National Author’s Day
Authors come in many forms. Authors write stories to cheer us up or scare the wits out of us. Authors write stories that take us on adventures and help us run away from reality. Authors write articles that inform us on the fashion industry, entertainment world, politics and everyday lives. Authors create the stories played out by thespians on a stage, on the movie screens, in theaters and on television shows streaming into our homes. How can we give thanks to these authors and their creative minds?
Nellie Verne Burt McPherson had the answer back in 1928. Nellie was the president of the Bement of Illinois Women’s Club. She was a teacher and loved reading. During World War 1, she wrote a fan letter to Irving Bacheller (1859–1950) about how she loved his story, “Eben Holden’s Last Day A’Fishin.” He reciprocated by sending her an autograph copy of another story. Nellie, overjoyed by such a gift, submitted an idea of a National Author’s Day to the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. They accepted Nellie’s idea and set aside November 1st for a day to honor writers. In 1949 the U.S. Department of Commerce recognized the day as an official observance day. When Nellie passed away, her granddaughter, Sue Cole took over, promoting the day.
How can we celebrate this day?
· Reread a book written by your favorite author.
· Have a special book club meeting and discuss the members, favorite authors.
· Leave an encouraging comment on your favorite journalist, author or screenwriter’s comment section on their Facebook page.
· Find a screenplay from your favorite screenwriter (movie, television or play) and read it, even discuss it with your friends or book club.
· Give a shout out to your favorite Indie authors and read one of their books.
· Write a book review.
· Read a book of poems.
One thing you can do is join NaNoWriMo and write your story. What’s NaNoWriMo? NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. For the entire month of November, you write a novel. The goal is to reach a 50,000-word book by the end of the month. Good luck!
