Two of El Dorado's own sat tucked away in Barton Public Library discussing pirates, princesses and the next steps for their at least 50,000-word novels.
Librarian Lacey Ferrell and resident John Pope are two of hundreds of thousands of people participating in National Novel Writing Month, commonly known as NaNoWriMo.
NaNoWriMo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that challenges people to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days, typically in November.
For Ferrell, it helps her take the next step to reach her goal of becoming a children's author.
"No one ever wanted to be a writer [in school], so it was hard to get motivated," Ferrell said.
Ferrell hosts NaNoWriMo write-ins at the library. Ferrell said the write-ins don't have to be used just for novel writing, though.
She said people can bring other homework, poetry or another project they're working on and discuss it.
Ferrell said having the write-ins allows her to bounce ideas off of other authors, which helps her develop her story, characters or even world building.
Most of all, though, Ferrell is able to work on her novel she started in ninth grade.
Pope said this is his first time participating in NaNoWriMo.
Pope said he's currently working on his third or fourth draft of his story, "The Oldest Ocean," and thinks he'll write more than the typical 50,000 words.
"It'll probably be closer to 90,000 to 100,000," Pope said. "At this point, I'm probably half way through."
Pope said he typically writes 3- to 4,000-word short stories that are full of humor, but his novel tackles more serious situations.
He said the story originated from a scene in his head and the name of his protagonist. The scene: a young woman and her friend dressed as pirates at a bar with images and garb of classic pirates behind them. From there, he thought of the history of the characters and slowly began developing a back story.
Pope said participating in NaNoWriMo has helped him realize that sometimes writers do need to make cuts and sometimes that means starting over. He said it also helps him be consistent and take time to work on his story.
"As long as you're consistent, your muse will show up," Pope said.
The library will host one more write-in at 5 p.m. Nov. 26. Snacks and refreshments are provided. NaNoWriMo officially ends Nov. 30 and is free to participate in.