2008: I was thirteen, trying to figure out what to do in the time when I didn't have school, and by some stroke of genius and or luck, I found the website. Again. I'd found it once before, at twelve, and thought it would be really cool... but I forgot about it... and it took me another year to find the NaNoWriMo website, and by then I had decided. I was going to... try to write a novel. I joined NaNoWriMo, put in my info, and then sat back a minute. Being that I was thirteen and still at the threshold level for the Young Writers Program, I joined that too, set a word goal of 20,000 words (I'd looked at the recommendations on the site), and then angsted for weeks over what I was going to write.

Fastforward to 2012: I've just won my 5th NaNoWriMo. Through the writing, and through participating and planning so many years, I have learned things about myself that I am sure I never would have before. I've made friends-- NaNoWriMo is responsible for introducing my to my best friend (EVER). I can measure myself by the novels I've written, and it's all because of NaNoWriMo that I have this. If it wasn't for this program, my scrivenings would be in paper notebooks, forgotten (I never ilked looking at my handwritten pages). I wouldn't be as confident as I am today. I certainly wouldn't be able to write as well today (not that there isn't room for improvement).

Basically, in a large way, NaNoWriMo has shaped me into the better, stronger person I am today. I think a donation will greatly help others reach this same conclusion.

When I was thirteen I found National Novel Writing month. I wrote that novel, edited it for grammar and spelling, and let my parents and family read it.

When I was fourteen, I participated again, this time writing a full-length novel. After more serious editing, (including printing out the manuscript) I sent it out to friends as well.

That April I also wrote a comic script. I've never done anything harder or more interesting.

This year, nearly sixteen, I spent October planning my novel out. I spent November writing it, and since then I've been editing, planning out the sequel (which is extraordinarily important), and I think this one is going to be published.

NaNoWriMo has taught me to stick to something. It's taught me to set a goal and do whatever I can to reach it. It's helped me to speak better (after writing dialogue-filled scenes for a month, it's a lot easier to explain oneself to people). It's helped me pay more attention to people: how they talk, how they act-- gathering fodder for my novels.

ScriptFrenzy has taught me how to learn something new-- to stick to it even if it makes no sense whatsoever. (Comic scripts are not a forte of mine.)

The Office of Letters and Light has my eternal gratitude for thinking of this amazing activity and making and KEEPING it a reality.