Writing a novel from start to finish in 30 days may seem like an improbable endeavor, but not to 28-year-old Gina Trapani. This ambitious New Yorker took on the challenge during the month of November, National Novel Writing Month. Gina’s computer smarts—her day job is computer programming—allowed her to solicit “sponsorship” money through the Web. But, instead of pocketing the cash, she donated every cent to support NetAid.
Gina became intimately acquainted with NetAid when she worked as a computer programming consultant for the organization. “I got to witness firsthand how a handful of smart and innovative people are using the Internet to organize [resources] to help those who need it most,” she says. “I think it’s incredible what NetAid is doing, and I wanted to be part of it.”
From May to October, Gina worked on improving the NetAid site, while honing her skills at “writing code.” Her adeptness for technology and creative writing are, for her, not dichotomous passions. “It must seem like I have a left brain-right brain conflict, but writing code and writing fiction are actually not different processes. They are both creative means of expression.”
Her skills at tackling both are captured in Scribblish.net, Gina’s blog (a web site for personal use), which she uses to publish her writing, photos and journal. She’s also created a way for readers to post their own comments and thoughts on her web site. Being both entrepreneurial and altruistic, Gina developed the software that publishes her work and has made it free for use by other aspiring bloggers. This coupling of technology and creativity was an invaluable outlet for Gina while she spent her days working full time. When her contract with NetAid ended, she was ready to focus completely on her love for creative writing.
Gina’s idea for a novel had been brewing for months. During National Novel Writing Month she finally had the chance to realize the story about a teenage girl’s trials and tribulations living in New York City. While the book is not autobiographical, she confesses that some elements are based on her own life. “People say, ‘Write what you know,’ so that’s what I did.”
Clearing away her schedule to make room for her daunting—“but not impossible”—task of writing 50,000 words by 30 November, Gina headed straight to Scribblish to tell her readers she’d be “offline” (unavailable on the Internet) for 4 weeks. Still, she offered them a way to get engaged with her project.
“The night before I began [my book], I decided that instead of leaving Scribblish dormant for a month, I’d tell my readers about the novel project and solicit 'sponsorship' donations,” explains Gina.
More than 50,000 words later (50,338 to be exact), thanks to the generosity of her friends and family, Gina collected $645.00 to benefit NetAid. She had asked that people give just US $5, but the overwhelming support for her project averaged more than four times her suggested donation! Loyal to her readers, Gina felt obliged to post updates on her progress every few days.
Now that the end of November has come and gone, Gina’s next step is to sit down and prepare her work to be considered for publication. “The finished document is…just what you’d expect from someone writing up to 6,000 words a day without looking back, so I have a lot of editing to do.”
