Celebrate National Novel Writers Month at the Library

With the temperature dropping, it’s time to start moving activities indoors. This National Novel Writer’s Month (NaNoWriMo), we’re hoping those activities are filled with a pen and paper, instead of the endless scroll—unless it’s on our social media channels! NaNoWriMo started in the San Francisco area in November 2000 “to more fully take advantage of the miserable weather." It has since grown to a national month for the literary community.

It's a great opportunity to begin writing that novel that you've been intending to write for a while now or challenge yourself to write something fresh and new. It's important to carve out time to write on a regular basis and our weekly Monday evening virtual write-ins help people with busy lives to set that time aside and kickstart the week.

NaNoWriMo Programs

We have a month of writing programs, from the youngest learners to the more experienced authors. You can find them all on our events page, but here are a few of the highlights.

• Writing Strategies for NaNoWriMo—Thursday, November 9, 5:30 p.m. (Parkville-Carney Branch)
  Dive into the NaNoWriMo challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November. Learn strategies to generate ideas and combat writer’s block. Share your writing with other writers. Writers of all skill and experience levels welcome.
• Indie Author Day: Using Family History in Your Writing—Monday, November 13, 6:30 p.m. (Loch Raven Branch)
  Baltimore author and poet Carole Boston Weatherford explores mining your family history to tell stories that are unique to your experience. Her latest work, "Kin," is a novel in verse that looks to her ancestors to trace her roots to the plantation in Maryland where Frederick Douglas was enslaved. Join the author for a presentation on writing techniques for any intended audience. Book sales and signings to follow the presentation.
• Writing Group—Thursday, November 16, 6:30 p.m. (Loch Raven Branch)
  Whether you’re an indie author, a sometimes poet or a budding novelist, participate in this workshop for monthly discussion and practice. Bring out your best work to share in a supportive setting.

Tips From a Pro

If you need some help getting started, getting some tips from a published author may help. We had the opportunity to interview local author Katie Aiken Ritter, who writes and publishes books on the Viking era in Iceland. One of her passions is helping writers, which is why she offered these tips to those just getting started.

Q: How did you get into writing?

A: I was sitting in an office having lunch at my desk, reading the monthly Southern Journal article in "Southern Living" magazine. I found the article trite and thought to myself, I could write better than that. So, I wrote an article and sent it in. To my astonishment, they sent back a check for $1,000—magazines paid better in those days! I was also honored that that first piece was later included in an anthology of Southern Living's favorite Southern Journal pieces.

Q: What’s the very first thing you do when you start writing?

A: We never know where our light may shine, so I remind myself to make this the best work I can possibly do.

Q: How long does the writing process take from idea to publication?

A: I write historical fiction about people of Iceland in the Viking era, so there’s a lot of research involved. I also write big, complex stories—I’ve been flattered to be compared to "The Pillars of the Earth" and "The Clan of the Cave Bear"—so it usually takes me a couple of years.

Q: What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

A: Outlining isn’t fun! I’ve ‘pantsed’ all four novels in the Norse Adventure series, but was determined to outline this fifth one (which I just started for NaNoWriMo!) and I just don’t like it. I’d rather just open a file and start. The other part, which is not really writing, is marketing novels once they’re published. I think a lot of writers experience that conundrum!

Q: What’s your favorite part of writing?

A: Two things! First, when I have to make something complex be understandable. I wrote one scene where a man and a woman are crossing a desolate wasteland in Iceland (yes, it’s a real place) and I had to make readers understand just exactly how dangerous it was, because hallucinations would happen. Making hallucinations seem real to the reader was fascinating.

I also love it when the book surprises me. More than once I’ve been typing and had my jaw drop down in surprise at what was taking place on the page! And it’s so gratifying when I can weave a deep message into a story that isn’t the plot, but really makes the characters and the setting deeper and more complex.

Q: Do you have a favorite book that you’ve written?

A: I really have favorite characters and sections in each of my books. But my heart lies with "The Green Land." Chronologically, it’s the third one in the series but it’s the first one I wrote. That whole book was such a surprise: I was considering what to write next and had a somewhat terrifying experience in which I was directed in no uncertain terms that this was the topic—and I knew almost nothing about Vikings! But I went with it, and fell in love with the story.

If you’d like to read Katie’s books you can place a hold on them in our catalog.

365 Resources

We encourage you to write long after November, and NaNoWriMo, is over. So here are a few resources that can help you year round.

• Research Databases—Programs, like Biography in Context and Gale OneFile, will help with research to give you a good base.
• LinkedIn Learning—A variety of classes to walk you through the writing process and publication.
• My Librarian—Schedule a time to talk one-on-one with a Librarian to help point you in the right direction for research, writing or publishing.