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Words to Write By FigureWords to Write By Figure

Words to Write By

Curated by Grant Faulkner


About the Curator
Grant Faulkner is the executive director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the co-founder of 100 Word Story. He’s published “Pep Talks for Writers” and “Brave the Page.” He is also the author of “All the Comfort Sin Can Provide” and “Fissures.”

About the Folio

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has been helping people hurdle over the blank page to tell the stories that matter to them since 1999. Our three main programs — National Novel Writing Month, the Young Writers Program (YWP), and Camp NaNoWriMo — give participants the tools and resources they need to accomplish big things, like writing a novel in 30 days, and empower people of all ages and from all backgrounds to tell the stories that matter to them. To inspire you as you embark on your National Novel Writing Month journey, I’ve collected four books that all began as NaNoWriMo projects!

Book selections

Grant Faulkner book recommendations - Fable

With the Fire on High

Elizabeth Acevedo
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With the Fire on High

With the Fire on High

By Elizabeth Acevedo
Elizabeth drafted this novel during NaNoWriMo in 2013, telling the story of a young mother and aspiring chef. For writers looking for inspiration as they join NaNoWriMo, she shared this advice: “On many days when I was struggling to meet my word count, I would write recipes for the book instead, or spend time writing a detailed scene, attempting to fill it with as many images as possible. The point for me wasn’t to arrive at the ending (I was huffing and puffing trying to make it to the finish line), as much as it was to see what it was about this character and her worlds that stoked my muse to such a pitch that I hurtled after her.”

Grant Faulkner

Executive Director of NaNoWriMo
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