On Friday 8th September, eighteen junior students participated in “Write a Book in a Day”. Each year, thousands of writers around Australia participate in this challenge. It develops collaboration, creativity and time management skills, and gives participants the opportunity to make a difference to the lives of kids with cancer through their fundraising efforts.

The challenge was completed over twelve hours, 8am-8pm, with small breaks throughout the day. Most students went along with the guidelines provided by the organisation, which included when to plan and start writing chapters. 

Both groups had to follow the set out guidelines while writing the book. For example, each group had to use five words the ‘Write a Book in a Day’ organisers had set out for us. The day started with lots of brainstorming and planning of each chapter. Once the students had a definite idea of what they were going to write in each chapter, we were allocated a chapter or more each and started writing a first draft. Once all the chapters were complete, we worked together to bring the story together. In addition, there were chosen illustrators to draw different parts of each chapter and the characters.

In the end, both stories were just under the maximum limit of 5000 words including the copyright and parameters. Overall, it was a very fun and successful day for the students and the teachers who ran the day. A big thank you to Mrs Smart and Mrs Barling for organising this opportunity for us!

Neve Smart