New Volunteers: Reflections from a Former Mentee
WriteGirl Voices, WriteGirl Mentee Katie Geyer WriteGirl Voices, WriteGirl Mentee Katie Geyer

New Volunteers: Reflections from a Former Mentee

By Eve Mefferd, College Intern

It was standing (and occasionally running frantically) amongst over 65 volunteers in training, that my time at WriteGirl really came into focus. January 14th was the largest WriteGirl Volunteer Training to date, a packed room filled with men and women with an LA skyline to our backs and up at the front, a presentation miraculously condensing the essence of this organization into just six hours. I got to take part in and help plan this exciting event as a WriteGirl college intern. Helping to organize this training, and working with volunteer liaisons and staff to see that it ran smoothly, provided a different window on WriteGirl than the one I got as a mentee.

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Two Kinds of Snaps and One Lyricist
WriteGirl Workshops, WriteGirl Voices Katie Geyer WriteGirl Workshops, WriteGirl Voices Katie Geyer

Two Kinds of Snaps and One Lyricist

By Rachel A., age 15

One morning, I sat at my desk, scrolling through old photographs. It was winter break, and I was in a poetry slump. I’d decided to switch gears, and try my hand at writing song lyrics. So, I turned to my reservoir of inspiration: my photo gallery.

The album’s title was: CLICK: Photos, created sometime in the summer of 2016. I scrolled through old snapshots with fresh eyes, as I usually did with my poems. However, unlike with poetry, I couldn't remember why I took the photos in the first place. The more I thought and stared, the more depth I discovered beyond the beautiful facade.

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6 Things to Pack for NaNoWriMo
WriteGirl Mentee, WriteGirl Voices Katie Geyer WriteGirl Mentee, WriteGirl Voices Katie Geyer

6 Things to Pack for NaNoWriMo

By, Addissyn H., age 16

It’s that time of year again. I’m talking about the holidays. Halloween haunts begin the best horror novels known to man, and family woes surrounding Thanksgiving give way to the next bestseller in the genre of realistic fiction. Christmas inspires a funny children’s tale about when Santa converted to Judaism, and New Year’s provides the perfect scene for a cheesy romance. 

More specifically, though, I mean we’re racing toward November, which means National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is fast approaching.

This November marks my third year as a participant and – dare I jinx it – winner, which just means I was able to successfully write 50,000 words in 30 days, regardless of quality. Even being somewhat of an oldie at this, it’s terrifying. Somehow you have to pull 50,000 consecutive words out of a hat in such a short period of time, while not compromising your social life (however small it may be). 

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On Keeping a Notebook Next to Your Be
WriteGirl Voices Katie Geyer WriteGirl Voices Katie Geyer

On Keeping a Notebook Next to Your Be

By Madeleine C., age 19

I just finished my freshman year of college a few months ago, and there were a couple accidental but ultimately incredibly useful habits engendered in me by a somewhat unusual cause: the arrangement of my dorm room furniture. 

You see, in my bedroom at home, I have a small nightstand right next to my bed—one usually filled with a couple trinkets, my alarm clock, and at least two glasses my parents really wish I would bring downstairs already. 

But also on it are a stack of old, almost entirely unused journals.

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