Write a Book in a Day

Write a Book in a Day.

Tuesday the 13th of June was also an important date in the St Andrews yearly writing experience. The Kid’s Cancer Write a Book in a Day challenge was undertaken by 163 students across Years 7-12. Some of our students are veterans at the competition, competing in their fourth year. 

The competition requires students to write, illustrate and publish a book in 11 hours. The students are given parameters from the competition to include in their writing. Some of these parameters are the types of characters, the settings, the problem and compulsory words that must be included in the text. This is not an easy competition to take part in as the concentration required is a lot to ask of students. 

We began at 0800 with students finding out the parameters of the day and gathering in their spaces. We used every corner of the Learning Centre this year to keep students central. Groups planned on the screens or the whiteboards, typing and writing ideas feverishly. By 0900 some groups had started writing, others were finalising their chapter ideas. 

By recess, students took a well-earned break, and some joined their friends in the playground, others used the quiet in the learning centre to work away, getting the opening chapters done. After recess, students separated to type, each chapter being tackled by someone different, and each drawing well underway by the team illustrators. 

As lunch approached, teams were about 1000 words behind their target for the time, 2500 words should be done by lunch, most had half that, a few were there or further. Experience shows on these days and the teams in their fourth year were able to move a lot quicker. They had their roles and routines to a fine art. 

After lunch, students accelerated their typing – the goal 3500 – 5000 words plus illustrations. Most had one eye on the pizza that was being ordered for dinner, but the other eye was firmly fixed to the screen. Drafts started to come together, with some students beginning the editing process. Other students, who have completed the competition before, acted as helpers to encourage the teams, keep them updated on progress and solve disputes that may arise within teams after hours of hard work. When school ended, some teams moved into classrooms to be able to focus on the toughest part of the task, the final three hours.

When dinner arrived and an avalanche of teenage bodies roared through the narrow hallways to grab much needed energy. There are few sounds sweeter than the silence of teenagers eating, followed shortly afterwards by the Oliver-like, “Can we have some more?” cacophony of jostling for the spare boxes of pizza. If teenagers typed like they ate the day would be easy, but dinner is a small respite from the pressures of having to finish the book. By 6pm, the final hour, teams are being given their briefing on the common mistakes at the end and where to find the rules they do not want to make a mistake about. At 6:30pm the books start to arrive, my email scrolling at speed. Some, require last-minute foxing, others are good to go. Cue students sighing deeply, and their day is done. As tired and well-worked students head for the safety of home and a well-earned rest, the books are uploaded to the competition website over the next 2 hours – with 12 minutes to spare. 

It truly is a rewarding day with all books being made available in an online library for kids with cancer in hospitals all over the country. The rules of the competition are tough and rigid and this piles on the pressure at the end. And yet, the students come back, some even having their teams lined up for next year. But that, ladies and gentlemen, is another year. 

While we cannot publish the entire books, below are the book covers created by students.