National Novel Writing Month – 30 Day and Nights of Literary Abandon!
(I feel so strongly about this, I’m running this post for a week. Back to France next Friday.)
A lot of bleary-eyed writers will be setting their keyboards aside for a brief respite after a final dash to the finish line of their NaNoWriMo commitment to write 50,000 words in November. Did you enter? Are you happy with what you accomplished? 
I’ve never seen a more enthusiastic, encouraging group of cheeleaders than the people who work with this organization. Click here to read all about it and consider participating next year.
I didn’t enter but supported other writers who took up the cause. Those that did win will sport the “Winner” stamp shown here and should do so with immense pride and satisfaction. Well. Done. You.
The writing parties, pub nights, pep talks and other wild and crazy planned events to keep everyone on track, or at least having a lot of fun, are awesome. Enthusiasm knows no bounds!
I know that some of the awesome writers in our own #Wana groups participated and so far I’ve seen that Gene Lempp, Kerry Meacham, Lesann Berry, and Lena Corazon were among the winners. Yay! Woohoo! Congrats! If you know of others, send their names into the comments below. Thanks!
An important part of this month-long celebration of literary abandon, as they call it, is their Young Writers Program. Quoting from their website , this “provides kids and teens with a month-long creative experience that improves self-esteem, teaches perseverance, and radically alters their relationships with writing and literature.”
As an educator I would add that in our efforts to combat bullying these days, involving young people in creative writing and encouraging their ability to express feelings and ideas is an excellent way to address the inherent problems. Antibullying campaigns and literacy programs should be working hand in hand. Support this! Jump on board … donate a dollar or two and keep spreading the word.
It’s a fabulous program that involves a great deal of volunteer time from well-established authors and other literati and a lot of financial support from the sponsors. However, like everything else these days, it’s not always easy to cover the bottom line.
That’s why I’m adding this message to my post, cut and pasted from the NaNoWriMo newsletter, and urging everyone else to try and help out. Why don’t we all pass this message along, make a donation and do our part? Writers helping writers is a big part of what we do. To borrow a NaNoWriMo term, be a catalyst for literary righteousness!
November 27, 2011
Dear Writer,
We’ve been so proud to inspire and encourage 300,000 kids, teens, and adults this year through National Novel Writing Month and NaNoWriMo’s free, classroom-based Young Writers Program. Both programs have seen a record turnout this fall, which makes us ridiculously happy.
Together, the two programs cost nearly $1,000,000 to organize. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and our handsomely attired OLL store shoppers, we’ve raised 60% of that amount already. We need your help to raise the remaining $400,000.
Our grassroots fundraising model means the future of our programs always rests in the hands of our participants. (It also means I end up bothering you with more of these fundraising appeals than I’d like.) But we’ve built our entire organization on the faith that the writers who get something out of our programs will give something back.
If you believe in our nonprofit creative writing adventure, please make a small donation today to keep it going. We’re facing the largest funding gap we’ve ever had at this point in November, and we need your support today to bring NaNoWriMo and the Young Writers Program back in 2012.
Thank you so much!
Warm regards,
Chris
Executive Director
The Office of Letters and Light
The tiny-but-mighty parent nonprofit of NaNoWriMo and the Young Writers Program
Watch us in animated form! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miBhmLA62O4
Copyright © 2011 The Office of Letters and Light :: All posted novel excerpts remain copyright their authors.
Patricia Sands 
I finished Nanowrimo this year, squeaking in just over the 50K mark and it was more of a struggle than I wanted it to be. Too many demands and not enough time. I sure appreciate your post here – a lot of people don’t realize how much the Nanowrimo crew actually do throughout the year. OR how much they contribute to encouraging a new generation of authors in classrooms across the country.
If every participant sent a single $1.00 (paypal people!) then they’d be able to do even more. I make a small donation every year because I appreciate the hard work and endless enthusiasm the entire staff of the Office of Light and Letters shares.
I think that makes you a Nano winner too!
Way to go girl! Congratulations! You are so right about the possibilities of everyone paying $1. Let’s keep spreading the word.
I’ve participated in Nano before and make a donation every year. Love seeing the rise of the “fund-o-meter” on their web site!
That’s great to hear! I hope we can generate some activity and get a few more donations for the cause. Tweet it up! Thanks!
Thanks for supporting those NaNo-ing, and for spreading awareness about supporting Nanowrimo as a whole!
Congrats on your participation! Let’s keep spreading the word so they can continue the good work. The more young people we involve, the better.
I didn’t participate in NaNo but, like you, was cheering on our wana and row80 friends. It was exciting to read in the blog posts and on Twitter, Facebook etc. about how everyone was doing. It is an amazing thing to write such a huge chunk of words in just one month.
I know how important it is to many writers that NaNo goes strong so I will definitely donate to that cause. Thank you for spreading the word.
NaNo is such an awesome experience and the OLL people are amazing (and strangely, very attractive!). This is such a great cause and I support it every year, whether I participate or not.
Thanks for bringing attention to an awesome cause!
I *love* the Young Writers program that NaNo provides. I agree that it deserves our support. I’ve used the materials and feel like they are top-notch.
Glad you bringing so much attention to it!