NaNoWriMo Spotlight: Jennifer Mitchell aka jenngersnap

Introducing Jennifer Mitchell, known as jenngersnap on the forums. Her NaNo novel was titled "A History of Euron" and was a collection of short stories. It was fun to participate in NaNoWriMo alongside Jen, as I've known her since middle school. She's the wife of Will, and also plays in my pathfinder game (Her character is Stormy, so keep an eye out for her!)


Who are you?

An IT professional at CPCC, as well as an amateur artist and lifelong reader.

Why did you pick NaNoWriMo to consume your November? 

This was my second serious attempt to do NaNoWriMo, although I've done it three or four years total, I think. I still didn't finish, but I did better this year than previous years.

What was your novel about this year? And why did you pick that?

I really wanted to flesh out the world of a comic I have been wanting to draw. I felt that by creating myths and legends and histories that take place long before the comic, the world will feel richer even though those stories may not directly impact the comic itself.

I got a lot of great ideas and myths, even though I didn't make my word count. It was definitely worth it!

What is your typical writing process like?

I like to think about the overall framework first, and then go back and fill in some of the specifics of the story arc or whatever type of writing it is. Then I go over it again, and fill in the specific details. Sometimes, while I am making up the details, I think of a new direction that I want to take the story. In that case, I change the framework and then figure out how to re-adjust the previous details to fit the new shape.

What did you learn from NaNoWriMo this year?

I learned that I need to do a lot more research! World-building is hard, but we live in an amazing world already, so there are tons of very cool ideas to draw from it. The more "stuff" I know about, the more ways I can find to fit it together in a new yet logical way.