The Often Lonely Process of Writing NEVER ALONE, a Solitary Arctic Survival Journey

November 7, 2023 | By Women Writers Women Books | Reply More

Woniya Thibeault wasn’t looking for an adventure of such magnitude, but when the opportunity to participate in Alone® Season 6 fell into her lap, she couldn’t say no. Never Alone is the story of that journey.

The often lonely process of writing, Never Alone, a Solitary Arctic Survival Journey
By Woniya Thibeault

I knew from early on in my wilderness journey that I needed to share the story of it. Not many people in today’s world get to experience a Rite of Passage in the form of deep, solitary nature immersion, much less one just south of the Arctic Circle as winter sets in that pushes us to the very edge of survival. I think that think we miss something critical about what it is to be human now that such immersions are the exception rather than the rule. My experience was so powerful, so rich, and I wanted to share what I could of it, so readers could experience for themselves the beauty and the challenge, the deep wisdom and the transformation that came with it.

This would have been motivation enough, but writing a book about the 73 days I spent living off the land in Canada’s Northwest Territories was about more than that. It was also my promise to the land itself. I entered that place as a foreigner, with no previous relationship to it, and yet I was there to ask it to feed, clothe, and shelter me. I had to take the lives of many plants, trees, and animals in order to survive there.

Sharing the story of my time there was my way of giving back to the land. My goal was to show how approaching the wild from a place of humility, connection, and respect was more a successful strategy than approaching it with ego and a desire to take from it without asking and to dominate it. I hoped that this message would have a positive impact on both readers and the way they treat and stand up for the wilder world at large.

All of this was easier said than done, of course. I struggled with how to most effectively bring the reader right there into the story with me. I chose to write in the first-person, present tense to better achieve this. Except for the flashbacks that explained how in the world I came to sign up for such a journey, there could be no narrator with this style of writing- no wiser future self looking back on and explaining the motivations and actions of the former self.

All of the meaning would need to be conveyed moment to moment by my lived experience- the bite of the cold wind across my cheeks, the wonder of the northern lights dancing above me, and my inner dialog as I experienced each failure and success. I had always considered myself a writer, but this being my first real book, the challenge was one that stretched me in all kinds of new ways I hadn’t predicted.

I found that the intensity of my journey couldn’t be captured by writing a few hours a day from a comfortable home. I had to feel fully immersed in the experience, to devote myself fully to the process to the exclusion of nearly everything else. I set up a canvas tent in the yard as my writing studio and wrote buffeted by winter winds and scorched by the summer heat. Having rarely felt loneliness in my ten and a half weeks living by myself on a rocky peninsula in the middle of nowhere, I was unprepared for how isolating I found the process of writing the book to be.

I began by pouring all of my memories onto the page, amazed by how vividly it all came back to me, how much the story wanted to be told. A surging tide of memory and meaning pushed against the thin confines of my skin to find its release through my fingers, and page after page filled my laptop screen. Even as the words poured out, I was shocked at how slowly I was making progress through the days and weeks of my adventure.

Having written each chapter as its own file, it was months before I actually pulled back and took stock of my work as whole. When I did, I found my answer to my slow progress. I had written over 450,000 words- and I was only at day 21 of a 73 journey. I was devastated to learn that I had been going about it all wrong and I needed a much clearer sense of purpose and story arc if I was to write a book readable to the general public. It took me well over a year to recover from the blow, regroup and tackle the project again. I learned the difference between the cathartic process of writing for myself and writing a cohesive story that engaged and captivated my reader.

I doubt I would be so proud of the finished product and touched by the wonderful reviews, had I not struggled so much throughout the process. Somehow, writing a great book about it felt every bit as hard as my grueling (but beautiful) two-and-a-half-month wilderness survival journey, and I am every bit as proud of the achievement!

Some of the biggest lessons I will take with me from this project are how important it is to be clear on the critical take aways you want to convey to the reader, and to winnow down the chaff to just the things that further these themes. To bring the reader into the emotion of the story, describe what is happening in a visceral way that they can feel in their own bodies. Convey the themes of the story in a way that readers can identify with personally- a memoir is about you, but will mean the most to people if they can see the ways it is also about them. Don’t discount the tremendous time and effort the editing process will take! Writing is editing, no two ways about it!

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Never quite at home in the modern world, WONIYA THIBEAULT was always drawn to wild places and the skills our ancestors used to thrive there, and driven by a desire to honor the natural world and to feel at home in and be a part of it. Woniya’s master’s degree in science and decades spent honing land-based living skills taught her how to live long-term in the wilderness, using the natural resources it provides. Three years after the solo challenge chronicled in Never Alone, seen on Season 6 of the Alone® series on The history Channel™, Woniya was invited to compete in an even more rugged spin-off series, Alone®: Frozen. With this second Alone® journey, Woniya made history in two ways: across her two stints in the wild she set a new record for cumulative days on an Alone® solitary wilderness survival challenge and also became the first woman to win one. Another memoir, about that journey, is in the works.

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Never Alone: A Solo Arctic Survival Journey

Dropped into the Arctic wilderness—solo—as winter descended, Woniya intended not only to survive, but to thrive. With only a few tools and meager resources, she would need her survival skills, quick wits, and whole heart to make it through.

The skids scraped against the hard granite as the helicopter settled onto the barren peninsula. My fingers were shaking so badly from the adrenaline, it was hard to unbuckle my chest straps. Then, with one step down the ladder, I left the modern world and the rest of humanity behind.

I expected the land to be harsh and unforgiving, but I didn’t expect that it would be so breathtaking.

Nor that I would fall instantly in love with it.

The northern wilderness kicked my butt repeatedly throughout the next three months, but each time it picked me back up, staggered me with its beauty, and showed me again how truly resilient I am.

My Arctic adventure could easily have been a grueling struggle, but by putting my trust in myself and the land, it instead became a beautiful journey to a deeper sense of connection and belonging.

In her debut memoir Never Alone: A Solo Arctic Survival Journey, Woniya shares how months of starving by herself in the Arctic wilderness brought more healing than suffering, and led to a deep sense of belonging and peace. Her story affirms the incredible strength of the human spirit and shows us that strength comes in many surprising forms. Never Alone’s message is one of inspiration and learning to trust in ourselves and the land around us; embracing the wild and being wholly and beautifully human, flaws and all.

Never Alone will take you on an Arctic journey through challenges and triumphs, joys and heartbreaks, and leave you inspired and wanting more.

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