Novices write novels
Students write 50,000 word novels in one month
Heather Kuester
Issue date: 12/12/05 Section: Features
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The month of November inspired National Novel Writing Month and unleashed some talented freshman who produced their very own novels.
The contest is sponsored by NaNoWriMo, which is a novel-writing program and is an abbreviation of National Novel Writing Month. The contest began Nov. 1, and participants of all ages could start writing their novels. The ultimate goal is to have a 50,000-word novel by midnight of Nov. 30 and to provide an opportunity to offer students a valid reason to complete their goal of writing a novel. Freshman Clint Ehrsam heard of the contest and was intrigued.
"I thought it would be cool to write 50,000 words," Ehrsam said. "I had heard about it from people who had done it in the past."
His novel revolved around the adventures of a psychic who was on a mission to find someone to take over her position. The daughter doesn't want the job, until the position is filled. Even though he had 50,000 words, about 175 pages, he still hasn't completed the entire story.
Another freshman, Emily Morgan saw the chance to legitimately write a novel and jumped at the chance as well.
"I've always wanted to write a novel, but never had the motivation," Morgan said. "The basic concept of the program is to write your novel and edit it later."
Morgan's novel focused on an educated female pirate captain, the daughter of an evil lord, who goes on her way with ship and crew in resistance of the exact empire of which her father helps rule.
"I completed my novel and reached the word limit at 54,700 words," Morgan said.
Both students hit the word quota and had it turned in on time. While there will be no official winners or prizes, these two freshman have a novel under their belt and the satisfaction of finally completing something they've always wanted to do.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
The contest is sponsored by NaNoWriMo, which is a novel-writing program and is an abbreviation of National Novel Writing Month. The contest began Nov. 1, and participants of all ages could start writing their novels. The ultimate goal is to have a 50,000-word novel by midnight of Nov. 30 and to provide an opportunity to offer students a valid reason to complete their goal of writing a novel. Freshman Clint Ehrsam heard of the contest and was intrigued.
"I thought it would be cool to write 50,000 words," Ehrsam said. "I had heard about it from people who had done it in the past."
His novel revolved around the adventures of a psychic who was on a mission to find someone to take over her position. The daughter doesn't want the job, until the position is filled. Even though he had 50,000 words, about 175 pages, he still hasn't completed the entire story.
Another freshman, Emily Morgan saw the chance to legitimately write a novel and jumped at the chance as well.
"I've always wanted to write a novel, but never had the motivation," Morgan said. "The basic concept of the program is to write your novel and edit it later."
Morgan's novel focused on an educated female pirate captain, the daughter of an evil lord, who goes on her way with ship and crew in resistance of the exact empire of which her father helps rule.
"I completed my novel and reached the word limit at 54,700 words," Morgan said.
Both students hit the word quota and had it turned in on time. While there will be no official winners or prizes, these two freshman have a novel under their belt and the satisfaction of finally completing something they've always wanted to do.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
Article last update: 12/11/05 at 2:12 PM CST