NaNoWriMo, what is it?

By Levena Lindahl

Perhaps through October you have been seeing things posted on social media about NaNoWriMo, or National Write a Novel month.  It takes place every November, and the goal is to write 50,000 words, which is the average length of a novel.   If you have ever wanted to write, this might be the thing to motivate you to try your hand at writing your very own novel.

I know that can seem like a lot, but it averaged out to 1,667 words a day, or roughly the length of your typical college paper.  The best thing about this is that it can be about anything!  Do you really love zombies?  Go ahead and write that new post-apocalyptic take on zombies.  Are Victorian romances more your thing?  Make your readers swoon onto chaise lounges with your work instead.  There is no limit to what you can write, and if you are nervous about people seeing what you are doing, just know that you don’t have to share if you don’t want to.  Just post your word counts on the NaNoWriMo site, and keep plucking away at it.  If you want to share, great!  There is a massive online community out there ready to welcome you to the finish line.

I myself am working on this this year, and have a pretty good start going!  Just remember, if you miss a day, don’t give up!  Yes, you are playing catch up, but it is not the make or break sort of situation.  Keep working, and keep trying.  If you get stuck, reach out to people; there are tons of forums designed to help people stuck with writers block on the website, and there is no shame in asking for opinions. 

Happy NaNoWriMo to everyone, and good luck writing your novels!

Books that Change the World

By: Levena Lindahl

         

   September is National Literacy Month!  I thought I would share with you one of my favorite books, and at the end of the month give you a list of reading recommendations in a variety of genres to look at and enjoy during the break between semesters.          

I am sure everyone has the one favorite book, the one that just changed things for you.  I have had a few of those over the years, from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card when I was in high school, to Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville when I was in elementary.  However, the book that still racks as one of my all-time favorites would have to be Imajica by Clive Barker, which I was introduced to in 2008, when I was first in college. 

            Imajica is not a book for the faint of heart, as it is nearly 1000 pages long.  It is a fantasy epic, based on the journey of a man named Gentle, his companion Pie, and his friend Judith.  There are planes of existence called the Dominions, and Earth is in the farthest Dominion, meaning magic here is very weak and hardly usable.  The closer a person gets to the center, the more powerful the magic gets.  There are many forces at work throughout the book, all trying to bring about the Reconciliation, which would reconnect the Dominions.  

            There are so many layers to this book.  There is the journey, there is a romance aspect, and there is magic.  There is also a really interesting parallel history and religion between the dominions and Earth, which I really loved.  The story just flows, and every time I read it I notice something new.  I read it at least once every year, and that is because even though I know where the story ends, I still fall in love with the journey every time.  To give a hint of how deeply this book moved me, I will quote one of my favorite lines from the novel; “I love you, I will love you until the death of love.” 

Evening Post Books’ Titles Win National Awards

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — JUNE 5, 2012 — Baptized in Sweet Tea and The Unpainted South: Carolina’s Vanishing World, both published by Evening Post Books of Charleston, S.C., won first place at the Independent Book Publishers Association 24th annual Benjamin Franklin Awards Ceremony at the Marriott Marquis in NYC Monday night.

Charleston author Ken Burger’s Baptized in Sweet Tea won the gold medal in the Gift Books category. This book of newspaper columns about the South features the photography of David Gentry, also of Charleston. The Unpainted South: Carolina’s Vanishing World by author William P. Baldwin and photographer Selden B. Hill, both of McClellanville, received the gold medal in the Poetry/Literary criticism category.

Evening Post Books Releases “City of Ruin, Charleston at War”

Charleston, S.C. — APRIL 17, 2012 — Evening Post Books, a division of Evening Post Publishing Company announces the April 26, 2012 publication of City of Ruin: Charleston at War, 1860-1865 by Post and Courier metro columnist Brian Hicks.

Evening Post Books will release City of Ruin on April 26 from 5:30-7:30 PM at the Barbadoes Room Restaurant of The Mills House Hotel, 115 Meeting Street, Downtown Charleston. The release celebration is open to the public and admission is free.  Books will be on sale, author Brian Hicks will be available to sign copies, and a cash bar will be open.

City of Ruin is the story of Charleston’s pivotal role in the American Civil War, told largely from the point of view of theCharleston Mercury, the local newspaper that stoked the fires of secession.

The book details the military actions around the city and how the conflict affected life in Charleston for residents and shopkeepers, as well as the city’s sizable population of slaves and freedmen.

Alice Osborn Reading at Monday Night Poetry and Music April 23

Monday, April 23, 2012 8:00pm until 10:00pm

Alice Osborn, M.A. is the author of three books of poetry, After the Steaming Stops (Main Street Rag, 2012), Unfinished Projects (Main Street Rag, 2010) and Right Lane Ends (Catawba, 2006); she is a manuscript editor, successful blogger and humorous speaker. No stranger to the Lowcountry, Alice learned how to drive in Charleston and how to catch a shoplifter in Myrtle Beach. Now, Alice teaches creative writing all over the country where she uses sensory images and road-tested prompts to stimulate her students’ best writing. Her award-winning work has appeared in the News and Observer, The Broad River Review, Carolina Woman, The Pedestal Magazine, Soundings Review and in numerous journals and anthologies. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two children. Visit her website at http://www.aliceosborn.com/.

Crazyhorse Writers Conference March 15-18

We all know that Charleston wins awards as a top travel destination for its history and charm. But what you may not know is that Charleston could also win accolades for being a literary city. Now you have the opportunity to experience why. Crazyhorse, one of the most influential and important literary magazines of the last 50 years, will be hosting the Crazyhorse Writers Conference at the College of Charleston March 15-18. TTC Students, faculty and staff who like to write have an unique opportunity to attend a world-class conference. This conference can help you improve your writing, network with agents and publishers, and experience one-on-one manuscript evaluations with professionals. If you live in the Charleston area and write, this is the place to be.