November program encourages writers

When most students think of writing, they imagine endless essays, and, consequently, endless stress. However, there’s a difference between writing an essay and telling a story. Writers all over the world embrace writing as a way to express the most essential parts of themselves and of the world.

Every year, during the month of November, NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month, brings forth a seemingly impossible challenge: write 50,000 words in a month.

People of all nationalities and ages participate, with 400,000 across the world projected to join in this November. Over 70,000 of those are participants in NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program, which is targeted specifically at writers aged 13 and under.

On the Young Writers Program, director Marya Brennan said, “NaNoWriMo gives kids a crazy task, but a real, authentic one: tell your story, whatever story matters to you.”

NaNoWriMo isn’t limited to the MLA formatted essays that come to most students’ minds when writing is mentioned; in fact, they’re not even close to the main attraction, which is fiction.

When you create your novel, NaNoWriMo offers 19 genre options: adventure, children’s fiction, erotic, fan fiction, fantasy, historical, horror/ supernatural, LGBT+, literary, mainstream, mystery, personal, religious/ spiritual, romance, satire/ humor, science fiction, thriller/ suspense, women’s fiction and young adult. There is also an “other” option.

After selecting your prospective novel’s genre, you’ll be prompted to title it, upload a cover, provide a brief synopsis, and add an excerpt. All of this is optional, and many participants choose not to add any novel information until they are deeper into the writing process.

This year, NaNoWriMo’s theme is Superpowered Noveling.

Grant Faulkner, executive director of NaNoWriMo, said, “Our stories save us from the villainous forces we encounter every day. Our stories determine the future of the world.”