Be Thankful it's National Novel Writing Month

Be Thankful it’s National Novel Writing Month
By Stacey Anter

In this life, there are so many things to be thankful for: Family, Friends, Health, and etcetera. When you get frustrated and stressed out from the daily grind, you must remember to always return to what makes you happy and fulfills your spirit, whether it be sketching, sculpting, playing your guitar, singing, writing, blogging, walking, jogging or whatever. The speaker at a workshop I attended asked what we wanted to do if we knew we couldn’t fail, and at least half of the audience answered that they wanted to write a novel. I am quite sure that there are many of you who have aspirations of becoming a novelist or writer, and so I am here to tell you: Go For It! November is National Novel Writing Month!

From November 1st to 30th an organization nicknamed “NaNoWriMo” (National Novel Writing Month) challenges writers to write a novel in a month. “Write a novel in just a month?” you say. “How can I write a good novel in only 30 days? You must be dreaming.” Well, the point is to writewritewritewritewrite enough to finish a 175-page or 50,000-word novel by midnight November 30th, regardless of how good it is. (Editing and rewriting is for later.) It’s good practice for getting yourself in the habit of writing everyday. NaNoWriMo says it’s a “fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing.” You can sign up with NaNoWriMo for a competition of sorts, or you can simply use it as a private goal for yourself. Either way, you win by becoming a novelist. Check out http://www.nanowrimo.org for more information.

One of the best resources for writers, month after month, is Writer’s Digest. Whether you enjoy writing fiction, such as mysteries, romances, fantasy, science fiction, screenplays, or non-fiction how-to, inspiration, informational, books or articles, this magazine is one of the best for all kinds of writers. There are so many books suggested and sold by Writer’s Digest for aspiring writers. For more information, a glimpse into the magazine, the bookstore, visit their website at http://www.writersdigest.com . You can check our magazine database for articles on writing, including articles on fanfiction, which is writing fiction based on television shows, movies, books, and other creative media. Writing fanfiction stories can be great practice for future novelists, and perhaps even lead to a publishing contract. Did you know that Fifty Shades of Gray started out as fanfiction based on the Twilight series? Visit http://www.fanfiction.net for inspiration and entertainment.

For aspiring non-fiction authors, one book that I wholeheartedly recommend is The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell. Since attending a library conference where these knowledgeable ladies spoke about freelance writing and how they decided to write this book, my drive to write has been renewed after lying dormant due to the daily stress of work and life. I was so jazzed up, that not only did I buy their book and highlight key points and important sections, but also I soon found myself subscribing to their email newsletter, thinking of magazine markets and article queries. The Renegade Writer is one of the best resources I have found that shows you how to break into freelance writing, and how to successfully break the “rules” you learned from other experts. (Rules are made to be broken, after all.) Formichelli and Burrell are two goddesses of the freelance writing world, and no matter your background or expertise, these ladies prove that you can do anything that you put your mind to and be a success. Check out http://www.twowriters.net and http://www.renegadewriter.com for more information and plenty of inspiration. A third goddess is Jennifer Lawler, the author of Dojo Wisdom for Writers, among other titles found at http://www.jenniferlawler.com . Lawler’s latest Dojo book inspires and motivates writers with a martial arts mentality. When Lawler and Formichelli, along with Formichelli’s husband, Eric Martin, also a freelancer, spoke at Cranston Public Library in October, their wisdom encouraged me to persevere and be patient with my writing success. Another useful resource is, The Writer’s Guide to Queries, Pitches, and Proposals by Moira Allen. The business side of writing is just as important once your novel is written. Whether you’re writing a novel, a how-to book, or a magazine article, you’ll need to query or pitch it to a market in order to get it published, and this guide shows you how.

Naturally, there are some resources absolutely necessary for every writer’s bookshelf. First and foremost, a writer needs a trusty thesaurus and an unabridged dictionary. But there are also some resources that could definitely come in handy from time to time. For example, the Writer’s Digest Flip Dictionary by Barbara Ann Kipfer, Ph.D. can help jog your memory or guide you towards those technical and not-so-technical-but-on-the-tip-of-your-tongue terms. Without a doubt, no writer should be without a grammar/punctuation/style handbook such as The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, or The Little, Brown Handbook. Whether you are a Stephen King fan or not, Stephen King On Writing is a great resource for inspiration and writing advice written by a master storyteller. There are also some great books about Plot, Conflict, Action and Suspense, Character and Viewpoint, and more available from Writers Digest Books. If you’re online, you can always find information and inspiration. Some of my favorite websites and newsletters come from WritersDigest ( http://www.writersdigest.com ), WritersWeekly (http://www.writersweekly.com), and WriterAdvice (http://www.writeradvice.com) just to name a few.
So, what are you waiting for? Go for it! “Get That Novel Started!” (Yes, that is also the title of a book). If you’ve ever dreamt of being a novelist/writer/author, then this is the month to start. Make a promise to yourself that you’re going to a) participate in NaNoWriMo, or b) sit down everyday and simply write even when you can’t think of anything to write about at the moment. If you write, words will come. If you decide to take on this task, I say to you, “Good Luck and Godspeed.”

I call myself the Library Detective because I can find the answers to any question you can think of, or at least I can point you in the right direction. To find out more about NaNoWriMo, or writing fiction or non-fiction, visit your local library; there are more Library Detectives there, too.