Lesann Berry

When November rolls around each year there are rumblings in the writerly community about this thing called National Novel Writing Month. The official website refers to the month-long word sprint as 30 days and night of literary abandon. If the twitter hashtag of #nanowrimo was any indication, there was a great deal of abandonment going on.

Myself included. I bet you were abandoned too.

When the Office of Light and Letters sent out a request for donations, I shrugged my shoulders and thought, why not? I’ve been known to donate time, household goods, food, and money to less interesting causes. Sharks and medieval music come to mind…

There’s been a bit of snarkiness levied at Nanowrimo because it isn’t a baggy t-shirt. One size does not fit all. That’s okay. Some folks prefer a leisurely stroll down the literary promenade. Some might be overwhelmed with the idea of producing 50,000 words of anything in a single month. Not every cause is for every person.

Whatever works for you. Right? Uh-huh.

Thanks for taking a few minutes out of your busy day to let me remind you that National Novel Writing Month is centered around more than just providing writers a platform to boast about our wordcount. It does more than offer forums to cruise for plotting and editing advice. It even has a larger intent than creating a community in which to interact with other scribes.

Nanowrimo is about literacy.

Teaching and learning in the classroom. Everywhere. National Novel Writing Month strives to make writing a viable activity for all ages, especially youth. In a time when the literacy arc is not steep, encouraging young people to become active writers (and readers), is an awesome thing.

Really, you can’t get behind that idea?

I know everyone wants a bit of you. There are countless people waiting to siphon the robust roundness of your paycheck. I’m no different. I’m not affiliated with Nanowrimo or the OLL, but I believe in giving back and supporting organizations that work to make a difference. I also believe in paying it forward. I bet you do too.

In the immortal words of someone important, “shut it, already!”. I will. Soon. Right after I levy this final appeal:

Give, please.

A single $1.00 makes a difference. They even take Paypal! Nanowrimo offers creative opportunities for how you can give. More than 300,000 people participated in Nanowrimo this year. The “winners” list goes on for 737 pages! That’s a lot of people who reached 50,000 words or more. If each of those winners gave a single dollar – think of the resources that could flood our classrooms…

The Young Writer’s Program and the Classroom Sponsorship Program are funded with your donations. Sponsors assist in funding the infrastructure of Nanowrimo but it takes even more. The organizers don’t expect you to pay up, but they offer participants a lot of free goodies and fun. I think that’s worth a bit of investment.

Plus you get a really cool halo over your name. I haven’t had a halo for quite some time. It feels good. Come feel good with me.

Visit The Donation Station and get your halo.