The Office of Letters and Light Blog

“I sold my NaNoWriMo novel!” A Q&A with Rachael Herron

In March of last year, Chris Baty interviewed NaNoWrimo participant and published author Rachael Herron about her NaNo-novel, How to Knit a Love Song, published by HarperCollins. This March, a follow-up to that novel, How to Knit a Heart Back Home, hit the bookshelves. We were lucky enough to snag a moment of Rachael’s time for a check-in about her latest novel and insights on writing—and revising—her NaNoWriMo manuscripts.

Rachael, can you tell us a little bit about How to Knit a Heart Back Home?

Lucy never forgot the kiss or the bad boy she shared it with. Now, 17 years later, he’s back—and, dammit, he’s still sexy as hell. As owner of The Book Spire in the sleepy town of Cypress Hollow, Lucy Harrison isn’t used to too much excitement. But in one night all that changes when Owen Bancroft walks back into her life and sparks—quite literally—fly. The question is, does he even remember their one perfect kiss? And does she really want him to? Then, when a secret stash of books and lost patterns by world-famous knitting guru Eliza Carpenter are discovered in the Bancroft family home, the pair are thrown together once more. There’s no denying the electricity between them—but this time will black sheep Owen prove to be heart-stealer or heart-breaker?

When you wrote How to Knit a Love Song, did you already know you’d be following it up with this story?

Nope! I had no idea. I wrote the first book as my first NaNo attempt in 2006, and in my mind it was a one-off. (And a miracle—it was the first time I’d ever finished a full novel.) When it sold as part of a three-book deal, I was thrilled to go back into Cypress Hollow and dig up more characters for me to play with, but it definitely wasn’t planned that way.

How was the writing and revision process different this time around?

Read More

“I sold my NaNoWriMo novel!” A Q&A with Kim Brittingham

Kim is a three-time NaNoWriMo participant. She sold her book, Read my Hips: How I Learned to Love My Body, Ditch Dieting, and Live Large to Random House. The book hits shelves on May 3, and Kim took some time out of her busy schedule to talk with us about her experience.

Kim, can you tell us a little bit about Read My Hips?

Sure! Read My Hips is a memoir. It’s a peek into my experience as a girl growing up in the United States, and how our cultural obsession with thinness affected the kind of woman I’ve become. I realize I’m biased, but I truly think every girl and woman living in the United States and its western-influenced neighbors needs to read Read My Hips. We’re exposed to such relentless corporate-sponsored messages on a routine basis, urging us to spend our money to fix what’s “wrong” with us. We desperately need another perspective if we’re going to have a female population capable of sustaining authentic happiness and living full, satisfying lives.

I’m making Read My Hips sound like some heavy-handed sociopolitical book, but it’s not—it’s a collection of personal stories. Some are funny, some are tear-jerkers. But they’re experiences that will resonate with every woman who grew up in this country. Read My Hips lends a perspective on body-image issues that’s very different from what we’re used to hearing in the media, and it’s sorely needed.

Read More

Scriptwriting in the Emerald City

Dawn is the Script Frenzy Municipal Liaison for Seattle. She’s participated in NaNoWriMo since 2009 and Script Frenzy since 2010. A self proclaimed vagabond writer, she also enjoys swing sets, s’mores, writing six-word memoirs, and dancing on the streets. Her goal is to complete both challenges every year until 2014… or until the rapture.

How do you get participants writing?

Well for my weekly write-in participants, I hold space for a little problem-solving in the breaks. At our very first meeting, I taught people about lowliness and encouraged everyone to write on it for five minutes. Then we introduced ourselves and our projects. Each week I ask about issues any writer wants to discuss with the group. This is to encourage writers to discuss the parts they are stuck on and get some perspective on the block.

Writers love helping other writers as it’s another great way to avoid writing your own script. Except I am there and encourage them after the allotted break time to get back to writing. We usually do two dedicated blocks of 40 minutes with socializing during the breaks. I have come to love the sheepish look I get as I herd people back to their computers. We are a pretty consistent group of four to seven writers each week, and hearing all about their projects inspires me—from graphic novels, to TV spec scripts, to stage, our group is very diverse. I feel honored to be able to write with and see the growth of such fascinating writers.

Read More

Script Frenzy YWP in New Zealand!

Juanita McLellan is currently leading 50 students through Script Frenzy at Kuranui College, a secondary school in rural New Zealand. We asked her to tell us a little bit about her methods and the students’ progress this month. Be sure to root on the kids of Kuranui in the comments section!

This year, the drama students at Kuranui College have been given the challenge to write for Script Frenzy. Other than the initial “WHAT?!” followed by, “You don’t seriously expect us to write 100 pages, do you?” and “You’re dreaming, Miss,” the process has been painless.

With over 50 students currently working on script projects, we are never far from inspiration. The wall of the drama room is donned with Script Frenzy posters, and the gold stars make a shiny example of excellence. Starting each lesson with the ceremonial placing of the stars has been a fantastic motivator. We have also been using Plotbot to write our scripts, which allows all the students to invite each other to read and comment on their work. This has been a great idea, as the feedback is always honest and encouraging.

Read More

Mandi M. Lynch, Reckless Scribbler!

Mandi started writing at the age of six, pecking away at her mother’s keyboard and illustrating it herself with crayon. Now she lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she organizes events for the OLL and the Nashville Writers Meetup and runs her own lit mag, Ink Monkey.

Why did you decide to become a Script Frenzy ML? What’s your favorite part of the job?

My first time as a NaNo ML was six months before Screnzy debuted. When it was Screnzy time, they asked us first and I said yes because I didn’t want the region to start empty. Wish there was a better story than that. I spent a lot of time those first couple years sitting alone for a couple hours because nobody else came to write-ins. Fast forward to today, and my favorite part is looking around at a successful event and knowing that I had a part in bringing writers together. I’ve been doing this for five years now, and its at the point that I can look around a table and see my best friends. Who wouldn’t love that? Nashville has such an awesome group for both programs that we meet year-round!

Read More

Meet Tallahassee ML Rachel Rice

Rachel is a college student studying creative writing, and she carries a notebook and pen everywhere she goes, due to her insane fear of not being able to write something down at any given moment. She loves reading, Post-It notes, video blogging, and writing everything from short stories to scripts, and is the Script Frenzy ML for Tallahassee, Florida.

Why did you decide to become a Script Frenzy ML? What’s your favorite part of the job?

I’ve been participating in Script Frenzy since 2007, and I love the event. I’ve also participated in NaNoWriMo since 2005, and my favorite part was going to write-ins and meeting other people. Since Tallahassee didn’t have an ML for Script Frenzy and I really wanted to interact with other script writers, I decided I should volunteer! I love meeting people and making new friends, and I especially love listening to other people talk about their ideas. At our kick-off party this year, some of the games I planned helped a few attendees decide what they wanted to write about, and that made my day.

Read More

Letters and Light Around the World: Jezra Lickter

As a jack of all trades, Jezra enjoys reading, writing software in various languages, human locomotion, playing the bagpipes, banjo, and concertina, knitting and crafting, and basically anything semi-productive that will distract him from cleaning up his home. He also happens to work as OLL’s Web Developer.

How did you get into scriptwriting? What’s the draw?

I thought it was improper of me to work at the Office of Letters and Light and not write a script. Besides, no one else was going to write the story that was in my head. The draw is in the proof of the ability to create. Reading the finished product is, to me, like eating the produce in my garden.

What’s your scriptwriting process like? Do you plan ahead, or jump right in? When and where do you like to write?

My stories start as a collection of quotes, funny ideas, rants, and one-liners, that I collect throughout the year. During April, I wrap a bunch of characters around my collected pieces and call it “the dry comedy hit of the decade, where nothing happens.” I do a lot of pacing in various states of dress, adding and removing clothing, hats, and accessories until inspiration hits me.

What are you planning to write this year for Script Frenzy?

Whoa! Cool your jets, tiger! It isn’t even April yet, how would I know what I’m going to write? My script will either be a sequel, prequel, or tangential of last year’s script… or something completely different.

Script Frenzy starts at 12:00 AM local time on April 1—so sign up, set your time zone, and get writing!

Letters and Light Around the World: Tates Creek Middle School

When I heard that Valerie Powell was doing Script Frenzy with 190 of her students at Tates Creek Middle School in Lexington, KY, I had to learn more. I sent her a few interview questions, but didn’t expect what I got in return…

Valerie and her kids created this totally awesome video to tell the Frenzy community about how they’ve been preparing for the event. They’ve been rocking the YWP workbooks, writing killer loglines, and even stocking up on Cheetos for their wrap party. I can’t wait to hear more about their progress this April.

We hope this middle school enthusiasm gets you pumped for your own writing. Remember, Script Frenzy starts this Friday!

Letters and Light Around the World: Claire Rousseau

Claire is the Script Frenzy Municipal Liaison for London. She’s participated in NaNoWriMo since 2008 and Script Frenzy since 2009. She is fond of all things geeky, enjoys using needlessly weird, complicated, or quirky words and writes in her second language.

Why did you decide to become a Script Frenzy ML?

I was mainly inspired by how many wonderful writers I met through NaNo. London is a massive city and sometimes it can be hard to meet new people, but November always brings in a wave of amazing new people to my social circle. When I attempted my first Screnzy, in 2009, there was no ML in London and no events organized–-I failed on an epic scale. After that, I realized how helpful the buzz I got from NaNo write-ins and parties had been to me. I applied to be a Municipal Liaison to create a friendly, encouraging, crazy atmosphere for Script Frenzy–-the kind of buzz that pushes everyone to 100 pages.

Read More

“I sold my NaNoWriMo novel!” A Q&A with Elizabeth Haynes

Elizabeth Haynes lives in Kent, South East England, and works as a police intelligence analyst. The role involves looking at crime to establish patterns in offending a criminal behavior, and making recommendations for enforcement to enable the best use of available resources. Her experiences in the police force have not directly inspired Elizabeth’s plots—although it definitely made it easier to write a reasonably authentic crime novel.

Her 2008 NaNo-novel, Into the Darkest Corner, is being published by Myriad Editions in the UK on February 14, 2011. A French edition (Presses de la Cite) and a German edition (Diana Verlag) will follow.

Her 2010 NaNo-novel, The Revenge of the Tide, is scheduled for publication by Myriad Editions in Spring 2012.

Under a Hunter’s Moon, originally written for NaNoWriMo in 2007, will be published by Myriad Editions in 2013.

Can you tell us a little bit about Into the Darkest Corner and The Revenge of the Tide, and where the concepts for the novels came from?

Read More

“I sold my NaNoWriMo novel!” A Q&A with Júlia Durand

Júlia lives in Braga, a small city close to Porto, one of the biggest cities in Portugal. Júlia’s fantasy book, Segredos do Submundo: A Herdeira, was published by Minerva Coimbra when she was twelve.

Júlia, tell us more about yourself!

I started writing when I was around ten years old, with a friend of mine who was twelve. She was the first one to think about publishing (to tell the truth, I hadn’t a lot of faith in it!) and we published our fantasy books two years later, when she was fourteen and I twelve. I think we broke a national record!

My other passion, other than writing, would be writing, watching old movies, writing, and music, and - I did say writing, didn’t I? I have studied piano in a music school for eleven years, and right now I’m in a composition course. I am thinking of studying History of Music and Musicology at the University.

I am revising the book I wrote during last November’s NaNoWriMo and plan to send it to a publisher - even though I don’t have high hopes for it, because it’s not the sort of book that… well, that “sells!” But there’s no harm in trying!

Can you tell us a little bit about Segredos do Submundo: A Herdeira and where the concept for the novel came from? 

 To be honest, the idea and concept of that novel is a perfectly basic one, like many other fantasy books. It’s about a parallel world, an apparently perfect, peaceful and heavenly world, and the complications the heroine, Artemise, finds in it. But that book is in fact a “remake” of the sequel to another one I wrote before, when I was very young, around eleven years old. In it, the heroine is confronted with the possibility of being an heir to the throne and how she does not wish for it at all!

Read More