Today, we have a guest post by Gay Ingram.  Gay has been a writer for over twenty-five years.  She’s written novels, memoirs, self-help books, articles for periodicals, and more.  And of course, she now blogs.  She writes from “her cabin” in the piney woods of East Texas.  And here, Gay tells us why she is a 2013 winner.

What’s the biggest writing challenge you’ve ever given yourself?  I’ve been a published writer for over twenty years and there have been many challenges over the years.  Each new character that makes himself/herself known to me, demanding I write their story has been a challenge. Each story in its own way has caused me to push beyond my known limits.

As the publishing industry underwent a metamorphose, I’ve been challenging myself to keep moving in a forward direction. I learned the ins and outs of print-on-demand publishing, mastered the skills needed to self-publish and went on to dabble in the growing trend of e-books.

The one constant in my writing life seemed to be the method of writing that had evolved to work best for me. I describe myself as a combination plodder/seat-of-the-pants style author when it comes to novel-writing. I spend a long time getting acquainted with this character whose story demands to be written. During this get-to-know-you period, I learn the time period of the story, the goals and desires of my character, and some of the incidences that will hold the narrative together. I fill a spiral-bound  with events that occurred  in a particularly historical time setting. It is important to me that my information be as historically correct as possible. Only when I consider myself completely immersed in the character’s thought processes and the setting, do I begin to write…often oblivious as to what path the story will take and how it will end.

I say all the above to impress you, the reader, with the enormity of my most recent challenge. For the first time since its popular incentive, I decided to accept the National Novel Writing Month (NANO) to write 50,000 words in thirty days. I had a character, a young Chinese girl Mai Lin, and an important historical event, the Great San Francisco Fire of 1906.

I chose to continue my comfortable pattern of writing, stopping to research whenever the need arose. I found myself managing to produce sufficient words with each session that I met my mark for the day. On those days I was unable to meet the computer, I didn’t panic. After all, there was no jeopardy if I didn’t achieve the goal. There came days when I was able to produce long sections that kept me more or less on target.

As the final week neared, my excitement grew with the realization that I just might make the goal. It took an extra effort those last few days but one day before the deadline my word count climbed past the 50,000 mark. I had done it!

Granted, the entire story wasn’t complete. But in the writing I remained true to myself, continuing to produce the story in a sequential progression, a format that I find most comfortable. After setting my efforts aside for a few weeks to indulge in seasonal activities, I will return and finish the tale to my satisfaction. I acknowledge at this point all I have is a first draft…but it is a readable story and can only improve with critiquing and revising. I’m proud to say I am a “2013 NANO Winner.”

Thanks, Gay.

Gay’s web Page is at:  www.gayingram.webs.com

Her page on Amazon is at:  http://www.amazon.com/Gay-Ingram/e/B008VS6AJI/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1349268303&sr=1-2-ent