I am convinced that the (lovely, brilliant) people who conceived NaNoWriMo were not parents of small children. Because any parent of small children knows that November 1st – the day after Halloween – is an inauspicious day to embark on any grand enterprise.
Surely, were they parents of small children, they would know that one’s toddler, coming off a sugar high like a junkie comes off smack, will spend the day growling and spitting and writhing and refusing to eat anything that is not wrapped in cellophane. Certainly, had they young children, they would have understood that one’s spouse would have to pay for coming home a few hours early on Halloween by staying late every day for the rest of the week and working on Saturday. Of course, if they were parents, they would understand that the best you can hope for on the day after Halloween is to scout around your house for unwrapped, once-licked lollipops before the ants find them for you.
Awarded by random drawing to one (1) of the six previous chapter winners, this prize package includes travel, hotel, and a day at HarperCollins. You’ll meet with an editor, get an introduction to our art department, and learn about the promotion of a title. Plus, you’ll receive a $250 saks.com shopping spree.
Thank God for that Saks card, because I have absolutely nothing to wear!
Shortly after receiving that email, I sent another one to my employer. I quit my job. Well, one of my jobs.
Sure, it’s just a little part-time, independent contractor gig that brings in about $1000 a month. But I’ve been working with this woman for over 2 years, and I really like her. It’s a very scary move, to quit a paying job to devote my time to writing. Especially when I have two very young children who are quickly filling the world’s landfills with disposable diapers.
Congratulations to Sarah/Sienna, who won the Fox Studios deal!
And to Sara_Lindsey, who won chapter 6!
And to Gillian, who won the weekly chapter bonus!
Farewell, FanLit – Hello, NaNo!
I felt like I needed some way to stay in touch with all of you after the madness that was FanLit!
I’m gearing up to try NaNoWriMo for the first time, and I’m looking forward to seeing many of you over there in the AFL Nano’ers group.
I suppose for my first blog post, it might be mildly interesting to share how I adopted this name, “Tessa Dare.” The day I learned about FanLit was September 16, the Saturday before submissions closed for Round 1. I read about the contest in a nifty WSJ article that featured our very own ErvinA. The article was passed on to me through a group of friends I’ve made in the Jane Austen fandom. On the recommendation of the same friends, I had just started reading Middlemarch by George Eliot – one of the many classics I am embarrassed to admit I have not read.