I have a theory that everyone who loves reading also has their own book kicking around in their imagination.
It’s simple: reading other people’s stories empowers us to tell our own. I would bet every one of us — faced with an incredible real-life situation, waking up from a dream, looking up an interesting fact — has thought, This would make a great story. And I’m the one who can tell it.
At CLiF our mission is to inspire a love of writing as well as a love of reading. So here’s the challenge: November is Write Your Novel Month. There’s a story taking shape in my mind and I pledge to put a little bit more of it to paper every day. Looking for motivation? Join me!
For me, actually sitting down to write is the hardest part. But every day for one month? Sure, you and I can both do that. And we can change the rules — I’m shooting for two chapters.
Write Your Novel Month is widespread and well-organized: you can even sign up with the folks at National Novel Writing Month to stay on track.
And as the days get shorter and outdoor time is limited by darkness and cold, writing can be a great family activity. Everyone works on their story on their own time, and then you can talk about each other’s work over breakfast or around the dinner table. You have a built in workshop team and, if you’re all committed, nobody’s going to let you slack off.
If the writing bug keeps biting after November, there are plenty of live and online writing groups who will welcome and support you. Here in Vermont, we have a number of great resources for writers. Here are a few.
Happy writing! Let us know how it goes!
