National Novel Writing Month…build a novel in a month! You can do it. Start out small with an inkling of an idea and every day commit to adding more ideas and complexity to your story (maybe 1000 words?). Or begin with a pre-existing project and get ‘er done! Write like you have never written before. This challenge pushes you past your limiting habits. Do it on your own or join others from around the world as they break down barriers and produce writing they never imagined.
Red Deer Public Library will be hosting several NaNoWriMo writing focus days, opens a new window, or Write-Ins, throughout November to surround yourself with a writing community to get you through. We will have a place set aside on Saturday November 5, 12, 19 and 26 from 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. at the Downtown branch. In case you need extra inspiration, you will be entered to win a writers prize pack if you write a 1000 words at a session.
During these sessions we will have the pleasure of an experienced NaNoWriMo enthusiast to assist, guide and inspire you to get the words on paper. Our expert is Taylor Solberg, who shares this story of her own journey:
"NaNoWriMo reignited my love of writing.
When I was younger I used to fill binders upon binders with hand-written stories. They never went anywhere and I never showed anyone, but I continued to write anyway. I loved creating characters and worlds in my mind, and making up scenarios to put them in: so much so that I had to put them to paper in order to remember them.
As I got older, I found I didn’t have as much time to write. I was busy enough with school, homework, extracurriculars and the like. I continued to be creative, attending college for visual arts, but it was never quite the same.
A few years ago I got into Dungeons and Dragons. I created a world and characters and a mythology that I loved so much I didn’t want it ruined by players and their pesky “free will”. I decided to give NaNoWriMo a try. I did very minimal planning and ran out of ideas a little over halfway through the month. Overall, I ended up abandoning the story and “losing” NaNo that year, but I did write 32,000 words. That was more words than I had ever written for a story before. I took a break and then in 2019 I tried again, and this time I won. I just barely hit the 50k before midnight on that November 30th, but I did it.
There were some pretty tough days, I’m not gonna lie. Days where I just didn’t know what I wanted from the story, or days where the plot decided to go off on its own tangent that I wasn’t expecting. I struggled through those days, forcing myself to sit down and write no matter how awful the words that came out were.
But without those tough days, I wouldn’t have appreciated the good days as much. Days where everything just sort of made sense: the words were just flowing and things were falling into place the way they should and writing was actually fun again. At that point, it became less about having a story that I could show anyone at the end of the challenge, and more about the act of storytelling. I relearned the importance of enjoying the process of telling myself the story. That 50,000 words was for me and for me alone.
I’ve been obsessed ever since."
Check out these great resources below if you would like to be part of the amazing writing movement. Come along on a journey with other writers and make this November your best writing month yet! We are excited for your story.
NaNoWriMo at RDPL:, opens a new window
Check out the days and times for our hosted writing program, opens a new window during November. Also check out these resources, opens a new window from RDPL that can help you on your writing journey!
NaNoWriMo, opens a new window
NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit that believes in the transformational power of creativity. They provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people use their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page.
Writer’s Digest, opens a new window
Their mission is to help ignite writers' creative vision and connect them with the community, education and resources they need to bring it to life.
Canadian Authors Association, opens a new window
A membership-based organization for writers at all stages of their writing careers: aspiring, emerging, and professional.
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