Creative Writing: Focus on the Novel

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, originated in 1999 and is a month-long program that encourages people to write a novel in the month of November, hitting a particular word count. Students will enroll in the NaNoWriMo student program, which allows them to set their own unique word count goals and start their month of writing at any point in the year. There are also activities and writing communities to engage in all year long through the program.

The NaNoWriMo elective at George School aims to cultivate a community of creative writers with a passion for the written word. This is the perfect class for the student who has many ideas to express but never finds the place to do it in formal educational settings. The class completes a week of brainstorming and prewriting, followed by a 30-day novel writing contest using the NaNoWriMo program and also engaging with their online community. Writers set goals and work as a group to celebrate and provide feedback on each other’s work. The goal is to write every day, take risks, try new techniques, and celebrate language (not necessarily to have the best final product).

Min-Max Credit Hours: 1.0-1.0