Perhaps there’s a Jane Austen scribbling away right now by the arboretum, a Toni Morrison in Monona, or a John Steinbeck in Sunset Hills. Perhaps it’s you, or you’ve always had thoughts that it could be you.
This month, you can make those thoughts a reality. November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and we’re here to tell you that you can do it . Just take some of these ideas and come December, you can say you’re a novelist.
Act 1 - The Set Up
NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit organization that promotes creative writing around the world. Its flagship program encourages bibliophiles to attempt to write a 50,000-word manuscript during the month of November.
A few NaNoWriMo books you may recognize:
- Sara Gruen’s “Water for Elephants”
- Erin Morgenstern’s “The Night Circus”
- Hugh Howey’s “Wool”
How do you go about writing a novel? Literary agents have some ideas , and City Editor Jonathan recommends reading Stephen King’s “On Writing ” and Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird. ”
Act 2 - Confrontation
Now, there’s rising action. There’s confrontation. Where do you go to write this novel of yours and how do you keep yourself motivated to finish it?
Madison Public Library | Libraries like writers. Visit one of the library’s nine locations , find yourself a cozy spot, check out some of their writing resources, and start cracking on your tome.
UW-Madison | The UW-Madison Writing Center, Program in Creative Writing, and Madison Writing Assistance are offering a variety of resources to fellow writers on campus and in the Madison community. Get some encouragement, attend an event, and keep writing!
Meetup | There are others like you out there. Join the Writers of Madison meetup group to find coming NaNoWriMo events, like one this evening .
Act 3 - Resolution
Now, there’s a climax. There’s the denouement (a book nerdy word for resolution).
You’ve finished the Great American Novel. Get yourself a cocktail at Leopold’s Books Bar Caffè and browse the bookshelves knowing that, perhaps, your work will be there sometime soon.