NaNoWriMo helps you capitalize on your inspiration

Have you ever cracked open a best-selling book and thought to yourself:”Yeah, I could write better than this person” ? The Library wants to help you capitalize on that inspiration and achieve your full potential.

November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo - which means there has never been a better time to start your career as a bestselling author than right now! Can you step up to the challenge of writing a 50,000 word story by the end of November?

As any experienced writer knows, writing is a lot more than scrawling an idea onto paper. A good writer reads much more than they write - so where should you start? Let’s say you’re planning on penning an action-packed sci-fi adventure about a roguish spaceship pilot that lives to break the rules. A good first step would be looking into some magazines about space, engineering or aeronautics - after all, the space battles of Star Wars were inspired by World War 2 dogfighting films.

If you have a library card, you have full access to Pressreader through the digital library. Pressreader has a collection of over 7,000 newspapers and magazines from around the country covering a vast collection of subjects ranging from the mundane to the fantastical and specialized.

Once you’ve got some research under your belt and the inspiration is flowing freely, it’s time to put pen to paper- or key to board, as the case may be. Biblioboard is another free service in the digital library, which includes a powerful word processor that will help you write and format your book for publication. Additionally, Biblioboard comes built-in with a host of sharing features to help you share your book with libraries around the state while simultaneously promoting your book online.

If you need just a little bit more confidence to get started, stop by the Sandpoint library and check out the display of books downstairs showcasing novels written for NaNoWriMo. If those people could do it, then you can, too!

Brenden Bobby can be reached at the East Bonner County Library, 1407 Cedar Street, Sandpoint, by phone at 208-263-6930, or email at brenden@ebonnerlibrary.org .