National Novel Writing Month Quiz--by Nina!

1. Was 2009 your first NaNo? Yes! It was! I really enjoyed it, too! There were a few times when I felt completely drained of inspiration and decided to look for it in an old John Wayne movie where they're on a flight from Hawaii and something goes wrong with the plane . . . yeah. 'Nuff said. But it was glorious!



2. How did you find out about NaNo? I think it was through either, Kelsey, Krys, or Nina. One of those girls, anyway!



3. What made you decide to do NaNo this year? I like to think I made that decision by myself, but I believe my friends talked me into it! ;)



4. Did you come into NaNo very prepared (outline, synopsis) or did you choose to wing it? I was...prepared. Just slightly though. (Pun intended) Slightly scared, too, because I thought I would give up in the middle!



5. What was your original goal for the month? I was happy with just 50,000 words! To think of anything beyond was...mortifying.



6. Did you make your goal? Yes! I did. I think my final word count was around 58,500. I was a day behind, so I finished it on December 1st instead of the 30th of November. But I still got it!



7. Did you learn anything through doing NaNo? You bet! 1) That I can just sit down and write of my own free will and write whatever I want! 2) That it really isn't hard to put down ten pages a day and type them up. 3) That I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it again next year! A break is definitely in order! We'll see if a year is long enough!



8. Give your novel/s title and a one-line synopsis. The Mirror Maker. A small girl is brought from a London orphanage to live with three eccentric ladies by a mysterious Mr. Jones.

One day, while exploring the house, she finds a closet inside a closet and discovers an old man making mirrors.

Not a very good synopsis, but that's the gist of it!

9. What will you do with your novel now? Possibly look to publish it, far into the future! As of right now, though, it isn't the best thing in the world to look at. I love it, though! Which means it's probably not that wonderful!




10. What was your daily word goal? Just the simple 1,667 a day.




11. What was your highest day's word count? Hmm . . . I'm not sure. Might have been around 2,500.


12. Did you write any time you could, or did you have a more structured, set time for writing? I wrote all day, or tried to write all day. This may sound silly to all the NaNo pros, but getting out that 1,667 words a day was a hard thing to do!



13. Will you apply NaNo techniques to writing in general? Yes! I won't be afraid now to sit down with my notebook and pen and belt out something onto the pages in my other novel, no matter how disastrous it gets!


14. What was the best thing about doing NaNo 2009? Mmm . . . I have to agree with Nina! Finishing was definitely wonderful! But the other part I loved, even more, was my family. Especially Mom and Dad. Everyday they would ask me how I was doing and when I finished and printed out the certificate, Mom said, "I need a picture of you with it!" My family is well acquainted with my griefs in spelling out a novel or never finishing a story! It was a red letter day when I told everyone I finished! I got so bored after that I didn't know what to do with myself!



15. What was the worst thing about doing NaNo 2009? Losing inspiration. I knew what I was going to write, I just couldn't put it down. No words would come! That's when I resorted to old movies and John Wayne! Duke is the best!



16. Best advice to someone planning NaNo for the first time? Copying Nina again. Yes, make up and outline. Even though half of my novel was structured, it still helped a lot, and there were only a few empty spaces I needed to fill. If you can't write anymore, it's alright! Take a break! No one will know! Writers need a little renovation, too!



17. Will you do NaNo next year? Hmm . . . my friends will probably talk me into it again! :D