PEOPLE + PLACES / bookshelf
WRITE THIS WAY
BY ALAN HECHT, ADULT SERVICES LIBRARIAN, WHITE OAK LIBRARY
Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t
been written yet, you must be the one to write it.”
National Novel Writing Month — NaNoWriMo, to the cognoscenti — is a good time to start.

Created in July 1999, the month-long challenge to write a 50,000-word novel moved to
November the following year “to more fully take advantage of the miserable weather,”
according to founder Chris Baty.

If you’re ready to channel your inner author, MCPL has the resources and inspiration you
need to get your story on paper.

THE MAGIC WORDS:
WRITING GREAT BOOKS
FOR CHILDREN AND
YOUNG ADULTS
BY CHERYL B. KLEIN
Fiction for children and teens remains one of the most
promising fields for the aspiring novelist. If you want to
write for an audience that is appreciative, passionate to the
point of fanaticism and still capable of guileless surprise
and wonder, you may want to explore becoming a chil-
dren’s/YA author. It’s cliché to say that children and teens
are our future, but they are. As a successful children’s or YA
author, you can influence that future for decades to come.

Not to mention that many adults continue to read children’s
and YA fiction throughout their lives. (You know who you
are!) Klein guides the writer/reader through the process of
writing books that address the unique interests and
concerns of children and young adults while still having
universal and timeless appeal. Klein also discusses the prac-
tical aspects of writing YA and children’s fiction: creating a
commercially viable premise, finding an agent and more.

OTHER NEW READS
The Last Draft
By Sandra Scofield
Ruthless revision
is what separates
a rough draft from
a polished literary
masterpiece. Scofield provides
a step-by-step
guide to refining
and bringing out
the essence of your
new novel.

10 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 | MONTGOMERY MAGAZINE
Writing Without
Rules By Jeff Somers
Is it necessary to
follow a fixed list
of rules for writing
and publishing a
novel? Somers says
no. If you’ve tried
and failed using a
conventional, for-
mulaic approach,
this book may be
for you.

Letters to a
Young Writer
By Colum McCann
National Book
Award winner
McCann provides
inspiration and
instruction for the
aspiring author. He
covers character
creation, believable
dialogue and many
other elements of
creative writing.