My Nonprofit Reviews
Maria D.
Review for The Office of Letters and Light, Berkeley, CA, USA
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.
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How would you describe the help you got from this organization?
Life-changing
How likely are you to recommend this organization to a friend?
Definitely
How do you feel you were treated by this organization?
Very Well
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
Review for The Office of Letters and Light, Berkeley, CA, USA
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.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
Life.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Make it longer. Year round.
