November is National Novel Writing Month, when writers around the world frantically try to write 50,000 words by the end of the month to finish a first draft of their novel. NaNoWriMo, as it’s nicknamed, is a great way to put a fire under the seat of any writer. I can always use a fire under my seat when it comes to writing, but I don’t write fiction and November is a lousy month for me to meet any big writerly deadlines. I’m busy doing yardwork and then there’s Thanksgiving when we sometimes have visiting family. This year, though, I am taking on a writing challenge–to finish off a short book of my mother-in-law’s childhood, including some of her recipes with color photos. I’m mulling over how to get a few copies of a family-only book with color interior. Color interiors cost a lot, but then won’t this book be priceless anyway? What a great Christmas present.

Those of you narrative nonfiction (memoir) writers might want to sign up for Nina Amir’s 2013 National Nonfiction Writing Month (NaNonFicWriMo) challenge. It’s not too late! You can write your first draft, polish up a second, or aim to finish a project. I didn’t sign up, but I will try to get my project to the printer by the end of the month. If I get done early I’m in the midst of a second memoir project that needs a fire under it.

After NaNoWriMo is over, plenty of writers start wondering how to get their work published. I helped teach a class on that yesterday at the community college, with three other St. Louis Publishers Association members. The class is always a big hit because we fill everyone’s head to overflowing. There’s a lot to learn, and a four-hour class is really just a teaser. But, that’s what attending SLPA monthly meetings is for. Since the publishing world changes so fast, I had to update my presentation from last April’s class. Today, I tackled updating the publishing articles on this website. So, for those of you interested in publishing for the public, click on the Resources tab above and look at the articles on Methods of Publishing, Amazon CreateSpace, and Lightning Source. There’s even a new article on e-book publishing. Enjoy!

A world map is an appropriate backdrop when talking about distribution