November is National Novel Writing Month! Each year, NaNoWriMo, as it’s called, draws thousands (if not hundreds of thousands by now) of writers worldwide.

The challenge? To write 50000 words in one month – that’s roughly a 150-page novel.  1667 words a day, 30 days straight.  It’s fun, maddening, crazy, and exhausting all in one, but it pushes your creativity to places it has never been before, and it’s certainly worth a try to anyone that has ever thought “I would love to write a book!”.  At ABC we’ve always done our bit to help writers along, from kick-off workshops to weekly write-ins, and we’re happy to say that this year, November will be an all-out write-fest!

Free writing workshop at the Amsterdam Central Library

Join The Amsterdam Writing Workshops on October 30th, when Nico Janssen and Lisa Friedman kick off the month-long writing marathon. In a free, two-hour mini-workshop, co-sponsored by ABC, they’ll reveal the professional approach to being productive—and getting that first draft of your novel on the page.

• Date: Sunday October 30th
• Time: 2 – 4 pm
• Place: Amsterdam Central Library
• More Info: The event is FREE, but seating is limited. Registration is required. For more info and to reserve, call 062 502 0817 or write to info@amsterdamwriting.com.

Need a little more encouragement to write your novel?

How about the promise of turning it into a real book? We’re offering three great prizes to spur you on to keep on writing until November 30th. In a prize draw at the Amsterdam Library workshop, three winners will be selected:  One exhausted but happy author will get 5 copies of their new book made on our Espresso Book Machine, worth €150. Two others will win EBM Gift Certificates worth €25 towards making one copy of their book.

Get ready, get set, GO!!!!

To see the Espresso Book Machine in action, stop by any Monday 18:30-19:30 in Amsterdam or any Tuesday 17-18 in The Hague stores, or make an appointment with ebmgroup@abc.nl.

Writing workshop at the ABC Treehouse in Amsterdam

Are you thinking of finding a US publisher for your masterpiece?  Come to New York Novels workshop on November 26th, from 13 – 17.  Cost is EUR 50.

Write-Ins at the ABC Treehut in The Hague

As in previous years, there will be several days to sit down in our Treehut, plug in your laptop/take out your notebook and writewritewrite in the company of fellow sufferers novelists.  These sessions are always fun, will definitely help you get over whatever obstacle you’re facing, and generally include a word war or two.

• Dates and Times:  Saturday, November 12th, 10.30 – 13 hrs; Sunday, November 20th, 13 – 17 hrs; and Sunday, November 27th, 13 – 17 hrs
• Place: ABC Treehut, upstairs at ABC The Hague
• More info: The write-ins are free, but as you can see from the picture on the right, they can be pretty packed! See Novel Writing Group website for additional details (they also have year-round writing sessions every last Sunday of the month).  See pictures of last year’s write-ins here.

Writing Workshops at the ABC Treehut in The Hague

Are you thinking of writing Urban Fantasy this NaNo?  Come to the Urban Fantasy Workshop by Pat Haulden on Saturday, November 5th, from 13 – 17.  Cost is EUR 50 at the door.

Are you a NaNo veteran and thinking about what you can do to stand out from the crowd?  Come to the Branding Yourself as an Author workshop on Saturday, November 5th, from 10.30 – 12.30.  Cost is EUR 35.

Secretly dreaming of what the cover of your book will look like as you’re trying to hit your daily word count?  Come to the Designing Your Book, Inside and Out workshop on November 12th, from 14 – 16.  Cost is EUR 35.

Do you simply want to find people like you, who love to write, and some of whom have had books published?  Come to the Authors Support Group on November 5th or November 12th, from 16.15 – 18.  Free of charge!