National Novel Writing Month
(NaNoWriMo)
So, what is NaNoWriMo? It's a crazy proposition where writers like us take on the challenge of writing a novel in only one month's time! You can click HERE to find more basic information about the program.
Hmmmm...sounds intriguing. Can ANYONE be a NaNoWriMo writer? Yes! You can be in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade! If you want to write, then you are eligible to participate.
Great. What does NaNoWriMo have to do with HMS and who is this 'Fejes' guy? Glad you asked! This webpage is the home for novelists like you who want to take on the NaNo challenge but who want to do it as part of a supportive group of like-minded people. I am Mr. Fejes. I'm the 8 Oviatt ELA teacher. I am also HMS's Power of the Pen coach and have been since 2001. I have written three full-length novels and I currently working on my fourth, so I know a little about this writing process. No, my novels are not published because I have not pursued that avenue aggressively enough. I literally write for myself. I am all about the process and about storytelling. Someday I will try to get them out there... ;-)
Okay, this still sounds good, but, um, and this is a little awkward...I've never written 50,000 words before! What if November comes and goes and I don't make that 50k goal? You don't have to worry about that at all. My goal for this group is simply to provide a meeting place where writers can meet to do their thing. There is an almost 100% certainty that I won't reach my goal, either. Life is busy. But I love to write and NaNo makes me sit down at the keyboard and write. That's our main goal. Well, writing and having fun. ;-)
Okay, I get it. I am in. What do I do now? First, send me an email at [email protected] to let me know that you want be part of the group. I will add you to my list. Next, click HERE and then click the SIGN UP button at the top to get started.
Woohoo! I'm all registered on NaNo's site! What's next? Before we meet, if you can, start to gather your thoughts. The more prewriting and planning you can do now, the smoother your start to NaNo will be. To help you prepare, the good people at NaNo have developed THIS great pre-writing guide. I highly recommend it.
Got it. Will we be meeting regularly during November? Yes, absolutely. The meeting schedule is below. The dates are not as regular as I'd like them to be, but we'll make due with what we have. Meetings will run from 3:00 until 4:30 pm and they will be held in my room, B-226 in the 8th-grade wing of HMS. We will spend the first few minutes of each meeting just talking about where we are in our writing and what we have going on with our novels. I was in a writing group for years and it was SO helpful to have people to share ideas with. Sometimes writers run into roadblocks - it's part of the process. Having a community of writers to talk to is terrific because they like to tell stories, too. They think in terms of plots and characters, and they will be able to offer suggestions to help you navigate your own writing. Sometimes there is an obvious solution right in front of you but it takes a fellow writer to remove the veil and reveal it to you. The remaining hour will be spent writing! We need lots of time if we're going to reach our goals. I also think it's really fun to be in the presence of other people doing what we love to do - write. There is an undeniable energy that flows between writers in action! :-)
Meeting schedule:
- Monday, October 31st - 3:00-4:30 PM
- Tuesday, November 1st - 3:00-4:30 PM
- Monday, November 7th - 3:00-4:30 PM
- Wednesday, November 9th - 3:00-4:30 PM
- Monday, November 14th - 3:00-4:30 PM
- Wednesday, November 16th - 3:00-4:30 PM
- Monday, November 21st - 3:00-4:30 PM
- Monday, November 28th - 3:00-4:30 PM
- Wednesday, November 30th - 3:00-4:30 PM
Okay, what happens if I can't make a meeting when this thing gets started? Do I get kicked out of our group? No! Not at all. Attendance is by no means mandatory. It's my hope that you will want to attend the meetings because they are fun, enlightening, and entertaining. But if you have previous commitments, that's totally fine. We'll see you when we see you. :-)
And now, a very teacher-like thing to say... Lastly, I wanted to make sure that you all know exactly what my expectations are when it comes to these meetings. Although this will be a very fun process, there will definitely be a seriousness in the air. We will not be here to goof off or fool around. Any students that pull us away from our writing tasks will be asked to not return for future meetings. We have a difficult goal to achieve, so we need to stay after that goal in a sincere manner. Loud, raucous behavior just won't be tolerated. If you want to be crazy and scream and yell, that is awesome. I love a good scream. You just can't do it here. :-)
I think that's it! If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at [email protected]. I look forward to working with all of you!