by Amy Evans
We’re at the halfway point for NaNoWriMo! This mini-marathon of writing has been intense, and we’re definitely feeling the burn. I’m working on my first novel, and it really is crazy to think how fast I read, compared to how slow I write. I’m talking cheetah versus sloth. I knew 50,000 words was a lot, but I didn’t know know, you know?
This week, members of the team represented KWL in Nevada and Texas! Joni and Laura, our Author Engagement Coordinators, are on their way back from 20Books Vegas, where 1000 authors and industry professionals met in the name of indie publishing. Tara, our Author Engagement Manager, is at Romance Author Mastermind in Houston, featuring bestselling authors Laurelin Paige, Sarah Maclean, Shayla Black, and Ruth Cardello.
Now, let’s see how NaNo is going for the Kobo team in Toronto:
Wendy Reid, Senior Quality Analyst
I powered through to 10k on day 13 through sheer force of will and writing on my phone. I got a late start due to vacation and lack of preparation, but I’ve been writing in spare moments during the day and at night. My secret is using google docs so I can type on my work computer or on my phone on the go or at another computer, it’s the easiest way when you’re busy!
Word count: 13,000+
Marc Barmash, Senior Account Manager
I’m writing an investigative thriller taking place in my home town of Montreal, and is narrated in the 1st person by my primary character Charlie Ringer (Ring). In terms of preparation, I actually did lot (probably because I’ve been procrastinating on this project for a while, and preparation is always much easier than actual writing!). I used a program called WriteWay to build out a fairly detailed outline of the story, including legends for each of my main characters. That said, what’s funny is that since the start of NaNoWriMo, I haven’t consulted any of that prework, opting instead for a more spontaneous 1st draft, so it should be interesting to see where my story goes versus my original plan.
Word count: 11,022
Amy Evans, Author Engagement Intern
Sloth here. I may be a slow writer, but surrender? Never! I like having gotten into the habit of tracking my word count, that’s new. I am no longer bogged down by research, I just leave an X marks the spot for where I have to go back and add the specific history bits. The Pirate Brethren are featured in my story and that reference was genuinely unintentional. This weekend I’m going somewhere for a family trip and mini writing retreat- can you guess where?
Word count: 10,091
Coming up… All About 20Books Conference
Vegas, baby! Joni and Laura met bestselling KWL romance author Stephanie Queen at 20Books! Tune in next week for an inside look at the conference with Stephanie.
As far as I’m concerned, you all are rocking NaNo! Keep on writing! 😊👍
Every November, I enjoyed reading about all the writers doing NaNo. This year, I’m participating myself. Based on the categories, I guess I’m a cheetah since I’m more than halfway done with the word count goal. I’ve been daily blogging my progress, even showing a spreadsheet this week that keeps my mind on the higher goal vs. the daily goal. https://scottdparker.blogspot.com/2019/11/nanowrimo-2019-day-15.html
I finished my main goal, to sketch out my comic for this month, my nanodrawmo, so I am quite happy, I can now work on the content to submit a finalized version next year