Story by Grant Kammer, Reporter
Photo courtesy of Michigan Writers 

November has a special place in the hearts of Aquinas students. Leaves are falling from the trees, the smell of pumpkin spice lattes waft from the Moose, and Thanksgiving is fast approaching. But November is particularly important to creative writing students for one reason: National Novel Writing Month.

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short, is a nonprofit organization which seeks to encourage student literacy by inviting writers to write their very own novel every November. Writers brave enough to commit to this task spend the month working to create a brand new 50,000-word novel by Nov. 31. Though 50,000 words may seem like a daunting task, one newly formed RSO, the Aquinas College Writers’ Guild, is hard at work to make this experience both productive and enjoyable.

The AQ Writers’ Guild launched their NaNoWriMo-themed festivities on Nov. 2, with their yearly kickoff event.

Senior Jack Pillard, the AQ Writers’ Guild vice president was excited after this event, saying, “It’s the strongest turnout we’ve had at a NaNoWriMo event yet.”

The guild is optimistic that after building momentum with this event, their subsequent events will be great successes as well. So far, they have weekly write-ins planned every Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m., a Write ‘Till Midnight event Nov. 18 from 9-12 p.m., and will host a NaNoWriMo wrap-up on Nov. 30. The AQ Writers’ Guild invites everyone interested in creative writing to participate, especially if you are looking for a space to share and collaborate on your NaNoWriMo projects.

If you are interested in joining the Writer’s Guild efforts and want to participate in NanoWriMo, don’t forget to sign up on the official Nation Novel Writing Month website, http://nanowrimo.org/. Also, be sure to stop by the Aquinas College Writing Center to add your name to the list of NaNoWriMo writers. This will help the Guild track their progress toward their cross campus 300,000 word count goal. By signing up, you will be automatically entered into a raffle for great NaNoWriMo merch like t-shirts and buttons. Aquinas College Writers’ Guild has also said that if they reach their word count goal, there will be a pizza party for those involved at their wrap up event.

While writing 50,000 words may seem like a lot, the Aquinas College Writers’ Guild is sure that by creating a strong sense of community among the writers involved, the writing process will be both fun and rewarding. Don’t let what seems like a daunting task intimidate you. The tagline for their events this year is “Every Word Counts,” reassuring all writers that any contribution is appreciated and valuable.

So get out there, write fearlessly, and join the Aquinas College Writers’ Guild for their write-ins every Wednesday from 6-9 p.m., and be on the lookout for other fun events. Remember that this November every word counts.