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8 July 2007 - The Tribune
Reproduced with the kind permission of The Tribune. (c) Fairfax New Zealand Limited 2007. All rights reserved.
Novel challenge met
Palmerston North scientist Lesley Collins completed the inaugural Southern Cross Novel Challenge with six days to spare, thanks to writing 14,000 words in a day.
Dr Collins was one of 60 writers competing in SoCNoC (pronounced Sock-Nock), each aiming to write a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days. Just 16 entrants finished the Kiwi Writers-organised event, with Dr Collins crossing the finish line in eighth place.
Her novel, Sequential Errors, is based around DNA sequencing and is a murder mystery thriller centred on Massey University scientists.
Dr Collins says there's a "huge disclaimer" at the front of the book saying that the characters are fictional no matter who the reader thinks they are based on or who they would like them to be.
Her aim was to develop characters who are like real scientists, not like those on TV.
Knowing she had a conference to attend, Dr Collins took the first day of SoCNoC, June 1, off work to get a headstart, writing 5000 words. When unexpected work loomed towards the end of the month, she wasn't sure if she would finish by June 30.
But with the encouragement and practical support of her husband Maurice she belted out 14,000 words on June 24.
"It was completely mad," she says.
The task was made slightly easier by knowing where the story was going and how she wanted to end it.
"It felt so good to finish it, though."
She'll leave the novel alone for a couple of months then edit it.
Collectively SoCNoC participants nearly reached the magical 1 million mark, totalling 995,728 words.
Dr Collins is already recieving ideas from her co-workers for her next novel, particularly on possible causes of death "which are very imaginative, it's brilliant".
She will probably take part in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November, a challenge that originated in the United States with the same aim of writing a 175-page novel in 30 days.
She says it's a skill being able to get one's head onto paper and she'd like to see more young people taking part in the challenges.