There's not much time left to make it to NYPL's many NaNoWriMo monthly write-ins! How is your novel coming along? What is your word count? Are you ahead of the curve or do you have some catching up to do?

Need some encouragement or inspiration? Here's another look at a NaNoWriMoer for 2010!

Please visit nanowrimo.org for more information.

What is your name or pseudonym?

Erin

What borough do you live in? And are you planning to attend any of the NYPL Write-Ins?

I live in Brooklyn. I do plan to come to a few of the NYPL write-ins.

What is the title of the book you are writing for NaNoWriMo 2010?

Still untitled!

Does it fall under one or more genres? If so, what are they?

Historical fiction, with some romance elements.

Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo before? If so, what was the best part of the experience?

Yes, a number of times! I enjoy both the writing and the social aspect. The last couple of years I wound up writing novels that I really love (I intend to shop around last year's, now that I'm nearly done editing it). I've also met some really amazing people. The whole thing is a lot of fun, which is why I keep coming back each year.

Who are the main characters and how do they fit into the story?

The novel takes place in 1927. The two leads are Eddie, a down-on-his-luck vaudeville actor/singer, who stars in a production that is a fictional version of the Ziegfeld Follies; and Lane, a man who was at the heart of a family scandal and has now been more or less exiled in New York, and after a lot of trauma, he's ended up as a henchman to a mafia bootlegger. The two characters meet at a nightclub run by Lane's boss, and their friendship is the center of the novel.

Is your book based on the style of any well-known author? What are some of your favorite books?

It's not really based on anything specific, besides that I've read a number of books about New York in the 1920s, so I'm basing the story on that research. Some of my favorite writers include Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Louise Erdrich, Jane Smiley, Jennifer Egan. (I have an English degree; my concentration was in American women writers.) And romance novels are my guilty pleasure.

How much pre-writing have you done so far?

The above-mentioned research, first of all. I have a few pages of notes and I made lists of characters and story ideas, but it's not put together enough to be called an outline. (I have found that this is the ideal amount of planning for me. It means I have a jumping off point but then plenty of room to veer off in a different direction if I find my original idea doesn't quite work.)

What do you think will be the hardest part about completing your NaNoWriMo novel?

I have a lot going on this November that is unrelated to NaNo, so I'm not completely sure how much time I will have to just sit down and write. I tend to thrive when I'm really busy, though, so I think it will be okay.

Any famous quotes, encouraging words, or other advice for your fellow NaNoWriMo writers?

I have two bits of advice: 1) Just write! Keep writing without looking back! Turn off the inner editor. Changes can be made in December! 2) Come to write-ins! I don't just say that as the person running the write-ins; a number of people have told me over the years that being in a place with a bunch of other writers who encourage each other has really helped them finish.