But!
I snagged him to answer a few questions for me. I'm so excited to have him here!!!!!
For those of you who don't know his story;
Don has committed to write 24 novels in one year.
Oh, it gets better...
The 24 novels must be written live- ONLINE.
Crazy enough, right??? oh no, not for this Saskatchewan boy.
Each one must be written in 72 hours.
yup.
He calls it an act of insanity. As a writer, I agree with him. Yet, he knows I support him in his madness. Honestly, it's too blasted amazing not too. I get a rush just dreaming about courage like that. So far he's got twelve first drafts tucked away nicely on that website for all the world to read.
And read some, I did.
I've even sat in while he wrote one. Well, not the entire time-- I have my own worlds to create, after all. But, I caught chunks of it.
Reading a first draft is always thrilling, and his are no exception. I love the raw truth that explodes from them.
THE FALL MAN moved me to tears. (yeah real live tears)
AN EXERCISE IN WISHFUL THINKING had me chuckling several times. I love that guy's voice.
I'm excited for Don-- he's made it halfway!!
So without further ado, I welcome Don Britt...
So Don, how does it feel to reach the midpoint of your journey?
I'm of two minds, I think. I'm glad to reach that point of no return, for sure. I've proved to myself that I can pound out 22,000 - 25,000 word novellas on a regular basis, and some of the sights along the way have been really exciting. But I'm also tired. The weight of this project has really been pressing down on me lately. A pneumonia diagnosis a few weeks ago didn't help. At 42, I guess I can't make any claims to being young and naive, but it's certainly true that I didn't appreciate the magnitude of the this thing I've taken on. I'm still standing though, and confident I'll see it through.
Do you find your writing is changing through this process? If so, how?
The most obvious difference is that I'm seeing results. I'm producing tales with a beginning, middle and end. Back in the day (six months ago!) my feelings about the project would get in the way. I might get eight to ten thousand words into a thing and decide I didn't like it, and walk away. Now I set my egg timer at three days and just go for it.
Maybe the biggest surprise is that a lot of the stuff I write quickly is at least as good as the stuff I took ages to produce. There are exceptions, for sure. Sometimes, late at night with the clock ticking down, I just go into survival mode and pound out copy that might make me cringe in the light of day. But overall this experience has blown up the myth in my brain that good writing has to come slow, and I think I'm growing as a writer as a result.
Are there some stories that you're eager to return to polish? If so, which ones?
Two stories are set in my native Cape Breton Island, THE REDEMPTION OF WILBUR BLAKE and my latest, THE MAN IN THE TAR PAPER SHACK. These are historical fiction, set in the 1940s, a time that was very intense back home. Workers came back from the war and just weren't willing to accept the conditions they once faced. Things were very confrontational. Strikers would tie crowbars to their pickets and the joke was 'You might walk through a Cape Breton picket line once, but you'll never be able to a second time.' I'm saturated with tales from that era. I'd love to return to those stories later, and maybe flush things out into a full length novel.
Tell us about an experience that's marked your journey and why.
A few months back I wrote my first 'live' entry, at Chapters in Regina. It was just loopy. I ended up being interviewed for radio and television, had articles in The National Post and The Western Producer, and also had my story covered by the national radio program 'As It Happens'. When it was time to write my next entry I came down with a nasty flu. I was sure that I was going to crash and burn. In fact, I decided to call it quits.
Then my dear wife Georgia politely but firmly pointed out that failure was a luxury I couldn't afford. In the wake of national press coverage, with people watching for the first time, I just had to reach down and get the job done. I did, but only thanks to her. When I didn't have the determination and resolve I needed, she gave me hers.
Where and when will we find you doing the next live writing?
My next live gig is happening April 25 - 27 on the NewCap Radio Stage at West Edmonton Mall. It's nothing less than the biggest event of my life as a writer, and I'm quite frankly terrified. Should be fun!
Thank you so much Don for taking the time out of your busy day to stop by.
Glad you're feeling better, and all the best.
For those who want to check it out, his work is posted at
