Going Postal

John Carney won in the NaNoWriMo this year.

Yes, yes, I know you're ALL winners if you show and tell that you've written 50,000 words in the 30 days of November. Carney did with "Postage Required". What's interesting is that he also documented the process. Here are some excerpts:

The novel is pretty rough, as you might expect from NaNoWriMo's quantity-over-quality approach, but I have to say there are parts of it I'm surprised by.

I thought it was appropriate to add one more sentence, in which another character offers some encouragement to my central character: "Keep it up, Miller." That line took me over 10,000, and it's as if I was telling myself to "Keep it up."

My goal right now is quantity, not quality. I am developing work habits which are improving my creative output.

I'm starting to at least feel like I can write a novel if I want to. I may or may not get to 50,000 words this month, but I've definitely accomplished something, and maybe if this one doesn't work out I can get a running start on another one.

My favorite statement is: I have just finished writing a very emotional part of the novel. It is either very good or very bad, and I'm not sure which. This feeling is the consequence of mining your own experience for material. Objectivity is almost impossible. Still, Carney used the impetus of a heart-wrenching experience to start his book, then allowed "what if" to build it into a different story.

Carney told me "the novel reads like it was speed-written. After the holidays, I plan to buckle down and start rewriting it. I want to see how good it is, and if I really have a hope of being a creative writer." He has already won awards for his journalism and proven he has the strength and dedication necessary to switch fields and extend his skills.

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