The Come Write In program brings NaNoWriMo to your neighborhood through local library partnerships. Donate to Come Write In by July 15 and receive a collection of library-friendly writer's gifts. You can also help support by taking a #ComeWriteIn selfie at your favorite library spot, or tagging your local library!
Here are two things we know for sure:
Drafting a novel is way more fun when you’ve got a community writing alongside you.
It’s tough to find a low-cost meeting spot that’s got enough space, power, and Wi-Fi for a group of rowdy writers.
Here’s a third thing we know for sure… which also conveniently solves the challenges above:
Libraries are among humanity’s greatest achievements.
From today through July 15, we’re celebrating these amazing spaces—and inviting you to support our Come Write In library partnership program.
Libraries and NaNoWriMo have been obvious besties since the very beginning.
Libraries are already the natural home of so many writers, are set up with programming space to host them, and are (tirelessly!) doing everything they can to support the book lovers who come through their doors.
That’s why, in 2009, we made our relationship with libraries official and created the Come Write In program. This mutually beneficial initiative gives libraries access to our resources, local communities, and passionate volunteers. And it gives those writing communities what they most need: a space to call home.
In the 10 years since it began, our Come Write In program has expanded to include community spaces of all kinds, but libraries have always been at its core. Without libraries and librarians, NaNoWriMo could never have become what it is today.
As bang for your buck goes, it’s hard to beat CWI. We offer a kit full of goodies to help entice and encourage writers; provide guidelines and resources on event hosting; and keep in touch throughout the year with tips and support. In return we have an incredible network of spaces for writers—over 1,000 each year—with no strings attached and no cost to our participants.
But we’d love to be able to do more for our Come Write In spaces, and for them to be able to do more for our writers. Your donation will allow us to:
Increase our reach to 1,300 CWI locations.
Create this year’s facilitation kits, available to all spaces.
Build a CWI accessibility database, so all writers can find a safe, comfortable place to work during NaNoWriMo.
Help us reach our $20,000 goal to expand the Come Write In program so we can help give even more people access to everything libraries and NaNoWriMo are able to do together!
Tackle NaNoWriMo at Hart Memorial Library, an official “Come Write In” location, and have a quiet space to write the day away. Room 120 is reserved all day, every day that we’re open for your use! Just sign up in at the front desk.
And every Thursday night at 6:30pm encourage fellow writers in their progress in our Central Writers Group NaNoWriMo Discussion sessions!
How NaNoWriMo’s Come Write In Program Inspires Better Stories
The Come Write In program brings NaNoWriMo to your neighborhood through local library partnerships. We’re currently hosting a fundraising drive to raise money for this important community program. Today, author Jarie Bolander shares why he supports Come Write In:
My first NaNoWriMo novel, Small Heart Monster, was the first novel I ever attempted to write. It’s an epic tale of Jessica, a female Asian-American publicist for professional athletes, struggling to make it in the misogynistic world of professional sports. It was inspired by my late wife Jane, who happened to be a female Asian-American publicist for professional athletes, struggling to make it (and she did!) in the misogynistic world of professional sports.
The tragedy of her death, at the young age of 36 from leukemia, compelled me to capture her life so that her stories would live on. That novel will most likely never be published (it needs a lot of work) but the inspiration to write it led to a more public dedication to Jane’s love of literacy and service—JSY Giving.
JSY Giving is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping other nonprofits tell better stories. We believe that well-told stories can amplify a nonprofit’s impact. Our focus is on nonprofits in the Literacy, Women & Minority Entrepreneurship, Anti-Human Trafficking, and Services for Youth sectors. These were all sectors that Jane helped when she was alive.
Writing, like reading, is something that gets better with practice. The stories that inspire us to action are the ones honed over time and reach deep into our soul. We get better when we write and share our stories with others. That’s why JSY Giving is proud to support Come Write In.
“Our stories are what define us, inspire us, and expand us into different points of view.“
Our lived experiences make for the best stories. Come Write In gives many people a place to be with other story nerds and share their lives through the stories we write. This makes us and our communities better. Our stories are what define us, inspire us, and expand us into different points of view.
That first NaNoWriMo novel led me to tackle the hard work of capturing the story about loving and losing Jane. That memoir, which I wrote during another NaNoWriMo, has been a big part of my healing from grief and loss. It also captures what it means to love, with all the baggage that comes along with it.
My hope is that more people will Come Write In to their local libraries and write stories together. Sharing our stories is a powerful way to build communities that make the world a better place. It’s also a great way to bond with others since writing with a partner opens up your eyes to whole other worlds, especially ones with magical mirrors and talking sea otters inspired by your 9-year old (now 10) writing partner.
Jarie Bolander is an engineer by training and an entrepreneur by nature. He has over 20 years of experience bringing innovative products to market. He is a Certified Story Grid Editor whose uses his editor training to help his companies tell better stories. He has published six books—8 Startup Dilemmas All Founder Will Face, The Entrepreneur Ethos, 7 PR Secrets All Founders Should Know, #Endurance Tweet, Frustration Free Technical Management, and Business Basics for Entrepreneurs. He’s also the ED of JSY Giving and on Twitter @TheDailyMBA.
Our Come Write In program has partnered with bookstores and libraries around the world for years to help create local novel-writing havens. Today, NaNoWriMo writer Jennifer Sheffield shares a few reasons why you should check out your local library:
Books are open on hardwood desks with hunched shoulders of people scribbling notes and intently taking in every word. Librarians shush and politely give warning glares to patrons carrying on too loudly. The natural light is beaming through large windows. Children and adults are hiding between shelves searching for the perfect book or research material. And sitting somewhere at a table is a group or solo writer hoping to score the next 50,000 words of a novel.
They all know something valuable about productivity: It’s all about the atmosphere.
To book lovers and aspiring authors, it should be obvious how important libraries are to a community. Unfortunately, not all communities appreciate them. If you haven’t taken the time to step inside your neighborhood library, perhaps you’re overdue for a visit.
Libraries are full of needed inspiration, whether you’re working on fiction, nonfiction, or academic writing. And beyond the materials a library can offer, they also offer patrons a sanctuary.
You might have a new set of writing goals in 2019, whether you’re planning on participating in one of the Camp NaNoWriMo events or National Novel Writing Month in November. Getting a head start on your writing is the best way to continue the habits you built from November and keep them going through the new year (especially if you’re like me and took a long break in December).
Besides setting the right ambiance at home or heading to a café to write, sometimes we find the distractions of familiarity or bustle of other people can be too much when we’re already fighting procrastination. When that happens, it’s time to revisit your list of hot spots in town and consider trying something new! Let’s start with the library.
Libraries demand respect of all their patrons—from volume to cleanliness. This means if you need a little peace or a break from how loud the world can be, the library shuts it all out! Between the stacks and comforting walls of a library you can let your mind wander as your eyes scan the shelves and focus on the soft ASMR of light keyboard tapping and pages flipping. It’s the perfect remedy.
Beyond environment, libraries are full of tools for physical and digital research. Feeling not-so-confident about how to write your next scene? Your novel’s genre has shelves full of authors who have felt the same as you. Check out how they handled their conflict and try something new in your own writing! Just imagine walking in one day and seeing your book on your local library’s shelves.
If you’re interested in getting more involved with your library, consider looking at what events they host, as well. Some libraries will hold write-ins with the community throughout November—mine does! Others are always open to working with you to get the events you and your peers want. Libraries thrive when their community takes advantage of what they offer. Don’t be afraid to ask a librarian for help.
Whether it’s the books, the sanctuary, or the events, you deserve to be part of your town’s library. And your library needs you.
Jennifer Sheffield is a full-time tech professional and freelance editor in the Seattle area. She was raised in the Atlanta area and received a BA in English from Valdosta State University with an emphasis in journalism. Jennifer is 28 years old, a Ravenclaw, and tea fanatic. Currently she's hoping to complete the first drafts of a fiction novel and nonfiction memoir by the end of this year.
NaNoWriMo is proud to be a partner of the second annual Indie Author Day! On this one day, libraries around the world welcome their local indie authors in for a day of education, networking, mingling, writing, open mics, panels and much more! Today, Laura Chapman, Municipal Liaison of the USA :: Nebraska :: Lincoln region, writes about finding and creating a supportive writing community:
Confession: I was too scared to attend a Write-In my first two years of NaNoWriMo. Like a proper writer, I dreamed up (lame) excuses.
What if I get distracted?
What if there aren’t enough outlets and my computer dies halfway through a spectacular burst of creativity?
What if the other writers think I’m a hack?
The first two are legit concerns. (Pro tip: Take headphones and a power strip to your Write-Ins and enforce the Pomodoro Technique, where everyone writes for no-interruption blocks with breaks in between.) But the third—the scariest—fear is the least likely to happen.
When I finally worked up the courage to attend a Write-In, I was hooked. Sure, I sometimes get distracted. It’s hard not to be chatty when you find people who get you. I’ve had my computer die, making me improvise and use a notebook. But in the party room of a 24-hour diner, I found an eclectic group of people from all kinds of backgrounds and interests. We might have been strangers, but we connected in one crucial way: We were all writers dedicated (or crazy) enough to set a goal of writing 50,000 words in one month to pursue our craft.
There are plenty of perks to Write-Ins. You get in-person pep talks when you’re down. There’s someone to supply the perfect plot twist when you’re stuck. If you’re into behind-the-scenes details, it’s fun to discover what and how other people are creating. Plus, it’s hard to give up on your goal when your buddies keep hitting word-count milestones mere feet away.
In Lincoln, Nebraska, our support network extends to our Come Write-In locations.
Indigo Bridge Books, an independent bookstore in the historic Haymarket, promotes literacy and activism in our community. The store shows its support by hosting signings and devoting shelves to local authors.
“As a store, our entire mission is wrapped up in community: building, resources, and support,” Manager Aja Martin said when I asked her why Indigo opens its doors to us. “It’s especially grand that NaNoWriMo connects to the literacy side of our work so well. Best of all worlds!”
The Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin Public Library houses a representative collection of the state’s authors. It’s inspiring to write in a room brimming with books by legends like Willa Cather, Ted Kooser, and Rainbow Rowell.
“The purpose of the Heritage Room—to celebrate and promote the work of Nebraska Authors—compliments the NaNoWriMo mission of helping people find their voices and achieve creative goals through writing,” said Curator Erin Willis. “The Heritage Room is an environment inspired by Nebraska’s literary history, and it is an honor to have a part in the living literary tradition as a Come Write-In location.”
This year, on November 3, we will hold our third annual Write-In at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum. The day of writing at the museum has grown each year with attendees coming from outside of Lincoln. It offers a unique writing experience in a beautiful venue. (If you find yourself in the area that day, please join us.)
With Write-Ins, you aren’t alone. You can find people and places to support you through every word. You can build your own community.
Laura Chapman is the author of sweet and sexy romantic comedies, including Playing House, The Marrying Type, the Queen of the League series, and other novellas and short stories. A native Nebraskan, Laura holds a journalism degree and minors in English and history from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Romance Authors of the Heartland, and serves as the National Novel Writing Month municipal liaison for her community. When she isn’t penning her next novel, Laura enjoys watching football, traveling, binge-watching Netflix, and hanging out with her cats, Jane and Bingley. She enjoys connecting with readers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Check out her blog or visit her online at www.laurachapmanbooks.com.
Our Come Write In program provides libraries, bookstores, and other neighborhood hubs the resources to build and support a local writing community. Today, librarian Jennifer Joe at the Owensboro Regional Campus of Western Kentucky University shares how NaNoWriMo has taught her to embrace persistence and throw certain kinds of “perfection” out the window:
I am a campus librarian at a small, regional campus library in Kentucky. In fact, I am the campus librarian, which means that if activities are going to happen at my library, I am the one who is going to organize them. It took me three years on the job, but with some support from the larger university community, my library finally became a Come Write In location. As a passionate supporter of reading and writing, and a 10+ year participant of NaNoWriMo, it was my pleasure to finally combine my hobby with my profession.
However, this proved to be more difficult than I thought. We initially generated very little interest past “So what exactly is National Novel Writing Month?” We have a large white board in my library, on which I taped the NaNoWriMo poster that came in the library’s Come Write In kit. Next to it was a running tally for word counts of anyone who wanted to participate. In the middle of the month, there were three names on the board, one of which was my own. It was disheartening, but I persisted.
I told people that they could do it. I explained to them that motivation is the deciding factor, and perfection is the enemy.
I didn’t just mean the perfection of trying to get the words down in the right order the first time. My students are all adults (one of my participants is twenty-one, the other, old enough to be her mother), and I think they are old enough to realize that it is rare that anyone writes anything perfectly the first time.
Sometimes the real enemy can be thinking of “perfection” as obtaining your goal. Several people have balked at the idea of NaNoWriMo because they do not think they can succeed, and for them, if they do not succeed, they have gained nothing.
“Working to make your dreams a reality, even if they do not come to fruition this time, can give you the confidence to try again.”
This goes against everything I have ever learned from NaNoWriMo. The goal has never been perfection. While getting to 50,000 words and getting that shiny purple bar would have been fabulous (both for me and for my two new participants), it is only secondary to the real goal: go for something you have never tried before, or that you have tried before and failed, and work harder than you ever thought possible. Working to make your dreams a reality, even if they do not come to fruition this time, can give you the confidence to try again. And again. And again. It’s about perseverance.
Near the end of the month, we had a late-comer join us. His tally, at least on my whiteboard, never reached past 5,000, but he–and the rest of us–can say we tried. And his is most definitely a story of rejecting perfection–he knew what a long shot it was that he could win, starting when he did. But he wrote anyway.
He has inspired me, too. If someone can join in at the last minute and have fun challenging themselves despite the obstacle, I can–and I will–keep promoting NaNoWriMo at my campus, even though my students are too busy, too concerned with school, too stressed with their everyday lives. Because NaNoWriMo has taught me perseverance, and I think it can help them, too.
Jennifer Joe is the Campus Librarian at Western Kentucky University’s Owensboro Regional Campus. She has been participating in NaNoWriMo for 12 years (and won 11 of them), but last year was the first year she guided other participants through the process! She’s excited about her library being a Come Write In location and hopes that it will help her students learn to pursue their passions no matter the obstacles.
I’ve made my small town library an official CWI location for this year’s NaNo, but so far have seen little enough interest in it... In fact, most folks irl range from “What? I had no idea that was a thing... Well, if that’s your thing...” to “Ha ha! Here?! You’ve got to be kidding!”
