NaNoWriMo, the writing-challenge project with the quirky name, is a portmanteau of “National Novel Writing Month”.
San Francisco author Chris Baty began NaNoWriMo in 1999 as a U. S. project that exhorted participants to “silence their inner editor” and use the month of November to bang out a 50,000-word draft of a novel—for many, their first such full-length book.
Baty’s guiding mantra was, “You can edit a bad book into a great book, but you can’t edit a blank page into anything but a blank page.”
The project quickly outgrew its original boundaries and morphed into a global network of write-ins, writing parties, and community events to encourage creative writing.
To honor the spirit of NaNoWriMo, the Chattanooga Public Library (CPL) is hosting several events during November 2025. On November 6 and 20, CPL’s Downtown Library will sponsor Write & Chatt, a writers’ meetup at Adelle’s Creperie.
Write & Chatt is a supportive community of writers and aspiring writers who come together to pursue the art and craft of writing. No experience necessary.
On Saturday, November 8, CPL’s Eastgate Library will sponsor a presentation entitled “Memoirs Matter” by author and retired educational technology professor M. D. (Peggy) Roblyer, whose own memoir, Strong Glass, is forthcoming from Apprentice House Press in 2026.
An essential one-hour presentation on first steps in crafting a memoir, this session will help participants grasp the critical difference in scope and structure between an autobiography and memoir, consider memoir sub-genres and practical examples to identify their unique memoir style, and decide whether to write only for themselves and their families or publish their story for others to read.
For more information, see hattlibrary.org/events