Photo provided by Jack Lugar
Storytelling Month, or StoMo, is a yearly tradition on the Anderson University campus in which the Humanities Department encourages participants-students, staff, or whoever would like-to join the challenge and write 500 words a day. The challenge was started by Professor Jack Lugar in fall of 2019, and StoMo has enjoyed much popularity and success by the participants each year.
In 2017, Professor Lugar participated in the National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, a national challenge in which participants were encouraged to write 2000 words a day for the entire month of November. After participating in the event, and after finishing his book Sessi and the Gate to Hel, Lugar wanted to start the challenge here at Anderson University, to help encourage students and participants to build healthy writing habits and strengthen their accountability.
Throughout the six years of StoMo taking place, over 1.5 million words have been written in total, with several students and participants writing extra or reaching way beyond the original target. When asked what you can gain from taking part in StoMo, Lugar responded, “Storytelling month isn’t about the stories, it’s about building accountability and healthy writing habits. Joining is giving you a reason to write, and to build these habits.”
Joining StoMo can jumpstart a lifetime of creativity and writing, all while building good working habits. Participants do not have to be good at spelling, grammar, or editing, what’s important is getting the process started and filling a blank page. Today, writing is easier than ever, so it’s the perfect time to get started. Students who would like to join StoMo this year, contact Abby Stokes at astokes@anderson.edu before February.