Writers Club members involved themselves in National Novel Writing Month, led by club sponsor Abby Hoffman.

National Novel Writing Month challenged writers to write every day of November. The end goal was to have written a 50,000 word novel by the time the month was over. 

Hoffman began encouraging student writing at LHS when she started teaching here last year.

“Basically how it started, it was one of those where another teacher who started last year as well was like, ‘Hey, you’re doing Young Feminist Club. I’ll help you co-sponsor that if you help me co-sponsor Writers Club,’ ” Hoffman recalled. “I was like, ‘Sure, why not.’ ”

This year, club members had the choice of whether or not they wanted to participate. The students who wanted to participate were given time to brainstorm in October.

“I wrote about seals,” freshmen Judith Hogan said. “There were some racist seals, and it’s like the end of the seal world. I don’t really know. I just kind of was making stuff up as I went along.”

Once it was November, teachers and writers came in to motivate students.

“I feel like everyone was more focused,” freshman Isabella Vermooten said. “There was kind of like a tension of a deadline in the air.”

The members also received help from Hoffman. She has written for the competition for five years.

There were very few people who didn’t participate. Even though sophomore Walter Walker didn’t participate, he was motivated to write throughout the month and might join in next year.

“I thought it was nice though for the majority of the class who did do it that they were able to be motivated by it,” he said.