo help you draft your novels?

It’s so easy to put writing off—even for books on deadline—but there’s something about knowing that I’ll start on x-date, work like a madwoman until x-date, and then finish with 50K that really helps me hunker down. I also think the sheer insanity and support that other writers bring to the whole NaNo-experience really helps keep me motivated, even after that first week when my productivity always wants to flag.  

How has your NaNo experience been different each year you wrote a book in your trilogy?

I’ve definitely become a better writer as each year passes—meaning less of the words I hammer out get trashed. The first year I did NaNo in 2009 with Something Strange and Deadly, I wrote a truly dreadful novel. But it was also one of my very first complete novels. Throughout the year I spent revising the book, I learned a lot about writing.

The next year, I again wrote a dreadful first draft, but in year three, I wrote a halfway-decent first draft. In fact, much of what readers will find in A Darkness Strange and Lovely is simply a polished-up NaNo novel. Each book I write is stronger because I’ve grown so much as an author!

Did you make many writer or industry connections through NaNoWriMo?

Oh yes—especially in 2012! Author Beth Revis invited me and several other YA authors to participate in a NaNo forum thread that allowed Wrimos to ask published authors any and all questions. It was a great way to meet other writers!

Then, fellow author Sarah J. Maas and I started hosting something we called #NaNoWriMoBattle. These were 30-minute writing sprints that we held every day on Twitter. Many authors, published and aspiring alike, started following along with us. It was so much fun and so productive that we continued doing it after NaNo. We call it the #BAMFWordBattle now, and we try to host them pretty regularly.

Tell us more about your post-NaNo revisions.

I always revise enormously after every first draft. That’s just part of writing. Fortunately, I really love revising (I have an entire guide to it on my blog!), so it’s always exciting for me to finish a draft and then hunker down to turn a draft into a “real book.” Usually I’ll finish NaNo with my 50,000, but since that’s not a full novel, I’ll write around 40,000 more. Then, I inevitably start revising early in the next year.

But all that said, I think it’s easy for new writers to think revising is scary or not any fun. This is so not true! And, no matter what you might feel about revising, it’s absolutely not a step you can skip. No published author would ever hand in an unrevised manuscript to their editor, and no unpublished author can expect to get published without a truly polished book.

The key is to make revisions manageable and fun, and you do that by breaking it down into “bite-size” chunks and working toward a clear end goal. For example, if you know your characters aren’t as dark as you want them to be (darker characters = your goal), then as you work through each scene (bite-size chunks), you layer in more darkness.

What was it like plotting an entire series?

Hard! So many threads would appear with each new book, and then I was left writing the last book and wrapping up all those threads. I’m not much of an outliner—I prefer to write by the seat of my pants—and while that worked well for the first two books in my series, when I hit book three, I realized I would need to be more structured. Otherwise, I’d forget to tie up some important plot points.

Any tips on publishing your novel?

Publishing is a rapidly changing industry, and there are so many new and exciting ways for writers to get their work out there. That said, the rules for traditional publishing tend to stay the same. So many people just “set out to get published” with no idea what that really entails. Do your research! There are so many amazing online resources to help the aspiring author navigate the various steps, from dealing with revisions to writing a query letter to getting an agent.

There is no easy way to get a book deal, but if you dream big, work really hard, and never give up, then you can definitely reach your goals! Trust me: if naive ol’ me from NaNo 2009 could get published, then I have no doubt all of you can too!

Susan Dennard is a 28-year-old reader, writer, lover of animals, and eater of cookies. She used to be a marine biologist, but now writes novels about kick-butt heroines and swoon-worthy rogues. She lives in the Midwestern US with her French husband and Irish setter.

Keep up with Susan:

On Facebook

On Twitter

At her blog

— Andrea

HQ Introductions: Intern Déjà Vu

Hello, gentle readers. My name is Sonja, and I’m the newest addition to the crack interning team at the office here in scenic Berkeley, California.

When I’m not participating in NaNoWriMo-related events (I know, at times it’s difficult to believe there is a life outside of it!), you can find me painting, fixing clocks, performing in musical theatre…

Wait a moment. This sounds familiar.

Too familiar…

Oh, that’s right. If you’re getting a similar feeling of déjà vu, you’re probably remembering me from last August, when I worked as an honorary intern for an entire week. Ah ha—here’s my introduction post to prove it.

I hope you enjoyed my little cameo last year, because I’m back and ready to take a slightly more permanent place in the Office’s chorus line. For the rest of the summer (count them—thirteen weeks!), I will be interning up a storm, writing blog posts, filing papers, drinking coffee, spinning around in the office chairs, and ultimately helping to provide you with the fantastic writing experiences you all cherish.

Since you’ve come all this way, I suppose you deserve to know a little more about who’s joining the cast. I’m sixteen, and I recently graduated from high school in the foothills west of Denver, Colorado. I wish the rest of my explanation could be that simple, because I have a habit of becoming a Jack of All Trades. In essence, if you need a translator of simplistic conversations in Mandarin Chinese or Sign Language, an adequate painting or piece of artwork for your wall, an average opponent in chess or various video games, a vague explanation of famous productions in the 1920s, or help preparing a simple experiment for a theoretical physics convention, I’m your girl.

Despite acquiring a multitude of other hobbies, I most truly adore reading and writing, always have, and will continue to for the foreseeable future. I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo for five years and trotted along for Camp last year, and while it is not in itself a credential, I’ve been trucking a sizeable box of spiral notebooks around filled with character sketches and plot notes for quite some time.

I hope to meet or re-meet some of you lovely writers. I promise I won’t wreak too much havoc (hm, déjà vu again),

— Sonja

Why Deadlines Are Every Writer's Secret Weapon

Happy Camp NaNoWriMo Launch Day! Camp is fresh out of the oven, with new features to spice things up. And to help you get ready for your July writing project, we’re excerpting No Plot? No Problem! , written by NaNoWriMo’s weird-and-wise founder himself: Chris Baty. Today, he explains the magic power of a writer’s deadline:

When I actually sat down to write my first novel back in 1999, I discovered that my ideas about novel writing were woefully mistaken. You don’t need a plot before you write a novel, nor do you need an evocative sense of place or a winsome, engaging cast. You don’t even need coffee (though I still haven’t allowed myself to fully come to terms with that yet). What you really need is a secret weapon.

You need a superpowered, diabolical device that will transform you into a bastion of literary accomplishment. And I’m happy to report that this implement is in the house, and it’s just waiting for you to pick it up.

Without hyperbole, I can say that this tool is the most awesome catalyst that has ever been unleashed on the worlds of art and commerce. Nearly every beautiful and useful thing you’ve ever touched or witnessed was born in its mighty forge. It’s portable, affordable, and nonpolluting. 

It’s also invisible.

What you need to write a novel, of course, is a deadline.

Deadlines are the dynamos of the modern age. They’ve built every city, won every contest, and helped all of us pay our taxes reasonably close to on time for years and years. Deadlines bring focus, forcing us to make time for the achievements we would otherwise postpone, encouraging us to reach beyond our conservative estimates of what we think possible, helping us to wrench victory from the jaws of sleep. 

A deadline is, simply put, optimism in its most ass-kicking form. It’s a potent force that, when wielded with respect, will level any obstacle in its path. This is especially true when it comes to creative pursuits.

In the artistic realms, deadlines do much more than just get projects finished. They serve as creative midwives, as enthusiastic shepherds adept at plucking the timid inspirations that lurk in the wings of our imaginations and flinging them bodily into the bright light of day. The bigger the artistic project, the more it needs a deadline to keep marshaling those shy ideas out onto the world’s stage.

Nowhere is this more true than in novel writing. Drafting a novel typically involves years of navigating a jungle of plots, subplots, supporting characters, tangents, symbols, and motifs. A single troublesome passage may stop the writing for years as the writer fusses and stews and waits for the way forward to become clear.

Writing on a deadline changes that. Having an end-date for your quest through the noveling unknown is like bringing along a team of jetpack-wearing, entrepreneurial Sherpas. These energetic guides not only make passage easier through myriad formidable obstacles, but they’ll fly ahead and open coffeeshops and convenience stores along the route.

The Camp Rebel Files: How Camp Can Help Your Study Habits

If you’d been in the office in the first half of April, you would’ve seen various NaNo staff members furiously working, writing inspiring pep talks, and being generally magnificent. You would also have seen Chris Angotti, the NaNoWriMo Program Director, in full teacher mode, quizzing me on literary theory, pastoral elegies, litotes, and other such nonsense.

Why, you ask? Because I was using this past April’s Camp NaNoWriMo to study for the GRE in English Literature!

When I first registered for The Test, as it was lovingly called by roommates and friends, I saw it as an impediment to my Camp success. But thus, my friends, began my month of literary abandon. I’ve been out of school for over a year, so my brain needed a wee bit of dusting. It went a little like this:

The Plan and Its Benefits

I counted every hour of solid study time as 1,000 words. So as you may have been plotting the incredible next move of your novel’s hero(ine), I was memorizing the definition of hamartia (a tragic flaw) and lines from old poems (“He was not of an age, but for all time!”).
When this got boring, I switched to something a little more creative. In a secret document that will never see the light of day, I wrote vignettes inspired by my imaginary meetings with famous writers. I interviewed them about their work, their lives, and—an eerily common theme—their unfortunate deaths.
Benefit #1: For the first 19 days of April, I figured I would toil away, alone under dozens of onionskin pages. But then something unusual happened. I discovered that I kept telling myself, “You have to study for at least 2 hours today; gotta make that word count!”
Benefit #2: And when my roommates and I hosted a write-in, I didn’t feel like I needed to seclude myself from the fun just because I was studying. I got to join the party, and it made the hours fly by rather unexpectedly.

Compared to the first (and rather embarrassing) time I took The Test, my studies were going – dare I say – well!

When I sat to actually take The Test, there were still questions I didn’t know the answer to. But there was a lot I’d learned in that time frame, too. The term litotes (an understatement created by the use of a double negative), for example, showed up at least three times on The Test. I know I answered those three questions correctly.

In fact, I just got the results back, and I improved on my previous score! I also feel a sense of pride knowing I made the out-of-the-ordinary work of Camp NaNoWriMo and studying run smoothly into my daily life. Rather than longing for those full-time student days when studying was the only demand on my time, I re-imagined what studying “all day” looks like with Camp. And somewhere along the way, I learned to find the excitement in it!

— Shelby

The Camp Rebel Files: How Writing an Epic Poem Taught Me to Write Without a Net

The challenge: Write an epic poem – 22,500 words in 30 days.

What was I thinking? 

I hadn’t written a poem in years. I barely remembered the definition of an epic. It would have been smart to do some research and have a clearer goal. I should have thought about my character, plot, setting… but suddenly it was April. It was time to pursue the Noble Path of the Pantser.

How did it go?

Writing the poem was surprisingly similar to writing a novel, but that might be because of the way I approached it. I wasn’t bold enough to try to rhyme or have a consistent rhythmic pattern; it was mainly just a bunch of short lines instead of long ones!

It’s not easy to remain poetic for 22,500 words. I’ve written a terrible poem, but it was worth doing anyway. There was gold hiding in that mind of mine, and now I can see a small gleam in the dark. I could stop now, or knuckle under and do more digging. It could become a great poem, or might morph into something else—maybe even my next November novel.

What did I learn?

Pantsing is fine if you have the right attitude. You’ve got to be open to wild fluctuations in character and plot. You’ve got to have a flexible relationship with “the rules’. Remind yourself regularly that it’s a rough draft, not a finished piece. It’s all good if it exercises the muscles of your imagination.

Know yourself, but have a backup. If you don’t know your optimum time, place, and duration for a writing session, figure it out. If you’re best in the morning, write in the morning. But don’t become dependent on a particular kind of session; you don’t always have a choice. If all is not perfect, write anyway. And don’t chance the loss of any ideas that come your way. Make sure you have a way to capture inspirations from the middle of the night, the shower, and when you’re out in the world.

Write when you don’t feel like it. You don’t have to write every day, but if you leave it too long, you lose your fire. One trick I use is grabbing seven random words and making a nonsense sentence, then continuing to write. The nonsense loosens me up. Sometimes, that’s enough.

Emily Bristow is on staff as the NaNoWriMo Program Facilitator. She supports our army of dedicated volunteers by moderating the Municipal Liaison forums, overseeing the Mentor Program, editing the ML Guide to Life, and helping with yearly region setup. Emily has participated in NaNo since 2002 and is astonished to win every year.

Photo by Flickr user Jemimus.

I Published My NaNo Novel! Ally Kennen on Revision, and Making Room for Writing

Critically-acclaimed author Ally Kennen is no stranger to a challenge. She used NaNoWriMo to help her publish nine books, all while raising her three children. She tells us about her revision process, and shares just how to make room for writing in a bustling life:

When did you first attempt NaNoWriMo? What did it offer to you as a writer? 

I first attempted, and failed, NaNoWriMo in 2004, before I had any books published. NaNoWriMo felt delicious. Here was a community of like-minded dreamers, all passionate about writing. I loved the lighthearted approach and humor, but there was also a real determination to get those words done.

I’ve participated many times since. Sometimes I have failed miserably. Other times I have failed quite brilliantly, and a few times I have even achieved the magic 50,000 words. I adapt NaNoWriMo to suit me. It is never a waste of time. What I love about it is how it is so positive: this massive international wave of good intention and creative endeavor.

I have since had nine books published, all for children and young adults.

Could you tell us more about your revision process?

My second draft always utterly butchers the first. Pretty much every sentence is re-worked, this time with my ‘stern editor’s brain,’ apart from a few glorious passages that emerged during moments of NaNoWriMo magic. I chuck all the rubbish into a folder and let it fester and rot.  Sometimes stuff I have chopped is recycled into new books, or it is reincarnated, but not often.

Then I will make a third draft. My husband is my first reader, but I don’t let him read it until I have drafted it about four times. After he has read and commented, I rush through another draft, sprinkle some fairy dust, tie up some knots, and send it off to my editor. And tremble.

Tell us about one of your more memorable writing experiences! How can writers overcome the obstacles in their lives?

When I was writing Berserk in 2005, I had an eleven-month-old baby, and a publishing deadline to produce two more teen books. My first book Beast had been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in the UK, and I had no idea how I could pull off another book. Fear set in. No way could I replicate my first success. I was also steeped in the earnest madness of first-time motherhood.

So I piled into NaNoWriMo, repeating the mantra ‘quantity not quality’ and the words built up. I had to write in 500 word bursts, whenever my baby felt fit to release me. Getting to 50,000 words felt euphoric. I was writing up to midnight, howling and gibbering as the words alternately dribbled and poured out. The tension was intense. Could I do it? Having babies is rightly a completely immersing experience, but it did feel wonderful to produce some new creative work in the midst of the nappies, the baby worship and the sleep deprivation. 

After November, I steeled myself to read my words. I probably cut 70% of it. But 30% remained, and within that, I found golden nuggets of ideas and phrases. Most importantly, the fear had diminished. I was off! I had done the first draft. My book was a big ugly creature with six legs and an overshot jaw; it would need major surgery and organ transplants, but it had a beating heart! 

The bright lights and sheer fun of NaNoWriMo steered me through the fog of motherhood and intense creative effort. 

What was your journey to publication?

In my twenties I had a zillion jobs, from the inane to the mundane. I also co-wrote a pop song which got to no. 41 in the UK charts (‘Intensify’ with Way Out West, since you ask). I wanted to blow my extra cash on something wild and insane. My budget would stretch to a hot tub or an M.A. in Creative Writing. Both seemed suitably self-indulgent. I chose the degree, wrote Beast and won a prize that earned me an agent. There was an auction for the book between four publishers. All this was mind-blowing, but I now needed to write more books, at the same time it seemed, as the call of motherhood battled for supremacy. 

This is where NaNoWriMo saved me! 

I hold no truck with those who say they have ‘no time to write a book.’ This is not true. If I can do it, as a full-time mother to a newborn, a two year old and a four year old, anyone can. 

Before becoming an author, Ally Kennen had many jobs including working as an archaeologist, a classroom helper, a museum guard, a giant teddy bear and a singer and songwriter. She lives in Somerset with her husband, three children, six chickens and four cats.

Author photo by Candy Gourlay.