October is here, sign-ups are open, and we are proud to introduce our shiny new NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program website! There are quite a few new site features and returning features that we don’t want you to miss. Below you will find a site tour that will introduce you to all these features. If you are a newcomer, make sure to visit the About section, and our FAQs to get caught up on who we are, what we do, and all you need to know in order to participate as a young writer, or as a teacher, in National Novel Writing Month.
A Tour of the YWP Website
1. Young Novelist Workbooks Need some inspiration to jump start your creative engines before or during NaNoWriMo? Check out our brand new, grade-appropriate, mind bending, creative writing Young Novelist Workbooks for kids and teens!
2. New Author Profiles: After you sign up, click on “My NaNoWriMo” in the top drop-down menu and tell us about your writerly self. Add a photo and exciting info about you and your book-to-be on our freshly redesigned author profiles.
3. The Teacher’s Lounge: If you are leading a group of young writers through November’s noveling challenge, sign up as a teacher and then visit the Teacher’s Lounge (the link to the lounge will appear in the upper right hand corner of our site once you are signed up). In the lounge, you will find our new NaNoWriMo curriculum broken into three tracks—one for elementary, one for middle school, and one for high school—. You will also find teacher-only forums, information about our AlphaSmart Loaner Program, and an order form to request a free Noveling Kit filled with motivational goodies for your kids!
4. Writer’s Block: The Writer’s Block is a new rotating home-page block that features one writing prompt per day throughout October and November. All 61 of these writing prompts are available here. Use a prompt each day in October and November to spark your imagination and increase your word count!
5. Friends of NaNoWriMo’s YWP: Check out other cool websites for kids and teens interested in writing.
6. The YWP Forums: Begin your novel-planning procrastination by reading through all the great advice and funny stories in the YWP forums. Post some stories and questions of your own all throughout October and November.
7. Fun Stuff: Here you will find cool participant icons for your blog, downloadable flyers to put up around your school or library, Amber’s Virtual Library full of advice and resources for young writers, and all the inspiring weekly pep talks.
8. YWP Media Page: If you are an educator, find out why NaNoWriMo is a great way to inspire your students to write. Read teacher testimonials, articles about NaNoWriMo in the press, and awe-inspiring stats on our new YWP Media Page.
If you have any questions about our program after you sign up and visit all the new and improved site features, please feel free to contact us!
Looking forward to November,
Tavia Stewart
Young Writers Program Director
