Have you heard about NaNoWriMo yet? It’s National Novel Writing Month and it takes place every November. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a novel – specifically, 50,000 words – in 30 days. Last year 310,095 people completed the challenge.

You may be skeptical about the quality of a novel written in such a short time, but keep in mind that over 250 novels written during NaNoWriMo have been published traditionally. In fact, here are a few that you can find in the JMRL catalog:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen – Ninety-something-year-old Jacob Jankowski remembers his time in the circus as a young man during the Great Depression, and his friendship with Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, and Rosie, the elephant, who gave them hope.

The Beautiful Land by Alan Averill – An explorer of parallel timelines for the Axon Corporation, Takahiro O’Leary, after discovering that Samira, the woman he has loved since high school, is in danger of never existing, will do anything to stop that from happening, but soon discovers that to save Sam, he must save the entire world.

Livvie Owen Lived Here by Sarah Dooley – Fourteen-year-old autistic Livvie Owen and her family have been forced to move frequently because of her outbursts, but when they face eviction again, Livvie is convinced she has a way to get back to a house where they were all happy.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – Waging a fierce competition for which they have trained since childhood, circus magicians Celia and Marco unexpectedly fall in love with each other and share a fantastical romance that manifests in fateful ways.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – Feeling cast off when her best friend outgrows their shared love for a favorite celebrity, Cath, a dedicated fan-fiction writer, struggles to survive on her own in her first year of college while avoiding a surly roommate, bonding with a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words and worrying about her fragile father.