Perhaps there’s the next Jane Austen scribbling away right now by J.C. Raulston Arboretum, an F. Scott Fitzgerald in Five Points, or an Orwell in Historic Oakwood. Maybe 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’ll be able to 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 — and plenty of well-known authors have taken the challenge.
If you need inspiration right from home, check out 10 of Raleigh’s most well-known authors, including humorist David Sedaris and historical fiction writer Nancy Peacock.
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?
Wake County Public Libraries | Libraries like writers. Visit one of the library’s 23 locations in the county, or 10 in Raleigh, find yourself a cozy spot, check out some of their writing resources, and start cracking on your tome. Attend Oberlin Regional Library’s NaNoWriMo Write In on Friday, Nov. 10 for extra support from local November novel writers.
Redbud Writing Project | This writers collective gives authors the tools to write a variety of genres with seasoned instructors throughout the Triangle.
Night School Bar | Take one of many online or in-person college-level classes at this Durham bar-meets-education center to work with other writers or learn about subjects related to your craft.
Meetup | There are others like you out there. Join groups like Triangle Writers, Read! Write! Publish!, and plenty more for support and advice on your novel-writing journey.
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 latte at Blackbird Books & Coffee and browse the bookshelves knowing that, perhaps, your work will be there sometime soon.
