Who are you?
My
name is Joseph Van Dorn, but most people call me Joe. I grew up in
southern California, and after graduating at UC Irvine I started the
post-grad job search. After finding nothing that I wanted, I decided to
see what teaching English abroad was all about. I've been here in South
Korea for 4 months now, and Iife has been awesome ever since.
Why
did you pick NaNoWriMo to consume your November?
This
was my third nano, and I've always loved the rush of creative energy
that NaNoWriMo brings. I was hoping to meet a lot of fellow writers here
in Korea, so way back in July I applied for the position of Municipal
Liaison (ML), and the folks over at NaNoWriMo HQ gave me the position.
As ML, it was my job to organize writing events and to rally the writers
in forums. It was the most awesome volunteer position I ever did, and I
look forward to keeping NaNoWriMo for as long as I can.
What was your novel about? Also, why did you pick that?
My novel takes places in a fantasy world similar to Harry
Potter, though the mechanics of magic are pretty different. The magic
users of the world keep their power hidden from the rest of the world,
and as a result a lot of abuse and torment is inflicted upon the
non-magical. The main characters of my novel seek to break this status
quo, revealing the nature of magic to the entire world so true equality
may happen. I've been thinking about this story for a long time, and
about three months before November I decided to give it literary life. I
hope it to be the first story in a fantasy series that I will write,
existing as the explanation for the nature of my world. This is my first
brush with fantasy, and I must say that I really enjoy the genre.
What is your typical writing process like?
For me, location is very important. I love being in areas with
mild distraction, such as a coffee shop (Korea is an awesome place for
this). Then, I set a writing goal and work through it, rewarding myself
for reaching the half-way point with a pastry or another round of
coffee. It terms of the actual process, its really just a matter of
"go." Once my first draft is done, I give it about a month of rest
before I starting the editing process, working on a writing project
during the mean time.
How did your month go?
This
was actually an awesome year for me! I got to the 50K mark on November
20th, and by November 30th I was at 78K. I met a lot of awesome people
over the month, and I'm so glad that my first time as ML went so
smoothly!
What was the hardest part? What was the easiest part?
The
hardest part was balancing the other parts of my life. Sometimes my
writing would take me away from other social events and other
responsibilities that I have.
The easiest part? Meeting other nano participants! I love being around
writers, and I hope to meet with these people many more times over the
year!
What did you learn from NaNoWriMo this year?
I learned that writing is a part of who I am, and that I want
to make it a more permanent part of my life. Ideally, I'll finish my
current book within a few months, and then send it to an agent or
publishing house to see how I fare in the writing world.
Where else can we find you online?
Check out my blog at jsvandorn.tumblr.com. I even wrote a blog post about my experiences as ML, where I go into more detail about what my month was like.
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