Table for 27

Wow, it's been a while since I got on line. I didn't think student teaching and NaNoWriMo would take so much out of me, but being sane is over rated...

But it could be even more hectic. I could be doing NaNoWriMo with 27 5th graders, which is exactly what my friend Joy is doing. In addition to doing NaNoWriMo herself she has enrolled all 27 of her students in the Young Writers' Program. They write 15 minutes a day in class with her and 30 minutes on their own every weekend, minimum. That's 105 minutes a week, but some of her students are making it to 200 or 300 minutes.

The look on her face when she talks about how her students are doing and the stories she shares are enough to make even my heart melt. One of her students who is a selective mute and normally gets 2-3 sentences down in 15 minutes has been poring out 1-2 pages in every 15 minute in class writing period. Another student whose parents were panicking on October 29 because he hadn't willingly put pen to paper since he was in 2nd grade has been discovered in the dark of night under the sheets with his NaNoWriMo journal, a pencil, and a flashlight at midnight.

Then there's the stories. Horror, historical scifi, action/ adventure, tragedy. You name it and their doing it. Zombie waffles. Vampire Twinkies. Demigods. Monsters. Bob from Canada. Alien involvement in 9/11. 5 year olds with gerbils in their pockets. These kids have got it all.

Some of them are even interested in pursuing publication somewhere down the line, which leads me to my request. Are there any editors/ agents/ publishers, anybody, who would be willing to do a first chapter critique of the kids novels at the end of November. When considering this please remember that these are 10 year olds and need to be handled with care lest they be scared off writing for the rest of their lives, and we don't want to miss out on the amazing books they any one of them may one day write.

-Aaron