Toms River North Student Writes A Novel ... In Just 30 Days

TOMS RIVER, NJ — There's a saying that everyone has at least one good novel in them that's just waiting to be written.

Zachary Maat had one itching to get out, and in November, it did. Maat, a senior at Toms River North, took on the NaNoWriMo challenge of writing a novel of at least 50,000 words and completed it with less than an hour to spare.

NaNoWriMo — National Novel Writing Month — takes place every November, with the objective always to meet that 50,000-word threshold. Thousands of people across the country participate, many of them young writers looking for their break.

Maat said he first learned about NaNoWriMo during his freshman year at Toms River North from German teacher Erich Brunner. Brunner talked the writing challenge frequently, and Maat became inspired more by the storytelling of J. R. R. Tolkien in "The Hobbit," and the rest of the Lord of the Rings books.

It wasn't until this year that Maat finally was ready to jump in, he said.

NaNoWriMo isn't a contest as much as it's an opportunity for writers to connect, talk and write with the encouragement of peers and of the event itself. The challenge, however, is accomplishing the writing while juggling the rest of your life.

Maat, in addition to his academics, is a member of the Toms River North track team. He also writes for the school newspaper and is a member of the school's photography club. So as November reached its final day, Maat was 9,000 words shy of his goal.

"It's the first and probably last time I'll ever drink a Red Bull," he said with a laugh. Powered by deadline adrenaline and caffeine, he sat down after track practice and pounded out 2,000 words an hour to get the novel completed.

"Thank goodness I didn't have any homework that night," he said. "When I got to 50,000 words it told me 'Congratulations, you're a winner,' " even though the only prize is reaching the finish line.

The novel, a dystopian fantasy that Maat said hints at taking place after the apocalypse, is tentatively titled "Those Who Decide for All." He is hoping to have it published but that's a ways off; first, he needs to edit it.

"I was so excited that I did it," Maat said, adding his final tally was 10,170 words.

Beyond having the novel published, Maat said he is still trying to decide what he wants to do with his future. He said he is planning to attend Ocean County College to take his basic prerequisites and sort out whether he wants to pursue journalism or a career in environmental science.

"I love being outdoors," he said.

Many Toms River North students have started the challenge over the years, but Maat is the first to finish, the district said.

Left to right: HSN Foreign Language/German Teacher Erich Brunner; Zachary Maat; HSN Assistant Principal Kevin Raylman. Photo by Toms River Regional School District, via its website