Two weeks in, how are our Kobo authors doing so far? Last week we hosted our third annual in-office pizza party write in, where 25 writers gathered in the boardroom to eat, and write, and write!
Today, I wanted to know where everybody has set their novels, and what inspired them to choose that setting?
Hufsa: My setting is Elizabethan England during the last couple decades of the Queen’s reign, at a time when England was embroiled in an underground war between Protestants and Catholics, and spies and assassination plots were all the rage. I chose this setting because there is a very well-documented mystery around the death of a famous playwright rumoured to be a spy. Being an English Lit geek, I couldn’t resist digging into it.
Anna: My story is set in a fantasy coastal city with vague references to Eastern Europe. The city is home to all sorts of people who come through its ports, but most importantly the people there love to tell each other stories from all around the world. I chose this setting because I needed a place that was removed from my character’s homeland, but was still connected to her past through myth and storytelling. I also loved the idea of so many different people mingling with each other and all those cultures mixing together. The Eastern European and coastal setting was just for me though because that’s my happy place.
Elaine: (22,044 words) My story is set in a fantasy world inspired by precolonial Philippines, because a) I don’t see any fantasy stories set there; b) it’s a great way for me to get back to my roots and heritage; and c) that era is something of a nebula in the nation’s history — I figured that people might become more interested in it if it’s at least wrapped up in a nice fantasy/adventure story.
Christine: I’ve been writing several short stories for NaNoWriMo. The first is set in present-day Manhattan, where I lived for 6 years and still think of often. I love the feeling in NYC that you can get the best of everything, at any hour of the day, and that was part of the plot of the story.
Wendy: (11158) My story is set in the fantasy land(s) of Losel and Iklarsa, two neighbouring countries with a long and contentious history. Losel has been a weird figment of my imagination since it came into being during a text role playing game my friends started back in the early 2000’s, when MSN was our sole means of communication. We’ve since abandoned the game, but the setting is still strong and I wanted to use it in my story since it is also the place the characters came from, and very dear.
Mark: While I’m not going especially strong, I’m not giving up, and know that if I keep at it, I’ll catch up. My novel is set in Los Angeles and takes place in 2017, almost three years after the events in the first novel in this series, A Canadian Werewolf in New York. I was in LA twice this past year and thoroughly enjoyed both visits because of the interesting people, and the places I spent time in. I thought it would be fun to send Michael, my main character, as far across the country as possible in order to get away from a busted relationship with his ex girlfriend, Gail. It just so worked out that one of his novels was in the process of being turned into a movie, so sending him on a work-related task, to be part of the Hollywood production of the film adaptation, gave the trip an underlying purpose.
Laura: My setting is in NYC. My novel has a fantasy/magical theme and I feel like New York is kind of a magical city so it fit!
How is NaNoWriMo going for you? Where is your novel set, and why did you choose that setting? We’d love to hear about your writing below!
