Get ready to tell your story this NaNoWriMo

10/31/2018

Get ready to tell your story this NaNoWriMo

By Katherine Thichava

Get ready to tell your story this NaNoWriMo

Leaves are falling and the days are getting colder and darker. That means only one thing: NaNoWriMo will soon be upon us!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) occurs when the clock strikes midnight on November 1, and challenges novelists to set aside the month to create a 50,000-word manuscript. The event, which takes place online and through in-person meet-ups around the globe, offers a month of motivation and community for writers developing their novels, combatting what is often otherwise a solitary creative process. 

Here at 2A, storytelling is at the very core of our business. We have a passion for creating compelling tales that resonate with our audiences. Well-crafted stories don’t emerge fully-formed from a writer’s mind without effort or training, however. Contrary to popular belief, even the best writers have not succeeded on talent alone. They had to hone their abilities and expand their understanding of their art through training and practice.

Fortunately, there are remarkable books of all genres and styles that can help writers develop, refine, and expand their skills—and prepare for NaNoWriMo. One handy resource is the Microsoft book store’s Writing Essentials collection, which includes must-read titles for writers at any stage of their career. As an embedded consultant who supports the Microsoft book store, I populated the list that spans many genres and stages in the creative process, and highlights some of our favorite books on the craft of storytelling.

Happy writing this November!

Empowering eBooks

08/01/2018

Empowering eBooks

By Katherine Thichava

Empowering eBooks

As a project manager supporting Microsoft ebooks, I’m steeped in the art and science of book selling. The process requires a careful weighing of titles for their market performance, appeal to readers, and overall message to create a uniquely themed collection.

So when Microsoft launched an ebooks store to reflect its mission—to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more—I helped create and curate featured collections full of personal productivity and self-improvement titles.

Five favorites that helped me achieve more

Five self-improvement titles I’ve come to love since starting this project are:

  1. Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. The concept of servant leadership is clearly explained in this book. Great leaders must look out for their team’s well being and comfort, not the other way around.
  2. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. I love Anne’s hilarious and frank insights on the writer’s life. My favorite quote? “You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.”
  3. The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach. As a millennial still spooked by the Great Recession of 2008, this book offers wisdom and objectivity to automating financial independence.
  4. Journeys of a Lifetime by National Geographic. Working hard means playing hard too. This book has inspired some amazing ideas for must-take vacations when it’s time to get away from the office.
  5. How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler. Any bibliophile can gain something from learning more about how to appreciate books and improve their reading comprehension.

An ever-growing backlog

Needless to say, my to-read list expands every time I develop a new collection. There’s just so much great material out there, and I take immense pride in recommending impactful books to readers eager to achieve more.

Check out Microsoft’s eBook store to find your next read to help you achieve more too.