National Novel Writing Month

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as I’ve matured, it’s that everyone has a story to tell.

And, that our stories matter. Whether you’re a student, parent, grandparent, teacher, homemaker, hairstylist, or CEO, your story is important and only you can tell it. Did you know that it’s been estimated that 81 percent of Americans say they dream of being an author? That’s roughly 200 million people! I admit I am one of the 200 million, and it’s been a long road, but I will be publishing my book this year.

Have you ever thought of writing a book but didn’t know how to start?

Starting a book can be the hardest part, but if you have your topic, great news–you can start now! November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and FLVS is encouraging students and families to participate—because your story matters.

NaNoWriMo began in 1999 and became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2005. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 p.m. on November 30.

Sounds ambitious, right?

Last year, there were 325,142 participants, including 81,311 students and educators in the Young Writers Program. They started out as students, teachers, some were employed while others not—all walked away as novelists!

What is your story to tell? Are you ready to begin?

If you are interested in starting, you can visit nanowrimo.org to learn more. Here you will find useful tools such as planning and organizing your thoughts; there’s even help with tracking your progress! Plus, you’ll also have the opportunity to join a local group of writers and ask questions from a worldwide community of writers in an online forum.

So what are you waiting on? Get ready and write away!

Post by Suzan Kurdak, former FLVS Communications Specialist