November is NaNoWriMo! NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. They say it best in their own words – “NaNoWriMo is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought about writing a novel.”
How can the Library help?
- Come to the Library to write – whether you love the silence of our quiet study rooms, or the buzz of our main floor, the Library offers a great environment in which to work. We have tables, chairs, and outlets if you want to bring your own device, or stop by to print from one of our public computers – it’s always best to edit on paper! If you have a question, there’s a librarian at the Information Desk, ready to help!
- If you prefer writing somewhere else, stop by and pick up some guidance. Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style is a classic writing companion, or maybe The Accidents of Style: Good Advice on How Not to Write Badly by Charles Harrington Elster is more your speed.
- More in need of inspiration than instruction? Alexander Chee’s collection of essays, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel should fit the bill. These essays explore identity formation and the importance of writing – as he said in an interview, “All my life I’ve been told [writing] isn’t important, that it doesn’t matter, that it could never matter, and yet I think it does.”
- Looking for a little bit of company in what can otherwise be a very solitary task? Join The Writer’s Group – they meet in the Café at Kennedy Library on the second Monday and fourth Tuesday of each month (in November’s case, the group meets only on the second Monday as the Library will be closed for Thanksgiving on the fourth Tuesday). Just stop by! All Writer’s Group meetings are marked on our calendar.