Camp NaNoWriMo is just around the corner! If you’re wondering how you might be able to keep up your enthusiasm for your writing project through the month, writer K.R. Garcia shares some tips to help keep your excitement alive: 

Writing is a two-dimensional art form. No matter the quality of the words you place on paper, they are still just black and white. In the time between NaNoWriMo events, it’s easy to push your novel aside and spend your time on more pressing or more exciting matters. But writing can branch off the page.

You can keep your writing inspiration alive by bringing it into other areas of your life. 

Do you take pictures? Sculpt? If you cook, you could craft a delectable imitation of your main character’s favorite meal. If you draw, you could sketch your characters or, if you’re daring, make a map of your novel’s world. 

Are you missing the energy of Camp NaNoWriMo and can’t wait for it to start again in July? If you’re trying to find time in your hectic schedule to sit down and write, participant Nicole Maharaj shares some tips to help you balance your writing time with your everyday life so you can finish your writing project:

When Camp NaNoWriMo ends, many participants are left with either a project that is mostly done or one that still feels unfinished. This year, for example, was my first Camp NaNoWriMo, working on a project I haven’t looked at since 2011. Surprisingly (to me at least), I was able to write more than I usually do, ending up just 10,000 words short of my original goal.

Now, just a couple weeks before the next Camp NaNoWriMo session begins, I’m at 52,000 words with no end in sight. Although you can create your own goal in Camp NaNoWriMo, I usually aim for the requisite 1,667 words a day (that is, 50,000 words per month). But for a lot of people—myself included—sometimes getting that amount written down is harder than it should be. A lot of writers have other responsibilities: Children, spouses, work, friends—all have a way of getting in the way of your writing. Personally, I’ve learned that if I change my goal from a daily one to a weekly one, I get more done.

In April, the Camp NaNoWriMo Young Writers Contest challenged writers to submit a 300-word story that began with a storm. From over 600 fabulous entries, we chose two Grand Prizes and three Honorable Mentions. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did! 

Honorable Mention (High School) by Annabel

Violet is cooking breakfast when she hears Nana hollering from outside. It’s raining, and the droplets leaking from the ceiling echo in the tin pail next to her. The scent of mildew and bacon hangs heavy in the air, and at the sound of her grandmother’s voice, Violet flinches. She turns off the gas and runs out of the kitchen, her feet slapping against the tile. Nana doesn’t like to be kept waiting.

Her slicker hangs on a coat hook in the foyer. She pulls it on and rushes outside, slamming the door behind her…

Read the rest!

In April, the Camp NaNoWriMo Young Writers Contest challenged writers to submit a 300-word story that began with a storm. From over 600 fabulous entries, we chose two Grand Prizes and three Honorable Mentions. This week on our blog, we’ll be sharing those winning stories with you. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we have!

Grand Prize Winner (Middle/Elementary School) by Ainsley A.

Pitter patter, pitter patter.

The sounds echo through the room, surrounding me in a gray, looming light as I lie in my bed. I turn my head toward the window that is covered in streaks of droplets that slide all the way to the bottom of the pane and leak into my room.

I get up from my bed and open the window, letting the rain whip into my room with a deafening scream.

I’m not worried about this rain, even though it’s been raining for weeks on end. Some years ago, global warming went through the roof: warmer than it’s supposed to be in 50 years, and it’s all happening at once.

But it’s supposed to stop soon.

In April, the Camp NaNoWriMo Young Writers Contest challenged writers to submit a 300-word story that began with a storm. From over 600 fabulous entries, we chose two Grand Prizes and three Honorable Mentions. This week on our blog, we’ll be sharing those winning stories with you. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we have!

Grand Prize Winner (High School) by Megan Mechelke

It was raining in the Library. Ropes of sloe-black ink slithered from the rafters like roots in a desert.

Cashmir, the janitor, scratched his graying tuft of hair. “Looks like another pipe’s burst, Frank.”

Frank, the ferret, poked his wriggly pink nose out of Cashmir’s pocket. “I swear to Joe; don’t they pay someone to keep this place up?” 

What does it take to call yourself a writer? Sometimes, using this word is a challenge and an act of courage. Today, writer Lakiesha Edwards shares how NaNoWriMo has helped her embrace her own identity as a life-long writer:

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to be a writer. People will tell you that there are certain qualities you need to be a writer: things like knowing how to spell, being aware of grammar rules, liking English as a subject, and actually enjoying sitting down and putting words on a page. But the truth is, all you need to be a writer is to write. All of those details are tools to help you get there. 

I made this discovery after just jumping out here on the web once I wrote my first book. I’m pretty new to the whole writing world online, and I think it’s wonderful that places like NaNoWriMo exist. With NaNoWriMo, I found the support I’d been craving to help me push past the rough spots of writing: advice for overcoming writer’s block; encouragement to write every day; the drive to finish my work in progress rather than stall it with editing at the wrong times; connection to a community of other writers; how to have fun with the project I’m working on; and, most importantly, how to just write, write, write nonstop and keep my momentum up without getting burnt out. Even after the event months are over, NaNoWriMo is here for me, and for all of us writers.

We feel so lucky here at NaNo HQ to be able to work with some excellent interns! Today, meet our second super-awesome helper for the summer, Intern Helena Li:

Hello, World! Summer in the East Bay for me means it’s the summer of Oakland, farmers’ markets, the New Parkway theater, endless goings-on, coffee, sunlight, ocean, and hills. This year, summer in the East Bay also means it’s the summer of NaNoWriMo—a summer full of stories. It’s hard to imagine a better way to spend the next few months.

This will be my third summer in the East Bay, though it’ll be my first to venture out of the bubble of Berkeley University (and summer classes) into the real working world. I think about how it’ll go in hope and anticipation, though I’m also at times nervous because of my lack of experience—a catch 22 of sorts. But if I’ve learned one thing from writing, it’s that lack of a complete outline is no reason not to start writing (otherwise I’d never get any of my schoolwork done). If my lack of experience had stopped me from starting, I wouldn’t be typing away surrounded by the wonderful NaNoWriMo team right now.

Are you missing the energy of Camp NaNoWriMo’s April session and can’t wait for it to start again in July? If you want to continue your noveling adventures, participant Virginia Mialma shares some tips to help you dive into edits and get the most of your editing time:

So, you’ve finished your novel… or maybe you’re just stuck and you’re just trying to make some progress in some aspect of your novel and you’ve gone through a phase of light editing to pass some time and hope for genius to strike. Either way, that red pen in your hand can feel like a hot iron on your precious words.

First of all, don’t tackle five different parts of writing at once. You have the plot, you have characterization, you have grammar, you have spelling, you have those annoying little dash marks that never come out right the first time (maybe that’s just me). Break these up into much more manageable and not so incredibly overwhelming pieces.

Are you missing the energy of Camp NaNoWriMo’s April session and can’t wait for it to start again in July? If you want to continue your noveling adventures, participant K.R. Garcia shares some tips to help you keep your writing energy up:

It’s over. That month of late nights, exhilarating twists, dizzying plunges, and ink-stained fingers is over at last. As June dawns and fizzes, the stress and adrenaline diminuendo into a soft murmur, barely audible amidst the flood of relief. But so, too, does the inspiration that pushed you through the month.

When you began the race, you stood at the starting line with an empty notebook, fresh pens, and a fully charged laptop. The only opponent was the clock. Your mind-hotel was rented out to a number of misunderstood and eccentric characters, and you had promised them growth and room to be themselves. Nothing could dim the dazzling potential of your brilliant idea. As the race went on, your legs began to ache and your vision blurred. When you crossed the finish line, your legs gave out.

Are you missing the energy of Camp NaNoWriMo’s April session and can’t wait for it to start again in July? If you want to continue your noveling adventures, participant Nadia Svoboda shares some tips to help you keep writing in the “off season”:

I hope this blog post finds you well rested and properly caffeinated (did anyone else recently re-discover the awesomeness that is iced coffee? Because I did and I know it’s going to be my summer staple)

We are well into the “off season” right now. If you’re also in the northern hemisphere, the cold dreary days of November seem like a distant memory, and the lush, hot days of summer are just beginning. It’s a great time of year to get outside, go exploring, meet up with friends, and yes… write your novel.

If you like to read outside on a patio, in your backyard, or under the shade of a tree in your local park, why not switch it up and try writing instead?

Bring your laptop (or a pen and notebook) along with you the next time you’re enjoying your downtime outside. If that’s not available to you, open a window and let the warm breeze and sunshine in! Let it inspire you to write—a short story, a poem, a zine, or work on another creative project. Pick up that old story you set aside and look at it with fresh eyes. Keep your creative spark going.