Would you like to attend “An Idyllic Writers’ Retreat, Smack-Dab in the Middle of Your Crazy Life”? Then give Camp NaNoWriMo a go. It’s a month-long, online writers’ camp filled with encouragement, puns, and lots of inspiration.
The fourth quarter is my busiest time at school, so I don’t formally join the springtime Camp. Instead, I participate in the July edition. But I still follow along with the April Camp’s prompts and challenges, and pick up a few when I can. Here’s why I get a kick out of Camp NaNoWriMo at any time of the year:
It’s a low-key version of NaNoWriMo.
If you’re not sure about tackling 50,000 words in the thirty days of November, you can get your feet wet in the Camp NaNoWriMo events. You set your own word goal. You should aim for a number high enough that it really pushes you. On the other hand, if you know it’s out of your reach before you begin, you’re not likely to finish. So your word goal should be attainable but hard. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it!
It’s perfect for finishing up half-done projects.
You can finish and polish three short stories, or ten chapters, or a novella — you pick the mix! Camp is a fantastic way to clear the drawing board, maybe even for, ahem, a big November event…
It’s a refocusing help.
April, July, and November are all pretty busy months, and that’s no accident. There are certain times of the year (like after the fourth quarter at school!) that I have to shake myself back to the present. Spring and fall build in intensity and busyness until I find myself off-course, distracted, and over-booked. If you’ve spent way too long in crisis mode, Camp NaNoWriMo is a great excuse to get back to a regular writing schedule.
If you know you could use extra motivation, or even if you’d like to pepper your project with some fun silliness, try Camp NaNoWriMo. There’s nothing quite like teaming up with writers around the globe to hyper-focus and knock-out a goal.
NOW YOU: Have you tried any of the NaNoWriMo-sponsored events? Which are your favorites?
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