Fiction writing is…hard. For me, the longer the piece, the harder it is to produce words. Perhaps it’s a magical word count; you reach a certain amount of words and suddenly the pages seem too crowded. So crowded, in fact, that your mind refuses to crowd the poor pages any more.

This past November (feeling inspired by the incredible fiction pieces we received in our Winter Submissions) I decided to participate in NANOWRIMO, National Novel Writing Month. Basically, you have a goal of a certain amount of words per day which by the end of November will hopefully have produced a full novel. It’s hard enough to keep your thoughts organized to reach that word count, but on top of school and work, it forces your brain into overtime. The progress I made was below satisfactory, I can assure you, and yet I feel somehow better about my writing as a whole. Shaping the characters, working through the plot, it has been a rough journey, but I’m closer to the words because of it.

I have a few tips, though, for your long-term writing process:

1. Don’t compare yourself to other famous writers. Jane Austen may be able to create a timeless masterpiece, but that doesn’t mean your characters should go around saying, “Oh, there is nothing more I love than to sit and enjoy the splendors of reading, Mr. Smith! I daresay a woman who does not enjoy reading has not fully exercised the true potential of her mind!”
2. If you reach a block, just keep writing. Even if the words are nonsense, sometimes the subconscious powers your writing more than you know, and you just might get some material out of it.
3. Sometimes it’s not about the end result. The point of NANOWRIMO was not to produce the next award winning novel – it’s about the experience.

–Zoe DeWitt, Fiction Editor

This year the Élan staff has a lot to be thankful for. We are thankful for our wonderful staff, our lovely supervisor Mrs. Melanson, our Winter 2013 book, and of course our readers. This is what we are most thankful for this year:

Emily Cramer (Editor-in-Chief): For Cormac McCarthy, who showed me that it’s okay to break the rules.

Sarah Buckman (Junior Editor-in-Chief): For Creative Writing seniors!

Emily Leitch (Layout and Design Editor): For Paul Legault for inspiring me to be the poet that I am today.

Taylor Austell (Junior Layout and Design Editor): For the teachers and the staff that allow me to grow into the person that I am today.

Kiera Nelson (Fiction Editor): For women like Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, and Alice Walker who inspire me to be the best combination of a writer/womanist that I can be.

Zoe DeWitt (Fiction Editor): For Tom Hiddleston reciting poetry, especially Shakespeare’s sonnets.

Raegen Carpenter (Poetry Editor): For Rachel McKibbens, who proved to me that you can be both a witty, tattooed goddess, and a poet.

Brittanie Demps (Poetry Editor): For the culture and atmosphere of Douglas Anderson. It’s given me the chance to grow into the person that I want to be and to express my passion in writing.

Mariah Abshire (Junior Poetry Editor): For the Creative Writing department as a whole and all the opportunities the teachers and staff expose me to.

Emily Jackson (Nonfiction Editor): For the creative writing department that has supported me and my writing for these past four years.

Shamiya Anderson (Junior Nonfiction Editor): For being in a department that thrives and helps me grow as a writer.

Haley Hitzing (Social Media Editor): For Yusef Komunyakaa for making me fall in love with poetry.

Madison George (Junior Social Media Editor): For an amazing Élan staff to work with.

Makenzie Fields (Submissions Editor): For the Dodge Poetry Festival for opening my eyes to the wonderful world of poetry.

Stephanie Thompson (Public Relations and Marketing): For John and Hank Green.

The temperature outside has dropped out of triple digits and that means fall is at our door step again. Only it isn’t really fall, more like Florida’s sad attempt at not being summer. And the season change isn’t really at our doorstep but more so in neighboring states. Fall is supposedly the time where trees surrender their lush, lively leaves to the warm hues of burnt harvest. Where scarves are once again pulled from the backs of dresser drawers. But by noon of each November day shoulders are bare and my hair is tied up, off my neck. A Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving is cycling on the television, but all I see is summer out the window. I even went home with a sunburn the other day.

For residents of the sunshine state, autumn only exists in postcards from distant relatives. We’re surrounded by dull green palm trees, held captive by humidity’s year-round presence. In the midst of the time of change and transition, we’re drowning in monotony. Since no one can control the weather, I’ve taken the initiative to look for transformation in other places. With Élan’s Winter edition completed and launched, my responsibilities as one of the poetry editors has pacified. This allots me time for my personal poetry. I’ve always known that if I want to grow and get better at something, I must first learn to change. So with this in mind, I plan on utilizing my free time in class to alter and vary my poetic style.

Maybe sooner or later, Florida will get the hint that sulking in the same season is getting old. But I won’t hold my breath on that one. Finally, for any readers wishing to indulge in the season through poetry, here are some suggested reads:

Pink Elephants – Rachel McKibbens

Love Poems – Nikki Giovanni

Sailing Alone Around the Room – Billy Collins

— Mariah Abshire, Junior Poetry Editor