Massachusetts Middle Schoolers Write Novels

Publication: The Herald News
Date: February 3, 2010

Summary: Working under the tutelage of Buzzards Bay Writing Project teacher-consultant Louise Brady, twelve students participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and churned out completed books.

Excerpt from Article

Brady's bunch of writers participated in last November's National Novel Writing Month. Both she and a dozen students set a writing goal for the month and reached it. Brady produced what she described as a "50,000-word memoir-style book," while students in the writing program produced 6,000- to 12,000-word books during a 30-day span.

"NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is the brainchild of Chris Baty, who started this idea of writing like mad for 30 days, no matter what came out, just so you didn't look back at your life and say, 'I coulda written a novel.' He expanded it to students by starting the Young Writers Program," Brady said.

Brady said she became familiar with the writing program after attending the national Buzzards Bay Writing Project at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.