NANOWRIMO

NANOWRIMO, short hand for national novel writing month, is a time in which students put their inner editor on the shelf and write their stories.  November is upon us, but luckily the Blue Band won't be embarking on this ambitious venture empty handed. For the past month the Blue Band has been planning out their novels and getting hyped about writing.  They have drawn pictures of their main characters, given them hopes and dreams, fears and obstacles.  They have studied texts like our read aloud, The Extraordinary Tale of Ordinary Basil, to understand better the elements of plot.  They've learned about Joseph Campbell's hero's journey and used this to interpret stories they've read and guide their own story. They have made sketches of their settings and they have been learning the art of dialogue. With this road map to their story they will be ready to set out into the wilderness of their imaginations!We've also been learning about what it means to be an author.  The Blue and Orange bands attended LitQuake at the public library where they met authors and listened to them speak about their craft.  They spoke about everything from where they get their inspiration to how many different drafts they wrote before their books were published!The whole group couldn't wait to get back and read the books they had gotten from the event.  Some students even got their books autographed! It's great to see everyone getting so amped about reading and writing stories.This week we had a visit from Piper's dad, Evan Sagerman, a published children's book author.  He read us one of his books and then explained the process he went through to get his work published.  It was impressive to see just how many drafts he went through before he settled on the best way to draw his giraffe!Evan Sagerman's publisher also asked him to write a three sentence description of his story, the kind you find on a book jacket.  The Blue Band took a shot at describing their own stories in three sentences or less.  Though these stories are liable to transform and grow in the coming month, here is a rough sketch of what each of the Blue Band will be writing in the coming month:Gita"Elliana is a nice girl who loves her dog and just wants some friends. When she goes to school, it is too bad that Jessica wants only herself to be friends with Alma and Alejandra.  Will Elliana only have her dog to count on for her life or will she stand up to Jessica?"Ramses"There was a boy named Ramses and he was a normal boy.  He made friends with a vampire boy.  They are looking for a jewel that turns vampires back to humans.  There is a evil villain vampire killer who is in their way."Ronan"Clavis Carmine lives in a three story mansion on top of candlewick hill.  Clavis might seem like an ordinary boy and for the most part he is, but one thing made him stand out: a small gem..."Soleil"Tahani doesn't have time for her inner love of science.  What happens when she decides to make her science experiment at Hamiton Middle School in Jacksonville?  Tahani wants everything living to be respected but the science experiment goes crazy.  While she is at it she goes on adventures.  One adventure involves talking candy!"Sadie"Katie Storm is 13 and she lives in London.  Katie just wants to see her dad again, but she gets on a train and has to do a bunch of trials.  The train is not an ordinary train. This story doesn't have a happy ending!"Isaac"I'm writing a fan fiction about Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter."Tamasen"This is a story about a girl who goes to look for her lost parents.  On the way she has to face poof the villain who is a small puff ball."Lily"My story is going to be a graphic novel about a girl who looks really dark but is really optimistic and a boy who looks really bright but us super pessimistic.  They go on a camping trip together."I can't wait to see all of these stories come to life over the next month!