INDEPENDENCE, OREGON- A class of juniors and seniors at Central High School took on the National Novel Writing Month challenge, an annual competition to complete a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. Together, the students wrote more than 247,000 words. Collectively, this totals the word count of almost five of these novellas.
National Novel Writing Month is a challenge hosted by a not-for-profit of the same name. It began with only 20 participants in 1999, but by 2022, more than 400 thousand writers made the attempt. This year, a teacher at Central High School, Benjamin Gorman, asked students if they would like to participate. "We took a vote," Gorman said, "and it was nearly unanimous. I was genuinely surprised by how excited my students were to take on this really difficult task." Some of the no votes came around eventually. “At first I didn’t want to do it, but it was a good experience,” said Sebaztian Nunez, a senior at Central High School.
“This was difficult,” said senior Hannah Altermatt. “I definitely need a snack by my side to stay focused on my work,” said Krislynn Shelton, a senior. “It was fun at the beginning, then it got stressful after a week,” said Jocelyn Barrera, a junior. “In the beginning, I was unsure about this NaNoWriMo assignment, but as I wrote every day it was pretty nice," said senior Alexa Gallegos. "I liked that I had something to do and I had many new ideas for my story."
Students learned a lot from the experience. “Even though I did not write the full 50,000 words, I still didn't think I could write that much about horses,” said Camila Alarcón, a senior. “I was stressing out towards the end, and I didn’t even intend on finishing,” said junior Shaun Stewart. “Harder than I expected it to be," said senior Santana Orozco, "and staying on the same story the whole time made it a lot harder."
“I think the NaNoWriMo challenge is very difficult to complete, but the attempt is rewarding in and of itself,” commented Jeremy Hatch, one of the few juniors in the creative writing class. “Even if you don’t make it to the full word total, you can still feel proud that you committed to consistently write every single day for a month. It really hones your skills, while testing your willpower.” Wesley Bodine, a senior, said, “I never wrote this much before."
A few students even won, meeting the 50,000 word goal. "I've never pulled so many all-nighters in one month,” said Gavin Butcher, a junior who completed the entire challenge. Not everyone was satisfied with the experience. “I wish we would have stuck with the poetry unit,” said Kai Bennett, a senior. But most of the students learned something valuable about themselves as writers. "Definitely a fun experience. I didn't complete it, but I tried my best. A couple of cute cats and some snacks can get me to writing," said Valerie Alvarez, a senior.
Joseph Clark, a senior, said, “It revealed my potential."
Because of the students' success, Gorman plans to have future creative writing classes make the same attempt. "I am so proud of this amazing group of writers. I'm going to add this activity to the class curriculum going forward. Next time, I'll give my students more warning, though. I'm learning, too!"
Ariticle written by Central High School teacher Benjamin Gorman.
For more information or to schedule an interview with the class, please contact Benjamin Gorman at bgorman@central.k12.or.us or (503) 606-2345.