National Novel Writting Month (NaNoWriMo) is now over, and after 30 days of writing 50,000 words I thought it would be a good time to reflect on three young adult novels that have been published, after having been written during NaNoWriMo.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The first in the Lunar Chronicles Series, which is a retelling of Cinderella. Cinder is a cyborg and gifted mechanic. She lives with her stepmother and stepsisters, making a living her mechanic stand at the market. But when she attracts the attention of the Prince everything changes, and she starts to learn the horrifying truth about where she came from.
Scarlet and Cress, the second and third books in the series, are also NaNoWriMo novels. Marissa Meyer wrote on her blog:
“Oh, the crazy NaNoWriMo that was November 2008. That year I decided to challenge myself and instead of writing the expected 50,000 words in 30 days, I wrote 150,000. (150,011 to be exact.) This included the 70,000-word first draft of Cinder, so essentially I wrote the first draft in about two weeks. After that I set it aside for a few months, then would work on it a few months, then send it to beta readers and leave it alone for a few months, then work on it again for a while.”
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
The first novel in the bestselling trilogy by Stephanie Perkins was drafted in the month of November. When Anna is sent to boarding school in France all she wants is to go home, until she meets Étienne St. Clair. He’s smart, charming and absolutely beautiful. Too bad he has a girlfriend.
In an interview Perkins described the experience of NaNoWriMo, calling it a, “life-changing month. (Oh man. That sounds so unbelievably corny, but it’s true.)”
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
One of the best upcoming young adult authors wrote her bestseller Fangirl for NaNoWriMo. Fangirl follows the story of two twins who go to university. But when Cath and her sister start to drift apart, Cath starts to doubt both herself and whether she can continue writing their fanfiction without her. With an average Goodreads rating of 4.18/5 it’s a favourite for many young adult bookworms.
In a pep talk she wrote for NaNoWriMo participants she said:
“That 50,000-word pile I made wasn’t a mess at all. It’s some of the bravest writing I’ve ever done, and it includes my all-time favorite character, a guy I think I would’ve second-guessed to death under normal circumstances. NaNoWriMo helped me push past so many of my doubts and insecurities and bad habits. And I think that’s partly why I love Fangirl so much now—because I remember how swept away I felt when I was writing it.”
What are your favourite NaNoWriMo novels? Let us know in the comments below!
