Time to pick up your pens, writers. 🖋

If you’re an aspiring or published author, you might already know that November is NaNoWriMo (that’s National Novel Writing Month). Over the course of 30 days, writers are challenged to pen 50,000 words — the length of a short novel. If you meet the goal, you “win,” which means you have the beginnings of the next Great American Novel and bragging rights forever.

Need a little something to keep you motivated? The Buncombe County Public Library is hosting events throughout the month, including author events, write-ins, and special workshops. Here are a few highlights:

Denise Kiernan Author Event | Thursday., Nov. 10 | 7 p.m. | 5 Foundy St. | Free | Join New York Times bestselling author Denise Kiernan in The Wedge's Cloud Room for a special NaNoWriMo event.
Read Local, Write Local Author’s Fair | Saturday, Nov. 19 | 1-4 p.m. | Black Mountain Library | Free | Join authors and illustrators as they talk about their books and writing — copies of their work will also be for sale.
Write-Ins will take place Nov. 5, Nov. 12, Nov. 16, Nov. 17, Nov. 18, and Nov. 21 at various times and locations.
See the full schedule of events.

If NaNoWriMo is your gateway into even more writing, check out these organizations + programs.

Flatiron Writers Room, 5 Covington St. | This organization offers online workshops, classes + retreats on topics like pitching your novel, science fiction writing, and storytelling for performance. Bonus: the building offers a co-working program specifically for writers, in case you need a room of your own.
The Great Smokies Writing Program | This collaborative program, facilitated by UNC Asheville + The Asheville Graduate Center, offers five, ten, and 15-week courses on topics like The Literary Ecosystem, humor writing, and The Architecture of the Poem. Check out more courses.