This November, several students at New Hyde Park Memorial High School have embarked on a rather unusual journey – to complete a novel in a single month. These budding writers are participating in an international event called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which takes place each November. To complete a traditional-length manuscript in that period of time, a person needs to write roughly 1,600 words each day.
With tablets, cell phones and laptops in hand, these courageous gladiators have been carving out time to bring their creations to life, amidst incredibly busy academic and extracurricular schedules. Each week, they meet for a Wrimo Write-In, where they provide moral and artistic support for one another, as well as dash off a few hundred words before supper.
Whether or not they achieve 50,000 words by the end of the month is secondary to how these fine young people have learned to tap into their fertile imaginations and begin the process of creating something that never before existed in the world.
