Category Archives: NaNoWriMo

Nano ’14: Day 5 Update

by in NaNoWriMo, Rachel Barnard and tagged

Word count for the day: 3008

Total word count: 23,032

Total Words to Write to be on track: 8,333

Words written yesterday: 8,935

unnamed (7) unnamed (11) unnamed (12) unnamed (13)

Me and my Geocache Killer duck took a vacation day yesterday to take care of some business. We went to the Geocaching Headquarters in Seattle and boy what a trip! For anyone who has done Geocaching or wants to and is anywhere near Seattle I highly recommend going. For this one you have to make an appointment, so be prepared.

What fun! Here’s some of what I learned. GC HQ employees 81 people, but four work in the warehouse near the Needle. They have their own Café that serves breakfast and lunch called the Signal Café after their mascot. They are quite a visual company and their office building is stunning! There is a large TV that continuously displays the most recent caches that are logged all over the world. They have a wall of cache goodies, where you can buy the specialized “found it” shirt only available at GC HQ. My tour guide was wonderfully informative and very excited about getting to see me. She succeeded in making me want to work for them! It sounds like such a cool and fun place to work at.

ducks

Nano ’14: Day 2 Update

by in NaNoWriMo, Rachel Barnard and tagged

Word count for the day: 1918

Total word count: 7543

Total Words to Write to be on track: 3,333

unnamed (4) unnamed (6)

I’ve already broken one of my guidelines! I may be in the middle of reading another Indie book, which is a good and bad thing. Good because I read quite fast, it isn’t too long, and it’s fantastic! Bad because it’s so good I want to finish and it’s distracting. Gr. I just have been in a reading mood these past few weeks.

In other news I was doing some geocaching with someone when we came upon this little fellow (can you call a female deer a fellow?)

 

Nano ’14: Day 1 Update

by in NaNoWriMo, Rachel Barnard and tagged

unnamed unnamed (2)

Word count for the day: 5625

Total word count: 5625

Total Words to Write to be on track: 1667

 

 

Last night was quite exciting! I love the concept of Hallonanoween, beginning NaNoWriMo EXACTLY (Yes, Paul) at midnight on November 1st. I like timings that have special meanings. However… I didn’t go. It was a little bit too far and a little bit too late and I fell asleep. 😦 Next year!

 

To recap: My novel: Check back with me on this one in a few days… I may have changed my mind and novel entirely!

My goals: Win NaNoWriMo 2014 by writing 50k of the aforementioned novel, Lose 5 lbs

Means to Accomplish Said Goal:

My nano plan…

– No reading and reviewing Indie books until December (only reading for pleasure)!

– No working on other writing projects other than blog updates!

– November blogging to only be about NaNo and pre-written reviews!

– Exercise!

– Write every day!

– Clear my social calendar for more writing time!

– Get up earlier so I can write for an hour every day before work!

-Be excited and stay motivated!

Nano is Close!

by in Local Authors, NaNoWriMo, Rachel Barnard, The Day The Computer Stood Still

National Novel Writing Month is just about a week away now… Are you ready? I’m in the process of clearing my schedule, researching for my book, working on an outline, and drafting up my goals. Go back, you say, what is NaNoWriMo??? Well, dear readers it is the month of November where you attempt to write a 50k word novel in just a month! Check out nanowrimo.org for more info or to sign up!  Pictured above is my -ahem- initial research for my novel. You can’t quite tell from the covers, but both these movies involve geocaching. That’s right, something else you may be unfamiliar with… Geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunt in real life! Check out geocaching.com for less cryptic descriptions and to sign up!

My goals for Nano are to write my novel the Geocache Killer and lose 5 lbs because I plan to write and exercise more! I’m going to follow one of my favorite author’s advice on how to write your first draft in 20 days (check out that scintillating blog post by Ksenia Anske here).

To accomplish this feat of inhuman strength and motivation I have created my nano calendar… Where I have placed my write-ins! I’ve also begun shifting my internal clock so that I can wake up earlier, get to work 30-60 minutes earlier and use that time to write!

nano calendar

 

After thinking and thinking about how I can possibly write a suspense/thriller when I’ve never attempted, I thought up a better spin to the story, one with more depth, one with more geocaching, one that will be funny, and fun to read. Perhaps it will be best classified as a drama… Whatever the case I’m getting nitty gritty on my outline now and will be finalizing my organization on my nano novel at my Factoria and Newcastle write-ins and writing dates on the 29th and 30th.

All my ducks are lining up, do you have yours?

70597-20131013_131817

 

See you at Hallonanoween, sooner or later Wrimos!

How I Write a Book Review

by in Author Tuesdays, NaNoWriMo and tagged | 1 Comment

I am giving back to the writing community. You can too! By writing reviews for other authors, usually Indie authors, I am helping them and helping myself. In thoughfully picking at a book, I can learn about myself as a writer and a reader and learn a thing or two about writing in the process.

The following is my review policy and format of my reviews, as shown on my reviews tab:

I am not a professional reviewer, however, I am an avid reader and writer and know a thing or two about writing and books. Each review is based on my own personal thoughts and interpretations of the book and will be an honest review.

I do not take payment for reviews.

I do not work on any set deadlines as I have a busy schedule and will not always get to the book in as timely a manner as I would like.

At this time I prefer print books and will not return any materials that are sent to me.

Reviews will be posted on my blog first and foremost and then after a period of time they will be placed on Amazon and Goodreads. If the author so wishes, I can post the review on other sites as well.

 

The type of books that I like to review are (In no particular order):

Young Adult,

Fantasy,

Science Fiction,

Historical Fiction,

Speculative Fiction,

General Fiction

 

If you are an Indie author looking for a great reader who enjoys most books, my TBR list is shrinking rapidly, and I will be on the lookout for more great prospects. Note, however, that I prefer physical copies for my reading pleasure.

Author Thursdays: Camp NaNo – Like NaNoWriMo but in April

by in Author Thursdays, NaNoWriMo and tagged , , , , , , ,
Of Ducks and Writing
Remember these pictures?

 

Camp NaNo is a looser form of NaNoWriMo in which you -still- attempt to write a novel in a month (April) but you create your own writing goals. Mine is 25k words. How am I doing thus far on the morning of the third day? Behind of course! I’m still fleshing out my novel but it will be grand. My goal is to finish the first book in well-edited first draft mode this year. It is the first in a young adult fantasy trilogy and I’m still fleshing out the plot particulars.

Any of you participating in Camp NaNo this year? It’s not too late to start!

NaNo November: Author Do List

by in Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams, author platform, Author Thursdays, NaNoWriMo, The Day The Computer Stood Still and tagged

My to do list as an author

1. Develop my web presence (get known before the book deal)

1. Web presence/platform – blog, facebook, website (update blog 3x/week and read others’ blogs and comment)
2. Send my children’s picture book off to publishers
3. Beauty and the Beast – edit this young adult manuscript per beta readers comments and create a professional cover
4. Ataxia – redesign cover and make internal edits, market, market, market
5. Get involved (Goodreads, Smashwords, Facebook groups) – connect with both the audience and other writers through communities
6. Finish the Day the Computer Stood Still Manuscript First Draft.
7. Write write write


What is on your to do list as an author?