This study was a narrative inquiry that investigated middle school students' experiences with an informal writing group. The six primary participants were members of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMO). During the month of November, each of the primary participants set a word count goal and composed a novel. Participants met together at group writing meetings, which were times of collaboration and encouragement for the participants. The researcher interviewed each of the six primary participants multiple times during the study. The researcher also interviewed friends, parents, and teachers of the primary participants. The main findings were that participants had a broad range of experiences during the month. The participants were influenced by the community. The community was a source of editorial and emotional support. Many of the participants enjoyed the chance to collaborate with the group during writing meetings. Participants discussed the differences between school-sponsored and self-sponsored writing and generally expressed feelings that school-sponsored writing was more valuable to them. NaNoWriMo represented an authentic writing environment for the students. Many of the participants experienced a flow state during the month. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]