In honor of starting this new journey... a meme. I think it's meant to be spread out over the whole month, but I'll answer what I can.
Day 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?
No. I'm a NaNoWriMo virgin. My connection to writing... I can't not write. I'm an only child and to entertain myself I've always made up stories in my head, lost myself in books, and pretended to be somebody else to keep myself entertained. For a time, these tendencies found their expression through acting and directing, but I'm too short to play the parts that challenged me and other actors are assholes, so I discovered that I could imagine, act, and direct and control the whole process through writing.
Day 2 - What’s the title of your story? Why did you choose the name you did?
The title of my story is Laloux. I chose this name because it was the name of the architect of the Museé D'Orsay, a French museum that plays an important part in my novel. Laloux constructed the museum by covering the iron of an old train station with marble and various other materials. I think the structure's outer beauty and hidden strength is poetic and definitely speaks to the personalities and relationships between the three main characters.
Day 3 - Pick one of your female characters. Introduce your readers to her, from her point of view and her words only.
Blakely Arden Daniels
Oh, god. I hate these stupid profiles - I never know what to say. Single, white, female seeks... haha. Sorry. I was kidding. Kind of. I'm Blakely or Blake. I'm 25, and in my final semester of law school, but I guess that's not really who I am, just what I do. I like pineapple and sunshine. I'm an intern-extraordinare. I'm originally from around here, but I prefer not to claim it. My mom's a teacher, my dads in international-sales. I have a cat. I secretly hate wearing dresses and skirts, but it's like standard uniform around here. I'm not supposed to smoke but I do. I play the guitar and sometimes I sing in the local bars for extra cash. I live in a house that's not mine, but also not my parents. I speak French, love to dance, and would be covered in tattoos if I could be. I don't really fit in here. I miss the city... well, the the cities. Both Chicago and Paris. And Barcelona. I have a lot of "friends" but I don't have a best friend. I used to, but she bailed, and I'm okay with that. Or, I'm trying to be. It was a long time ago. I guess maybe I'm just one of those people that's not great at having girl-friends. Whatever. I'm currently single, but that doesn't mean I'm not having fantastic sex ;-) And that sounded slutty, but what can you do.
Day 4 - What genre is your novel?
Literary Fiction.
Day 5 - Name two songs from your playlist that you feel are connected with your novel in some way, and explain how they are.
Gravity - Lucy Schwartz
Sums up how Blakely feels about Julianne.
Come on Get Higher - Matt Nathanson
Theme song for Blakely and Cameron's love story. When Cameron falls, he falls hard.
Day 6 - What is your one biggest stressor related to forcing yourself to write at least 50,000 words in a span of 30 days?
Um, grad school. Holy hell! I have so many papers to write for class.
Day 7 - Where’s your favorite place to hunker down and write?
A comfy chair, away from prying eyes.
Day 8 -List your current, most up-to-date word count. Are you satisfied with your progress thus far?
No word count to speak of. I have lots of character planning and some rough outlining and thoughts floating around in my head.
Day 9 - Have you told anyone else you’re doing NaNo this year? Who? What was their reaction?
Nope. This is the first I've mentioned it... besides a brief tweet where people who know me can read and react. I doubt anyone will. I'm usually very private about my writing and the people who know I write know that.
Day 10 - How does your love of writing manifest in non-NaNo months?
I write when I can and am forever coming up with new ideas.
Day 11 - Ever tried collaborative writing (such as play-by-post roleplaying)? If so, what do you think of it?
I've done a bit of collaborative writing. I think it can be a good thing if your strengths and your writing partner's are complimentary. Like one is great with plot, but the other rocks at dialogue or characterization.
Day 12 - 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.
Day 13 - 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).
Day 14 - Is the sexuality of your characters a large part of your novel’s story? If so, are there characters who deviate from the heterosexual “norm”? In what way?
The sexuality of my characters is a large part of my novel. It's a love story at the end of the day. They deviate a bit from the heterosexual norm. For example, Blakely has been known to experiment and neither Blakely or Cameron are uptight about doing it outside the confines of marriage. Both of them are very sexual beings. Anal sex is a possibility for these two. However, it's going to take Cameron a while to get to place where he feels comfortable doing anything with Blakely and vice versa, until he's had some time and space to grieve for Julianne. He'll fall in lust with Blakely almost on sight, but he respects her too much to lead her on, at least purposely.
Day 15 - Do any of your characters have a disability or mental illness? If so, how does that affect their development throughout your story?
No disabilities, but both Blakely and Cameron will be grieving. For Blakely this will put extra stress on her while she's already dealing with Major Depressive Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder.
Day 16 - At around the half-way point, it bears mentioning that most of us wrimos have other obligations beside simply hitting that elusive word count. What else do you have going on in your life (work, school, children, neurotic pets, etc.), and just how much are you shafting it to win NaNo?
Knowing me, I'll probably jeopardize my studies more than is wise.
Day 17 - In what time period is your novel set? Is it in this world or another?
Starts in the spring of 2010 and runs through 2013.
Day 18 - Who is the antagonist in your novel? What drives their actions?
Blakely. Her actions are driven by her intense grief over Julianne's death, promises she made to Julianne before she disappeared, her embarrassment and betrayal over Julianne's disappearance, and by growing feelings for Cameron that she can't seem to control.
Day 19 - Which authors or books have inspired your own writing the most, and why?
Lionel Shriver and Milan Kundera, because they aren't afraid to shake up storytelling conventions.
Day 20 - If you could meet one fictional character from any book you’ve ever read, who would it be, and why?
Toss-up between Kevin, from We Need To Talk About Kevin and Suzanne, from Paper Wings.
Day 21 - With about 10 days left to this arguably traumatic experience, what are your plans and goals for your novel, should you successfully complete it?
To get it published. It's essentially a love letter to a dear friend, I'd like to know that she's read it someday.
Day 22 - If you’ve participated in or won NaNo before, what happened to your other novel efforts? Still in the revision process/querying publishers/scrapped it immediately/etc.
No NaNoWriMo before...
Day 23 - Do animals play any part in your story? If so, how do they add to it?
Yes, they showcase Blakely's deep-seated need for affection and connection.
Day 24 - 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.
Yes. As Blakely and Cameron deal with their grief they struggle to fit Julianne's death into their understanding of the world and their spirituality. Cameron finds his atheism at odds with his need to know where Julianne is... that she is indeed somewhere and not gone. Blakely finds her unique blend of Christianity/Agnosticism failing to help her understand why Julianne is taken from her.
Day 25 - What are the names of at least two of your main characters? How did you choose their names?
Blakely Arden Daniels
Julianne Grace Murphy
Cameron Evan Murphy
Day 26 - Was any research involved (historical or otherwise) in your NaNo prep?
Yes, still plugging my way through it.
Day 27 - Are you panicked that you won’t have enough time to finish by November 30?
Duh.
Day 28 - Name one thing you shafted all month in favor of participating in NaNo.
My homework... eek!
Day 29 - Name one thing in which you indulged as a treat to keep yourself motivated and writing that you wouldn’t otherwise have done.
Ice cream and movies that make me cry so I wouldn't normally watch them.
Day 30 - Share a link to either your NaNo profile or a location on the internet where your story can be found. If someone offered to beta read for you, would you be willing to do the same for them during the subsequent editing process?
Oh gee. A link? I don't know, but I would love a beta, provided it is someone I trust.
Good for you lady! I'm faking NaNoWriMo - a bunch of my blogging friends are doing it, but I just don't have the brain for fiction so I'm going to work on a memoir-esque thing I've been toying with but never committing to. Story of my writing life, ha.
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