Some Awesome People

I’d like to take a post to thank a few people who have helped or will help me in this endeavor, and are therefore deemed awesome.

First, Cat Valente, who unknowingly gave me the idea for this project.  It was last Tuesday at the winter Stonecoast residency.  I was sitting in the Harraseeket room next to Dave Brady, in the back by the fire.  As we listened to Cat’s presentation on speed writing, Dave and I both realized that we might be speed writers too!  It may be the dream of someone who is really only a procrastinator, but I thought to myself, “Yeah!  I can barely get 25 pages into my mentor each month, but 300 pages – now there is a goal I can handle!”  Right?  Within an hour, as I was headed to mentor interviews, I already had my semester planned out – a few weeks to research, practice, and psych myself up, a month to write the novel, and then 3+ months to do some research and write a paper.  No problem!  Thanks, Cat.  If I don’t go completely insane, I will thank you again in March.

Okay, the second person I want to mention here is Elizabeth Searle, my mentor and coach through this process.  Thanks for stepping up to do this with me – I know it’s an unorthodox project, and I know we’re gonna be awesome together.  Also note, I’m going to kick off this project after seeing Elizabeth’s Tonya and Nancy:  The Rock Opera, which I expect to be a powerful and motivating experience.

Thirdly, I would like to thank Geoff Bohannan, who has volunteered his time to be my loyal research assistant in the next couple of weeks.  What will he be researching?  Dollhouses.  Dreams.  Ectrodactyly.  Upstate New York.  Blackmail.  Basically anything I think is important.  Geoff is also going to help me brainstorm.  Did someone say creative collaboration?  This project is projecting itself!