Epic Tales . NaNoWriMo

     Inspired by the creative forces of the gods, our class undertook our own acts of creation giving shape and form to new worlds made of clay. It is these worlds that will serve as the setting for the epic tales that our class is writing. The students have been developing characters and using Joseph Campbell's concept of The Monomyth as a template off which to work. Strengths, weaknesses and goals have all been discussed leading to the insight that strengths can be weaknesses and vice versa depending on the environment. We are now beginning our stories, knowing that the writing process is a fluid one and that our characters may change as the journey unfolds. The important thing is to begin.

     Our class will be joining the Young Writers Program of the National Novel Writing Month Project. During the month of November, adults and kids alike undertake the task of writing a novel in a single month. The students were inspired by the challenge. There is a focus on word goals and the students discussed an appropriate goal that was both challenging and obtainable which they decided to strive towards as a class. While "word goals" can lead to an emphasis on quantity over quality, I don't think this has to be the case. A word goal can serve as an island or marker in the middle of a seemingly boundless blank page to a student afraid to begin. Our goals will evolve throughout the month to reflect our growing understanding of the craft. 

Having banished our inner editors, we are ready to begin.