Turbo Monkey Tales is a group blog focusing on the craft, production, marketing and consumption of Children's Literature. We are illustrators, writers, animators and media mongrels. We are readers! We are published, unpublished and self-published; agented and searching, and 100% dedicated to our Kid Lit journey, no matter where we are on the path. Join our Tribe and grab a vine. The more the merrier!

Monday, October 1, 2012

NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program


by Amy

Happy October, Monkey Tribe!!  Or, as I like to think of it, NaNoWriMo Eve. I’m sure the writers among you are intimately familiar with the literary kick-in-the-pants that is National Novel Writing Month, but did you know there is a NaNoWriMo for kids? And it totally rocks!

The Young Writers Program is similar to the regular NaNo in that you have the month of November to write a book. You can register online to have rabid word-count competitions with your writer friends.  And you get inspirational emails, in this case from famous kidlit authors like Jerry Spinelli and Phillip Pullman.

In the YWP, though, participants set their own word count goal, so writers of all ages can play. There are down-loadable (is that a word?) Young Novelist Workbooks that offer writing prompts, and tips to help with plot, character, setting, etc. There are different workbooks for elementary, middle school and high school.   



For teachers, the NaNo folks have created lesson plans and access to teachers-only forums. There are incentive kits for classes that include posters, progress charts, buttons and stickers. Hello -- STICKERS! And all that stuff is totally FREE.  Even the shipping. Yes, really. (Though you might consider making a donation.  The YWP depends heavily on donated funds.)

Kids can participate with their class or their school, as an individual or even with Mom or Dad. Remember: the tribe that NaNo’s together, gets on average more bananas than those that do not. (It is possible I just made that up.) 

Some of our YWP writers
Two years ago, when the YWP debuted, I teamed up with a reading teacher at my local jr. high and led a NaNo group for students. We were both blown away by the number of kids who showed up.  As the month went on, I continued to be blown away by the writing the kids were doing. One girl wrote 20,000 words in a week…for two weeks in a row! It was really inspiring. (And by inspiring I don't completely mean that I was humiliated with my sad 3,000 word gain.) We’re getting ready to do it again and this year, I’m hoping to bring in local authors to give brief talks on craft. And, of course, I always bring chocolate.

So, if you have a class, or a group or even one kid who loves to write, check out the website and consider starting a YWP tribe of your own. Registration opens today. It’s an amazing program. I rate it ten bananas out of ten!

14 comments:

  1. I think this is a great idea. Kids love to write freely and share their work. And for the teacher, it's a plus that the program has lesson plans! Definitely worth ten bananas!

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    1. I so enjoyed my month with the students! They were so excited. And some of them did share their work. It was pretty awesome to see twenty jr.highers listening intently to another student's story, then patting them on the back. #warmfuzzies

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  2. I had no idea kids could have their own special NanoWriteMo. This is great information and not just for teachers or librarians. Anyone who knows a kid that enjoys writing or creating should jump all over this. Thanks for opening our eyes, minds and hearts.

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    1. It's nice because kids can set their own word count goal...even if it's just a picture book story of 100 words. Setting and meeting goals are great things for kids. And monkeys, too!

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  3. Love this! I'm going to see if we can get this going at my school...

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  4. I can't wait until my kiddos are old enough to do this! Somewhere I have a copy of the first book I wrote and illustrated. I folded some lined paper in half, stapled it together and went to work with my pink felt tip pen. I can't remember the title but it featured a werewolf with a penchant for hotdogs. I love that you (and NaNoWriMo) are helping kids make great memories that involve writing!

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    1. I love that you self-published your first book! :)

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  5. I can't believe it's Nano time already! This is such a great reminder and description of the program for kids. I wish I could be in your Nano class, Amy!

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    1. I wish you could, too! I also wish you could come speak to my students! :)

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  6. Thanks for sharing this. I teach homeschool writing classes, and this is a perfect addition to my short story class.

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    1. Oh, Jaimi -- this is right up your alley then! Good luck with it! You'll have to let me know how it goes. :)

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  7. Amy, I tried leaving a comment on Monday but had trouble with blogger. I'm so impressed that you did NaNo with young writers. It's very inspiring, and is a wonderful way to pay forward. Thank you for sharing this with us!

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    1. Blogger is tricksy! Thanks, Marilyn. I had such a great time with the students and really was inspired by how much energy they brought to the table. I can't wait to get started again in a couple weeks!

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