NaNoWriMo-how much input do you give?

[Dmmetler]

DD (almost 8) wanted to try this year, with a very conservative goal (and since November is a busy month for us, anything she could do largely on her own was something I could get behind). I think she'll meet her word goal easily (she's about 3/4 of the way there now)-but I notice in reading what she has so far that it's not really a novel-more like a set of short stories with the same main characters, and not a lot of development even there. She has some great ideas, but I think it's more a several thousand word outline than an actual novel.

 

Do I let it go entirely? Wait until after she's met her goal in numbers and then go back and encourage revisions? Some other option?

[K&Rs Mom]

I haven't seen 10yo's story at all; 7yo I've transcribed for her sometimes because the physical writing or typing is harder for her. It's hard not to give my opinion as she's dictating but I'm trying to totally stay out of it and let this be entirely her work. In December I'll give her my opinion as part of the editing process.

[Ali in OR]

I help out with typing and make minor editing suggestions ("This is a run-on sentence. Do you want to change this comma to a semicolon?") They're fine with that kind of input. We made little books last year and gave their stories to their grandparents for Christmas, so I don't want to change much--I want it to be their words. Hopefully we'll see growth from year to year. Maybe we'll do The Creative Writer or something like that one of these years if we want to really grow their fiction-writing skills.

[happi duck]

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

 

The above is from the NaNoWriMo site. So I would not give input at this time.

 

This is my first time doing NaNoWriMo and I would faint if someone looked at my story. I know that I've got issues and holes but I can edit in December and beyond. I'm finding it very freeing and know that I have some gems that could get polished later...gems I wouldn't have found if I'd been stopping at each glitchy thing, kwim?

[Mrs Mungo]

NaNoWriMo is about getting words on paper for a month and worrying about editing later. So, no input for now.

[Robin M]

I've checked out my son's story a couple times and when say anything about run on sentences, he told me - I'll edit in December. :lol: He's going strong writing a fan fiction story which to me is just a regurge of a combination of movies and video games combined. But he's writing and writing and writing so how am I to stop the creativity with any criticism. We'll review in December.

[catz]

NaNoWriMo is about getting words on paper for a month and worrying about editing later. So, no input for now.

 

:iagree: My son is doing his 3rd or 4th year of NaNoWriMo. I give NO input during the month of November. This year he's writing a "screen play" for a little web series, so we probably will spend some time after cleaning it up. Every other year, I just let him go. It has been an awesome way for him to just cut loose. It has really helped his spelling and his ability to just get words out. I think it's fine to edit in December, or just to move on after that and just let the story sit as it is too. For kids, I think writing short stories is just fine too. Words to paper is what it's all about!

 

I wish I could have convinced my 8 yo to try it this year. Next year it might be mandatory for her.

[6packofun]

I agree. I'll answer a question if they have one, but I just let my kids go at it and then it's less like work and more like a writing adventure! We get to editing much later and have had lots of fun looking at past years' stories! LOL

[Elizabeth in MN]

AS the daughter, ex-wife, and mother of writers I say no input on the first draft. Let them flow. If you get in the way, it'll crush them and thusly the story.

[La Texican]

This is the first year I've played Na No Wri Mo. One of the excercises in the official Na No Wri Mo young writers workbook was to draw a picture of your inner editor, the person who tells you your sentences are wrong or your story doesn't make sense, and literally burry that picture in the back yard or a shoebox under your bed, just somewhere far away from where you are writing for the month of November. The inner editor has a place and time but that's in the editing stages not the first draft stages.

[YourFidgetyFriend]

I don't give any input. Once she does the editing portion of the workbook in December after Nano is over, I may make suggestions then.

[anneinco]

This is my daughter's first year as well. She just turned nine. Her story sounds very similar... A set of characters, small stories... Day to day stuff but no real plot. She is writing by hand and I am typing it in every day or so as she wrote it, misspelled words, missing punctuation and all. I figure in December, we will edit day by day for spelling and punctuation. I have decided that during the next year I might pull from her story and talk about what works and what does not. Biggest improvement this year would have been to do dialogue with quotations, so we will discuss that and maybe rewrite a day or so. I figure this year is a good baseline to watch how her writing improves over the years.

[Teachin'Mine]

IMO I would not approach any creative writing as an English teacher. I'd support her and congratulate her and celebrate with her. No red pen marks ever. To me the purpose of creative writing in the younger years is to develop a love for writing. That seldom happens when errors are pointed out, especially when the writer is 7 years old.

 

Good for her!!! :001_smile:

[AngieW in Texas]

I haven't seen my dd's novel. She is working furiously on it and is up to 45,000 words already. I do know a lot about it, because she was telling me her ideas all last month. I can't wait to read it. I figure we're going to spend December working on editing. NaNoWriMo is all she is doing for English this month. She is easily spending 3 hours/day working on her novel.

[elegantlion]

IMO I would not approach any creative writing as an English teacher. I'd support her and congratulate her and celebrate with her. No red pen marks ever. To me the purpose of creative writing in the younger years is to develop a love for writing. That seldom happens when errors are pointed out' date=' especially when the writer is 7 years old.

 

Good for her!!! :001_smile:[/quote']

 

:iagree:

 

IMO there are two modes of creative writing. One is the creative part, where you are excited about your story, you think it's awesome, and you don't worry about errors.

 

The other side is the editing hat, where you correct mistakes, fix things, and are ready to rework the piece.

 

I'm 45 and I can't do both at the same time. I even have an editing hat (a real hat) I wear only when I'm editing. It's such a different frame of mind.

 

I also suggest that if they are truly interested in tweaking the story to let it sit for a couple of months before returning to edit. I do this because as I'm writing I see the story. I'm very visual. It takes a few months for the visual image to not be so prominent when I read. I need to remove it so I can read a piece more objectively and see what visual it creates for a reader looking at the words for the first time.