Welcome to the November Crush

If you have been writing for a while, you’ve probably noticed that November is one of the busiest—if not the busiest—months of the year for writers. Not only are writers’ groups in full swing, but there are plenty of readings, book signings, conferences, and festivals to attend. November 1^st also marks the beginning of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which was created to encourage writers to write a novel in one month. I have a number of colleagues who’ve taken part, with varying degrees of success, and honestly, I admire them. I haven’t had the courage to try, yet.

For those of us actively engaged in selling books, November is also our busiest month of the year. Christmas craft fair season is upon us and I’ve taken part in two events so far in November. I have two more go, and this is a slower month for me. Last year, I took part in ten events over a six week period. Fun, but tiring!

So, if you’re starting to feel a little fatigued, how about pulling back a bit and sitting down to read? If you want to challenge yourself, why not tackle one of the fifty difficult books listed by Emily Temple? She describes these books as really long, or difficult, or with intense or upsetting subject matter. In some cases, there is also brilliantly written pose that requires effort and serious mind expansion. Intriguing, and a little scary, isn’t it?

Some of the titles you’ll be familiar with, such as Finnegan’s Wake and The Sound and the Fury, but others will be new. Temple provides a description with each title, so sit back and enjoy her list, then try one, if you dare! http://flavorwire.com/423424/50-incredibly-tough-books-for-extreme-readers/

Meanwhile, on my website’s News and Events page, I have a list of upcoming craft fairs, and big news about a new publishing contact, which you can find at www.debrapurdykong.com