NaNoWriMo Questions

1 - Have you participated in NaNoWriMo before?  If so, which years and what end result?  If not (or even if so, for that matter), what’s your connection to writing?  Why do you want to participate this year?

I gave NaNo a shot last year but failed. I only made it to about 30,000 words before I became utterly disenchanted with my story. I loved the characters but hated the style and it just wasn't working. 

I've been writing on and off for as long as I can remember. The earliest memory of school I have is winning a writing contest for the whole primary school when I was in Kindergarten. It was about a border collie. 

I don't know if I'll be able to officially participate this year, what with exams and such, but I do have a story I want to try and get out so I'll give it a go.

2 - What’s the title of your story?  Why did you choose the name you did?

It doesn't have an official title at the moment. All the obvious one's like 'Aftermath' or 'Ground Zero' are too cliche for me. I'm considering just taking 'Cannibals' from my other story as it fits the theme slightly better but I'm still not happy with it.

3 - Pick one of your female characters.  Introduce your readers to her, from her point of view and her words only.

They call me a hipster so I guess I am. I mean, there comes a point where you get over trying to fight the labels people give you. What's so bad about being identifiable? That's how cavemen were able to tell which berrys were poisonous and which ones weren't. Anyway, if three people call you a donkey you buy a bridle, right?

So I like scarves and weird shoes and obscenely long coffee orders that I've committed to memory three years ago. I'm not especially apologetic and I keep a diary which is more cut-outs from obscure magazines than my own words. I spent six days out of seven in the city with my friends who look are as different and diverse as my coffee orders over the years. And that's how I like my life. Stable. A singular current to follow and guide me day after day after day.

When the current stops, when it has nowhere to go, then you flounder. 

4 - What genre is your novel?  Why did you pick it?

I guess it's kind of young-adult/adventure. Think Tomorrow When the War Began crossed with Cloverfield crossed with a road-trip.

5 - Name two songs from your playlist that you feel are connected with your novel in some way, and explain how they are.

Sail by Awolnation and Keep Your Head by the Ting Tings

Just general 'keep a hold of yourself songs. One for my main male character and one for my female protagonist.

6 - What is your one biggest stressor related to forcing yourself to write at least 50,000 words in a span of 30 days?

EXAMS

7 - Where’s your favorite place to hunker down and write?

It's probably pretty telling that I find my best inspiration strikes in the middle of a lecture or on my 'homework' chair . . . yeah I have a homework chair.

8 - Have you told anyone else you’re doing NaNo this year?  Who?  What was their reaction?

I told Jacqui I didn't know if I'd be able to do NaNo officially this year.

She glared at me for about a whole straight minute.

And then I said I'd try.

9 - How does your love of writing manifest in non-NaNo months?

Well it doesn't all the time. During most of NaNo I kind of hate writing. Once I get over 10,000 I start to feel pretty good though, every now and then I'll churn out a scene or two that makes me get up and dance in a circular motion around my bedroom (true story). But what I love is the accomplishment and the knowledge that I am telling a story about people and that's what I love.

10 - Ever tried collaborative writing (such as play-by-post roleplaying)?  If so, what do you think of it?

I don't think I work well creatively with other people . . . plus most writers are crazy.

11 - Imagine you’re behind in your word count goals (even if you’re not) and are going to pull an all-nighter to catch up.  Screencap a playlist of inspirational music you would use to get you up to speed.

This is my zombie fighting mix. It is the most badass mix I have ever made.

12 - Name a male character from your novel.  Describe him through the point of view and words of the female character you introduced in question 3 (if they never interact, pick another female character).

Crusoe was . . . tall, I suppose. I mean, he was good-looking in a 'I still wear overalls out in public' kind of way. Not that there was anything wrong with that, I'm not that big of a snob. But he had . . .shoulders and . . . hair and things. See, this is the problem when people don't allow themselves to be labelled. With his no-band, no-brand tee-shirt and completely non-descript pants it was impossible to tell whether his home-grown, 'what's-a-tram?' act was legit or not.

Okay, he knows what a tram is. Maybe I am that big of a snob.

13 - Who is the antagonist in your novel?  What drives their actions?

I suppose the armed forces is one of them (clicheeee) and there's also a small gang of new-world conspiracy theorists. The drive of their actions is a series of complicated back-stories that I haven't come up with yet or articulated in any form whatsoever.

14 - Which authors or books have inspired your own writing the most, and why?

John Green writes the way I wish I thought and Jaclyn Moriarty's mastering of relationships and story-telling is glorious in every way.

15 - If you could meet one fictional character from any book you’ve ever read, who would it be, and why?

Weirdly enough it's a tie between Tiffany Aching from the Wee Free Men series and Hassan from An Abundance of Katherines. Tiffany is badass and Hassan just seems like a really fun guy. 

16 - Is religion featured in your novel at all?  If so, which ones?  If it’s/they’re your own creations, describe it/them and how it/they play(s) a part in your characters’ lives.

It is featured but not in an especially prominent way. One of my characters (the male introduced in Q.12) is a 'religious-ish' person before the incident and afterwards finds comfort in his faith as I imagine some would. The other three main characters, however, are not religious at all. There are a couple of scenes when they discuss the issue in a casual manner but nothing more.

17 - What are the names of at least two of your main characters?  How did you choose their names?
Matthew Robinson and Tristan Criss are my two main male characters. I chose Robinson because I wanted to use the nickname 'Crusoe' but besides that not much thought was put into naming at this point. Still in preliminary stages.

18 - Was any research involved (historical or otherwise) in your NaNo prep? 
I downloaded Google maps to get an aerial view of Sydney and I called upon 19 years of personal research and mental mapping of the city.
Thats . . . about it.

I bastardised these questions from a 30 day meme meant to be done alongside NaNo but I thought I'd answer a few to give you guys an idea of what I'll be doing for it. Again, not sure if it's 100% reasonable to expect a full 50,000 words by the end of November but I'll give it a good shot.
Feel free to ask anymore questions or send me your NaNo profile. And good luck.