Maggie Hodgson ’21 Writes 12,115 Words for NaNoWriMo
For many, November means winter is coming as we turn back the clocks and prepare for shorter, darker and colder days. However, for others, it means it is National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for short.
For the past five years, the Vermont Academy community has participated in the annual contest sponsored by the Write Club. Students meet twice a week for 20-minute write-ins and complete daily writing on their own.
NaNoWriMo began in 1999 as a daunting challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November. For twenty years now on November 1st, hundreds of thousands of people begin to write. This year at Vermont Academy, five students and two faculty members participated..
By December 1, 2019, Maggie Hodgson ’21 had written the most of the group, totaling 12,115 words. Write Club advisor and English Department Chair, Ms. Jo Fuller said, “Maggie had the perfect goal for NaNoWriMo -- to write every day. She completed a story she was pleased with by the end of the month and then continued to write every day into December. NaNoWriMo is similar to training for a marathon. The goal can be to finish or to establish new habits and Maggie did both!”
Why did you choose to participate in NaNoWriMo this year?
I chose to participate in NaNoWriMo this year because I wanted to push myself as a writer. It challenged me to try to write every day, which was difficult but also really fun and I learned a lot about myself as a writer.
What was the hardest part? Easiest part?
The hardest part of NaNoWriMo for me was overcoming writer's block. I often struggle when writing because I constantly feel the desire to delete and edit every sentence I write; I try to perfect everything rather than allowing myself to write freely. The easiest part of NaNoWriMo was the fact that it allowed me to use my imagination and just write for fun.
What did you choose to write about?
I chose to write through the mind of a teenage girl who struggles with anxiety, and the fascinating way in which her mind copes with anxiety.
What was your word count at the end of the month?
My word count at the end of the month was 12,115 words.
Below is an excerpt from chapter 2 of Maggie’s writing:
She skips towards the tree and touches the rough edges of its trunk, tracing the deep lines with her delicate fingers. I stand up and join her, admiring the majestic oak in front of me. It looks like an illustration, its alluring limbs outstretched, offering its wisdom to those dwelling beneath its leaves. I follow the child's lead and place my hand on its trunk. I pull the rough bark with my hands, testing its strength. A small piece breaks off and falls to the ground; I pull my hand away quickly and stroke the tree, apologizing for my harsh touch. The little girl watches me and giggles, mocking my guilt for harming the tree. She picks up the fallen bark and places it in my hand, smiling. "You should keep it," she says. I nod and tentatively place the oak tree's skin in the small pocket of my running shorts. "Thank you."
"I like to climb it so I can see the sun." She points to the sun, its golden light peeking out behind the green forest. "It's darker down here, but up there it is the brightest and happiest place. The sun feels warm and it leaves its mark on me by darkening my skin." She strokes her hand against her arm, showing me her glowing tan. "Sometimes I sit up there for too long and the sun gets angry with me. It burns me with its light and makes my skin red, like a giant tomato!"
Vermont Academy is a coed college preparatory boarding and day school in southern Vermont, serving grades 9-12 plus a postgraduate year.
