I Survived Camp Nanowrimo!

Camp Nano, July 2015

Yay me! My draft is a shambles and I still have to write several key scenes, as well as make connections between many others so my novel flows like a novel should. But still. I am proud of my story, rough patches and all. More than that, I am proud of myself for digging in and writing, even on the days when words trickled out of the keyboard like teachers walking into a staff development session when they'd rather be doing ANYTHING else. Root canal, anyone? 

Because that is my biggest roadblock to publishing one of my projects. I get all excited about an idea and start. I am a world-class starter. Seriously, I could start shit all day. Then, as the initial inspiration dries up, the blank pages loom like the White Cliffs of Dover. I get scared of never writing another decent word, or worse, of finishing something and having to show it to a reader. Imagining anyone reading the drivel I write is its own special kind of horror.

So, making it to the end of the month with a daily writing habit that I actually look forward to is a tremendous step forward. 

When I participated in Nanowrimo for the first time in 2008, it was a much smaller affair, and it only happened in November. In some ways, it feels more diluted with the multiple writing events every year. Writing 50,000 words in a month is certainly possible, but I find that trying to do that EVERY month while maintaining a more than full time, very stressful job and a family is more than I can handle. 

I won on word count that first year, although I was only about a third of the way through my story at the end of the month. I have worked on that initial manuscript, off and on, ever since. Every time I pick it up, I fix a few more things and then continue writing. The first 50 pages or so are starting to read the way I want them to, but the manuscript gets progressively rougher as it goes on. I have also started several other projects that I treat in the same way. I find that I hate my writing much less if I leave the words alone for a few months or more. Eventually, I would like to try to get something published. 

My goal from here is to maintain a daily writing habit and to keep moving closer to a finished project.

Camp Nanowrimo 2013

Once upon a time, I was a Brownie and then a Girl Scout. My favorite part of the whole experience was not the summer camp (ugh...camping...mosquitoes, wet socks, AND mean girls). It was the badges. I remember being so proud of my sash filled with badges; oh, how I loved them. They were tangible proof that I was strong and capable. I could do stuff, all kinds of stuff. I felt like a superhero.

So, now that I'm getting ready to embark on yet another crazy month of novel writing, what am I most excited about? The satisfaction of finally finishing that novel I've been yammering on about for years and years? Ummm...no. Well, that would be nice, but what I really want are some cool badges to display my awesomeness to the world. Where, oh where, did I put that sash?

Seriously, though, I would love to finally finish my novel. I've been working on it for years and still have less than half of a book. But I'm torn about whether it's better to keep trying to tell a story that doesn't seem to want to come together, or to start something brand new. One more week to do some brainstorming, and hopefully, a few character sketches and a rough plot outline.

Nanowrimo 2010

To anyone who has ever dreamed of being a novelist, November is a month to remember. Crazy people around the world (kids and adults) will shirk many of their normal responsibilities for the sole purpose of writing an entire novel in a mere 30 days. If this sounds like fun to you, head over to www.nanowrimo.org to find out more. Sign up, lock your inner editor in the closet, and let your imagination fly free.