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The NaNoWriMo 20 Questions Tag!

Sophie Li

Hello everyone!

Who is doing NaNoWriMo this year??!!! [raises hand reluctantly]

I am raising my hand reluctantly because I love NaNo, and I really really want to give it a shot this year, but to be honest I am not really sure how it’s going to go because November is going to be a really busy month and……… yeah. But let’s give it our best shot!

I am starting a “20 Questions” tag for NaNoWriMo because I am super curious about the projects that you guys are working on, and how you are all planning to survive NaNoWriMo this year. I’ll try to keep them short and sweet! Let’s go!

Rules

  1. Thank the awesome blogger who tagged you!
  2. Link back to the creator of this tag, Sophie @ Sophie’s Corner. (I want to hear about your NaNo novels!!)
  3. Feel free to use the NaNoWriMo 20 Questions Tag graphics!
  4. Answer the questions.
  5. Tag some friends who are also doing NaNo this year.
  6. And have fun!!!

Tell me about your NaNoWriMo project this year! Give me a blurb!

No one knows where the Fog comes from. All they know is that those who enter the Fog never return.

Luna and her twin sister Treya live in a town on the coast of Eskaria. Luna is the quiet one, while Treya is charismatic, powerful and the pride of the Delphinus Clan. Treya has already decided to be a Sorcerer and join the Queen’s Army, just like their mother and father. But Luna doesn’t know what she wants to be; also, joining the Queen’s Army seems like a lot of work.

On the day of their graduation. Luna rescues a boy from the edge of the Fog. His name is Caio Amadeus Vladimir and he looks nothing like anyone in the country. Caio wants to go into the Fog and map out the lost regions of Eskaria, and he asks Luna to be his bodyguard. Luna thinks he is delusional.

Until Treya disappears on a misty day. Luna will do anything to bring her back.

What’s the genre?

YA high fantasy! I’ve never written high fantasy before but we’ll see how it goes!

Describe your MC in three words.

Fun-loving, lazy, warrior.

Without spoilers, describe your villain in three words.

Benevolent, powerful, mortal.

What is your goal? (the traditional 50K? 20K? 5K? or……. 100K?)

I’m going with the conventional goal of 50K words in one month (yikes!!!!)

Is this your first draft? Second? Third?

First!! I’m excited!

Are you starting a new project (or draft), or continuing an existing one?

I’ll be writing Scene 1 of Chapter 1 of Draft 1 on November 1st!

What is your favourite time to write in the day?

Early mornings and late nights! Sometimes I can squeeze in some writing during lunch break.

Where are you going to write?

On my couch and in the cafe. In both cases, a cup of tea in my hands.

Computer or paper?

I’ve been doing planning on the computer but it was actually during last year’s NaNoWriMo when I started writing on paper. When I type my novel, I tend to go back and fix things and edit as I go. But there is limited physical space to do this on paper, so handwriting helps me shut off my inner editor haha.

NaNoWriMo is a huge commitment!! How are you going to make time to write?

I’m going to go back to my routine of waking up an hour early in the morning to write, this way I will have already written something before going to work. If I save all 1667 words for after work, I’ll feel more pressure about about having to write it all in the evening.

Are you going to participate in local or online NaNoWriMo events? (e.g. kick-off parties in your city, write-ins, virtual writing sprints…)

I’ve been to a few write-ins last year (mixed experiences) but I’m going to give it another try this year. I haven’t been to any local kick-off parties last year but… maybe I’ll give it a shot this time around?

Do you write from beginning to end or skip around?

I write from beginning to end. Since my story and characters evolve as I write, skipping around will probably make the story incongruous. However I’ve heard many people swear by this method!

Planner or pantser? (or plantser?)

I spend a lot of time planning but things don’t always go according to plan, so I’d say I’m a plantser!

What will be your go-to NaNoWriMo snack?

Chocolate! Lots and lots of it!!

Choice of caffeine? (or no caffeine?)

Tea!

Any rewards for milestone achievements? For finishing NaNoWriMo?

Hmm I haven’t thought too much about this. I think after finishing NaNo I’ll collapse and sleep a lot.

Share a tip for other NaNo-ers!

Life is hectic and on some days, we might not be able to write 1667 words (or whatever your daily word goal might be) and that’s okay. Write as much as you can, even if it is just one or two sentences, and set aside time to make up for it on the next day or the weekend.

How are you feeling about NaNoWriMo? (Excited?! Nervous!? Terrified?!)

It’s still a bit early and I just started plotting my novel, but I am beginning to get into the headspace of my characters and my world and my story so yes, long story short, I am feeling excited! And as for the NaNoWriMo part of things… definitely a bit nervous since I’m not sure how this year will go!

Share an aesthetic for your NaNoWriMo novel!

Photos by Artem Sapegin; Lukas Neasi; Artur Rutkowski; freestocks.org; Muhammad Haikal Sjukri; Abyan Athif 

I want to tag these wonderful people!

If you’re not on the list but you are doing NaNoWriMo this year and you want to give this tag a try, consider yourself tagged!!

Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? How would you answer some of these questions?

Published by Sophie Li

I am a Chinese-Canadian book lover & aspiring author. When not reading, writing, or taking care of an infant, you can find me organizing my life using a spreadsheet while munching on chocolate.

72 thoughts on “The NaNoWriMo 20 Questions Tag!”

  3. Thanks so much for tagging me for this, Sophie – I’m definitely gonna do this before NaNoWriMo 😄

    Good luck with your first foray into high fantasy! Your novel sounds SO COOL and it already seems like you’ve got a great sense of it! 😊 I’m the same way in terms of drinks – it’s hard to write without a nice warm cup of tea within reach. And I’m thinking I might go to a local write-in this year, even though this would be the first time for me!

    Hope your October prep work goes well, and good luck!! 💕

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you Margaret!! I’m glad you like the description of my novel so far 🙂 Looking forward to seeing your version of this tag, whenever you have the chance to do it!
      Yes tea is essential for writing haha. That’s great that you’re interested in a write-in. Let me know how it goes 🙂 I did have good experiences in general, people were pretty friendly and usually it’s a matter of too much chatting (and not enough time for writing haha) but it depends on the group. Some are quieter than others 🙂

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    1. Thank you Katie! Yes Nanowrimo is coming up (time really flies!) Are you participating this year by any chance? (I will send you your interview questions soon, just haven’t had the chance yet 🙂 )

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      2. Yes the community is the great part about Nanowrimo. I love that there is a big online presence across social media platforms (and offline too!!) Sometimes writing feels like an isolating activity so I love November when everyone is talking and being social about writing haha 🙂
        Let me know if I can add you to my writing buddy list on the Nano website!

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Your WIP sounds amazing! NaNo is my favorite holiday lol (does it count as a holiday??) I’m not doing it this year since I really want to finish my revisions, but I hope you crush your goal! Your story idea and main character sound awesome. The next book I write, I want to try high fantasy. Good luck!

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    Reply

    1. Thank you Madeline! Haha yes I do consider Nano to be a holiday since it is on my radar every year (and sometimes I even take time off!) If you are planning to do your revisions during Nanowrimo, have you ever thought about being a Nano rebel? 🙂

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      1. I’ve thought about it! I would maybe do hours? Like 50 hours spent on revisions but I’m not sure yet. There’s just something about frantically writing an entire book in a month that I find so appealing lol. But then it takes a loooong time to revise…as I’m finding out.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. It’s tricky to fit in revisions during Nanowrimo but 50 hours a month sounds like a good approach! It’ll be about 1-2 hours a day which can be as challenging as writing 1667 words I think 🙂 The good part is that, even though you’re not doing the 50K like everyone else, you’ll still get to join in on the Nano fun!

        Like

  7. This is a wonderful tag for NaNoWriMo and a great place to share your thoughts for it– I love it!! I say this every year but maybe next year I will fully do NaNo as it looks really cool. I am currently writing but I’m trying to do two at the same time and it all a bit in the air– I’ve been delaying worldbuilding for one book and started a contemporary but after doing a post on worldbuilding I feel a new burst of energy for it so hopefully I can get that finished and starting writing for it.
    Your plot sounds so interesting and I love the high fantasy– it definitely sounds like a book I would pick up at a shop!! It all so wonderful— I love that you described your MC as lazy because I don’t think you see that trait a lot but I actually really like it in characters so that’s amazing!!
    I love how you mentioned lots of chocolate because I find that essential to writing!!
    I would love to wake up early and write but I am not a morning person– I tend to write best if I have deadlines or right before I go to bed, haha.
    This was great to read and I wish you best of luck with NaNoWriMo!! ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Sophie!
      Glad that you find the plot interesting! Haha as for my “lazy” character, I actually chose this trait from a list of character flaws in an online article. I never wrote about a lazy character before so I wanted to experiment with this character flaw and see where it takes me 🙂
      Morning writing isn’t for everyone. As long as you find a routine that works for you, it’s good!
      Good luck with your projects! It sounds like you are juggling two good ones right now. Hope that the inspiration continues. Happy writing 🙂

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  8. Awesome idea for a tag Sophie!! I’m looking forward to doing this one and it will definitely help me get concrete ideas for how I want to go about (and hopefully succeed in) NaNoWriMo this year! I love the premise of your story 😀 HIGH FANTASY ❤ My interest is peaked!! Coffee is my crutch but I'm an avid tea drinker too, whatever hits the spot honestly because I'm going to be running on a lot of caffeine these next two months lol

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    1. Hello Jai Lynn! Glad that you like the premise of this novel! I can’t wait to see your version of this tag whenever you get a chance to get to it 🙂
      Haha yes to caffeine! I am already running on a steady stream of tea and I only anticipate my caffeine intake increasing these few months haha XD Happy writing!!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Hey Joe!! Looking forward to seeing your version of this tag, though of course no rush and no pressure!
      Also, I think my Nanowrimo buddy list reset so I’ll need your Nano username again to add you on the website 🙂

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  11. Fantastic idea for a tag. I’ve loved reading your answers and kook forward to reading other people’s too (: your idea sounds wonderful and I really hope it works out for you. I’m also 100% with you about tea – I love tea.

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  12. OMG YES. I’m participating so I definitely want to do this tag before November! Your story sounds so goooood! I wish you all the luck with it. Also, when you say you had mixed experiences with write-ins, what were those experiences? lol

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    1. Hello Molly!
      Yay! So glad that you’re doing Nanowrimo too! I am always happy to hear writer-bloggers participating 🙂 Let me know if I can add you to my writing buddy list on the Nanowrimo website!
      Hahaha yes I didn’t want to get into too much detail about write-ins in this post since it was already getting very long. I haven’t had any bad write-in experiences. During my first write-in experience, no one talked at all (not even to introduce themselves hahaha) so it felt a bit awkward at first though I got used to it quickly, and it ended up being very productive actually. In my second write-in, it was a larger group and they spent the entire time talking (and it wasn’t even interesting stuff; it was all about the politics behind Nanowrimo etc) and the entire time I was getting antsy because I needed to write my 1667 words for the day lol!!! So yeah, that’s what I meant by mixed experiences XD

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  15. I will never cease to be amazed & awed by people who participate in NaNoWriMo ESPECIALLY ON TOP OF FULL TIME JOBS & BLOGGING & JUST…LIFE?! You’re incredible!! Speaking of incredible – THAT SYNOPSIS. CAN YOUR BOOK BE DONE SO I CAN READ IT ALREADY?! 😍 And that AESTHETIC – BE STILL MY BEATING HEART!!!

    Good luck with NaNoWriMo & don’t forget to consume ALL the chocolate & tea!!

    💛 Ngoc

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hey Ngoc! Thanks for your encouraging comment haha 🙂 I am glad that you like the synopsis and the aesthetic of my WIP. It’s definitely a challenge to juggle Nanowrimo and everything else so I’ll give it my best shot this year! Have you thought about doing Nano this year?

      Liked by 1 person

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  16. That’s such a cool Tag! I won’t be able to do NaNoWriMo this year, but I wish you all the best luck with your project! 🥰 The idea sounds really cool! I’m very intrigued by the mysterious fog and the boy she’s finding – this could be such an atmospheric book 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hey Caro!! Thank you! I’m so glad that you like the novel idea so far 🙂 That’s too bad that you can’t do Nanowrimo this year. I know that it’s usually bad timing with school and everything. Anyway, hope that writing goes well, even if you won’t be able to do Nano 🙂

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