Curate What You Know: The Indian Springs School Visiting Writers Series
One of our most steadfast Twitter friends, Jessica Smith, shares her remarkable Visiting Writers Series, which she launched as a library-incubated part of the curriculum at Indian Springs School in Alabama. We’re always excited to find great school libraries to feature, and this one is exceptional! Enjoy. ~Erinn Curate What You Know: The Indian Springs...
NaNoWriMo: 4 Exercises to Break Writer’s Block
by Erinn Batykefer Never let it be said that NaNoWriMo is not an endurance sport! There’s no rest for WriMos, even on Thanksgiving day, so we’re up early to share some more hacks to help you through the most difficult day of the challenge. Earlier this week, we shared 3 Quick Tips for Heading off Writer’s...
NaNoWriMo: 3 Quick Tips for Heading off Writer’s Block
by Erinn Batykefer By the end of today, WriMos are shooting to have written 33,340 words in their quest to write a novel during the month of November. First, we want to say CONGRATULATIONS! 30,000 words is a lot of words, and a huge accomplishment. Second, we want to make sure that all the intrepid WriMos out...
NaNoWriMo: 5 Great Books on Mechanics
by Erinn Batykefer Earlier this week, we shared 5 Great Books on the Craft of Writing to inspire and motivate WriMos as they vaulted over the 10,000 word mark. Today, we get down to sentences and share some recommended reading on mechanics. From tricky grammatical constructions to broad plot and characterization issues, every writer needs a...
NaNoWriMo: 5 Great Books on the Craft of Writing
by Erinn Batykefer Congratulations on completing your first 10,000 words! All the indomitable WriMos out there are shooting for the 10,0002-word mark today, and we’re here to help cheer them on. Indomitable though you may be, every writer needs a bit of sage advice now and then—and where better to get it than accomplished authors...
NaNoWriMo: Use Your Library for Research & Inspiration
by Erinn Batykefer Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that’s the essence of running, and a metaphor for life— and for me, for writing as whole. ~Haruki Murakami If writing a novel is akin to a marathon, than NaNoWriMo– a month-long writing challenge during which participants write a 50,000-word novel in just 30...
NaNoWriMo: Use Your Library as Writing HQ
by Erinn Batykefer It’s almost here! National Novel Writing Month is just around the corner, and for those dedicated writers out there who will spend November writing an entire novel, we’ve pulled together a month of tips and tricks that will make the herculean task of writing 50,000 words in 30 days a bit easier–...
Engaging Online: Serial Fiction at Mid-Continent Library
From November 2011-February 2012, we featured installments of a serialized novel called The Timely Adventures of Rachel Evans, originally published online at the Mid-Continent Public Library’s Grandview Branch Blog. The stories were penned by a library employee, Sally S, and were peppered with links to materials in the library’s catalog having to do with time...
The 2012 Ralph Munn Writing Contest at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
“We trundle to a dim restaurant on a dark street, littered with debris, smothered with the sweet reminder of a neighborhood that once existed here.” ~From Elena Jackendoff’s sestina “Doubt,” 1st place winner of the 2011 Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest in poetry. Pittsburgh is known for rivers, steel, football, and writing. The University of...
The FINAL Episode! Part 15 of The Timely Adventures of Rachel Evans: Past, Present…Future?
Well, folks, Rachel and Leigh’s adventure in space, time, and New York City theater is drawing to a close. We’re excited to see how the story ends, but sad to see it go. We owe a big thank-you to Mid-Continent Public Library’s Grandview Branch for sharing this serial blog experiment with us these past few...
The Timely Adventures of Rachel Evans, Part 14: Showtime Showdown
The Timely Adventures of Rachel Evans is nearing the climax! This hilarious, library-inspired bit of serial fiction is brought to you by the brilliant folks at the Grandview Branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library, where Library Page Sally has been busy since December, cranking out episodes to publish on their blog like a modern-day Charles...
“The Timely Adventures of Rachel Evans,” Part 13: A Face in the Flowers
Will Leigh and Rachel find the ghost of George Bernard Shaw before he wreaks havoc on their musical? You’ll have to read on to find out! Join us as we return to the fabulous, library-inspired, time-travel, serial fiction romp through NYC that is The Timely Adventures of Rachel Evans! Many thanks to the Grandview branch...
