NaNoWriMo Nears!

Have you always wanted to write a novel? Maybe you even have a dusty half-finished manuscript in a dresser drawer or saved on your computer somewhere. Someday, you tell yourself, when you are not so busy, when you have that good idea, when you can take a workshop, when... But that day never comes.  Wouldn't you like to get this goal off your bucket list and be able to tell yourself that you've written a novel? Well, have I got an idea for you...

Every year, hundreds of thousands of ambitious, caffeinated, foolhardy writers across the world try, during the month of November, to write an entire 50,000-word novel. Yes, you read that right: they create an entire novel, from beginning to end, during just one month. And believe it or not, many succeed! Read more here. We even have the official how-to book by NaNoWrimo's founder, Chris Baty: No Plot? No Problem!

Here are just a few NaNo novels that have been published, and are now available at your local Pima County Public Library (here's the complete list):

• Persistence of Memory by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
• Take the Reins by Jessica Burkhart
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (this one was a bestseller!)
• Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

If you're inspired to write your own novel in November, or even want to get started writing at a slower pace, here are some more books on writing by a few of my favorite authors, to get your creative juices flowing!

• Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
• So You Want to Write by Marge Piercy and Ira Wood

P.S. If you'd like to take a creative writing class, have you heard about Universal Class? It's something new that you have access to for free with your library card -- you get to take an online class with a qualified instructor, with the option of receiving continuing education certificates, or just for fun. Check it out, it's the last link on this page.

-Jenny