MIGHTY PEN: Sheeda Jamsheed
The wins, they keep on coming! Our most recent Mighty Pen is one of the Admin Wizards, Sheeda Jamsheed. Not only is she one of our rockstar wizards, but she’s also a phenomenal fundraiser (seriously: teach me your ways), and, oh yeah, has WON NANOWRIMO 2018!! Congratulations Sheeda! We are all so happy to have you with us this year, and we wish you all the best.
Check out a short interview with her below. If you missed it earlier, you can read a snippet from her NaNo project, An Infinite Quiet, too.
Interview with a Mighty Pen: Sheeda Jamsheed
What’s one thing that changed in your expectations for your project from November 1 to now?
When I started NaNo, I had a pretty solid outline of my story, which I thought I would stick to. I found myself coming up with ideas and scenes in the moment that I really enjoyed writing. After I finish the full first draft and revise, who knows what will change, but I really enjoyed allowing myself that creative freedom in the moment this year. Now, I have some new ideas and characters to work with, which I didn’t on November 1.
What moment in NaNoWriMo18 stands out the most to you?
It’s hard to choose one, so I’ll choose two! Working with the other Admins and our official team sprints was a major highlight for me. Not only was it an amazing opportunity to help out Sooz and Kat as an Admin, but I also got the chance to work with some really cool humans pre-NaNo and during NaNo. And the sprints were a fun and collaborative way to keep myself accountable for my word count goals.
What’s something you’ve learned, or that you’re proud of, from this year’s NaNo?
From last year’s awesome experience, I knew that this writing group was fun, passionate, and supportive. This year, having the privilege of being an Admin really solidified how genuinely lovely everyone in The Mighty Pens are! I’m proud to have helped behind-the-scenes and contribute what I could to make this experience a great one.
Any advice for yourself or others for next year’s NaNo, if you’re able to participate again?
In years past I would always self-edit. This year, I didn’t even allow myself to reread anything as I was writing––it really helped with keeping my momentum going and made my sprints much more productive. Telling your inner editor to go hibernate so you can focus on only writing and getting down as many words as possible is the best thing you can do during NaNo. There’s plenty of time for revising later! And when you do revise, make sure and check out Sooz’s ah-mazing writing resources.