Have a story that's just itching to get out, but you don't know where to start? Not quite ready to go it alone? The time for you is now, then, because November is National Novel Writing Month! Known for short as NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month has been celebrated each November since 1999 as a way of lighting the fire under writers of all ages to get a novel of any shade or stripe written (in some shape or form) in thirty days and to bring together the support of a writing community for collective inspiration. The official goal is to write 50,000 words toward that novel, but writing of any kind and to any extent can be embraced during these thirty days. It can be daunting to feel a creative energy burning but not have the focus, time, or energy to devote to a masterpiece, but fear not! Did you know that Erin Morgenstern's beloved debut The Night Circus was written as a draft one year for NaNoWriMo? Or Rainbow Rowell's young adult success Fangirl? While many libraries and bookstores often host write-ins during this month, a lot of communities have also become virtual over the years, especially during the pandemic, making them accessible to many. If you're looking for inspiration, though, we have it in abundance. Check out the reading list below for writing resources (including guides, tips, and handbooks), writers writing on their craft, novels about novelists, and successful novels written during NaNoWriMo. Then see where the writing spirit moves you! The shelves of libraries don't get filled without people trying their pen to the page. If you're feeling the weight of writer's block or just feeling timid, get reading (and writing!) below. Click on links to request or read more about each book in our catalog.
Novels Written (or begun) During NaNoWriMo
With the Fire on High, Elizabeth Acevedo
Water for Elephants, Sarah Gruen
The Wedding Date, Jasmine Guillory
Evvie Drake Starts Over, Linda Holmes
Wool, High Howey
Cinder, Marissa Meyer
The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
Side Effects May Vary, Julie Murphy
Trail of Lightning, Rebecca Roanhorse
Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell
Novels Featuring Novelists (who are trying to write the darn things)
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
No Words, Meg Cabot
Once Upon a Wardrobe, Patti Callahan
Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (and Their Muses), Terri Lynne DeFino
Beach Read, Emily Henry
The Night She Disappeared, Lisa Jewell
Dear Mr. M, Herman Koch
Misery, Stephen King
The Plot, Jean Hanff Korelitz
10:04, Ben Lerner
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
Blinding Light, Paul Theroux
Writing Resources (and writers on their craft)
Negotiating with the Dead: a writer on writing, Margaret Atwood
Barking with the Big Dogs: on writing and reading books for children, Natalie Babbitt
Writing and Selling Your Novel, Jack M. Bickham
Why I Write: thoughts on the craft of fiction, ed. Will Blythe
Bryson’s Dictionary for Writers and Editors, Bill Bryson
From Where You Dream: the process of writing fiction, Robert Olen Butler
Characters and Viewpoint, Orson Scott Card
The Art of X-Ray Reading: how the secrets of 25 great works of literature will improve your writing, Roy Peter Clark
Wired for Story, Lisa Cron
The Merry Heart: reflections on reading, writing, and the world of books, Robertson Davies
The Writing Life, Annie Dillard
Write Away: one novelist’s approach to fiction and the writing life, Elizabeth George
Worlds of Wonder: how to write science fiction & fantasy, David Gerrold
Writing Down the Bones: freeing the writer within, Natalie Goldberg
The Storytelling Animal: how stories make us human, Jonathan Gottschall
Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction, Patricia Highsmith
On Writing: a memoir of the craft, Stephen King
Bird By Bird: some instructions on writing and life, Anne Lamott
The Poets & Writers Complete Guide to Being a Writer: everything you need to know to about craft, inspiration, agents, editors, publishing and the business of building a sustainable writing career, Kevin Larimer & Mary Gannon
Conversations on Writing, Ursula K. LeGuin
Book Publishing 101, Martha Maeda
The Kite and the String: how to write with spontaneity and control—and live to tell the tale, Alice Mattison
Before and After the Book Deal: a writer’s guide to finishing, publishing, promoting, and surviving your first book, Courtney Maum
What About the Baby?: some thoughts on the art of fiction, Alice McDermott
Draft No. 4: on the writing process, John McPhee
Between the Lines: master the subtle elements of fiction writing, Jessica Page Morrell
Elements of Fiction, Walter Mosley
This Year You Write Your Novel, Walter Mosley
Daemon Voices: on stories and storytelling, Philip Pullman
The Storytellers: straight talk from the world’s most acclaimed suspense and thriller authors, Mark Rubenstein
The Last Draft: a novelist’s guide to revision, Sandra Jean Scofield
13 Ways of Looking at the Novel, Jane Smiley
Writing Without Rules, Jeff Somers
Curious Attractions: essays on writing, Debra Spark
Bleaker House: chasing my novel to the end of the world, Nell Stevens
The Pocket Muse: ideas & inspirations for writing, Monica Wood
The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing, Writer’s Digest