Chris Baty's Blog, page 7

Back to School: Interview with Sarah Lile, Young Writers Program Educator

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program helps over 85,000 kids, teens, teachers, and families set creative goals and tell stories they care about. We asked some of our amazing YWP educators to share how they take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in their classroom. Today’s advice comes from Sarah, a middle school ELA teacher in Richmond, Virginia.

Q: What grade/ age level do you work with? What type of NaNoWriMo group is it (whole class, club, homeschool, elective, etc.)?

A: Whole classes, grades 6-8

Q: How long have you been doing NaNoWriMo with your students?

A: Since 2019

Q: How do you structure the entire project (for example, do you start prepping in October and write in November, do you have kids work on it all year, etc.)?

A: We don’t do much prep and I always regret it. Students use class time to write throughout November. Some students already have an idea of what they’d like to write, others are pantsers like me!

Q: What does a normal NaNoWriMo day look like for your students?

A: Arrive to class and settle in, open laptops and begin feverishly typing!

Q: How do you set and manage word-count goals?

A: I allow students to set their own goals, though I’ve started to require no less than 7,000 words.

Q: How do you manage grading? Do you grade?

A: I ask students to submit an excerpt of their novel each week and post them on the wall in the classroom. This helps with accountability and sharing.

Q: How do you approach revision/ publishing (if at all)?

A: I don’t grade their novels, instead they revise an excerpt for a grade and a public reading.

Q: Any NaNoWriMo tips or tricks to share with other educators? Hard-won lessons? Ah-ha moments?

A: Every year I wish we had done more prep.

It’s more fun when I write WITH them.

Students really like it when I read their work, so the excerpts are key.

My writers always hit a wall at some point, but I trust the process (and tell them to just keep typing) and the NaNoWriMo tools and they always get through it! They are natural-born storytellers.

Q: Have you ever run into resistance from your administration about doing NaNoWriMo, and if so, how did you manage it? What do you say to people who don’t see the point of having students write novels? 

A: Thankfully, no. I do send the Common Core standards to parents and admin so they see how this aligns.

Q: What are the most meaningful things you or your students take away from the project? What’s your best NaNoWriMo memory?

A: That they CAN DO IT! The first class that participated set their own goals and wrote feverishly every class period and during the weekends. One student was out of town for the last couple days, sick in a hotel bed, and stayed up to meet her goal. Her parents were absolutely amazed at her commitment.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A: In order for this to really work, students need to write everyday. It’s hard to keep momentum over weekends and especially over a week-long Thanksgiving break. I’d love advice on how to keep students writing at these times—maybe set short term word count goals?

Sarah is a middle school ELA teacher at Sabot School in Richmond, Virginia, a progressive Reggio-Inspired school for children ages 2-14. She is a wife, mother, dog-mom, writer, food-lover, and amateur potter.

BIPOC Bookstore Feature: Freedom to Read

Meet our Summer BIPOC Bookstore feature: Freedom to Read, a Native-led program of Red Media based in Tiwa Territory (Albuquerque, NM). It aims to alleviate the financial and societal obstacles that create book scarcity in and around Indigenous communities. Support their program by purchasing books for their wish list at Massive Bookshop!

Q: We’re so excited to learn about Freedom to Read! Can you tell us a little bit about who your program serves, and how your partnership with Massive Bookshop works? How does Freedom to Read fit into your work with Red Media?

A: Thank you for featuring Freedom to Read! With Freedom to Read, we seek to alleviate some social and financial barriers that create book scarcity by offering free books. We prioritize Native people, but we also supply free books to community spaces wanting to highlight Native politics and history. Monetary donations go towards purchasing requested titles through Massive Bookshop. Additionally, Massive Bookshop helped us set up a book wish list on their website, where people can donate a book at a discounted price for Freedom to Read to distribute. The book wish list is a nice visual of which books Native people are requesting, and offers a vehicle of support. It’s genuinely steeped in solidarity.

Q: Your program creates literary access for incarcerated Native community members, as well as libraries and schools. Have you heard back from any readers about their experience receiving books from your program? Are your participants able to make requests for your booklist?

A: Honestly, we’ve been a bit slow getting books to incarcerated people because it’s something we want to get right, and Freedom to Read is still relatively young, so we want to have more developed principles. At the moment we rely on knowledgeable people for guidance to point us toward those with a solid structure for book distribution inside prisons.

In 2022, we received a letter from an incarcerated Native person expressing their thoughts and gratitude about two books we donated, The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save Our Earth and Red Nation Rising: From Bordertown Violence to Native Liberation, which Noname Book Club distributed. It was such a pivotal moment indicating that these books are needed. Earlier this year, we donated books to the Nambe Pueblo Tewa Language Department, and they sent us a card thanking us for providing culturally relevant resources. It was so rewarding to know that others can experience joy from a program like this, and it’s reciprocal. 

We are currently trying different approaches, figuring out what works, and people are still learning about Freedom to Read. Next year, we aim to open communication for people to request books for themselves or their relatives.

Q: Your book list spans titles from children’s picture books, to poetry, academic texts, and more. How did you staff select these titles in particular?

There have been very few instances where I’ll add a book I think is essential for people to read. Still, for the most part, all of the books we have on our wish list have been requested or recommended by librarians, workers, relatives, professors, and organizers wanting politics, history, and stories by Native authors and authors from oppressed communities in their space. Our booklist is carefully curated and adjusted to meet the needs of the people.

Back to School: Interview with Virginia Pratt, Young Writers Program Educator

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program helps over 85,000 kids, teens, teachers, and families set creative goals and tell stories they care about. We asked some of our amazing YWP educators to share how they take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in their classroom. Today’s advice comes from Virginia Pratt, who has been an educator for over 35 years.

Q: What grade/ age level do you work with? What type of NaNoWriMo group is it (whole class, club, homeschool, elective, etc.)?

A: I teach 4th/5th Grade gifted/talented ELA.

Q: How long have you been doing NaNoWriMo with your students?

A: 4 years (this will be year 5)

Q: How do you structure the entire project (for example, do you start prepping in October and write in November, do you have kids work on it all year, etc.)?

A: I use the month of October to prep. We do a reading/writing workshop, and I find that the materials are great for helping me work with the students on understanding literary elements as we read in October and prepare for the writing in November. As students are working on crafting their own characters, we are studying the arc of character in reading—seeing how different events impact them, how they change over time, what conflicts they face, etc. We do this with setting, with plot arc, etc.

Q: What does a normal NaNoWriMo day look like for your students?

A: In November, once we are writing the stories, kids have their independent writing time to work on their stories. I read their work and confer with them, and they also have writing partners with whom they meet during the week. As they encounter struggle—dialogue, for example—we have mini-lessons on those things and then students continue to move forward. While they only have 20 - 30 minutes of writing time during the day, many kids opt to write at night and in other “choice times”.

Q: How do you set and manage word-count goals?

A: I give the kids an example of what different word counts look like, once typed. I tell them the length of some texts they are all familiar with. I tell them my work count, and explain that I write/type much more quickly than they do. When they make their goal, I let that stand unless they come to me later and say they want to change their goal. Changing a goal (either increasing or decreasing) is not ever an issue.

Q: How do you manage grading? Do you grade?

A: Grades come from what I see them doing as a result of our entire process. I take grades on their reading comprehension and understanding of literary elements, figurative language, etc. All of those things are positively impacted by their work actually manipulating them in their own writing. I do give a grade based on effort and growth, and the students have a rubric/checklist of things I am looking for in their writing. They all get good grades because they are working with me in conferences and they are motivated to participate.

Q: How do you approach revision/ publishing (if at all)?

A: We do some revision work—as kids bring up areas that are causing them difficulty - during November, but we save most of that work for the month of January and the “Now What?” phase.

Q: Any NaNoWriMo tips or tricks to share with other educators? Hard-won lessons? Ah-ha moments?

A: I think it is really important to be accepting of what the kids want to try to do. The way the program materials are set up, if a child tries to write a piece with little to no substance, it’s easy for me to go back to the workbook and say, “Okay, but why is your character doing this?” “What made him/her act this way?” “What conflict is impacting your character? ” They realize pretty quickly that they are missing a lot of key information that they NEED to make a good story.

If a kid wants to do a comic book or graphic novel, I find a way to let them do that. We use storyboards or software that helps them put that together, and then handle the word count manually.

My focus is on getting them excited to write, and having them actually do writing. We can polish and improve the work later, but just getting them to tell a story and take the risk to put it out there is the most important part.

Q: Have you ever run into resistance from your administration about doing NaNoWriMo, and if so, how did you manage it? What do you say to people who don’t see the point of having students write novels? 

A: I haven’t had any issues. Generally if anyone does question what we are doing, they stop questioning when they see how engaged the kids are.

Q: What are the most meaningful things you or your students take away from the project? What’s your best NaNoWriMo memory?

A: The best part for us is that there is a true sense of being part of a greater community of writers who are all struggling/working together to get closer to a dream of being a published writer. We watch some of the videos NaNoWriMo posts that are appropriate for 10-11 year-olds, and we’ve also used some video tape of some of the write-ins where a topic is given for everyone to write on for 10 minutes. If I select those carefully, they really open the kids up to a different way of thinking about their writing. The best memories are around those kids who are so proud of how much they’ve written, or if they’ve met their goal.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A: For me, the whole thing is about feeling and acting like a writer. The kids don’t know it’s possible until we let them try. Some surprise themselves AND me with what they can do. Even those who don’t start off thinking of themselves as writers come out understanding more about the process and seeing where some of their strengths lie. It gives them something to build on as they move on through school and are asked to write. It’s important that NaNoWriMo represents a measure of success for every kid. That works wonders in helping them to take further steps as writers.

Virginia Pratt has been an educator for 35 years, and currently works with 4th and 5th grade students. An avid reader and notebooker, Dr. Pratt loves bringing an appreciation of story to her students and strives to help them to feel like successful readers and writers every day. Dr. Pratt loves music, roller coasters, and naps and enjoys spending time with her family and friends and traveling.

5 Tips to Avoid Burnout as a Neurodivergent Writer

When taking on a project as big as writing a novel, you may run into the risk of burnout. NaNo Participant Joana Hill gives some tips on avoiding burnout as a neurodivergent writer.

Burnout.  As writers, we all know it. For neurodivergent writers, burnout can be even more damaging than usual. We can be much more sensitive, both mentally and emotionally, than our neurotypical friends and family.

This means avoiding burnout, and taking care of it when it does happen, can be even more important for us.  I’m here today to provide some tips for my fellow neurodivergent writers to tackle just that.

1. Write What Interests You

Write what interests you rather than what you think you ‘should’ be writing.  Many of us get caught-up in pleasing others.  For neurodivergent people who’ve spent much of their life masking, or hiding their true personality and needs because of fear of rejection, it can be a hard habit to break.

If you want to write a 50k slow burn coffee shop AU of your favorite fandom, an epic space opera starring ants, or a main character with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or any other disorder or condition you have, go for it.

2. Get A Support Network

For neurodivergent people, we’ve often lived our lives with special interests no one wants to hear us talk about.  It often results in us not talking about them at all before someone can tell us they don’t want to hear about it.

Whether it’s offline with friends and family, or online here at NaNoWriMo or other sites, having people who are actively interested in listening to you and helping you plot and write can be a game-changer.

3. Celebrate As Many Victories As You Want

Many years, my personal goal is that I can get the new Pokemon game, which always comes out around the middle of November now, once I hit 50k.  But you don’t need just one grand goal.

Get a bag of your favorite candy and say you can have a piece every so many words.  Find something on Amazon you want (and can afford to get!) and say you’ll get it once you hit the halfway point.  Whatever motivates you to keep going, set it into motion.

4. Plan For Flexibility

That may sound like an oxymoron, but hear me out.  Neurodivergent people often love to have a plan.  I know I can get frustrated and upset when I’m expecting something to happen and something different does.  For a big goal like writing a novel in a month, a lot of things can end up going wrong.

Carry a notebook and pen or tablet with a keyboard case in case an errand takes longer than expected.  Back your writing up to several places in case your main writing device crashes.  Make sure at least one of those is a cloud service in case you end up writing on a device that isn’t yours.  The more contingency plans you have, the better prepared you are when life happens.

5. Be Kind To Yourself

Some days you may not get the minimum goal, or you might not write at all.  You may feel like you just can’t do it because you’re behind on your word count, or you decide you don’t like what you’ve written.

I get it.  But don’t beat yourself up about it.  Take a break.  Play your favorite game or read your favorite book.  Go for a walk.  And remember that you’re awesome.  No one can write this story like you can.

Joana Hill is a writer of young adult stories, as well as novellas inspired by Japanese light novels and anime. You can find her books, social media, and anything else you could imagine wanting to know about her on her LinkTree .

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

Back to School: Interview with Aly Mirasol, Young Writers Program Educator

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program helps over 85,000 kids, teens, teachers, and families set creative goals and tell stories they care about. We asked some of our amazing YWP educators to share how they take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in their classroom. Today’s advice comes from Aly Mirasol, a middle school Humanities teacher in West Seattle, Washington.

Q: What grade/ age level do you work with? What type of NaNoWriMo group is it (whole class, club, homeschool, elective, etc.)?

A: 6th-8th grade

Q: How long have you been doing NaNoWriMo with your students?

A: 2 years

Q: How do you structure the entire project (for example, do you start prepping in October and write in November, do you have kids work on it all year, etc.)?

A: We start prepping at the beginning of October, write all of November, and edit in December/January! I then send the books to be published in February and they usually arrive in March.

Q: What does a normal NaNoWriMo day look like for your students?

A: We’ll do 15 minutes of writing to start class—some instrumental music to set the tone—but since it’s a combo English/History class, we move into other curriculum after. The first and last days of November are full writing days; other than that, they’re encouraged to keep writing at home, and most of them really go for it.

Q: How do you set and manage word-count goals?

A: We have conferences at the end of October to determine individual goals. They’ll do a 15-min practice session to see how many words they can get in that time, and then we’ll look at examples of different story lengths. Halfway through the month, they have the option to change their goal if they talk to me and provide ample reasoning.

Q: How do you manage grading? Do you grade?

A: I grade based on effort—are they trying to write every day?—and then we have an editing checklist for after November. I try to keep the month itself low-stress and more about their creative process, less about worrying over a grade.

Q: How do you approach revision/ publishing (if at all)?

A: I use Barnes & Noble, which we really enjoy since the books come out looking very professional! They’ll grab an editing partner and work through formatting, grammar, etc., and I help them with that as well.

Q: Any NaNoWriMo tips or tricks to share with other educators? Hard-won lessons? Ah-ha moments?

A: We made a progress chart that the kids could opt-in for, and they really seemed to enjoy coloring their graphs each day with how much progress they made!

Q: Have you ever run into resistance from your administration about doing NaNoWriMo, and if so, how did you manage it? What do you say to people who don’t see the point of having students write novels? 

A: Luckily, no resistance. To people who question it, I just talk about the passion that comes out of it & how great it is for the kids to have the freedom to write about whatever they want and come out of the process as a published author.

Q: What are the most meaningful things you or your students take away from the project? What’s your best NaNoWriMo memory?

A: I had an 8th grader this year who I was having trouble connecting with at first– very withdrawn, quiet– but he went all-in on this project and just started to shine. Now that he’s graduated, he still emails me and is working on publishing a short story now, and we started a book club for over the summer! I just think it’s so great to see kids come into their own during this project.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A: I love NaNoWriMo so, so much, and my kids do, too. Thank you for everything you do. :)

Aly Mirasol is a middle school Humanities teacher in West Seattle, Washington. Aside from all things reading and writing, they like to spend their time swimming in the ocean, coaching, playing outdoors, and relaxing with their two cats. Their current project is building a massive bookshelf to hold an ever-growing collection of books—some of which are their students’ own NaNoWriMo projects!

Back to School: Interview with Chiho Nakagawa, Young Writers Program Educator

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program helps over 85,000 kids, teens, teachers, and families set creative goals and tell stories they care about. We asked some of our amazing YWP educators to share how they take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in their classroom. Today’s advice comes from Chiho Nakagawa, who teaches English as a second language in Tokyo, Japan.

Q: What grade/ age level do you work with? What type of NaNoWriMo group is it (whole class, club, homeschool, elective, etc.)?

A: 10th grade, whole 2 classes of 80 students whom I teach three times a week, last year I did with them. Two years ago, I did it with all the students in the 11th grade (about 250 students)

Q: How long have you been doing NaNoWriMo with your students?

A: 6 years. During these 6 years, I skipped two years ago as my students had to focus only on preparation for their university entrance exams.

Q: How do you structure the entire project (for example, do you start prepping in October and write in November, do you have kids work on it all year, etc.)?

A: I start the NaNoWriMo project in April when our new school year starts. Once or twice a week, our students have time to read books in the morning homeroom. As our school has an online library, most of them read online. During their break in summer, they read more books and decide their best one. After the break, they have biblio-battles in class. They upload the picture of their favorite book to OneDrive to share their recommendation with all the other students. For the preparation of their creative writing, they think of a story in a group, looking at one picture. They write a sentence in turn to make a story. Sometimes, I give them the same starting sentence and they create the following sentences together in group. Though they start with the same sentence, each story expands in totally different ways, which shows them their varieties, diversities and uniqueness. When I have such activities, I usually let them write in groups using Google Jamboard. Then, just before they start writing, they start creating their main character online using the Avatar maker. After that, they create their own page using OneNote and upload their main character and plot in the roller coaster style format . After their writing in November, we usually create their collection of stories online and share it in class.

Q: What does a normal NaNoWriMo day look like for your students?

A: Full of creativity. They are obsessed with their stories. Many students talk about NaNoWriMo. Of course, there are some demotivated students who struggle with writing, and they say NaNoWriMo, YaRaNaiMo. YaRaNaiMo means “I won’t do it” in Japanese. Even though they have difficulties and feel discouraged, they use the great rhyme. The rhythm in Japanese “yaranaimo” sounds not terrible but cute like kids in kindergarten. They are full of energy and joy that shows they are interested in writing even when they complain.

Q: How do you set and manage word-count goals?

A: I believe in my students’ autonomy. Nobody writes low goals. Some are even too ambitious but as it is their choice, I respect them. I give them some sample numbers and they usually arrange according to their skills. Last year, they set their own goals and I put them into groups. They made bar charts to show their progress in groups and they competed between groups, which I think was motivating.

Q: How do you manage grading? Do you grade?

A: No. As long as they try and enjoy the activity, it would be great. If they did, I give them points. If they did not try, I did not give them any grades. I just celebrate their writing.

Q: How do you approach revision/ publishing (if at all)?

A: I never check their grammar mistakes. I usually publish as they write. I can see some parts which are difficult to understand, but it would be okay. They will see that not a lot of their classmates read their novels as they are difficult to understand. The following year, they will do it in the same way and they will read their previous year’s novel. Then, they will find how much they have improved. Some of them told me not to show their previous one in class as they find their mistakes.

Q: Any NaNoWriMo tips or tricks to share with other educators? Hard-won lessons? Ah-ha moments?

A: NaNoWriMo encourages my students to read. My students are not bookworms but they read as they would like to know how to start writing and how to make a story. Also, they are interested in other students’ writing and try to understand them. Reading encourages them to think and understand others, which encourages them to respect others and their own identity. While they struggle writing, I would like to help them but it seems that nobody can help them. They solve their problems by themselves as their novels are just from their inside, not from their outside. Finally, they know how to control themselves and how to talk to themselves.

Q: Have you ever run into resistance from your administration about doing NaNoWriMo, and if so, how did you manage it? What do you say to people who don’t see the point of having students write novels?

A: Yes, some say that I should teach English for English exams. Getting Exam skill is the most important and creative experiences are not practical, they say. However, creative writing is effective in preparation for exams as students think more logically and critically to make their work better. They learn grammar and vocabulary to make their sentences clearer. My students’ engagement gradually changes their mindset and finally, they understand what they have achieved as their novels are based on what they have learned in other subjects and their whole lives. As everything inside of themselves is combined to make their novels and shows that it is a integrated learning, they finally agreed to make it and now, they encourage me to do it.

Q: What are the most meaningful things you or your students take away from the project? What’s your best NaNoWriMo memory?

A: They find their identity. They read their friends’ writing and they find they are different. They find their own uniqueness and start enjoying the difference. After NaNoWriMo, they praise each other for their achievement and effort and it was the happiest moment.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A: They learn not only about language but also about rights such as copyrights and personal information. Also, they learn creation is enjoyable after their struggle. This is an output activity with creativity, but at the same time they learn input is important to make their knowledge richer. I would like to encourage my students to read more, but how much I told them to do, they did not. Therefore, I thought of a different method, writing a novel, and it was totally successful. They read as they need to write. Their reading starts as if they check samples.

Chiho Nakagawa is an English as a second language teacher at a private school in Tokyo, Japan. Her motto for teaching is to raise independent learners. Her project-based learning classes improve her student’s creativity and autonomy. At the same time, her students find their own identity and respect others as they experience differences and uniqueness. She is also good at creating classes making full use of ICT as a Microsoft Innovative Education Expert and Adobe Education Leader.

Back to School: Interview with Chiho Nakagama, Young Writers Program Educator

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program helps over 85,000 kids, teens, teachers, and families set creative goals and tell stories they care about. We asked some of our amazing YWP educators to share how they take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in their classroom. Today’s advice comes from Chiho Nakagama, who teaches English as a second language in Tokyo, Japan.

Q: What grade/ age level do you work with? What type of NaNoWriMo group is it (whole class, club, homeschool, elective, etc.)?

A: 10th grade, whole 2 classes of 80 students whom I teach three times a week, last year I did with them. Two years ago, I did it with all the students in the 11th grade (about 250 students)

Q: How long have you been doing NaNoWriMo with your students?

A: 6 years. During these 6 years, I skipped two years ago as my students had to focus only on preparation for their university entrance exams.

Q: How do you structure the entire project (for example, do you start prepping in October and write in November, do you have kids work on it all year, etc.)?

A: I start the NaNoWriMo project in April when our new school year starts. Once or twice a week, our students have time to read books in the morning homeroom. As our school has an online library, most of them read online. During their break in summer, they read more books and decide their best one. After the break, they have biblio-battles in class. They upload the picture of their favorite book to OneDrive to share their recommendation with all the other students. For the preparation of their creative writing, they think of a story in a group, looking at one picture. They write a sentence in turn to make a story. Sometimes, I give them the same starting sentence and they create the following sentences together in group. Though they start with the same sentence, each story expands in totally different ways, which shows them their varieties, diversities and uniqueness. When I have such activities, I usually let them write in groups using Google Jamboard. Then, just before they start writing, they start creating their main character online using the Avatar maker. After that, they create their own page using OneNote and upload their main character and plot in the roller coaster style format . After their writing in November, we usually create their collection of stories online and share it in class.

Q: What does a normal NaNoWriMo day look like for your students?

A: Full of creativity. They are obsessed with their stories. Many students talk about NaNoWriMo. Of course, there are some demotivated students who struggle with writing, and they say NaNoWriMo, YaRaNaiMo. YaRaNaiMo means “I won’t do it” in Japanese. Even though they have difficulties and feel discouraged, they use the great rhyme. The rhythm in Japanese “yaranaimo” sounds not terrible but cute like kids in kindergarten. They are full of energy and joy that shows they are interested in writing even when they complain.

Q: How do you set and manage word-count goals?

A: I believe in my students’ autonomy. Nobody writes low goals. Some are even too ambitious but as it is their choice, I respect them. I give them some sample numbers and they usually arrange according to their skills. Last year, they set their own goals and I put them into groups. They made bar charts to show their progress in groups and they competed between groups, which I think was motivating.

Q: How do you manage grading? Do you grade?

A: No. As long as they try and enjoy the activity, it would be great. If they did, I give them points. If they did not try, I did not give them any grades. I just celebrate their writing.

Q: How do you approach revision/ publishing (if at all)?

A: I never check their grammar mistakes. I usually publish as they write. I can see some parts which are difficult to understand, but it would be okay. They will see that not a lot of their classmates read their novels as they are difficult to understand. The following year, they will do it in the same way and they will read their previous year’s novel. Then, they will find how much they have improved. Some of them told me not to show their previous one in class as they find their mistakes.

Q: Any NaNoWriMo tips or tricks to share with other educators? Hard-won lessons? Ah-ha moments?

A: NaNoWriMo encourages my students to read. My students are not bookworms but they read as they would like to know how to start writing and how to make a story. Also, they are interested in other students’ writing and try to understand them. Reading encourages them to think and understand others, which encourages them to respect others and their own identity. While they struggle writing, I would like to help them but it seems that nobody can help them. They solve their problems by themselves as their novels are just from their inside, not from their outside. Finally, they know how to control themselves and how to talk to themselves.

Q: Have you ever run into resistance from your administration about doing NaNoWriMo, and if so, how did you manage it? What do you say to people who don’t see the point of having students write novels?

A: Yes, some say that I should teach English for English exams. Getting Exam skill is the most important and creative experiences are not practical, they say. However, creative writing is effective in preparation for exams as students think more logically and critically to make their work better. They learn grammar and vocabulary to make their sentences clearer. My students’ engagement gradually changes their mindset and finally, they understand what they have achieved as their novels are based on what they have learned in other subjects and their whole lives. As everything inside of themselves is combined to make their novels and shows that it is a integrated learning, they finally agreed to make it and now, they encourage me to do it.

Q: What are the most meaningful things you or your students take away from the project? What’s your best NaNoWriMo memory?

A: They find their identity. They read their friends’ writing and they find they are different. They find their own uniqueness and start enjoying the difference. After NaNoWriMo, they praise each other for their achievement and effort and it was the happiest moment.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A: They learn not only about language but also about rights such as copyrights and personal information. Also, they learn creation is enjoyable after their struggle. This is an output activity with creativity, but at the same time they learn input is important to make their knowledge richer. I would like to encourage my students to read more, but how much I told them to do, they did not. Therefore, I thought of a different method, writing a novel, and it was totally successful. They read as they need to write. Their reading starts as if they check samples.

Chiho Nakagawa is an English as a second language teacher at a private school in Tokyo, Japan. Her motto for teaching is to raise independent learners. Her project-based learning classes improve her student’s creativity and autonomy. At the same time, her students find their own identity and respect others as they experience differences and uniqueness. She is also good at creating classes making full use of ICT as a Microsoft Innovative Education Expert and Adobe Education Leader.

Back to School: Interview with Meredith Towne, Young Writers Program Educator

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program helps over 85,000 kids, teens, teachers, and families set creative goals and tell stories they care about. We asked some of our amazing YWP educators to share how they take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in their classroom. Today’s advice comes from Meredith Towne, a high school English teacher in New York City!

Q: What grade/ age level do you work with? What type of NaNoWriMo group is it (whole class, club, homeschool, elective, etc.)?

A: 12th. Whole class (ELA 12, general education and ICT)

Q: How long have you been doing NaNoWriMo with your students?

A: 7 years

Q: How do you structure the entire project (for example, do you start prepping in October and write in November, do you have kids work on it all year, etc.)?

A: We do 2 weeks of prep in October, write in November, revise 10 pages in December (2500-3k words). This year we had workbooks for all our students which was a huge help.

Q: What does a normal NaNoWriMo day look like for your students?

A: In November students come in and write. Teachers do 1:1 check-ins. With holidays sometimes students only get 13 class days (60 min each) so every moment is precious.

Q: How do you set and manage word-count goals?

A: We conference and since Covid have let students choose their goals and have pushed less. Usually we challenge 10k, 20k or 30k+ goals.

Q: How do you manage grading? Do you grade?

A: We do 4 progress checks where students are to meet the word count goal for that day. This is a participation grade. The revision is then graded as a summative assessment for all of our core competencies. I also love the YWP portal. It has become easy to track student progress and coordinate with co-teachers.

Q: How do you approach revision/ publishing (if at all)?

A: 10 pages, a section of choice. Bookcreator.com is an amazing tool for creating a cover and cool layout. We do a public share as well.

Q: Any NaNoWriMo tips or tricks to share with other educators? Hard-won lessons? Ah-ha moments?

A: Get the workbooks. Don’t grade down for not meeting goal. Progress not perfection. In our classes students have to write at least 1500 words to be eligible to revise. If they have not met goals they move to an alternative assessment we have designed that aligns with our competency skills.

Q: Have you ever run into resistance from your administration about doing NaNoWriMo, and if so, how did you manage it? What do you say to people who don’t see the point of having students write novels?

A: No, never an issue. It has become one of the things lower classmen are warned about in Ms. Towne’s class! 😀 I love this legacy.

Q: What are the most meaningful things you or your students take away from the project? What’s your best NaNoWriMo memory?

A: One of the students who did NaNo in 2017 is starting a MFA in creative writing. This is the same kid who told me his senior year he didn’t want to go to college. I credit NaNo!

Meredith Towne is a high school English teacher in New York City. She has challenged her Seniors to win NaNoWriMo YWP for the last 7 years. Meredith especially loves writing along with her students so they can see her walk the walk. She does her best writing early in the morning and can be found in her classroom before the sun comes up in November to write.

NaNo Interview: Graphic Designer Alyssa Alarcón Santo

NaNoWriMo events would be a lot less colorful without our amazing graphic designers. NaNoWriMo’s in-house designer Alyssa Alarcón Santo gives us a peak at her experience at NaNo as well as some of her designer thoughts!

Q: Alyssa, you’ve been partnering with NaNo for several years now! How did you first begin designing for us?

Back in 2018, I had just gone fully freelance and was trying to get a print shop up and running. I had gotten really into painting these meticulously hand-lettered book stacks and at some point, I posted one on that graphic design site, Dribbble. If I remember correctly, that’s where Nano found me. When I got the email asking if I was interested in designing the event merch that year, I was shocked! I honestly wasn’t even sure it was real until I got on a call with Chris and Shelby.

It’s funny in retrospect, I was so overprepared. I had an entire pitch and design treatment worked up before I had even technically interviewed. That was the design we ended up running with, too.

Q: Do you remember the first NaNo design you ever made?

My first project set was the NaNoWriMo event merch for 2018, so it was the usual items: poster, mug, shirts, etc etc. The theme that year was “NaNoWriMo Is…” and I really wanted to highlight how much it could be at once—planning and writing, procrastinating and collaborating, daydreaming, creating. I wanted to visually lean into the chaos, but y’know, in an orderly fashion. I think we managed that!

Q: What are some of your guiding inspirations behind your NaNo designs?

Before I pivoted into illustration and design, I always thought I would be a writer. I studied creative writing and modernist literature in college, then went on to study comics and narrative design in art school. Because of that background, I always try to keep in mind 1) what story is this design telling and 2) how can we make that story a little more fun? 

Q: How has your style changed over time?

I actually think my entire focus has changed over the last five years. When I started designing for NaNoWriMo, I was primarily an illustrator and I spent a lot of time working on hand-lettering-centric projects. I still enjoy lettering and illustration—I still consider myself an artist at the roots—but the bulk of my work is actually in book design and typographic design these days. I’ve been finding it extraordinarily satisfying to assemble and format books of any kind, including comics!

Q: Have you ever attempted an official NaNoWriMo project? If so, how did it go? If not, is that something you see yourself trying in the future?

Oh, absolutely, I have! I started participating in NaNoWriMo when I was 15 years old, way back in 2006. I participated every year up until I was about 23, when work responsibilities started getting in the way. I think the only year I hit the 50k goal was when I was ~18, but I still have the fragments of a dozen novels floating around on various hard drives. I did actually stretch my writing muscles a little during Nano last year and it felt good. I’ll probably join in again this year and see how far I can get.

Q: You’ve designed graphics for objects, paper, digital, and more. As a designer, what’s going on in your head as you design for 2-d versus 3-d projects? Do you have a favorite type of design project?

When you’re designing anything, you always have to keep the end result in mind so there are questions you ask yourself throughout: How will this design be used? What kind of file will it need to be? Am I setting everything up to best satisfy the specs? You think that way for both digital and physical designs, but the questions are different. For digital designs, you think about color spaces, dimensions, resolution.

For physical objects, you think about color conversion, margins and bleeds, composition and how it translates when interacted with. (For example, if you’re designing a mug, you have to keep in mind where the handle is, where the design will land around the cylinder, and what the user sees when they pick it up.)

I personally prefer to design for 3D objects, which is a fun thing I’ve learned from this NaNoWriMo job! It feels so validating to hold the thing you’ve been working on in your hands. I think my favorite of the projects I’ve done for NaNoWriMo so far was the 1k piece puzzle we put out earlier this year. That was a challenge, making sure that there were enough details and gradients and textures to keep it interesting.

Q: If Helvetica and Arial were in a fight, who would win and why?

Helvetica, all the way! It was designed to be highly legible in traditional printing, which I prefer as a dyslexic print designer. Arial is nice on a screen, but I just find Helvetica more versatile. (That said, if we’re really talking about who would win in a type fight, the answer is serifs, like Times New Roman, over sans serifs! Those serifs are pointier. Much better for fighting.)

Alyssa Alarcón Santo is a Los Angeles raised, Portland based designer-of-many-hats. Over the years, she has worked as an illustrator, graphic designer, photographer, and now book designer, and she is always looking for fun ways to combine those skills. A throughline running across her work, regardless of medium, is a love of words. She currently serves as In-House Designer for NaNoWriMo and Creative Director of science-fiction magazine Planet Scumm. You can find her work on instagram @alyssasantodesign.

Plot vs. Story: Why the Difference Matters

Is there a difference between plot and story? NaNo participant Hedi Mohammed walks us through this question and talks about how knowing the difference can help you in your writing.

You may be wondering why this is a question at all. While it might not be an obvious problem, many writers tend to mash together the words “plot” and “story” and use them interchangeably. How accurate is that assumption?

It turns out that there is a notable difference between them, and knowing it gives you an edge over plot bunnies, characters acting out, and all kinds of other problems!

What is a Plot?

A plot is a collection of events that happen in a certain order in a story. More importantly, plot is what your characters respond to; it’s the combination of this action and reaction that moves a story forward. Therefore, the plot is considered a building block rather than the whole.

What is a Story?

On the other hand, a story is more than the sum of its parts; it includes the plot events, characters, worldbuilding, themes, and wording of your book. All of these different building blocks come together to form a complete, well-written recount of the story you want to tell.

Why is Knowing the Difference Important?

As you can imagine, trying to force the idea of plot, a building block, being equal to the entire story is a recipe for disaster.

By equating the plot to the whole story, you might find yourself focusing primarily on what happens in the world of your characters. This can make you accidentally compromise on other equally important parts of your story, like better characterization, without you realizing it.

Remember that plot events mean nothing without the reactions of the characters to them. There are many sides to a good story; events can be seen as heartfelt, cold, or scary depending on how characters react and how you set the scene.

How It Helps You Improve Your Writing

Simply knowing the difference between plot and story can clear up a few of the issues that writer’s block can stem from, like not knowing which direction your story is taking. Additionally, you can:

Prioritize different parts of your story. By moving away from the plot every now and then, you start to notice other areas that may need more work.Improve the characterization of your characters. With the relationship between plot and characters in mind, you can develop your protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) alongside the events that affect them.Explore more creative ways to make use of your worldbuilding/themes. Develop your mood in less common ways, or take advantage of simple sentences to make punchy statements.Stay motivated and power through writer’s block. If you consider writer’s block a mystery to be solved, then you just made a breakthrough!

Here you go, a tidbit of information for your writing needs! While the misunderstanding may seem small, resolving it can have an incredible effect on your writing process.

Hedi Mohammed is an up-and-coming content writer and editor of MIST: After the Apocalypse, an Egyptian bestselling novel. Now that they have much more time to dedicate to writing, be on the lookout for fiction and poetry books of their own coming soon!

Photo by Alina Vilchenko