Students' Words in Print

A couple of weeks ago, I received a special delivery from a fifth-grade classroom in San Jose, CA. In November, I had a great time visiting Linda Ulleseit and her students—even though they made fun of me for my then-paltry word count. I was especially excited to see the classroom copy of Novel Central, a collection of Linda's kids' NaNo-novels from the previous year. The delivery I got was the new, wonderful sequel, Novel Central: Volume 2. I've been flipping through it whenever I have a chance, and I am continually blown away by the creativity of these young writers. From the back cover:

These NaNoWriMo novels include something for everyone: dragons, super computers, TacoGuys, robots, unicorns, spy camp, zombies, teenagers, friendships, and even a sewage monster.

I've seen a few collections like this (as well as a lot of books individually published by students), and I believe that they are ideal culminations of the noveling process. The kids and teens who write during NaNoWriMo are shown that their work is real and valuable, and printed copies of their novels can be permanent proof. (Not to mention, educators, that the publication process is an opportunity to teach a whole bunch of real-world editing skills.) As Linda Ulleseit says in her introduction to Novel Central: Volume 2,

The hard work is just a memory now as the class basks in its accomplishment. They each wrote a novel in a month. That is an achievement they can be proud of, one they will remember for a lifetime. Enjoy the fruits of their labors.

In honor of this book and others, tell us about the first time you saw your words in print. How did it make you feel? Was it during your school days, or did it happen later in life? Did someone else love your work, or did you love it enough to self-publish?

And remember, if you still want to see your (or your students') 2010 NaNo-novel(s) in print right away, that special offer from CreateSpace expires on June 30!

– Chris A.

Photo by Flickr user reinvented