How NaNoWriMo’s Come Write In Program Inspires Better Stories

The Come Write In program brings NaNoWriMo to your neighborhood through local library partnerships. We’re currently hosting a fundraising drive to raise money for this important community program. Today, author Jarie Bolander shares why he supports Come Write In:

My first NaNoWriMo novel, Small Heart Monster, was the first novel I ever attempted to write. It’s an epic tale of Jessica, a female Asian-American publicist for professional athletes, struggling to make it in the misogynistic world of professional sports. It was inspired by my late wife Jane, who happened to be a female Asian-American publicist for professional athletes, struggling to make it (and she did!) in the misogynistic world of professional sports.

The tragedy of her death, at the young age of 36 from leukemia, compelled me to capture her life so that her stories would live on. That novel will most likely never be published (it needs a lot of work) but the inspiration to write it led to a more public dedication to Jane’s love of literacy and service—JSY Giving.

JSY Giving is a 501©(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping other nonprofits tell better stories. We believe that well-told stories can amplify a nonprofit’s impact. Our focus is on nonprofits in the Literacy, Women & Minority Entrepreneurship, Anti-Human Trafficking, and Services for Youth sectors. These were all sectors that Jane helped when she was alive.

Writing, like reading, is something that gets better with practice. The stories that inspire us to action are the ones honed over time and reach deep into our soul. We get better when we write and share our stories with others. That’s why JSY Giving is proud to support Come Write In.

“Our stories are what define us, inspire us, and expand us into different points of view.“

Our lived experiences make for the best stories. Come Write In gives many people a place to be with other story nerds and share their lives through the stories we write. This makes us and our communities better. Our stories are what define us, inspire us, and expand us into different points of view.

That first NaNoWriMo novel led me to tackle the hard work of capturing the story about loving and losing Jane. That memoir, which I wrote during another NaNoWriMo, has been a big part of my healing from grief and loss. It also captures what it means to love, with all the baggage that comes along with it.

My hope is that more people will Come Write In to their local libraries and write stories together. Sharing our stories is a powerful way to build communities that make the world a better place. It’s also a great way to bond with others since writing with a partner opens up your eyes to whole other worlds, especially ones with magical mirrors and talking sea otters inspired by your 9-year old (now 10) writing partner.

Jarie Bolander is an engineer by training and an entrepreneur by nature. He has over 20 years of experience bringing innovative products to market. He is a Certified Story Grid Editor whose uses his editor training to help his companies tell better stories. He has published six books—8 Startup Dilemmas All Founder Will Face, The Entrepreneur Ethos, 7 PR Secrets All Founders Should Know, #Endurance Tweet, Frustration Free Technical Management, and Business Basics for Entrepreneurs. He’s also the ED of JSY Giving and on Twitter @TheDailyMBA.

Top photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash.