Episode 91: NaNoWriMo with Brian Hannon

Posted on by Victoria

What a treat (no tricks!)

Wynne and I spent some time with the talented writer, Brian Hannon this week and talked about the 2024 NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month – which begins officially today!


I know many writers who’ve participated in “NaNo” over the years and although goals and accomplishments vary, most folks I know would say that National Novel Writing Month is worth the time and effort. I think it’s the ability to set your own goals and tailor your incremental targets. I’ve participated in the past and found the accountability aspect to be the biggest attraction. Some people enjoy the camaraderie with fellow writers – participating in the community in writing groups. Me? I liked the daily obligation of logging my progress.


What Wynne and I enjoyed about Brian’s perspective is his motivation. Brian’s got a super healthy start to a novel with an enticing storyline 😉 and he’s considering NaNo in order to move his work forward, possibly increasing his word count to 50,000 by month’s end.


Anyone who follows Brian’s beautiful blog or his posts here on Sharing the Heart of the Matter knows he has a knack for heartfelt storytelling. So…of course we’re excited about his novel WIP (work-in-progress).


Join us as we talk about the writer’s life…making time for writing amidst so many other responsibilities. As always, Brian is a delight, and we know you’ll love tuning in. Who knows? Maybe you’ll launch a NaNo adventure today as well!

Vicki and Wynne 😊

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 91: NaNoWriMo with Brian Hannon

HoTM episode 91 transcript

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

Writing from the Heart with Brian: https://writingfromtheheartwithbrian.com/

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue

Wynne’s book about her beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith

65 thoughts on “Episode 91: NaNoWriMo with Brian Hannon”

  1. I’m curious to hear Brian’s thoughts about NaNoWriMo. I’ve never tried the event, as I think I would not do well with the pressure to write almost 2K words a day. But I enjoy hearing what other writers experience.

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    2. I don’t want to pooh-pooh the demand. But, if you’re posting a blog, you’ll do fine with the daily writing. I think the benefit of daily writing is figuring out how to leave nuggets so that you can start back up the next day and jump right back in. It also helps with pushing yourself forward when there are other distractions. You could do it!!!

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      1. Thanks for the encouragement 🙂 I publish two blog posts a week, so there’s not a lot of long, consistent writing for it. And I’m juggling different projects. But good luck as you work on your book!

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  3. It was definitely a positive experience for me and instrumental in getting “Dream Sailors” written. I never did participate in any of the community activities, though – it was purely the accountability factor and daily goals that drew me in.

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    1. It’s so interesting — most folks I know have said something similar about participating in the various writing groups available within NaNo. As much as the groups are touted as being helpful, it seems like the interaction – writer to dashboard – for accountability is the main draw. I agree with you! Thanks so much, Mark. 🥰

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      8. Mark and Vicki, I suspect I’ll be like you guys . . . less of the socializing. Frankly, that scares the introvert in me. And instead will be more of the “okay, Brian get your duff in gear and sit down and crank out 2,000 words.” Ha, ha. Thanks for the encouragement.

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      6. So happy for you! We’ll need to stay in step with everyone’s progress! Cheers to you, Elizabeth! Thanks much for tuning in — we’re grateful to Brian for his generosity —sharing his ambitions. Yay! 🥰

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      9. Revisions are tough for me. I have written four manuscripts for novels but don’t follow through with revisions. Also, have only tried traditional big publishers without an agent. A friend of mine had her book published, while I didn’t at the same time. I did two revisions, she did 13!

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      1. It’s one of the things I took away from James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” book. He’s all about building daily habits, no matter how small. One of his principles is “Never miss twice”, meaning it’s okay to miss a day, but if you miss more than one you’re starting to build a new habit…a bad one! Feeding the meter! I love it! 😂🤗

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      2. I love that book. I apply that “never miss twice” to workouts…and you know what? This week because of a number of upside-down days, I missed twice and I was a cranky gal. I need to sweat and once you adopt a habit and stick with it…wowza. You really notice when you’re out of synch. Yup — thanks for that, Michelle! 🥰

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  10. I signed up for NaNo today and edited my first chapter of my manuscript. Thanks for the motivation this podcast gave me! I’m excited because I took an online writing class at Gotham Writers on plot earlier in the year. I was able to plot out my manuscript and then got feedback from the instructor on how to make it stronger with more conflict. But I’ve struggled to put the advice to work.The accountability of NaNoWriMo will help! Fun to hear what everyone is working on!

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  11. One of things I find most interesting about writing is that everyone has to find the path that works for them. Never say never, but I can’ ever see myself ever doing NaNoWriMo because I write best when I’m relaxed and have the time to go at my own pace. If it works for others, that’s great. I wish Brian well. The fact that he wrote 30,000 words before and has a story going gives him a leg up.

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  12. Lovely conversation about the writing process. Congrats on getting NaNoWriMo started, Brian. It’s a bit endeavour and I definitely agree that having encouragement and accountability make such a difference. Love that Wynne and Vicki have it on record now to hold you accountable! 😆

    It’s nice to hear your differing approaches to writing, including Vicki’s own experiences with NaNoWriMo. I agree that getting constructive feedback from a trusted friend helps so much.

    You three will definitely have to publish the uncut pregame conversation too. Sounds like a lot of gold nuggets there too!

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    1. Ohhhh! I dunno about the ‘pregame’ chat! You’ve seen firsthand how wayward we can go, Ab! Thanks so much for your kind words. We’re excited for Brian and know he’s gonna do his thing…a natural storyteller! xo! 🥰

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