Catch You On the Flip Side: Farewell from 2020 Interns Sandra and Chyina

We’re always sad to see our interns go—and they’re often sad to leave us! We’re wishing our talented interns farewell for now as they leave these roles, but we’re comforted by the fact that they’ll still be around as participants and forever members of the NaNoWriMo family. Here’s some reflection from fantastic Fall 2020 Interns Sandra and Chyina:

Sandra Moore, Programs Intern

It’s December! NaNoWriMo 2020 has been over for a little over two weeks, and somehow, it feels like both yesterday and an eternity ago. In an official capacity, I haven’t been with NaNoWriMo for very long, but as my time with the organization draws to a close, I inevitably find myself thinking about the beginning. Not three months ago, when I got the news that I would be working for them—but ten years ago, when my sister looked over at me, frantically scribbling away on my latest masterpiece, and asked, “Have you heard of NaNoWriMo?”

I don’t think either of us realized how important NaNoWriMo would become to my writerly experience. Over the years, the people behind NaNoWriMo carried a certain mythos in my head. They were a sort of shadowy league of novelists, empowering others to write 50k every November. I remember reading as a wee middle-schooler about how the first NaNoWriMo staff got carpal tunnel from signing people up, and, as such, were unable to participate in NaNoWriMo. 

“That’s hardcore,” I said, and resolved to give myself carpal tunnel. (No, I have not yet succeeded, and have realized since that it’s a terrible goal.) 

And the people on the staff ten years later prove to be every bit as hardcore as I imagined. But not in the damage-your-wrists kind of way (so far), but in the resilient way, the one that keeps an organization running when it seems like every obstacle is in its way. I can’t think of a better staff to have experienced the election with, to have worked with during COVID, to run around trying to murder each other in viral sensation Among Us. Yes, they are not perfect. But every time they made a mistake, they used it to move forward, to ask themselves, How can we be better as an organization? 

How can we be better as an organization? How can we be better as staff, as writers, as people? Ten years of NaNoWriMo means that I’ve convinced quite a few people to try it and I always tell them it’s critical to be passionate about their NaNoWriMo novel. Working behind the scenes, however, has shown me how important it is that passion comes from both ends. The reason NaNoWriMo feels special, the reason I keep coming back to it, is because of how much its staff cares about the organization. So long as that stays the same, I can’t see NaNoWriMo going anywhere but up. 

I didn’t win NaNoWriMo this year, but that’s okay! I’ll be back next year, back on the regular Wrimo side. I’ll see you all there.

Sandra first learned of NaNoWriMo in 2010 and has completed many first drafts since. (She does not speak of the earlier ones.) When she’s not writing, she reads a lot of LGBT science fiction, watches animated shows/movies, and thinks about food. All the time. She loves food, so, so much.

Chyina Powell, Editorial Intern

When I was asked to write a farewell post to end my internship with National Novel Writing Month, the first thing I thought was, “I don’t want to.” And I thought this for two reasons:

I didn’t want the internship to end.I had no idea what to write!

That being said, I decided to just jot down some of the things that came to mind, like how I came to work with NaNoWriMo this fall and the cool things I was able to experience because of it.

2020 has been a very weird year for everyone, but in the mess and mayhem, there have also been opportunities. This was the first time EVER that NaNoWriMo decided to hire remote interns and that meant that I could apply to work with an organization I had been a part of for years! And oddly enough, I was chosen to become the Editorial Intern. Perhaps it was due to my love of showtunes or overall weirdness, but whatever the case may be, I was able to work with some really amazing people. Not only the other staff and interns, but with the participants and guests as well. 

It was truly amazing to see just how creative and imaginative each and every NaNo and YWP participant was throughout the fall. Reading some of the forum posts, soliciting blog posts reminded me of just how important community is to writers. Participants bouncing ideas off of each other, congratulating each other for meeting word count goals and being chosen for 30 Covers, 30 Days, encouraging each other when things don’t work out the way they planned. 

I was also privileged to see what happens behind the scenes, how one small team can make November memorable for people all over the world. Everyone who has a hand in making NaNoWriMo what it is, from the staff to the interns to the MLs and forum moderators are spectacular people. They made this internship experience feel comfortable and welcoming. And even though I am on the other side of the country from the other staffers, I didn’t feel like I was left out of anything. In fact, the staff (at least in my opinion) made sure that we interns felt like we were a part of the team, asking our opinion and giving us the opportunity to work on really cool projects.

So, I would like to thank everyone from the participants to the staff to everyone who partnered with NaNoWriMo this year, during a global pandemic, for making this one of the best internships I have ever had and reminding me just how fun writing can be when you have people there supporting you every step of the way. 

And for those of you who never would’ve imagined that an opportunity could have risen out of such a dismal year, I urge you to see the bright side of things. Before this pandemic, I never could have imagined working with NaNoWriMo (I had no inclination whatsoever to move to California) but look at me now! Remember that no matter what, you can turn a bad situation into something positive, something magnificent. And maybe it’ll be you I watch next fall in a Virtual Write-In!

This was a great opportunity and I loved every minute of it. And with that, I say farewell (although I would prefer not to!)

Chyina Powell is an editor and writer who loves speculative fiction and suspense. She is a published writer who has participated in NaNoWriMo for seven years! Additionally, she is the Co-Founder of the Women of Color Writers’ Circle and an active member of Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honors Society. Follow her on Instagram or add her as a NaNo buddy! She is always looking for more bookish friends!