{"id":12840,"date":"2024-11-04T15:16:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T23:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/?p=12840"},"modified":"2026-03-24T15:31:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T22:31:54","slug":"national-novel-writing-month-resources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/national-novel-writing-month-resources\/","title":{"rendered":"National Novel Writing Month Resources"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>What is NaNoWriMo?<\/h1>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW50905996 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW50905996 BCX8\">National Novel Writing Month began in 1999. The goal is to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. NaNoWriMo became a nonprofit organization in 2006<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW50905996 BCX8\">. We would like to share a list of Clark Library resources for writers looking to take on this challenge.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Books<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW248941046 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1gf6rsg\/alma99900107862101861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW248941046 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW248941046 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Wonderbook<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW248941046 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\"> : an illustrated guide to creating imaginative fiction<\/span><\/span><\/a> By Jeff VanderMeer<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/S\/compressed.photo.goodreads.com\/books\/1378324883i\/15842650.jpg\" alt=\"book cover art image of a whale with a city on it's back\" width=\"212\" height=\"304\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This all-new definitive guide to writing imaginative fiction takes a completely novel approach and fully exploits the visual nature of fantasy through original drawings, maps, renderings, and exercises to create a spectacularly beautiful and inspiring object. Employing an accessible, example-rich approach, Wonderbook energizes and motivates while also providing practical, nuts-and-bolts information needed to improve as a writer. Aimed at aspiring and intermediate-level writer&#8217;s, Wonderbook includes helpful sidebars and essays from some of the biggest names in fantasy today, such as George R.R. Martin, Lev Grossman, Neil Gaiman, Michael Moorcock, Catherynne M \u00a0Valente, and Karen Joy Fowler, to name a few.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW191852753 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1arco42\/alma996262401861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW191852753 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW191852753 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">The true secret of writing : connecting life with language<\/span><\/span><\/a> By Natalie Goldberg<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/S\/compressed.photo.goodreads.com\/books\/1392020269i\/15802823.jpg\" alt=\"book cover art image of abstract drawing of a chair on a field with birds\" width=\"210\" height=\"319\" \/>The author draws on her teaching background to share new writing guidelines and outline the steps for a personal or group writing retreat, providing coverage of such topics as working in silence and writing without criticism.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW65444036 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1gf6rsg\/alma995159101861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW65444036 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW65444036 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Writing the blockbuster novel<\/span><\/span><\/a> By Albert Zuckerman<\/p>\n<p>A veteran literary agent describes the essential elements of a blockbuster novel and shares trade secrets that can help authors aim for the best-seller list.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW51412382 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1gf6rsg\/alma993298201861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW51412382 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW51412382 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">The art of writing fiction<\/span><\/span><\/a> By Ray Benedict West<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/S\/compressed.photo.goodreads.com\/books\/1375674079i\/11340229.jpg\" alt=\"book cover art image of a fountain pen\" width=\"210\" height=\"317\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW69360121 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1arco42\/alma993800101861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW69360121 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW69360121 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">The Complete guide to writing non-fiction<\/span><\/span><\/a> By the American Society of Journalists and Authors<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW7500456 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1gf6rsg\/alma995101301861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW7500456 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW7500456 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">The writer&#8217;s idea book<\/span><\/span><\/a> By Jack Heffron<\/p>\n<p>Written to help anybody blast writer&#8217;s block and get writing, Heffron&#8217;s book offers tips on how to come up with ideas, how to filter out the best of them and how to transform those from ideas to the piece desired. The techniques are designed to help with any type of narrative, from a short story or a memoir to a narrative poem, and of any length from a paragraph to a novel.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW144502156 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1gf6rsg\/alma994145501861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW144502156 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW144502156 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Revision : a creative approach to writing and rewriting fiction<\/span><\/span><\/a> By David Michael Kaplan<\/p>\n<p>With rousing enthusiasm, David Michael Kaplan introduces you to his unique brand of revision: a process of discovery in which your story&#8217;s words, structure, even its very meaning may change as it grows stronger. He takes you through every stage of the writing process, providing strategies and criteria to help pinpoint the problems in your work and fix them. In addition to illustrating his points with examples from contemporary writers, Kaplan traces the evolution of three of his own stories from journal entries to first (and subsequent) drafts to finished pieces. He shows the changes he made &#8211; from single words to entire characters and story lines &#8211; and explains why he made them.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW247709946 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1gf6rsg\/alma99900082561701861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW247709946 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW247709946 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Steering the craft : a twenty-first century guide to sailing the sea of story<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"EOP SCXW247709946 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\"> By Ursula K. Le Guin<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/S\/compressed.photo.goodreads.com\/books\/1428436984i\/24795966.jpg\" alt=\"book cover art image of blank book pages\" width=\"209\" height=\"314\" \/>Completely revised and rewritten to address the challenges and opportunities of the modern era, this handbook is a short, deceptively simple guide to the craft of writing. Le Guin lays out ten chapters that address the most fundamental components of narrative, from the sound of language to sentence construction to point of view. Each chapter combines illustrative examples from the global canon with Le Guin&#8217;s own witty commentary and an exercise that the writer can do solo or in a group. She also offers a comprehensive guide to working in writing groups, both actual and online.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW221523134 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1gf6rsg\/alma994145001861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW221523134 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW221523134 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">The 38 most common fiction writing mistakes (and how to avoid them)<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"EOP SCXW221523134 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0 By Jack Bickham<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This book diagnoses and treats the most frequent writing errors. It contains 38 problems writers often create, hundreds of tips, tricks and techniques to fix errors, with secrets to writing better.<\/p>\n<h2>Ebooks<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW10837910 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1arco42\/alma99900437721001861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW10837910 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW10837910 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Researching creative writing<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"EOP SCXW10837910 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\"> By Jen Webb<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In this learned but practical book, Jen Webb shows how research practices can invigorate writing; creative practices can invigorate research; and &#8211; if properly organized and managed &#8211; creative writing can operate as a mode of knowledge generation, a way of exploring problems and answering questions that matter in our current context&#8217;. Researching creative writing enables writer-researchers to craft a toolkit that will help them produce better creative work and more rigorous research work.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW177381985 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1arco42\/alma99900436180601861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW177381985 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW177381985 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">On creative writing<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"EOP SCXW177381985 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\"> By Graeme Harper<\/span><\/p>\n<p>What is Creative Writing? Millions of people do it, but how do we do it, really? What evidence of its human undertaking does Creative Writing produce? How do we explore Creative Writing, as both an art form and a mode of communication? How do we come to understand Creative Writing, creatively and critically? Posing questions about the nature of Creative Writing, On Creative Writing asks us to consider what Creative Writing actually is, and in doing so encourages us to reflect on how our knowledge of Creative Writing can be increased. Emphasizing Creative Writing as an act and actions, On Creative Writing considers what lies at the core of the activity called Creative Writing.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW75697574 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1arco42\/alma99900616897501861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW75697574 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW75697574 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Writing fantastic fiction<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"EOP SCXW75697574 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\"> By Jennifer Joline Anderson<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/S\/compressed.photo.goodreads.com\/books\/1454359165i\/26452855.jpg\" alt=\"book cover art image of the title, Writing Fantastic Fiction, surrounded by doodles\" width=\"209\" height=\"309\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p>In this book, which takes students through the steps of writing a story from beginning to end, they will learn how to gather inspiration and develop a story&#8217;s characters; visualize and organize the story&#8217;s plot with a writing map; write a rough draft; and revise their work. They will also be inspired by unique writing exercises and storytelling insights from popular authors.<\/p>\n<h2>DVD<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW29684376 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1arco42\/alma996133501861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW29684376 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW29684376 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Wr<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW29684376 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">iting <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW29684376 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">women\u2019s lives<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Success Story<\/h2>\n<p>Entering a writing challenge is a rewarding experience in it&#8217;s own right. Here in the library we have a novel in our Leisure Reading section that started out as a NaNoWriMo project. We hope you find it inspirational to your writing.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"Hyperlink HyperlinkGateOff SCXW35285283 BCX8\" href=\"https:\/\/alliance-clark.primo.exlibrisgroup.com\/permalink\/01ALLIANCE_CC\/1gf6rsg\/alma996055201861\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined UnderlinedGateOff SCXW35285283 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW35285283 BCX8\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">Water for elephants : a novel<\/span><\/span><\/a> By Sara Gruen<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/S\/compressed.photo.goodreads.com\/books\/1722456144i\/43641.jpg\" alt=\"book cover art image of the top of a circus tent set with the sky behind it.\" width=\"205\" height=\"308\" \/>As a young man during the Great Depression, Jacob Jankowski is tossed by fate onto a rickety train that is home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. For Jacob, the circus is both his salvation and a living hell. Put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie, he meets Marlena, a beautiful equestrian star married to a charismatic, but twisted, animal trainer. And he meets Rosie, a seemingly untrainable elephant who is the great gray hope for the third-rate traveling show. The bond that grows among this unlikely trio is ultimately their only hope for survival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month began in 1999. The goal is to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. NaNoWriMo became a nonprofit organization in 2006.&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":279,"featured_media":12843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[392],"tags":[670,671,672,673],"class_list":["post-12840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clark-college-libraries","tag-creative-writing","tag-national-novel-writing-month","tag-writing","tag-writing-resources"],"views":1404,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/279"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12840"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12841,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12840\/revisions\/12841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarkcollegelibraries.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}