Aspiring writers can join together as they attempt to pen a 50,000-word novel throughout National Novel Writing Month in November.
NaNoWriMo is coming to the Mt. Laurel Library.
For those unaware, those aren’t the sounds of infant babbling his or her first consonants — it’s the commonly used abbreviation for November’s National Novel Writing Month.
Started by a freelance writer in the late 1990s, the annual event has since blossomed into a national nonprofit and annual tradition where aspiring writers use November to attempt to write their own novel.
Starting midnight on Nov. 1 and lasting through 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 30, writers undertake the self-imposed challenge of penning a 50,000-word novel based on any topic they choose.
According to the official NaNoWriMo website, National Novel Writing Month is “one part writing boot camp” and “one part rollicking party” where the event encourages creativity, education and the power of the imagination.”
According to the NaNoWriMo website, last year’s event saw nearly 395,000 participants on six continents start their own novel. Of those participants, more than 58,000 met their writing goal.
This year, NaNoWriMo expects more than 400,000 people to participate in the project, including more than 95,000 students in grades kindergarten through 12.
“NaNoWriMo is more than just a writing challenge. NaNoWriMo is an opportunity to step out of your everyday life, open your mind to infinite possibilities, and create new worlds with people from around the globe,” said Grant Faulkner, executive director of NaNoWriMo in a press release.
Faulkner went on to describe the month-long event as a “joyous leap into unexplored worlds, “a laboratory of the imagination,” and “a chance to free yourself from the obstacles that prevent you from telling your story.”
“Our stories help us understand ourselves and others, so we need our stories more than ever in this age to bridge connections and heal divides,” Faulkner said.
With that in mind, NaNoWriMo participants in Mt. Laurel are invited to use the Mt. Laurel library to help further their writing with two special “Write-In” events at the library on Nov. 7 and Nov. 17.
On Nov. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. and again on Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon., writers ages 12 and older are invited to use the Mt. Laurel Library as a space to write.
Whether it’s tweens, teens or adults, according to the library’s website, NaNoWriMo and the upcoming Write-In events are for any aspiring writers who value “enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline.”
With the events, writers are invited to join their fellow authors in working toward that daunting 50,000-word goal.
The events will give writers a chance to interact with one another, while also providing a space to write. Those who attend the Write-In can also reregister ahead of time if they wish to reserve one of the library’s laptops to use.
To learn more about NaNoWriMo, visit www.nanowrimo.org.
To learn more about the NaNoWriMo Write-In events at the Mt. Laurel Library, visit the library’s website at www.mountlaurellibrary.org.
