Writing Scary Books: What I Learned from NaNoWriMo
Stories and Stanza · Aug 9, 2026 · 47:05
Stories and Stanza · Aug 9, 2026 · 47:05
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In this episode of Stories and Stanza, host speaks with writer Diana Gunn about her writing journey from starting at age eight and using NaNoWriMo to build discipline and finish projects to publishing five books, including her recent Gothic horror vampire novel Woman of Sorrow and Blood. Gunn discusses planning versus drafting fast, how challenges like NaNoWriMo can help writers start and develop confidence, and why she created the Weeknight Writers community to provide year-round support, especially for marginalized writers. She explains how fantasy and horror offer a safe container to explore trauma, healing, and real-world fears, notes world-building pitfalls, and reads an excerpt from her novel. The conversation also covers drafting-to-editing best practices, beta readers and proofreading, writer’s block as a symptom, and key differences between traditional and self-publishing.
00:00 NaNoWriMo Magic Hook
01:24 Podcast Intro and Guest
02:42 Diana Writing Origins
06:05 NaNoWriMo Planning Tips
09:53 Why Horror and Fantasy
13:07 Classic Horror Metaphors
15:43 Worldbuilding Pitfalls
17:16 Meet Woman of Sorrow
21:00 Cover Art to Draft
22:58 Weeknight Writers Programs
27:36 Why Writers Need Community
30:55 Start Writing When Overwhelmed
35:47 Editing and Beta Readers
41:11 Writer Block Workbook
43:11 Publishing Paths Compared
46:18 Final Thoughts and Goodbye
Dianna Gunn decided she wanted to be an author when she was just eight years old. Since then, she's devoted her entire life to not just becoming an author - with six published fantasy and horror books to her name in 2026 - but helping other writers become authors through Weeknight Writers, an organization dedicated to creating virtual events and community spaces for authors.
https://weeknightwriters.com/writers-block-buster/
This is where folks can sign up to receive the Writer's Block Buster, a free mini-workbook designed to help people find the root cause of their writer's block so they can get back to work on their stories. Signing up here also signs people up for the Weeknight Writers newsletter so they can learn more about the community.
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