Since 2000, writers around the world have dedicated themselves to writing a novel from start to finish in the month of November.  What began as a little project of 22 participants in the San Francisco Bay area has since become a movement; in 2021, 427,653 writers officially pledged themselves to attempt a novel.  National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as it is often referred to, has become a part of American culture.

A novel, according to the nonprofit organization behind the project, is a 50,000-word manuscript.  To achieve a written document of that length, writers must average about 1,667 words a day to reach their goal by the end of November.  About 10% of writers who register for the challenge achieve this objective.

Author Heather Gudenkauf, whose parents Milton and Patricia Schmida live in Wellman, has never written a complete novel in the month of November, but she appreciates those who attempt it.

“It really is such a great motivator, knowing that all these other writers are out there, really digging into their manuscript for whatever project their working on,” she says of the challenge.   “It really is like a collective flow, knowing you’re not alone and so many people are working towards the same goal with all their various projects. So, I find it very motivating.”

Gudenkauf, who lives in Cedar Rapids, is currently at work on her 10^th novel.  Her first work of mystery/thriller genre fiction, “The Weight of Silence,” was published in 2009.  It was an instant New York Times bestseller, staying on the list for 22 weeks. Since then, her novels have been published in more than 20 countries and frequently make “Best Of” book lists.

Unlike many aspiring novelists, Gudenkauf didn’t grow up believing she was born to write.

“I know I’ve always loved to read,” she reflects, “And I enjoyed writing.  I was on my high school newspaper, and in college I took writing courses whenever I could as electives.  But I never seriously thought about it until my kids were school-aged and I’d been teaching for a while, and I had this idea for a book.  It just kept kind of gnawing at me, and I just felt like I really needed to write it down.  So, one day I did.”

Until that point, and continuing beyond it, Gudenkauf pursued a career in education; it was this field that captured her interest early on.

“I really struggled with school in the beginning and didn’t like it at all,” she explains.  “Then it was discovered I had a profound unilateral hearing loss, which simply means I can’t hear in my left ear.  All the struggles and difficulties I had began to make sense.  Once I was fitted for hearing aids, and had the appropriate accommodations made in the classroom, then things took off for me.  And I just loved school.  From then on out I wanted to be a teacher.”

After graduating from University of Iowa, Gudenkauf worked as an elementary school teacher, and taught several grade levels.  It was while teaching third grade that she wrote her first book; after that, she continued to work in schools outside of the classroom, until finally stepping away from education about two years ago.

“I’m lucky that I’ve been able to do two things I love over the years: work in education and also write,” she notes.

The road from written manuscript to published novel required a lot of work for Gudenkauf.  She picked up a copy of “Writer’s Market,” published by Writer’s Digest Books, and chose a literary agency that represented authors she enjoyed.  She then sent the agency the first 50 pages of her book, and they requested the rest of the manuscript. 

“The agent took me on in the sense that she thought there was some potential there, but it needed a lot of work,” Gudenkauf says.  “We spent a year and a half working on getting the manuscript in really good shape.  I would print out the manuscript, send it to her, and she would write all over it.  I would make changes, print it out, send it to her by mail, same thing.  We did that over and over for a year and a half until she felt like it was strong enough to send to publishers.”

Waiting for a publisher to accept her work took time and patience as well.

“There were several phone calls with my mom saying, ‘I don’t think they really like my writing.’ And she had wonderful advice.  She just said, ‘You know, you want somebody who loves your book as much as you do.  So, you just have to be patient.’”

“The Weight of Silence” did find a publisher, and literary success followed.  However, Gudenkauf continues to work hard at her craft.

“Having the opportunity to publish a book is easier, because you’re a known entity,” she says.  “The writing does not get easier.  It never gets easier, writing a book.”

Gudenkauf says that she often finds inspiration for her books in the world around her, often using news stories as a springboard.  She spends time brainstorming and does a lot of research; in her case, she often visits with law enforcement and reaches out to experts to make sure she crafts plots and characters that are authentic.  She puts very little of her own life into her books, with one exception.

“I think if someone were to read my work collectively, it would stand out pretty clearly that I love the state of Iowa,” she says.  “The beauty, the landscape of Iowa. . . That, and the ability of people to lean on their neighbors and their community really comes through as well.”

All nine of Gudenkauf’s published novels are “set squarely in Iowa,” but for her tenth book, she’ll step out of the state, she says.

For those who are writing a novel for the first time this month, Gudenkauf can offer some guidance.

“The best advice I can give is to just sit down and write,” she says.  “It can be ten minutes, it can be ten hours, but whatever time you have, it doesn’t have to be a lot.  Set aside some time each day and just write -- don’t worry about the world outside, don’t worry about spelling or conventions -- just write.  You’ll be amazed at how quickly the words pile up and grow.  You can always go back, make changes, add, and revise.  Just getting started and facing that blank page is hard, but once you get past that, commit to a small amount of time every day and you’ll get there.”

The Washington Free Public Library has NaNoWriMo Write-Ins every Monday – Thursday from 12 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in November.  Their ReBook room on the lower level is available with quiet writing space and snacks for writing time.

Heather Gudenkauf’s books, including her most recent, “The Overnight Guest” (2022), are available to borrow from the Kalona Public Library and the Wellman-Scofield Public Library, as well as the Washington Free Public Library.