November is a pretty big month for writers and published authors. Not only are there a ton of famous birthdays to celebrate (real and fictional), but November is also full of fun bookish holidays to celebrate, including the entire month itself!
You may have heard of NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month, an event in which writers try to write approximately 50,000 words during the month of November. NaNoWriMo, as a writing community event has recently come under fire due to an A.I. controversy that has divided the community. A.I. is a common argument in many creative circles, especially as A.I. continues to develop and/or utilize human writing to grow its base of understanding, which many people consider a form of copyright infringement. Regardless, independent writers and authors may still choose to undertake the challenge that National Novel Writing Month presents in other ways, forming groups separate from NaNoWriMo or working toward holding each other accountable for reaching an established goal.
National Novel Writing Month is a huge commitment, one where many writers and authors will push the limits of their time and patience to hammer out 50,000 words, or basically a complete novel, depending upon their genre, during a 30-day timeframe. While not impossible, authors and writers are asking their creative process to essentially write consistently, 1,667 words per day for an entire month and believe it or not, those creative juices aren’t always flowing steadily.
November is also the National Life Writing Month, National Family Literacy Month, AND Picture Book Month. This is so fun because, these bookish holidays are not just for adults. Celebrating National Family Literacy Month and Picture Book Month can include the entire family! If you have littles in your life, use this November as the perfect opportunity to introduce them to some of your favorites from your own childhood and see what themes transcend time.
As you can see, November is a busy time for writers. We’ve already passed Book Lovers Day, National Authors Day, National Family Literacy Day, and National Nonfiction Day, as well as a slew of birthdays for fictional characters and historical writers.
(Happy Late Birthday Sirius Black (11/3)! And “Bram” Stoker (11/8)!)
But, if you’re still looking for some bookish celebrations during November, you’re in luck! There are still plenty of days left to celebrate.
In fact, today, November 15th, is “I Love to Write Day”. How fun is that?! If you love to write, make sure you have those pencils sharpened and those pens ready to go because today is your day. Writers and authors and even those who want to write, November 15th represents a day where we can acknowledge the joy that we receive from writing and delving into whatever genre brings to life the fire within us. For myself, I’m a fiction writer but I also write children’s books with messages that I would want my own children to gather from reading. November 15th also happens to be the last day to celebrate World Nursery Rhyme Week for the 2024 year.
Next week, November 17 – 23 is National Young Readers Week and National Book Award Week – a great time to celebrate with the young readers in your life or check out one of the many great award-winning books that are on the market.
On the 18th, make sure to visit your local library for “High-Five A Librarian Day”. I wonder if Librarians know that they have a special day to receive high-fives, or if they just happen to be very confused every November 18th.
For more bookish holidays, visit: https://buildyourlibrary.com/calendar-book-related-holidays/
Whether you prefer fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, etc, if you love to read, November is a great month for you.
Happy Reading!
