This month, our middle school students are joining with aspiring novelists around the world by participating in National Novel Writing Month. During National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short, in an event in which writers commit to writing every day with the goal of completing a draft of a novel by the end of the month. Our students are participating in NaNoWriMo during English class while improving their writing skills.

Writing their own novels is very motivating for the students. “It’s fun because I get to write my own story,” says Cain. Rikohas been enjoying NaNoWriMo as well. “I enjoy it a lot because I can write stories I can to write and no one can tell me what to do or what to write.”

The NaNoWriMo Project gives students full creative control over their novels. They can explore writing genres that they may not have the opportunity to tackle in English class. Eva began a fantasy novel because, “...it’s the kind of book I like to read. I like books that are inventive and creative.” Mikoto said, “I chose to write a mystery because I thought I could practice building up tension.”

During NaNoWriMo, students set a goal of how many words they will write in a month. As they write, they track their progress towards their goals. “There are a bunch of goals that you want to accomplish, like writing twenty days in a row,” says Joseph. “It’s really encouraged me to write every single day.” Setting their own goals allows students to challenge themselves. In the words of Julia, “My word goal is 7000. At first I chose 6000 words, but after the first day I began writing and thought I could do more.”