Camp NaNoWriMo is starting this July 1st!
Those who have followed for my writing content, you’ve probably at least heard of NaNoWriMo. For the uninformed, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month! The True NaNoWriMo is in November, but the camps are run in April and July for those who want to write along with the community for additional times.
If you write a steady amount already, especially if it’s your day job and you depend on your progressing word count to pay the bills, these events might not seem that relevant to you… and really, they might not be. I’d say NaNo is for the aspiring writer. You may be pushing to write your first book, making it through the strenuous editing passes of your completed manuscript, or you may be on the way to publishing, independently or traditionally. Camp NaNoWriMo actually has flexible goals for these exact reasons. Heck, back in 2016, my second ever full book was written during one of these sessions.
But If you’re still on the edge about doing NaNoWriMo, here are some reasons to sign up today, before its too late:
Reason One: You have a defined starting date. Starting a new project is one of the hardest steps. But when the first day of a session begins, you only have one choice: move forward.
Reason Two: Your progress is tracked. The website has a nice dashboard where you can add to your word count after every writing session. From there, it displays a graph showing your progress day-after-day, informing you if you’re keeping a good pace or not, and your overall progress to your goal.
Reason Three: Following point number two, you are held to a regimen for the month. Writing each and every day is, in my opinion, the best way to make sure you complete your goal. Find a time of the day you can set aside where you can just write, if possible. Write even if you are sick, hungover, or just don’t want to. The ideas will find their way out nonetheless, I promise it.
Reason Four: Telling someone your goal makes it harder to abandon it Like I said, during a camp, you can choose your own goal, 1000 words, 10 thousand, 20, 30, 50- however brave you are. Whether you’re sharing with your family or your social media following, you are held accountable. People want to see you succeed and reach your goal, and that can be one of the best motivations
Reason Five: You don’t have to worry about mistakes. The biggest part of writing in this manner is that you have to kind of write in a stream-of-consciousness. Some people prep and outline, while others go in with nothing but blank parchment. Either way, at least in my experience, a story always takes twists and turns. You don’t have to worry about fixing spelling, continuity issues, awkward sentences, or making sure you put enough detail in where it needs to be. All that comes after. The only thing you need to focus on is the beginning, the end, and all the points in between. The story, in essence.
Feeling like you might want to sign up? Already signed up and ready to write? You can add me as a writing buddy right here.
Fifty Shades of Grease Publishing 