Insanity Writing

Interview with Don Britt

The ultimate act of writing insanity: that’s what Don Britt calls his attempt to produce twenty-four novels over the course of the next year, beginning this month.

Don got the idea after he participated in The 3 Day Novel Writing Contest this past September. That planted the seed for him to try to produce twenty-four 3-day novels in the next twelve months. All his entries will be live for viewers to follow along and he will use a countdown timer.

I spoke to Don about his ultimate act of insanity this week:

Michele: Tell us a little bit about yourself: background, family, where you live, etc.

Don Britt: I was born in California to Canadian parents, and brought up in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. From an early age words and music defined me, and both served me well when I felt called into ministry. After ten years I left the pulpit to pursue my heart’s desire, writing. I wrote full time until I ran out of money and then returned to the ranks of the employed, which I’ve been trying to escape ever since. My wife’s name is Georgia, a health care professional and fanatical lover of animals, and we have two children, Crystal and Caley. We live in W.O. Mitchell country, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Michele: On your blog you mention that the ‘genesis’ for this idea was a 3 Day Novel Writing Contest –what was that about and how does one go about writing a novel in 3 days? Is there a standard length or word count? And how did you come up with the number 24?

Don Britt: The 3-Day Novel Contest is an event held each September over Labour Day weekend. It gives each contestant 72 hours to write a story that comes in around 100 pages in length. I took this to mean properly formatted, double spaced manuscript pages. It works on the honor system – you send in a statement with your submission attesting that you obeyed the rules. I’m very grateful to the organizers, and especially to Melissa Edwards, the managing editor, who gave me permission to use their trademark ‘3-Day Novel’ in my project. The contest was a great kick in the pants for me. It inspired me to do something I’ve done all too infrequently in my life as a writer. That’s finish what I start. (Please check out their website for more details on their contest.)

As for the number 24, I considered a more sensible goal, say twelve 3-Day novels in a year. But that just didn’t seem gimmicky enough to me. This is a shameless publicity stunt. 24 struck me as a number that’s over the top enough to garner attention.

Michele: How do you plan to complete this around your work schedule and family commitments?

Don Britt: I’m billing this as an act of insanity. I’m hoping that will excuse the fact that I’ve really made no practical plans of any kind. I’m mainly hoping that my family and the people I work with will be forgiving.

The only real preparation I can cite is a conversation with my wife, who offered me her unconditional support, thank God. Without it this would not be possible.

Michele: How are you going to come up with 24 ideas for the novels? How many ideas do you have now going into it?

Don Britt: I’m a big believer in brain storming. I sat in our local diner recently and wrote out some story ideas, just a sentence or so for each one. Most of them were beyond horrid. Like “Guy gets trapped in car that’s surrounded by zombies – entitled ‘THEY NEVER SLEEP!’” Feel free to steal that one. I’ll never use it. I might have eight or ten workable ideas, at best. So I’m hoping inspiration will strike as things roll along.

Michele: Will you have a routine or plan to follow for the 72 hours? If so, what is it?

Don Britt: When I took part in the 3-Day Novel Contest, I managed to get forty pages in the tank on day one. Fatigue set in after that, and my page count dropped each day. If I didn’t open with a ‘big serve’ I’m sure I wouldn’t have finished my project. So that will be my main goal for each entry. Come hell or high water, get forty pages in the tank on the first day, and go from there.

As for the rest of my routine, I’m afraid it won’t be kind to an already bulging waistline. I wrote my first 3-Day novel while eating cold chicken, pizza and ice cream, and drinking lots of coffee. I don’t see that changing anytime soon. So there will likely be a big weight loss resolution heading into 2012.

Michele: How will you prevent novel fatigue or burnout over the course of the next year?

Don Britt: Julia Cameron recommends ‘artist’s dates’. Nice walks in the woods, hanging out in a favorite cafe. That sort of thing. Living in rural Saskatchewan poses some challenges in that regard, but there’s no end of scenic wonders grand here in The Land of the Living Sky. Hopefully, I’ll find my rest and inspiration along the way.

Michele: Aside from publication, what else do you hope to accomplish from this endeavor?

Don Britt: I guess I’m pretty conventional in this regard. Authors talk about that delicious moment when they first see someone reading their book. I’m hoping to get the same rush from this enterprise. What blows me away is the thought of my characters and ideas literally coming to life inside another mind, in the engrams and firing neurons of another living soul. That’s my dream, that my work will continue to leap between the synapses of the human brain long after I’m gone.

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Topic Links

• Visit Don at www.24novels.com
• www.3daynovel.com