Introducing the first victim, I mean, interviewee in my line up - Gus Sanchez, aka dabi71 on the NaNoWriMo site. His novel is titled "That's the Way The Heroes Go". I personally had a hoot meeting him at the first write-in I hosted during November.
Gus Sanchez, mild-mannered corporate cube monkey by day, swashbuckling, fearless writer of fiction by night.
Why did you pick NaNoWriMo to consume your November?
I'm a vet, albeit one that did pretty poorly the first time around. I hadn't planned on doing NaNoWriMo until I noticed that other writers I'd been following online were doing the same, so I threw in my hat just to prove to myself that I could do this. My first time was a disaster, a failure caused by pure hubris. I had nothing planned, thinking I could wing it. Bad idea. This time around, I trained like I was going into a prizefight, one that was going the full 12 rounds. And I won.
What was your novel about this year? And why did you pick that?
My novel's a story about a man who comes to the realization that he's been living a life of a childhood fantasy, and it's about time he grew up. Problem is, he's a superhero, so how can he possibly grow up, when he's expected to be the realization of everyone's superhero fantasies?
It's been an idea that's brewed in my head, in several hundred configurations, over the past 18 months, but the heavy bulk of it was written within the past 9 months or so, including November.
What is your typical writing process like?
I start with a sketch, and that's often involving me writing longhand. I've filled notebooks up with lengthy scenes and ideas. Once I get something I like going, I'll commit it to disk, using Scrivener, which allows me to see the edits and drafts I've compiled so far.
I'm also pretty ritualistic when it comes to writing. If it's just me and my notebook, then it doesn't matter where I am. But if my story is taking off, and I'm in the throes of 2,000-3,000 words, where I'm writing is important. Either I'm at my desk at home, or my local Starbucks. Regardless, there's a playlist I'll listen to that I've compiled solely for this novel, and plenty of caffeine to keep me going.
How did your month go?
Completed. Survived. Exhilarated. Now on to editing, which isn't so much fun.
What did you learn from NaNoWriMo this year?
Quite a lot, but since I blogged about it a few weeks ago, allow me to share it with you: http://outwherethebusesdontrun.com/2012/12/11/post-nanowrimo-lessons-learned
Where else can we find you online?
Feel free to follow me at http://outwherethebusesdontrun.com, and I'll follow you as well!
Hey Anna, thanks for the interview. I've re-posted the interview on my blog; hope this earns you a few more hits!
ReplyDeletehttp://outwherethebusesdontrun.com/2013/01/02/re-post-nanowrimo-spotlight-gus-sanchez/
I'll be sending you a few interview questions of my own here in the coming days, so stay tuned.
- Gus
Hi Gus, wonderful to read about you after watching your progress at NaNo. Nice to know I'm not the only one who starts out long hand. In fact, before arthritis decided to get my right hand, I actually preferred writing. Something about the sound of a nib against good quality paper, like the tangible embodiment of my thoughts. I also love that you play the same music over and over. Me too. I've never used Scrivener so I'll have to look into it.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on winning at NaNo. And great interview. Kudos to you and Anne.