National Novel Writing Month

For National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), we asked a few of our recent Lit Chat and Writer's Lab alumni to answer a few questions about their writing process. Our second guest blogger is Sohrab Homi Fracis. Our second guest blogger is Sohrab Homi Fracis. True Fiction, his new book of North Florida (and elsewhere) stories, won the 2023 International Book Award for story collections. Fracis was also the first Asian American author to win the Iowa Short Fiction Award, described by the New York Times Book Review as "among the most prestigious literary prizes America offers," for his first book, Ticket to Minto: Stories of India and America.

For National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), we asked a few of our recent Lit Chat and Writer's Lab alumni to answer a few questions about their writing process. Hurley Winkler is a writer and a lifelong resident of Jacksonville. Her fiction and nonfiction work has appeared in Hobart, Neutral Spaces, The Millions, and elsewhere, and she interviews writers and musicians for The Creative Independent and WJCT's Jacksonville Music Experience. 

Writing 50,000 words in a single month can be a daunting task... but it doesn't have to be a solitary one! There's a whole community of writers, right here in Jacksonville, and several ways to network and learn from them. Between monthly Writer's Lab workshops as well as Lit Chat Interviews and Author Talks, the Library is truly a local author's best friend. You never have to pay to attend these classes either, whether it's an up-and-coming local author or an international bestselling author. Not only that, the Library has tons of books on writing, publishing and more... and it's all completely free to use! 

If you’re a writer, you know that November is National Novel Writing Month. Though, you might call it “NaNoWriMo” – either affectionately or, let’s face it, out of sheer necessity. Because really, if you’ve committed to writing 50,000 words in 30 days, who’s got the time?! But if you need some motivation, inspiration, writing resources, or just some quick tips to get you started, the Library has you covered.

Are you a planner or are you a pantser? A newbie novelist or a published pro? Wherever you fall in the spectrum, you’ve likely heard of National Novel Writing Month. Last year, over 500,000 writers participated in the event – challenging themselves to write 50,000 words in just one month. So how do you even get started? And how do you keep yourself motivated to finish? When in doubt, go to the Library…