Writing Scary Books: What I Learned from NaNoWriMo

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 Hook01:24 Podcast Intro and Guest02:42 Diana Writing Origins06:05 NaNoWriMo Planning Tips09:53 Why Horror and Fantasy13:07 Classic Horror Metaphors15:43 Worldbuilding Pitfalls17:16 Meet Woman of Sorrow21:00 Cover Art to Draft22:58 Weeknight Writers Programs27:36 Why Writers Need Community30:55 Start Writing When Overwhelmed35:47 Editing and Beta Readers41:11 Writer Block Workbook43:11 Publishing Paths Compared46:18 Final Thoughts and GoodbyeDianna 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.Wish to read about the episodes in advance or need a recap? Find us on 👉 SubStack.📌 Follow us: YouTube | Facebook | X | Instagram☕ Buy me a coffee🛠️ Tools we love: vidIQ · Descript Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.