To many students, the idea of writing nearly 2,000 words a day seems like torture. For some of the participants in Marquette University Writing Month, or MUWriMo, it is par for the course.
The event, which is organized by the Ott Memorial Writing Center, is Marquette's own take on the increasingly popular National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. MUWriMo is open to the entire Marquette community as well as nearby members of the Milwaukee community.
Participants are encouraged to set their own personal goals, whether it is to simply outline a paper or something much more ambitious, like a 60,000 word novel. The writing center keeps a google doc where participants can update their daily progress.
Catherine Simmerer, a Marquette English teaching assistant and a graduate student in the College of Arts & Sciences, sees MUWriMo as an opportunity to lay the groundwork for a novel. She has attempted NaNoWriMo in the past but is confident this year.
Her focus has waned at times, but Simmerer said she remains committed to reaching her goal of someday finishing a novel. She finds that every new attempt she makes brings her closer to that goal.
Eliana Winterbauer-Light, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, saw MUWriMo as a chance to develop her ability to think creatively and become inspired.
In order to promote MUWriMo, the writing center organized two writing retreats. The final retreat is being held Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Raynor Suite A. Participants can preregister on the writing center's website.
Nowacek said that writing can often be a lonely endeavor, and that events like MUWriMo build camaraderie in a community of writers.