Weeks after NaNoWriMo ended, and still no blog post! Alas, I didn't reach 50,000 words -- finished up around 35k -- but I achieved my main goal, which was to write every day. I've continued to write on and off since the 30th, but Christmas panic is definitely descending so who knows how long that will last.
My current distraction has been flicking through the New Zealand Festival lineup, which will be held in Wellington next year. All of the events look great, but I'm especially excited about the Writers Week. I want to see almost all of them! I've narrowed it down to some favourites:
- Kate Beaton. I've been enjoying her online comics since she was on livejournal.com, and I own all her published material (which now includes a picture book, the adorable Princess and the Pony). She is so clever and funny and writes about my favourite subjects (history! feminism! fat ponies!).
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Jasper Fforde. I haven't got around to reading his more recently published works, but I thought the Thursday Next books were super fun. If you like quirky books about books, with dodos and national croquet, then start with The Eyre Affair.
- Mariko Tamaki. I first came across her in collaboration with her cousin Jillian Tamaki, whose comic Supermutant Magic Academy came out this year. Together they've published graphic novels Skim and This One Summer, both beautifully illustrated reflections of adolescent experiences.
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Nnedi Okorafor. Lyrical fantasy, often set in a magical Nigeria. I loved Akata Witch but if you want something quicker to read than try Binti (a new novella) or Kabu-Kabu (short stories).
- Simon Winchester. Writer of recreational non-fiction, most recently Pacific, all about our neighbouring ocean. I can't wait to read it.
Needless to say there are loads of other authors I'd like to see, including Anis Mojgani (spoken word poet) who Alireads blogged about last year, but those are my top five.
Is anyone else planning on going to the New Zealand Festival? What events are on your must-see list?
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