In November, my students participated in NaNoWriMo. I've taught this project three times, and I teach it differently each time. This year, after November ended, I asked my students to revise an excerpt to present to the class. I wanted to teach the revision process, which is nearly impossible to do with their entire novels (that greatly vary in length). So, I asked them to choose an excerpt from their book that they are particularly happy with and want to polish for publishing.

Yesterday, we put our chairs into a large circle and they began their presentations. Their excerpts are long, and I realized the presentations were going to take awhile, but it went well. They were nervous to share, but also proud of their work. So far, they've shared stories about superhero bananas, suicide, depression, bloody war battles, kidnapping, homosexuality and paranormal talents. I am awed by their diverse interests and writing skills.

I, too, shared an excerpt of my novel. I am not confident in myself as a creative writer, and I was also nervous to share. This was the first year I truly attempted NaNoWriMo, and I made it to almost 20,000 words - more words than I've ever written before (other than my Masters paper). I want to develop my creative writing and I want to share my struggles with my students, so I decided to present first. I don't know how they felt about my excerpt, but it felt good to share, and I got a taste of the nerves they regularly feel when they're told to put themselves out there and present in front of their peers. It's good to remember what it's like to be a student sometimes. It pushed me one step further towards possibly taking a creative writing class and helped me to feel more confident expressing myself through words for all to see.