For young authors, getting their words out into the world can be a challenge. It's one reason why The Odyssey Online is such an important platform to me, as it allows me to share my articles with others, and it can give writers the chance to be published for the first time.

Some young authors find the writing process to be so taxing that they end up dropping an idea because they simply can't find inspiration. This is where the tool NaNoWriMo comes into play. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it is a website dedicated to helping adults, teens or even children come up with novel ideas, draft out several copies, and create a final draft without giving up during the process. NaNoWriMo is a challenge as well as a tool; the website and community challenge writers to create an entire novel in only a month. The challenge starts on November 1 every year and ends on November 30. Throughout this month, writers can set their word count goals for the day, talk to other writers in the community through various chats, and write to their heart's content.

The NaNoWriMo program is used for more than just National Novel Writing Month in November; Camp NaNoWriMo takes place over the summer for young writers, allowing them to have a virtual cabin with writers who share similar goals, or even the Young Writers Program, which is currently being used in schools all across America. NaNoWriMo provides access to manifold resources, from writing handbooks that challenge authors to use their skills in everyday life, to opportunities allowing writers to communicate with agents and published authors on a personal level. Not in the mood to write a novel? NaNoWriMo has multiple options of pieces you can write during the time, like editing an already written story, writing poetry, or creating scripts. The options are endless. A person's goal could even be to write as many Odyssey articles as possible. Besides, who doesn't want to work on a novel or Odyssey article while sipping hot cocoa and preparing for the holidays? Go to nanowrimo.org , ywp.nanowrimo.org , or campnanowrimo.org to get started!