National Novel Writing Month
Month
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.
It’s almost time for Camp NaNoWriMo to begin again! Join us this July for more fun writing adventures. Pack your Creative Backpack and get ready to work on your creative masterpiece with three simple steps:
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!
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…
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!
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!
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.
We feel super lucky here at NaNo HQ to be able to work with some excellent interns! Today, meet Editorial Intern Malissa Bilbrey, one of the newest additions to our team:
Wassup writers! My name is Malissa Bilbrey and I am ecstatic to introduce myself as one of the Spring interns with NaNoWriMo.
I am a Southern California native who has made a home out of the Bay Area over the past four years. I am also an almost-graduate of San Francisco State University majoring in Communication Studies. I am more than excited to begin incorporating my studies with the goals of everyone here at NaNoWriMo.
I have been enticed by the literary world since childhood. Whether it was spending time in between library shelves or typing stories on my mom’s laptop. In the most recent years I have exercised and hopefully begun refining my poetry. I love reading books almost as much as I like to write them but nowhere near as much as I love candy!
When I’m not writing, I find the asphalt calling to me, either to ride my skateboard up and down the streets of San Francisco or using it to create basketball beats on my way back from the courts. No matter where I’m at or what I’m doing one thing is guaranteed: wherever I am, doodles are soon to follow. In addition to a writer and creator, I am proud to call myself a professional doodler.
With November quickly approaching I cannot wait to begin working with everyone in and around the NaNo universe!
We’re partnering with StoryADay for Short Story Month this May, the perfect opportunity to track a new NaNoWriMo goal, or start a new Young Writers Program personal challenge. Today, author Tory Christie shares her advice to questions from Julie Duffy at StoryADay:
Q: How do I make readers care about my story and my characters?
A: Empathy is the key to making readers care about your story and your characters. Empathy is the ability to understand the feelings of another person (or animal).
I like to establish some empathy right away, in the first scene. Better yet, on the first page. Show your character caring about someone else.
In one of my stories, my main character sticks up for the new girl in town during the first scene. It can even be a very small gesture, like letting your character find a penny on the road and handing it to a little sister. Or maybe your main character picks up a worm on the sidewalk and moves it safely into the grass.
Even though the frenzy of April’s Camp NaNoWriMo session has passed, that doesn’t mean you need to stop writing! If you’re feeling like you want to continue your noveling adventures but you’re not quite sure where to go with them, participant V.S. Chiu shares her top tips for researching your novel:
Research is one of those things in life that you either love or hate—but it’s one of those things you have to do. Not just in writing, but in life: plane tickets, buying a computer, the time of a movie—all of those things require just a little bit of research to make sure you get the best deal, or show up when you need to. As an archivist and professional researcher, I may be one of the people who loves research the most, and when I’m teaching people to research it’s always how to make life easier. My top tips are mostly for academia; however, adapting to fiction is not that hard.
Wikipedia is a starting point. Wikipedia is a great resource to find jumping off points, due to editable nature however makes the information somewhat hard to take on its own. Those lovely footnotes (the numbers after a word) are a great way of getting more information. If you have vague questions, or thoughts, going through the Wikipedia article is a great place to start.
Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. She Writes University, a Camp NaNoWriMo 2018 sponsor, is an online, live webinar-based writing program for writers in all genres. Today, six of their featured bestselling authors share the writing advice they’ve come by the hard way:
Aspiring authors tend to make a lot of assumptions about what a writing career is and what it takes to get published. There is a lot of cloaked mystery around how to become a successful author and these six bestsellers are breaking down those barriers.
Each of these women were featured in the recent webinar series, She Writes University. Camp NaNoWriMo Participants receive 50% off any class or the full semester bundle using code CAMPNANO through May 31. She Writes University offers webinars aimed at helping writers write and market their books and new webinars and classes are available often.
Jesmyn Ward is the 2017 National Book Award for Fiction winner, a Time Magazine Best Novel of the Year and New York Times top ten of 2017. Her message on voice is one all writers need to hear.
“Voice doesn’t come to you in one fell swoop. Voice is something you develop and refine over years. It takes patience and dedication. For those of us who are not precocious writing geniuses, this is how it works.”
When you’re just beginning to write, finding your voice can be both frustrating and embarrassing. Most start our modeling after those they admire, but as Ward points out, time and persistence are the only tools for developing a style that is uniquely your own.
We’re partnering with StoryADay for Short Story Month this May, the perfect opportunity to track a new NaNoWriMo goal, or start a new Young Writers Program personal challenge. Today, author Sarah Aronson shares her advice to questions from Julie Duffy at StoryADay:
Q: What is your one go-to piece of general advice for writers?
A: PLAY. Don’t be afraid of failure. Instead, experiment. Try everything! Or as my first editor said, “Eat dessert first.”
When I started writing The Wish List series, I called it my “peach sorbet.” It was a sort of palate cleanser, after the “real” work was done. It was a project I wrote just for myself—no expectations.
It wasn’t long before I realized that play, or writing without expectations, makes me a better writer. When I play, inspiration emerges. Intuition doesn’t feel so impossible. I enjoy myself more!
When I challenged myself to banish my internal editor, I found that I could write all kinds of stories—and that I enjoyed the process a lot more!
Even though the frenzy of April’s Camp NaNoWriMo session has passed, that doesn’t mean you need to stop writing! If you’re feeling like you want to continue your noveling adventures but you’re not quite sure where to go with them, participant Larisa Hunter shares some tips for researching and organizing your first draft:
Free writing is exactly how it sounds: you sit down and just write. It doesn’t seem like it would be a good tool to organize your thoughts, because it’s somewhat chaotic, but I find it very useful. You don’t have to write about a specific thing; you just take thoughts that are all over the place and put them down.
I’m usually a very organized person. I used to be extremely organized until I became a mom, at which point it began to be more trouble than it was worth. You can’t always predict what kids will do, and planning for everything is virtually impossible (as children, if nothing else, are great at finding the one thing you didn’t prepare for). I began to realize that not much was under my control. Life is often fraught with unexpected events, so trying to organize everything is virtually impossible. In completing a writing project, I’ve found that a mix of free writing and organization work best for me.
We’re partnering with StoryADay for Short Story Month this May, the perfect opportunity to track a new NaNoWriMo goal, or start a new Young Writers Program personal challenge. Today, authors Abby R. Cooper and Martine Leavitt share their advice—and a couple of writing dares:
Q: What if I feel I don’t have anything important to say?
A: Here’s the thing. Even if you’re writing about a rock, you are the only person who can write about that rock from your point of view, with your unique thoughts and feelings and descriptions and ideas. No one else in this world can write about that rock exactly like you.
You’re probably wondering, well, who cares what I think about a rock? It’s not about the actual rock—it’s about you.
Your voice is special. It’s one-of-a-kind. It matters.
(Related: some of the best stories I’ve ever read aren’t about anything we typically consider important. Doesn’t matter. If it’s interesting to you, and you write it in your voice, it is important. And awesome. Really, really awesome.)
Look around wherever you are right now and ask yourself “What if?” What if the chair you’re sitting in made you invisible? What if the raindrops tapping your window were giving you a secret message? What if your closet was a portal to another world? Write a story where you answer one of your “What if?” questions.
Hey, writers! If you participated in Camp NaNoWriMo this April, please click on the link above and take a few minutes to fill out our survey. Camp NaNoWriMo is in for some big changes next year—and we want to hear from you. This survey helps us get to know who you are so we can better serve you all. It also helps us see which parts of Camp NaNoWriMo are successful, and which parts could use some work. Your thoughts are always appreciated!
Even though the frenzy of April’s Camp NaNoWriMo session has passed, that doesn’t mean you need to stop writing! If you’re feeling like you want to continue your noveling adventures but you’re not quite sure where to go with them, participant Kayla Ann Diaz shares some tips for beating writer’s block:
If you’re like me, there is always a point in your writing in which the dreaded phenomenon known as writer’s block occurs. Some people say that writer’s block isn’t real; it’s just insecurity or the anticipation of an epiphany that causes writer’s block.
In my case, every experience I’ve had with writer’s block resulted from one of two reasons: I either got bored with the idea I initially had, or I ran out of ways to embellish that idea.
I’ve found that I can get myself writing again in one of three ways:
We’re partnering with StoryADay for Short Story Month this May, the perfect opportunity to track a new NaNoWriMo goal, or start a new Young Writers Program personal challenge. Today, Newbery Award author Jerry Spinelli shares advice to questions from Julie Duffy at StoryADay:
Q: How do I decide what to write about?
A: Ask yourself “What do I care about?” In fact, make a list of five or ten things. There’s your start.
Q: But all I know is my family and my town. All I do is go to school and hang out with my friends and play a sport. Is that enough to write stories about? Don’t I have to have had real adventures?
A: That’s all you need to know. Every human life is an adventure. That person sitting across from you is a walking, breathing story, even if he or she doesn’t know it. Your job starts long before hitting the keyboard. At this point your job description has only two words: Pay attention. Get out of yourself and into everybody and everything else. Find a place at night where light pollution is minimal. Look up… look up, dissolve yourself into the universe and wonder. Every good writer is a terrific wonderer.
Now that the frenzy of Camp NaNoWriMo has passed, it’s time to figure out what’s next! That could be anything from taking a break from your manuscript to diving right into edits or revisions. Today, participant Susan Tait shares her plan for post-Camp noveling:
I feel stunned. In the afterglow of “I really did write 52,000 words in a month!” the post-Camp effort of organizing my writing feels like trying to unload hastily-packed boxes after moving to a new house. There’s all this stuff that got crammed in during the fury to finish.
Advice was never-ending and contradictory, so I stopped reading it. It mostly amounted to this:
“Don’t edit while you write! Just get it out!”
“Edit while you write, or you’ll just have a big mess at the end.”
I think they’re both right. The novel’s gotten “out,” but what’s gotten out has more obvious problems than strengths: outline fragments, broken dialogue, zeroes filled in for o’s the week I switched keyboards (how did I forget to review my spelling and grammar more often?), a fantastic idea I remember having but can’t find, paragraphs that “seemed like a good idea at the time.” Acknowledgement for source quotes and research notes is so far behind that it feels like another book. Plus the dawning realization that some of my cardboard characters spitefully defied their assigned roles and did what they wanted to.
Amy Spalding grew up in St. Louis, but now lives in the better weather of Los Angeles. By day, she manages the digital media team for an indie film advertising agency. By later day and night, Amy writes, performs, and pets as many cats as she can. She is the author of five young adult novels, including her latest, The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles). (Author photo: Robyn Von Swank)
Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.
Camp NaNoWriMo is nothing without you, our incredible participants. The final week of April is upon us (already!) so today, writer Ellen Rozek shares a welcome reminder that rules are made to be broken:
There are almost as many rules for how to be a “real” writer as there are rules for how to write. Whether you’ve already finished a dozen different novels or this April was your first serious attempt at novel-writing, I’m guessing you’ve heard at least a few of them.
Maybe you were told that “real" writers write every day, or that they make detailed outlines before they put a single word on the page. Maybe you’ve heard that they write only the scenes that are most interesting to them before they go back and connect the dots.
When you’re stuck on your story and questioning yourself every step of the way, rules like these can act as your road map. They can show you a way forward or offer an alternate route, or get you going again when you’re one more wrong turn away from giving up. But, if you’re not paying attention, they can all too easily become a roadblock by convincing you that there’s no other right way to write your story or by tricking you into thinking that your writing process is wrong.
Spoiler alert, campers: Your writing process is not wrong.
Amy Spalding grew up in St. Louis, but now lives in the better weather of Los Angeles. By day, she manages the digital media team for an indie film advertising agency. By later day and night, Amy writes, performs, and pets as many cats as she can. She is the author of five young adult novels, including her latest, The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles). (Author photo: Robyn Von Swank)
Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.
Camp NaNo can be thrilling, challenging, and revitalizing—sometimes all at once—but more than anything else, it’s fun. We’ve asked Campers to share their daily thoughts in a series, Letters from Camp. Read about what your fellow Campers are thinking:
Dear sleepy me,
The words you type while you’re dozing off don’t count. They do not exist. They have way more punctuation, exclamation and question marks than any other word in any other language.
Please don’t. If you’re tired, just stop, log off your laptop, set it aside and go to bed. Don’t try to cheat on Camp. That’s not fair. Also, you can ruin the rest of your paragraphs just because you’re stubborn enough to keep on “typing” as your eyes start to lose focus.
Now stop, get to bed and don’t touch the laptop until you get enough sleep.
Love,
Kahitna
Dear Sara,
You’re going to hate me by the time May rolls around.
I’m sorry for all the crap I’m putting you through, all the garbage that’s to come and all the pain in your past. You’re an amazing lady and I really want to tell your story, but if it’s all sunshine and lollipops then it just wouldn’t be YOUR story, now would it? You don’t think you’re a hero. You don’t think you’re anything special, but that just isn’t true. You are the center of a world of characters and events, heroes and villains, victims and survivors. I’m going to put you through the mill, because I have to. Not because I want you to hurt or fail but because if you don’t fail sometimes you won’t learn. Succeeding on the first try only teaches you one way to do things. Failing, creates questioning; and questioning is the soul of learning. So I’m sorry you had such a rough early life. It sucks that the world keeps kicking you in the teeth.
I can’t even promise that your tormentors will get theirs in the end. All I can say is, I know you’ll stand tall and do yourself, and me, proud.
Sincerely,
Your Author.
Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to scifi/fantasy TV to Japanese role-playing games, but she will swear up and down at book signings that she was inspired by Jane Austen. On top of being a YA writer, Sarah has a PhD in English, which makes her doctor, so it turns out she didn’t have to go to medical school after all.
Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.
Camp NaNoWriMo is nothing without you, our incredible participants. Today, YWP writer Elysia Lopez offers you a boost in your third week of Camp to help you reach your writing goals:
It was the middle of NaNoWriMo, and I was 20,000 words behind in my novel. I didn’t know what happened to the time. I’d kept telling myself that I would catch up on my word count tomorrow, but too many tomorrows had passed, and here I was, a 20K-large void in my word count.
I realized that at this point, my overall goal of 50,000 words was simply unrealistic. I had homework. I had robotics competitions. I didn’t have time to write a novel.
Both Camp NaNoWriMo and the Young Writers Program allow you to change your word goal whenever you want during the month, and I’ve taken advantage of that feature. My goal dropped from 50,000 to 30,000. 30k words, which still allowed for a good chunk of my novel, so I was content. But it made me realize something:
We participate in NaNoWriMo to motivate ourselves to finally write our stories. Remember that. Our ultimate goal is to write the story, not reach an arbitrary word count.
Camp NaNo can be thrilling, challenging, and revitalizing—sometimes all at once—but more than anything else, it’s fun. We’ve asked Campers to share their daily thoughts in a series, Letters from Camp. Read about what your fellow Campers are thinking:
Dear Children,
First, I want to remind all five of you how much I love you. Second, it may feel like I’m always at Camp and have no time for you. But this is not true! Although I am making Camp a priority, I will still be there to kiss your boo-boos, to read you a story, and to tuck you in at night. I promise. Last thing: I’m sorry about the dirty kitchen. I know eating with paper plates and plastic forks is not what you’re used to, but it’s almost like you’re at Camp too! Don’t worry, things will go back to normal after the first of May. Until then, sending y’all hugs and kisses!
Mom
Dear Shane,
It is day eight at Camp NaNoWriMo and I’m already making new friends. We named our cabin The Tardis to inspire camp spirit! We came up with the name because one of our cabin mates noticed that we were all fans of sci-fi. As for my personal progress on my writing project, I am off to a great start. I am editing my half of our book and it is coming along. At this rate, I will complete my personal goal before camp is over. Fingers crossed it all goes well! Wish you could be at camp with me. I bet you’d like it. Maybe you’ll join me in July.
Your Best Friend, Lauren Hughes (TrinkaLs)
Camp NaNoWriMo is upon us! You may be wondering: what do you do when you can’t focus on your writing? Today, writer DeAnna Hundley shares her set of 5 W’s of Focus to think about when pushing through the end of the month:
When it comes to creativity and writing, one of my best—and worst—traits is the fact that i cannot stay focused… at all.
It can be a great thing because, without focus, I never run out of new ideas. Books, scripts, songs, just waiting for the world to see them. You know how the singers of old used to put out two albums a year, because their record labels worked them like indentured servants? That’s what creativity feels like sometimes.
On the other hand, it can be a bad thing, because a) the ideas leave just as fast as they come, and b) I can never sit down long enough to actually get them on paper. Perhaps you can relate.
Luckily, I’ve developed a few helpful tips over the years that you may find useful—tips I like to call the 5 W’s of Focus!
Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to scifi/fantasy TV to Japanese role-playing games, but she will swear up and down at book signings that she was inspired by Jane Austen. On top of being a YA writer, Sarah has a PhD in English, which makes her doctor, so it turns out she didn’t have to go to medical school after all.
Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.
Camp NaNoWriMo is nothing without you, our incredible participants. Today, writer Dani Jorgensen offers you a boost in your second week of Camp to help you defeat the “doubt ninjas” trying to drag your story down:
My Dear Nanowrimo Writers,
The gritty slump of Week Two has come. The bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, rosy-cheeked you who committed to this task is now entrenched in life and the writing process, and perhaps the enthusiasm is beginning to flag.
Are you falling behind on your word count? Are you struggling to maintain a daily writing habit? Whether you are trudging along or totally killing it, there’s no question that writing is hard. We all start to doubt ourselves. Please, my dear fellow Wrimos, don’t let the Doubt Ninjas get you down. These powerful enemies prey on our minds in our most vulnerable moments, and try to convince us that it’s not worth continuing.
Camp NaNo can be thrilling, challenging, and revitalizing—sometimes all at once—but more than anything else, it’s fun. We’ve asked Campers to share their daily thoughts in a new series, Letters from Camp. Read about what your fellow Campers are thinking:
Dear Eudokia,
My sweet Muse, where have you gone? You dropped this story idea to me in a dream one night in February and I burned for some time as I started planning it. Now that fire seems to be gone and you along with it.Its April 1st now. Is this your idea of a prank? If so, it’s not funny. Honestly, I am hurt. Are you mad at me? Was it because I got busy with work and life and stopped planning? Is it because I never finished the outline like I promised? You are holding both my story and my cast of characters hostage. If you are scared of Critic, I have sent her away to join the Nano Kennels! She can’t be mean to you for a whole month! Please come back! I miss you! How will I ever get our ideas out there without you?
Love,
Gala
Helen Hoang is that shy person who never talks. Until she does. And the worst things fly out of her mouth. She read her first romance novel in eighth grade and has been addicted ever since. In 2016, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in line with what was previously known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Her journey inspired The Kiss Quotient, which releases in June 2018. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband, two kids, and pet fish.
Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.
At NaNo HQ, we’re big fans of long, detailed character questionnaires (like this one)! They’re invaluable when it comes to fleshing out our characters, exploring their secrets, and just killing time—but after hundreds of questions and dozens of quizzes, the questions all begin to look the same.
After careful research, rigorous testing, and three escaped typewriter monkeys, we’re proud to present the 51-Question NaNo Character Questionnaire 2.0, filled with questions you’ve probably never considered asking about your characters.
By the time you’ve finished this questionnaire, you’ll know more about your characters than you may know about yourself!
1. What does your character do when they think no one’s looking?
2. What’s the one thing your character would save in a fire (beyond the necessities)?
3. Who’s on speed dial?
4. Your character gets turned down for their dream job. What’s their second choice?
Camp NaNoWriMo is nothing without you, our incredible participants. Today, Rylee Kazort, a fellow Camper and member of the Young Writers Program, offers you some pep:
Let me first say that writing a story, or anything at all, is not easy. I am a dyslexic teen writer with an anxiety disorder, so it’s safe to say that I can relate when writers say that just putting words down can be stressful. After all, as a writer, you spend half your time wondering if the words on the page are good enough—you constantly want to look over your writing and have it mean something to others. But don’t let the anxiety of worrying about what to write stop you from writing. I use writing as a powerful means of communication for things I might be afraid to say in person.
We use writing to portray our true thoughts and feelings. With anxiety it is hard for me to communicate who I am to everyone else; I am a kid who stays in a corner and doesn’t talk to many people. I don’t normally get the right words out when I am talking, and I often don’t know what point I’m trying to make, and I get flustered and frustrated.
Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Dabble, a Camp NaNoWriMo 2018 sponsor, is a writing platform designed to help you become a better novelist. Today, writer and educator Galadriel Mitchelmore shares her experience with dabbling in different writing platforms:
Dabble is “to try”. The dictionary definition implies a blasé application of effort. But the word “dabble” is often paired with “magic” and the “occult”—essentially, bringing out what is hidden. And isn’t that what writers do? Pull up characters, worlds, conflicts, stories—all mined from the mind. Writing is alchemy. It requires transmuting fragments of imagination, attenuating repeatedly until literary gold rises to the top.
Taran Matharu is a New York Times bestselling author. He was born in London in 1990 and began his first book at 9 years old. Taran wrote his bestselling Summoner series during NaNoWriMo in November 2013, at the age of 22. The book reached over 3 million reads on Wattpad.com in less than six months, and has since been translated into 15 languages around the world.
Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.
Do you take the relaxed approach to writing? Or are you a hardcore writer who blasts through your writing goals? Do you love to write outside, or do you need to have your creature comforts? Take our handy quiz to find out what kind of NaNo Camper you are!
Camp NaNoWriMo is just around the corner! If you’re participating in Camp, you may have been sorted into a Cabin! But what does that mean? And what makes a cabin successful? Today, YWP writer Lilly Hallock shares her tips for how to run a great cabin:
It’s almost April! That means it’s time to roast marshmallows over the fire and write a great story. The problem is, no one goes camping on their own. That’s where Camp cabins come in.
Those who have been in a cabin in the past will quickly tell you about all the friends they made and the fun they had.
For those of you who don’t know, Camp NaNoWriMo cabins are a group of up to twenty writers who help support each other throughout the month (and beyond). You can be sorted into a cabin by genre, age group, word-count, or completely at random! You can also create or join a private abin and invite writers who are writing something more specific or writers that you already know. (If there is a cabin for LGBT+ teens writing a dystopian sci-fi adventure novel told from multiple points of view please let me know.)
Camp NaNoWriMo is a time to try out new, different, and fun types of writing. Today, author Tilia Klebenov Jacobs shares what she learned from trying her hand at an entirely new kind of story:
After publishing two crime novels, I decided to write something my kids were allowed to read.
They were in elementary school at the time, so I decided to pen a quick middle-grade fantasy, giving me a chance to trot out the carnivorous marshmallows I had invented in eighth grade, and to give my bad guys names like Princess Abattoir and Count Wilhelm Scream. My book would be short and fast-moving, with an emphasis on plot. How hard could it be?
Hahaha.
We’re gearing up for Camp NaNoWriMo, and we’ve asked our great community for their advice for campers, both new and returning. Today, YWP writer Claire Marino shares what makes Camp NaNo so special:
Imagine being locked in a room for a month. You’re told to set a goal for yourself, keep track of your progress, and create something you care about. You have complete creative freedom—something that, these days, is much harder to come by than you might think.
So, what is this mighty project? What do you immediately itch to write when given such a guideline? Take that inkling—that feeling—and bottle it up! You will need that inspiration later!
You might be thinking, “NaNoWriMo? Isn’t that the insane novel-in-November thing? I can’t do that. I don’t even want to write a novel, anyway.” To which I would say, “Great! Then Camp NaNoWriMo is just the thing for you!”
We’re fast approaching the start of Camp NaNo, so we’ve asked the community for their stories and advice for campers, new and returning. Today, YWP writer Arianna Smith shares how she learned what Camp NaNo is all about, and what makes it different than November:
I’m going to be completely honest. Camp NaNo and I don’t have the best history. Though the characters, settings, and scenes of my stories changed over the years, the ending of failure always seemed to stay the same. It was frustrating to say the least—especially since I’d proven myself capable of tackling such a challenge in previous Novembers.
It didn’t matter how thoroughly I packed my backpack, how much I loved my cabin mates, or how excited I was about starting this new project. 50,000 was always out of reach. If my Camp NaNo word count breached a mere 10,000, it was a cause for celebration.
Every year, NaNoWriMo’s super cool Municipal Liaisons find ways to make writing even more fun. Today, Dayton, Ohio, ML Rochelle Bradley tells us about the November challenge that her region started with the neighboring Indianapolis region. (Want to create a fun regional challenge this year? Join a region and start chatting with fellow participants and MLs!)
For NaNoWriMo 2017, the Dayton, Ohio region declared war on Indianapolis, Indiana. Both regions have awesome Municipal Liaisons ☺, Wrimos, and mascots. Dayton has a cute three-legged cat named Tippy, an actual pet of a former ML. Indy’s mascot is Moe the tomato.
The regional MLs decided on the winning criteria. The losing region had to write a poem in the opposing mascot’s honor. We posted the “call to war” in Indy’s forum:
We’re gearing up for Camp NaNo, so we’ve asked some of our community members to share what they love about Camp! Today, writer Athena Franco tells us what makes Camp great, and why she might love it even more than NaNo:
It’s a bold statement, but it’s true. There’s nothing like the experience of NaNoWriMo—the rush, the thrills; the howls of frustration and the tears of joy. Why, then, do I find myself so elated when Camp rolls around? Isn’t it just more of the same? It doesn’t have to be, and therein lies the beauty!
Here are three reasons I love Camp…maybe even more than I love NaNoWriMo.
What projects have you always wanted to explore? What ideas lurk in the corners of your mind? What deep wellsprings of creativity have you left uncharted? What’s that collection of lyrics singing in your soul, the spark of a script keeping you awake at night?