The Writer’s Digest Podcast, Episode 8: Interview with NaNoWriMo Executive Director Grant Faulkner
Welcome, welcome, writers! From fiction to nonfiction, whatever your genre persuasion— whether you plot your stories down to the tiniest detail or you write by the seat of your pants—the Writer’s Digest podcast is for you.
Today I have the pleasure of interviewing author and National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Executive Director Grant Faulkner on the show!
In addition to his work with NaNoWriMo, Grant is the co-founder of 100 Word Story and the Flash Fiction Collective. He is also the author of Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo, which is a book of essays on creativity.
His stories have appeared in dozens of literary magazines, including Tin House and The Southwest Review, and his essays on creativity have been published in places such as The New York Times and Writer’s Digest.
Grant has also presented at several leading literary events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Associated Writing Programs (AWP) Conference, Book Expo America, and more.
Now listen in as Grant and I discuss the nitty-gritty of NaNoWriMo, and how to stay tenaciously relentless in your writing to reach your publishing goals.
This episode of the Writer’s Digest Podcast is brought to you by the Writer’s Digest Novel Writing Conference, which is returning to Pasadena, CA on October 26-28, 2018. Come hone your craft, refine your characters, explore the future of publishing, and get the tools you need to advance your career as a successful novelist. For more info about this upcoming event check out novel.writersdigestconference.com.
In this episode Grant shares:
- The ins and outs of NaNoWriMo, what it is and how you can get involved.
- What some of the main obstacles to creativity are and how to overcome them.
- Why taking part in a writing challenge can be beneficial to writers.
- Techniques to help you prepare to write your novel.
- What to do after NaNoWriMo, what the next steps are and how to keep writing.
Listen in to hear Grant talk about all these things… and more!
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About Grant Faulkner
Grant Faulkner is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month and the co-founder of 100 Word Story. His stories have appeared in dozens of literary magazines including Tin House, The Southwest Review, and the Gettysburg Review, and have been widely anthologized. His essays on creativity have been published in The New York Times, Poets & Writers, Writer’s Digest, and The Writer.
Grant has presented at events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Associated Writing Programs Conference, Book Expo America, the Chicago Humanities Festival, the Oakland Book Festival, the Bay Area Book Festival, Poets & Writers Live, the San Francisco Writers Conference, the Commonwealth Club, the Digital Publishing Innovation Summit, Writer’s Digest West, the Porchlight storytelling series, Litquake, Lit Crawl, the Mendocino Writers Conference, and the Arizona State Library Association’s YA Summit. Additionally, Grant is co-founder of the Flash Fiction Collective, a member of the Oakland Book Festival’s Literary Council, a member of the National Writing Project Writer’s Council, and a member of Lit Camp’s Advisory Council.
He is also the author of a book of essays on creativity titled Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo, has published a collection of 100-word stories, called Fissures, and co-edited Nothing Short of 100: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story.
Links and resources
- To connect with Grant check out his website at www.grantfaulkner.com.
- If you want to learn more about National Novel Writing Month and how you can sign up head over to nanowrimo.org.
- And to get even more writing mojo from Grant and other writers check out www.100wordstory.org.
- Learn even more creativity and motivation tips from Grant Faulkner in his interview on DIY MFA Radio.
- Want more techniques to tap into your own creativity? There are some DIY MFA interviews that will help. Listen to this episode with editor and author Joe Fassler for an inside look at some of the best ways to stay motivated and keep writing. And for tips on how to find your writing groove (and several other important life lessons), check out this interview with author A.J. Jacobs.
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