MIGHTY PEN: Austin Farmer

Ahhhhhh our third Mighty Pen has hit the scene. EPIC congrats to Austin Farmer and winning NaNoWriMo 2018 with his project, The Valley of Lost Balloons! That’s an amazing, just phenomenal accomplishment. (Especially this early in the game when I have…zero words. It’s fine.) We’re so grateful you found us this year, and so glad that we could be a part of this adventure with you. Keep writing and fundraising!

Check out a short interview with him below, and be sure to send him your congrats. 🙂

Interview with a Mighty Pen: Austin Farmer

What’s one thing that changed in your expectations for your project from November 1 to now?

To be completely honest, I didn’t think I’d be able to complete 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo. I thought I’d be filled with so much anxiety about meeting word count goals that I wouldn’t be able to finish. For a period of time last year, it was hard for me to write even a few hundred words on a story, so I was very happy to have the constant encouragement and support of The Mighty Pens. As the first week progressed, I found myself meeting word count goals without any stress, doubling or nearly tripling my goal for the day, which hasn’t happened in a long time. Also, I definitely didn’t expect to be so forgiving on myself, to be okay with rough, unpolished prose, but as soon as I allowed myself to just write, the rest fell into place.

What’s something you’ve learned, or that you’re proud of, from this year’s NaNo?

I learned that if you keep moving the story forward, the words will be there, no matter what. The words are already inside of you. They’re right there, waiting at your fingertips, ready to be written. If you believe in the characters, they’ll believe in you, and soon enough you’ll find yourself cranking out thousands of words in one sitting, discovering new elements of your story.

Any advice for yourself or others for next year’s NaNo, if you’re able to participate again?

Don’t be afraid to try different methods of writing and to find what method works best for you. I’m very thankful to have read Susan’s blogs, including the magical cookies and emotional dominoes, along with all of her other awesome tips—they’re incredibly helpful. This year, I wrote parts of my manuscript with voice dictation, other parts through text messaging on my phone in the middle of a parking lot in between gigs, others on my computer in the dark of night—basically every method I could try, no matter how much time I had in the day to write. Find a great community like The Might Pens and keep writing!