Letter to libraries

Dear [Library Staff Member],

My name is [name], and I am a Municipal Liaison for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) here in [region]. I’m writing to propose a partnership between [library name] and the [region name] NaNoWriMo group.

National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 and has since expanded to see more than 250,000 people taking part. Every November, aspiring writers around the world sit down to fulfill their dreams of writing a novel. NaNoWriMo is run by the Office of Letters and Light (OLL), a nonprofit organization that inspires creativity in people of all ages.

NaNoWriMo has been incredibly successful in helping participants reach their creative potential and challenge their imaginations. Part of what makes the event so successful is the community it inspires. Municipal Liaisons act as regional chapter heads and organize events for local writers. This turns the writing experience, usually a solitary process, into an immensely motivating, fun, and inspiring block party.

As NaNoWriMo grows, so too do local regions of writers. This makes finding a home for events challenging, as Municipal Liaisons are volunteers with no budget to rent space. This is where the library comes in. In 2009, the Office of Letters and Light launched Come Write In, a program to promote the relationship between NaNoWriMo regions and their local libraries. This program formalized a relationship that has existed in many regions for years, and offers support to both library staff and municipal liaisons in building the partnership.

Partnering with NaNoWriMo offers libraries an opportunity to take an active role in promoting literacy. What better way to increase awareness of and enthusiasm for writing and reading then by reaching out to a like-minded community group with a common purpose?

NaNoWriMo also has a built-in audience of enthusiastic, demographically diverse participants who will attend your programs. Here in [region], our participants rage in age from [x] to [x], and come from all walks of life and parts of town. A NaNoWriMo partnership gives libraries the opportunity to bring enthusiastic readers and writers into the library and expose them to everything the library has to offer.

NaNoWriMo can be a life-changing experience for its participants; they make new friends, accomplish their creative goals, and become an integral part of the community they live in. This partnership allows libraries an opportunity to become involved in an immensely positive experience while building a strong foundation for the community within the library.

The [region] would love to hold [event list] at [library]. [brief explanation of event - whether a write-in or a party].

[Write in example description: Write-ins are held throughout the month-long events. Participants gather to work on their novels (or scripts, depending on the program) as a group. Write-ins require few things: tables, chairs, and some power outlets for laptops. Write-ins generally last several hours, possibly longer if the timing is right, and people may come and go over the course of the event]

[Kick-off party example description: The Kick-off Party happens just before the event begins on April 1 or November 1. Participants have a chance to meet each other, get revved up about the challenge ahead, and enjoy an event with their compatriots that does not involve writing frantically for as long as they can. This is an event that is better suited to libraries with a separate space for events, and the nature of the event may depend upon the level of the library’s involvement.]

[TGIO party example description: The Thank God It's Over Party is generally held after the event ends (either in the beginning of May or December) and allows participants to celebrate their accomplishments with their fellow writers. As with a Kick-off Party, a library's role in this event can vary widely, but it also gives you an opportunity to collect feedback about the partnership between the library and your local group after things have wrapped up for another program.]

Libraries all over the world have built successful partnerships with their local NaNoWriMo regions, and we would love to see that happen here in [region]. More information is available on the NaNoWriMo website at www.nanowrimo.org/library, the library outreach coordinators can be reached at libraries@lettersandlight.org, and I can be contacted at [email] or [phone] with any questions or to discuss this further. Thank you so much for considering this proposal.

Sincerely,

[name]
Municipal Liaison, [region]
National Novel Writing Month