November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. This year, the library is an official Come Write In location for hopeful or established authors to have space and a quiet atmosphere to work on their manuscript. NaNoWriMo began in 1999 with just 21 people in the San Francisco Bay area. In 2019, there were almost half a million people who participated! The goal is to start writing on November 1st and finish 50,000 words of a novel by the end of November 30th. It could be your entire book or just a big portion to start, but that’s an average of 1,667 words a day. A number of successful novels have been written through NaNoWriMo as well. Perhaps you can find some inspiration for your own writing by checking them out from our collection. Here are just a few.

“Water for Elephants” (FICTION Gruen) was written during NaNoWriMo in 2006 by Sara Gruen. It tells the story of Jacob Jankowski, a young veterinarian who runs away to the circus and his subsequent adventures. You might also try “Cinder” (YA FICTION Meyer) the first novel in the best-selling series by Marissa Meyer. Written during NaNoWriMo in 2012, Cinder is an ingenious retelling of the Cinderella fairytale in a science fiction futuristic setting. If fantasy is what you crave, try “Assassin’s Heart” (YA FICTION Ahiers). Written during NaNoWriMo in 2015, Sarah Ahiers weaves the tale of Lea Saldana, an aristocratic assassin betrayed and out for vengeance. If romance is more what you’re looking for, then you could try “Anna and the French Kiss” (YA FICTION Perkins). Finished during the 2010 NaNoWriMo, Stephanie Perkins gives us the story of Anna, marooned in Paris for a year of school away from friends, her job, her little brother, and her crush at work. Will she survive, or maybe find something more? You never know where writing can take you because Stephanie Perkins’ newest two books are horror thrillers.

We hope you’ll accept the NaNoWriMo challenge too. We all have stories to share. Who knows what stories are waiting to jump out from your own imagination better than you? We’re happy to assist as well! You can Come Write In to the library throughout November and utilize our quiet tables and study carousels located in our adult fiction and non-fiction sections. As long as the library is open, you are welcome to use our space to get your story on paper or on screen. The library’s regular hours are Monday thru Thursday from 9:30 AM to 8:00 PM and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Our staff are happy to help you find information you hope to use in your writing too. We also will have several writing workshops to inspire ideas and help with the writing process. The first was this week! You can visit our events calendar on our website, www.newulmlibrary.org, check out our Facebook page, stop into the library, or give us a call at 507-359-8331 to find out about our upcoming programs.