Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.
National Novel Writing Month — affectionately known as NaNoWriMo — kicks off today. Every November, writers take the challenge to write a 50,000-word novel, start to finish, between 12:00 a.m Nov. 1 and 11:59 p.m. Nov. 30. Wyoming libraries are a great resource for writers both plotting and pantsing their way through NaNoWriMo.
It’s not just the numerous writing titles you’ll find on the shelves at your local library. Many materials are available in the GoWYLD e-content resources, freely downloadable to a computer, phone, or tablet for any resident of Wyoming. Zinio for Libraries offers the magazines Poets & Writers Magazine, The American Poetry Review, The Writer, and Writer’s Digest. cloudLibrary has On Writing by Stephen King, Reflections: On the Magic of Writing, by Diana Wynne Jones, and On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition, by William Zinsser. A search for “writing” in the newly added Total Boox found 400 books!
Many public libraries are holding NaNoWriMo events. For example, the Pinedale Library is a “Come Write In” location. Albany County Public Library plans a handful of write-ins. The Carbon Room at the Rawlins Library will available during open hours for writers to use — those who check in with the library, even after hours using free WiFi, will be entered in a drawing held at the end of the month. The Riverton Branch Library has workshops planned on Nov. 12 and 19.
Other libraries may have events planned as well. Check with your local library for dates and times of any NaNoWriMo events. And if your library has nothing planned, consider connecting with other writers in your community and reserving a meeting room for some time to gather and write.
Find more information on National Novel Writing Month at nanowrimo.org.