NaNoWriMo: Get Ready, Get Set, Write!
Posted By: Tina Walker Davis
Date Posted: 10/10/2017
Nearly half a million people around the world will set aside time in November to write their stories. It’s all part of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo—a creative writing project aimed at getting people of all ages to try to write 50,000 words by the end of November.
Deschutes Public Library is joining hundreds of libraries, book stores and community centers as they open their doors and host programs for aspiring novelists through the Come Write In program. The library will follow the NaNoWriMo guidelines (50,000 words/200 pages) and will host weekly meetings at the Downtown Bend Library to encourage writers to check in, cheer each other on, discuss technique and do some writing together.
“Taking part in NaNoWriMo is a great compliment to Deschutes Public Library’s ongoing commitment to the local writing community,” says Chantal Strobel, Manager of Community Relations at the library. “We’re proud to offer free, high-caliber writing workshops and programs on a regular basis, and NaNoWriMo is a powerful way to get Central Oregon writers together.”
The weekly sessions will be facilitated by writing instructors Irene Cooper, Mike Cooper and Ellen Santasiero. Sessions take place every Tuesday evening in November at the Downtown Bend Library. NaNoWriMo participants can check in anytime between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., or can stay for the full session. No registration is required. Session dates are November 7, 14, 21 and 28. A prep session for NaNoWriMo will take place at the Downtown Bend Library on October 29 at 3:30 p.m.
Over 250 NaNoWriMo novels have been traditionally published. They include Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Hugh Howey’s Wool, Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, Jason Hough’s The Darwin Elevator, and Marissa Meyer’s Cinder. NaNoWriMo began in 1999, and in 2005 it became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. NaNoWriMo’s programs now include National Novel Writing Month in November, Camp NaNoWriMo, the Young Writers Program, Come Write In, and the “Now What?” Months.
For more information about the NaNoWriMo sessions or other library programs, please visit the library website at www.deschuteslibrary.org. People with disabilities needing accommodations (alternative formats, seating or auxiliary aides) should contact Liz at 541-312-1032.