HAVEN’T YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO WRITE A BOOK? WELL, NOW’S YOUR CHANCE!
November is National Novel Writing Month, the month a morass of aspiring (and not-so-aspiring) writers take up the challenge to write an entire 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Yes, you read that right. That’s about 200 pages. In 30 days. Trust me, it is SO much more fun than that just sounded.
So in honor of National Novel Writing Month, we have selected several different groups of books. Firstly, to gear you up and get you ready to go, we have some great books from our collection about the art and craft of novel writing. Old standbys like John Gardner’s On Becoming a Novelist, Stephen King’s wildly popular On Writing, and my favorite, mystery author Elizabeth George’s Write Away, where she lays her writing process bare for the reader. We’ve also included some published novels that began as NaNoWriMo projects! Sara Gruen’s Water For Elephants, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, and Anna and the French Kissby Stephanie Perkins. See? You never know what might happen.
Additionally, I thought I’d include several of our very own members who have books out: Athenaeum staff member Tina Egnoski’s Perishables, a lovely study in short fiction, Ann Hood’s very first novel Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine, Taylor Polites brand new historical novel of the Civil War, The Rebel Wife , and our own Bon Vivant Brett Rutherford’s chilling horror novel, The Lost Children. We’ve also included some favorite, prolific and well known authors – in their first novels. Isabel Allende, Margaret Atwood, mystery authors Ruth Rendell and Peter Lovesey — they all started somewhere. And remember, YOU CAN DO IT TOO! We encourage ANY and ALL patrons to join us in trying to write a novel during the month of November. All you have to do is go to www.nanowrimo.org and sign up! Its quick, its easy and its free!
If you do decide to take up the challenge, come see Amy or Megh on the Circulation Desk. We are Old Hats at Nanowrimo (as its affectionately called), and can help you get acclimated. Hope to see you in the Novel Writing Seas!
(Click the title to see if it’s available)
Books About Writing:
- Write Away, Elizabeth George
- Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life, Natalie Goldberg
- On Becoming a Novelist, John Gardner
- Master Class: Scenes from a Fiction Workshop, Paul West
- How Fiction Works, James Wood
- Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands, Michael Chabon
- On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King
- Poets & Writers Magazine, “Inspiration Issues” Jan/Feb2011, Jan/Feb2012
Books By Members:
- The Rebel Wife, Taylor M. Polites
- Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine, Ann Hood
- The Lost Children, Brett Rutherford
- The Steampunk Trilogy, Paul DiFilippo
- Perishables, Tina Egnoski
- Ricochet, Stuart Blazer
First Novels:
- Wobble to Death, Peter Lovesey
- The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury
- The Virgin Blue, Tracy Chevalier
- The Edible Woman, Margaret Atwood
- Lives of Girls and Women, Alice Munro
- Trust, Cynthia Ozick
- Player Piano, Kurt Vonnegut
- House of the Spirits, Isabelle Allende
NaNoWriMo Books:
- The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
- Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
- Anna and the French Kiss, Stephanie Perkins
Amy Eller Lewis, Writer and Circulation Assistant Extraordinaire, presents staff picks on our website each season and is responsible for this post. Thanks Amy.
