NaNoWriMo Wrap Up

In late September, I heard about NaNoWriMo's Young Writer's Program and thought it might be fun to do with the boys.  I contacted Katie Charland, the director at Gangplank to see if she had anything planned.  She ran an amazing summer journalism camp for kids as part of her Gangplank, Jr. program and I thought NaNoWriMo would fit right in.

She said that she would love it if I would do something!  Of course, I couldn't say no.

She helped publicize it, and I got the information out in my circle, and in the end we had a small group of young people get together.  I was so impressed to hear about their plans for their novels and how ambitious they were when setting word counts.

Even Lydia got into it, and was very excited to write her own novel.  (It was about a princess who saved a prince, in case you were curious.)   Thanks to NaNoWriMo's youth website, the writers were able to update their word count and I was able to watch in amazement at the number of words they were writing.  As a group, they wrote over 50,000 words.  Pretty amazing for a group of kids ranging in age from 4 to 12!

This past Sunday, I got together with them one last time to celebrate their success.  The majority of writers met the word count goals they set for themselves, but found that their stories were still not completed. I hope they continue writing and see where their stories end up.  I know I am very interested in reading what they came up with.

I was very fortunate that Bookmans in Mesa donated gift bags to all the young writers I worked with. They received a great canvas bag, a sticker, a pencil AND a gift card to spend at the store. The kids were all very surprised, and very thankful for their generosity.

It's a great program, and I do look forward to next year.  I didn't meet my personal word count goal, but for the first time trying, I'm not too upset.  I'll have a better idea next year and I hope to work with an even larger group of kids.

NaNoWriMo for Youth! (Local Event in Chandler AZ)

About a month ago, my sister asked me if I was going to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year.  I said I wasn't sure, and then she asked if I knew there was a youth program as well.  I wasn't aware of that, so I looked into it (well, okay, she sent me the link and I clicked and started reading.)

The website has tons of great information, including an 126 page workbook that is free to download.  It also has writing prompts, and kids can create accounts to keep track of their word counts online and connect with other writers.

I thought it would be fun for Colin, and maybe Nate.  The more I thought about it, I thought it would be fun to get a group of kids together to work on novels in November.  Colin worked at Gangplank this summer on a journalism camp, so I contacted the director and asked if she had anything planned.  She replied that she didn't, but she'd be happy to provide the space if I would help get the word out and organize it. Of course, I said I would.

Our kick-off event is this Saturday, and we plan to meet again mid-way and then at the end to have a celebration.  I have no idea how many kids will show up, but I'm hoping for at least 10 (and shooting for at least 30).  I shared the information with Colin and Nate's teachers, as well as online, and now here on my blog. 

The event is all about writing.  The kids will set word count goals, and if they meet their goal by the end of the month, they have the opportunity to have their books published.  Adults are expected to write 50,000 words in November, but the youth will set goals between 1,000 and 20,000 probably. 

I'm hoping to find a few sponsors to provide prizes, but I'm holding off searching very hard until I have an idea of how many kids are participating.   I think it will be a great learning experience and I'm excited to read the stories that come out of this project.

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year?  What about your kids?  If you're local with young ones, contact me directly for more information about our Saturday event!