17 Oct 2017

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) kicks off on November 1. If you’re planning to get involved here are some suggestions for novels to inspire you.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Dodie Smith’s magnificent first novel tells the story of Cassandra Mortmain whose family is teetering on the edge of poverty. Living in a dilapidated castle and surrounded by unhelpfully eccentric family members, the ever-practical Cassandra dreams of following in her father’s writerly footsteps and chronicles her unconventional life in a series of journal entries. If nothing else, this classic novel will give you some creative ideas for overcoming writer’s block – if getting locked in a crumbling medieval tower worked for Cassandra’s father it might work for you too.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl tell the story of Cath – daughter, twin, virgin, and Simon Snow devotee – who writes a hugely successful fanfiction based around the magical Harry Potter-esque adventures of an adolescent wizard, and is so caught up in that world that she’s only half living in the real one. And fun fact: Rainbow Rowell wrote the first draft of this wonderful novel as part of NaNoWriMo. Rowell says the novel contains some of the bravest writing she’s ever done and that NaNoWriMo helped her push through many of her doubts, insecurities and bad habits – an inspirational story to keep you going when you run out of puff.

Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss

Nicole Krauss is the award-winning author of The History of Love. Her long-awaited fourth novel was described by the Guardian as ‘a fascinating meditation on fiction’. The alternating chapters feature two characters, both somewhat adrift – Jules Epstein is a retired lawyer who goes missing in Tel Aviv, and Nicole is an internationally successful author who is struggling with her next book and, after an out-of-body experience, decides to go to Tel Aviv herself. This fascinating and elegant novel explores what it means to create a world out of nothing.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

It’s inconceivable (sorry, not sorry) that the film adaptation of this novel is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. This fantastic, satirical fairytale romance seems as fresh today as it did in 1987. If you’ve never read the book, now is an excellent time to start. William Goldman’s 1973 novel is ostensibly a cut-down version of a (fictional) longer work by S. Morgenstern, with only the ‘good bits’ included. Interspersed throughout by Goldman’s shrewd commentary (and reading it, it’s actually impossible not to imagine him as Columbo), The Princess Bride isn’t just a funny, smart, adventurous read – it’s a love letter to good storytelling.

Fair Play by Tove Jansson (translated by Thomas Teal)

Fair Play is written by Tove Jansson, the legendary Finnish author of the much-loved Moomins books. This is a novel-in-stories about the love and friendship between two older women – a writer and artist who travel, work and holiday side-by-side. In her introduction, Ali Smith explains that this is a book about creativity, ‘about how to take a day… and make it really new and fresh, no matter what age you are, what life you’re in’. It’s a beautiful, encouraging read, and especially for late-blooming writers.

How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely

I’m sure everyone doing NaNoWriMo is doing it for the Right Reasons, and not to make squillions and embarrass their ex… Just in case you’re not though, you should consider Steve Hely’s hilarious book How I Became a Famous Novelist as a kind of cautionary tale. Inspired by his determination to humiliate an old girlfriend at her wedding, and armed with a list of rules cobbled together by analysing previous bestseller lists, Pete Tarslaw becomes a literary sensation, but not necessarily for the reason he’d like to be. This novel will convince you not to take yourself too seriously, and to possibly rethink that bondage-wizard-vampire-on-an-art-history-scavenger-hunt plot bunny you’ve been toying with.

The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth

In The Wild Girl Australian writer Kate Forsyth shares the story of Dortchen Wild, a young woman who grew up next door to the Grimm Brothers, and is generally thought to be the source of many of the fairy tales that ended up making Wilhelm and Jakob Grimm household names.

Dortchen had a fairly terrible upbringing – her childhood coincided with Napoleon’s invasion of Hessen-Kassel, and her father was an autocratic tyrant who didn’t approve of the penniless Grimm family and tried to forbid Dortchen from associating with them. Regardless, an enduring love affair between Dortchen and Wilhelm blossomed, and eventually they went on to marry. It’s a nice ending, but a modern reader can’t help thinking that having contributed almost a quarter of the stories included in the first edition of Children’s and Household Tales (including ‘Hansel & Gretel’, ‘The Frog King’, and ‘Rumpelstiltskin’) Dortchen’s name probably should have been on the cover as well.

Moral of the story is: write the stories down yourself.

OUR PICKS FOR BOOKS ABOUT WRITING

If you want a book that looks at the craft of writing, instead of a novel to inspire, we have plenty of suggestions.

Chris Baty is the founder of NaNoWriMo, so his book No Plot? No Problem! is a no-brainer. This ‘high velocity’ guide to writing offers all manner of advice for succeeding with this literary marathon, from writing advice from authors, to tips for getting started (and keeping on going) and even suggestions for what to eat and drink. Coffee, apparently. Lots of coffee.

A sample of what else is on offer include everything from perennial favourites such as Stephen King’s On Writing and William I. Strunk’s The Elements of Style, to more out-of-the-box picks such as Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic and Jess Crispin’s The Creative Tarot.

Find even more suggestions by browsing the collection below.

Lian Hingee is the digital marketing manager for Readings.