Nanowrimo Spotlight: Mamma Mia, Here I Go Again!

Good evening and my apologies, friends and followers! I meant to post an interview, but I guess I got so involved with writing, word crawls, a write-in, and building soundtracks that it didn’t happen. But here’s a great spotlight on Tika, who you can find on the nanowrimo site or at her own website! Tika tells us about her Nanowrimo background…

---

This will be my 7th NaNoWriMo – and from 2011 to 2014, I have been an ML. If I were to pick my favourite memories from these years, two pops up immediately. I remember one year, when we had two participants joining us on 15th. It was their first year and they only got wind of the November craziness right in the middle of it. And you know what?

They both reached 50K. FANTASTIC. I am still amazed by them.

Another favourite was my 2nd year: it was my last year at university, so I had plenty of exams, I had a creative writing course with essays to deliver, plus I really should’ve started on that dissertation thing. I thought OK, I’ll try, let’s go with 20K, and maybe for my dissertation, because I have so much going on this month. But you know what happened? I actually wrote 50K. Fiction. In a second language. So despite all this, I won. And I would never ever know this if I hadn’t tried, despite all the odds against me.

What are you writing about this year?
Space vampires!

What is your favorite movie – you have to pick just one!
This is a though one. The more I tried to narrow it down, the more ideas came. But let’s go with ‘Shall we dance’.

What advice would you give to all your fellow Wrimos?
Go to the forums. Go to the meetups (doesn’t matter if it’s online or in-person). Talk to other participants, because they’re going through the same with their novel, at the same time as you, and the community here is amazing! Very supportive, so don’t be a lurker, engage with other Wrimos and November will be much more fun! (And writing a novel will be easier 😉 )

Sneaky Ninja question! How many Wrimos does it take to change a light bulb?

Camp Nano Spotlight: Tierney Clement

Hey there, friends, followers, and A to Z-ers. My next Camp Nano spotlight interview is from Tierney Clement.

How did you find out about Camp Nanowrimo?
Through the main NaNoWriMo website.

Have you participated in Camp Nano before?
I haven’t participated in Camp NaNo before.  I have participated in the regular NaNoWriMo, and some unofficial NaNo-esque events, but I haven’t been sucessful at any.  In part, this is because I write exceptionally slowly, which is why I’ve set a lower 30,000 word goal for camp.

Do you know what you’re going to write this year?
I’ve had the premise floating around in my head for a while, and there are certain themes I know I’d like to touch on, but I haven’t the slightest idea how it will end.

What’s your favorite part of your Camp project?
I like the way the characters are turning out.  When I began, I only had a very loose idea of what they would be like, and as I write they’re becoming more defined.  I also like that it’s a little different from the things I’ve written before.  I usually have teenage main characters, but that just didn’t work for this particular project.

Sneaky Ninja question! How many campers does it take to change a light bulb?
We’re too busy writing to bother changing the lightbulb.  We can do it in May.

About me:  I am a 20-year-old aspiring writer and part time student. Writing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve gone through stretches where I don’t write at all, but I always come back to it.  I love reading, and am constantly acquiring new books.  My hope is to one day have a massive home library.  I technically have a blog,tierneyclement.blogspot.com, and I fully intend to post there very soon.

Campaigner Spotlight – Jarmila

Happy Leap Day, everybody, and happy Spotlight day, again. Today, my spotlight victim – er, gracious guest is Jarmila, from Freelance Writer for Women and Children.

How many Campaigners does it take to change a light bulb?
I see light bulbs as ideas.  In that case, we would not need Campaigners to change a light bulb. The electricity we generate from all the great ideas would keep that bulb glowing for a very long time!

How will you know when you’ve reached success as a writer?
When I hear folks say, “That article/book/story was such an encouragement to me” or “I didn’t know that…how fascinating!” or, “I felt as though I was there in the scene with your character.” Any or all of those would spur me on…

What’s your favorite breakfast food?
That’s a tough one.  I can’t decide between eggs Benedict, eggs and corn-beef hash, or biscuits and gravy.  They are meals to be indulged in only a few times a year!

What advice would you give to all your fellow campaigners?
Don’t get over committed, do what you can, and don’t feel intimidated by others.  Write what you know and love, and not what you feel is popular, or what you are told will sell. Be true to yourself.  Be brave, and branch out in a new way this year with either FaceBook, Twitter, or your blog.

Jarmila V. Del Boccio (a.k.a. Vicki by friends) has been a freelance writer for women and children for the past two years, and has published in “Thriving Family” magazine.  Her passion is to make History and the Scriptures come alive for children, although PiBoIdMo and 12×12 in 2012 has stretched her to include fiction.  Her Travel Blog is primarily used to share her family’s amazing homeschool expeditions, but has morphed to include a “journey into the world of writing.”

Thanks so much for sharing your light bulbs with us, Jarmila!