It’s officially National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! If you’ve ever thought “I should write a book” now is a good time to get started. If you’re online, you can connect with tons of people who are working toward the same goal: writing 50,000 words during the month of November. Head to NaNoWriMo.org to register and start making friends.
Several notable and best-selling works were created by authors participating in NaNoWriMo. They are worth reading, especially if you need some inspiration for slogging through this month of daily writing goals.
“The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern is a dreamy story about two young magicians who should be enemies – they are competing after all – but fall deeply in love as they build a magical circus that delights and enchants all who attend. Morgenstern spent three consecutive Novembers on this book.
Marissa Meyer wrote not one, but three books during a single NaNoWriMo. Her best-selling “Lunar Chronicles” series (“Cinder,” “Scarlet,” and “Cress”) explore classic fairy tales through a futuristic lens.
“Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell is an excellently readable coming of age story. Cath must stand on her own two feet for the first time and isn’t sure she can do it. To escape and cope, she writes fan fiction – stories based around another author’s fictional world and characters – and becomes pretty famous for it. Which, of course, complicates things.
A popular short story grew into a full length novel over one NaNoWriMo. “Wool” by Hugh Howey is a post-apocalyptic thriller set in an underground silo. Members of this society, living hundreds of stories underground, seem content with the rigid structure of the silo until the sheriff breaks the biggest taboo: he asks to go outside.
I’d love to add your book to this list some day. Happy writing!